66 Anglers to Compete for $150,000 Top Prize on Kentucky Lake, Follow the Competition Live All Four Days at MajorLeagueFishing.com

CALVERT CITY, Ky. (May 28, 2025) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour continues its 2025 season next week, June 5-8, in Calvert City, Kentucky, with Lowrance Stage 5 at Kentucky Lake Presented by Mercury.

Hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Calloway County Tourism Commission, the four-day tournament will feature 66 of the world’s top professional anglers competing for a $150,000 top prize, crucial points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) race and coveted qualification spots for the Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026.

“We are thrilled to welcome Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour to Kentucky Lake for Stage 5,” said Elena Blevins, Executive Director of the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This event not only highlights our rebounding fishery on a national stage but also drives significant economic impact to our local communities. From lodging and dining to fuel and retail, every corner of our region benefits when we get the chance to host an event like this because of the ripple effect that it has on our community. Be sure to tune in online or head to Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, June 5-8.”

The all-star field will feature top pros and local fan favorites, including previous Kentucky Lake Toyota Series champion pro Jake Lawrence of Paris, Tennessee, REDCREST 2025 Champion Dustin Connell and reigning Fishing Clash AOY Jacob Wheeler, along with Kentucky pros John Hunter of Shelbyville, Kentucky, and Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Kentucky, both eager to capitalize on their home-state advantage.

“The national television and digital coverage of the Major League Fishing Stage 5 event puts Kentucky Lake back in the spotlight as one of the premier bass fishing destinations in the country,” said Jeremy Whitmore, Executive Director of the Calloway County Tourist Commission. “People want to fish where these tournaments are held, and we’re excited to afford them the opportunity to catch the same fish as the pros. We’re proud to partner together to make this event a success and showcase all that our areas have to offer.”

The tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament is being filmed for broadcast later this year on Discovery.

Although MLF has hosted more than 250 tournaments on Kentucky Lake across its various circuits – making it the most frequented fishery in MLF history – Stage 5 marks the first time the Bass Pro Tour will visit this iconic venue. Several anglers competing in the event have already found past success on Kentucky Lake. Lawrence captured back-to-back Toyota Series wins in 2023 and 2024, while Anthony Gagliardi, Jeremy Lawyer and Dave LeFebre have each earned over $100,000 in tournament winnings on the fishery across various circuits in the past.

Kentucky Lake has also delivered some standout big-bass moments, including a 9-pound, 9-ounce giant caught by Cole Floyd, an 8-8 landed by Lawrence, and a 7-8 reeled in by Matt Becker over the years.

With the Bass Pro Tour making its long-awaited debut on Kentucky Lake, local pro Jake Lawrence said he is particularly excited to see the national spotlight return to a fishery he knows well – and believes is on the rebound.

“I’m really looking forward to finally being able to showcase the new Kentucky Lake on a level like the Bass Pro Tour,” Lawrence said. “Our lake has gone through cycles over many years, and we’re currently on the high end of the upswing.”

According to the rookie angler – who’s first Bass Pro Tour season is off to a strong start, with four top-10 finishes in his first five events, including a dynamic Stage 4 win on Lake Chickamauga – the lake’s resurgence in recent years has been significant, not just in largemouth numbers, but in smallmouth growth as well.

“Everything is still growing. A lot of new populations have formed in the last couple years across all species,” he explained. “Our smallmouth population has really come back strong over the past five years, and it fishes entirely differently from the past 15 to 20 years.”

The timing of the event could play into the hands of versatile anglers, with seasonal transition and changing conditions opening the door to a range of tactics.

“We’re in that late-spawn, early post-spawn period, so fish will be doing a little bit of everything,” Lawrence continued. “There’s going to be a lot of different techniques in play. It’ll be fun to see everyone find their own path on what this fishery gives us that week.”

While recent rains have made predicting exact conditions difficult, Lawrence emphasized that water level will be a critical factor.

“We’ve been getting a ton of rain lately, and the water level is absolutely going to dictate how the fishery shows out – and what patterns are going to dominate,” he noted.

Having already found success at Kentucky Lake with Toyota Series wins in 2018, 2023, and 2024, Lawrence understands the lake’s potential better than most.

“I’ve been very fortunate here. To go back-to-back in 2023 and 2024 was special, and I think this lake is going to surprise a lot of people,” he said. “I expect a ton of bass to be caught. With the 1-8 minimum scoreable weight next week, there’s going to be a high volume of catchable, scoreable fish. I’d guess the top five or eight anglers each day will be up around the 60-pound mark.”

He added that while it’s tough to nail down weights too far in advance, 35 to 45 pounds per day should typically be enough to advance through each round.

Lawrence said he’s also looking forward to the off-the-water festivities and fan engagement outside the competition.

“I think this is going to be a great venue for our watch party and fan activation events,” Lawrence said. “I’ve been spreading the word as much as possible – Saturday and Sunday should be a huge crowd. It’s going to be a lot of fun for the kids and for people of all ages.”

Anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. CT from the Kentucky Dam Marina, located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. The takeout will be held at the same location beginning at 3:45 p.m. daily. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .

On Wednesday, June 4, prior to the start of the tournament, MLF fans are invited to a Meet & Greet featuring 19 MLF pros from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Jet-A-Marina, located at 4616 US-62 in Calvert City, Kentucky. Pros will be available to swap fish stories, take photos and sign autographs with fans.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit the Kentucky Dam Swim Beach at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW!  big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel each day. The event also includes a youth fishing derby and a casting contest. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The Lowrance Stage 5 at Kentucky Lake Presented by Mercury will feature anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

The 2025 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 66 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship.

The full field of anglers will compete in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total will advance directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers that finish 2nd through 20th will advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining anglers compete to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $150,000.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on all four days of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!®  will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com , the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

Television coverage of the Lowrance Stage 5 at Kentucky Lake Presented by Mercury will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 25 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Nov. 1. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki and Toyota.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X,  Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.