Anaya closes out Lake Martin win with tournament-best 15-12 bag

The youth movement continues.

Fisher Anaya caught the heaviest stringer of the event today and closed out the victory at the Lake Martin Elite Series, sewing up his first top-tier triumph in just his second Elite Series event.

The 20-year-old Anaya caught 15-12 and closed with 54-6 to become the second-youngest winner of an Elite Series tournament.

“This feels awesome,” Anaya said in a Bassmaster release. “I didn’t know if I’d ever win one of these. My buddy Gerald Swindle always tells me it's not easy to win one of these, so if you get a shot to win, you better make it work. I knew this one would set up in my wheelhouse, I just had to get the bites and land them.”

Brock Mosley collected his sixth career Elite Series runner-up finish with a 14-6 stringer that gave him 52-14. Emil Wagner took third with 50-13 after he weighed 13-6 on day 4. It was the best finish for Wagner in 11 Elite Series events.

Easton Fothergill, the 2025 Bassmaster Classic winner, wound up two ounces behind Wagner with 50-11 after sacking 14-12, his best weight of the event. Joey Cifuentes III caught 12-12 and tallied 48-11 to finish fifth, his best result since winning at Lake St. Clair in 2023.

Accumulating 13 or 14 pounds was not an easy task this week, but Anaya put his foot on the gas amidst Sunday's pouring rain, something he assumed would hurt his bite. 

“I thought the rain and clouds would make it tougher, but it honestly made it better,” he said. “It was quick. Like every cast I was catching one over 2 1/2, so I can’t complain when I’m doing that.” 

After filling out a limit early on with two 2 1/2-pounders, Anaya landed 3-12 spotted bass just before 9 a.m., a bass that ate his bait 5 feet away from the boat.

“As soon as my bait hit the water, I saw her open her mouth and close on it,” Anaya said. “I set the hook and freaked out a little. A 4-pounder out here is major. I’ve never caught a spot that’s 4 pounds out here before.”

About an hour later, he landed another 3-pound spot and upgraded one more time in the afternoon with a 2 1/2-pounder. While he felt comfortable with the weight he caught, Anaya wasn’t convinced he had won until he got back to weigh-in. 

“I thought I had caught enough to make it happen, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking Brock had caught a 6-pounder on spinnerbait,” he said. 

Mosley, who led after days 1 and 2 and was second entering the final, said there’s nothing more he could’ve done. He had no regrets about how he performed on a stingy fishery.

“It was a good week and a good event,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just got beat. I fished about as good and clean as I could and left it all out on the water.”

For the first time in his Elite Series career – this is his 11th season – Mosley started the season with two consecutive cuts made. He was 28th at Guntersville and finds himself third in points with seven tournaments left.

“I’m just making a lot of good decisions on the water and I’m glad to get off on the right foot,” he said. “Usually, it’s the opposite way around. I’ll miss them both or make one and miss one.”

Here’s how the top 10 finished up:

1. Fisher Anaya: 20, 54-6

2. Brock Mosley: 20, 52-14

3. Emil Wagner: 20, 50-13

4. Easton Fothergill: 20, 50-11

5. Joey Cifuentes III: 20, 48-11

6. Chris Zaldain: 20, 46-14

7. Robert Gee: 20, 46-2

8. Pake South: 20, 46-1

9. Cody Meyer: 20, 45-14

10. Caleb Hudson: 20, 45-9

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