An angler from a state that proudly promotes itself as walleye heaven is king of the bass world.
Seth Feider of Elko New Market, who has outfished the class of professional anglers since the beginning of the year on the Bassmaster Elite Series Tour, secured the prestigious Angler of the Year (AOY) championship trophy Friday. It came during the second day of the tour's final tourney, on the St. Lawrence River in New York.
How does it feel?
"Cloud nine right now," Feider told the Star Tribune minutes after hoisting the AOY trophy after his weigh-in, with his wife, Dayton, on stage, too. The victory includes a $100,000 payday.
The full celebration will have to wait for a day or two. Feider made the cut with a five-fish bag of 20 pounds, 3 ounces and will fish Saturday.
"I caught 'em too good to go party tonight," he said before accepting the AOY trophy.
With a huge overall points lead entering the tourney, Feider needed only to make the cut of the top 45 anglers. He was in fifth overall after Day 1, with a 22-pound bag, and was eighth after Friday. The results thus far in New York mirror his season: consistently solid and the best among the best. He has had four top-10 finishes in eight tournaments this year and could have a fifth before the weekend is over.
Feider said last week that his competitors have been gracious and supportive in different ways along his championship run.
One is Greg Hackney, the 2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year and a hero to Feider. He rolled by Feider on July 9 ahead of the pivotal day and said "keep coasting but strong."
"He's like my idol, but I'm afraid to talk to him," Feider said. "It's weird because I fish against him all the time. He probably thinks I hate him because I am weird around him. ... It's pretty cool of him to say that."
Feider grew up fishing in tournaments across Minnesota and worked his way through the ranks to become a pro among bass fishing elites. In 2016, he won a fall Bassmaster tournament in epic fashion at home, on Lake Mille Lacs, and he was off. He has improved in his pursuit of Angler of the Year nearly every year since. He finished 14th overall in 2017 and landed as high as fifth in 2019, when he won his second Elite Series tournament. Last year, he finished 12th on the tour.
Feider said Friday that fishing professionally is all he has ever wanted to do. Now he is the best when it comes to landing bass.
"It probably was never really reality until the last few years," he said. "I have spent every minute of every day trying to accomplish something like this."
Whatever celebration happens in New York will get followed by a 20-plus-hour drive back to Minnesota, Feider said. Then he'll jet off to ICAST, one of the sport's premier shows in Florida next week, before returning home for a tournament on Lake Minnetonka.
His friends at Rapala USA, his title sponsor, will be happy to see him.
Dan Quinn, Rapala's field promotions director, spoke Thursday morning to the company's emerging star as he closed in on the championship. Quinn said Rapala was excited for Feider and a well-earned opportunity to coast, with the title locked down. Feider acknowledged it has been a stressful few weeks staying atop the leaderboard.
"Seth is one of a kind. He's been great," Quinn said.
