University of Montevallo angler Easton Fothergill has already seen first-hand the benefits of running a Toyota in the fishing world. Angler: Easton Fothergill.

January 27, 2024 • Luke Stoner • Abu Garcia College Fishing

The first two weeks of Easton Fothergill’s 2024 fishing season included no shortage of excitement. Fothergill competed in the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship Presented by YETI with fellow University of Montevallo teammate Nicholas Dumke on Lake Toho.

After leading Day 1 with an impressive 27-pound, 3-ounce limit of fish, Fothergill and Dumke ultimately finished the event in third, taking home the Toyota Bonus Bucks payout of $3,500 in the process. The two Montevallo Falcons rode to Florida in Fothergill’s 2011 Toyota Tundra and were the highest-finishing team towing their boat with a Toyota at the National Championship. They also qualified to fish the 2024 Toyota Series Championship, which will be held Nov. 7-9 on Wheeler Lake, as co-anglers.

College anglers are eligible for bonus payouts with ANY year, make or model of Toyota tow vehicle through the College Series of Bonus Bucks. Fothergill bought his trusty 2011 Tundra in 2020, specifically with traveling around the country for college fishing in mind.

“My dad drove a Tundra when I was growing up, and I knew they were super reliable vehicles,” Fothergill said. “Reliability plus Toyota’s support of bass fishing and the chance to make extra money through College Bonus Bucks made it an easy decision. The truck had 80,000 miles on it when I bought it, and it’s already got almost 210,000 miles now. I haven’t had hardly any issues with it, and almost all of the 120,000 miles I’ve put on it have been towing. It’s been a beast.”

Easton Fothergill and Nick Dumke blasted them on Day 1 of the College Fishing natty. Photo by Rob Matsuura.

If catching the biggest bass he’d ever weighed in during a tournament (7 pounds, 11 ounces) on a glide bait and nearly winning the National Championship wasn’t enough buzz to start the new year, Fothergill’s cup was filled when he flew to Oklahoma on Jan. 11 — less than 48 hours after the tournament ended — to pick up his fully-rigged, Montevallo-wrapped 2023 Toyota Tundra.

Fothergill won full use of this Tundra and a brand-new Nitro Z20 for the 2024 season when he finished on top of the Bassmaster College Series Classic Bracket last fall. Doing so also qualified him to fish the 2024 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake in March and have a shot at even bigger bonuses in his future.

“That whole week was amazing,” Fothergill said with a smile. “I wish we could have held on and won the National Championship, but other than that it’s been like a dream come true. Hopefully, I can keep some positive momentum rolling for the rest of my season. I love my 2011, but I’m ready to put some towing miles on that new Tundra.”

It’s been a whirlwind of a start to 2024 for Fothergill, but he’s got two Tundras in his driveway at Montevallo, and he’s all smiles heading into the rest of the year. To sign up for the free-to-register for program or for more information on Toyota Bonus Bucks – College Series, follow this link or shoot an email to [email protected].