Reagan, Bouldin Tie for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Suzuki Marine
Kingsport’s Legassie Tops Co-Angler Division
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 24, 2025) – Boaters Lucas Reagan of Byrdstown, Tennessee, and Hunter Bouldin of McMinnville, Tennessee, tied for the win in the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Dale Hollow Lake Presented by Suzuki Marine on Sunday. They both caught five-bass limits weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces, and each earned $2,233 for their share of the victory. The tournament, hosted by Star Point Resort, was the second event of the season for the BFL Music City Division.
Not surprisingly, the joint winners at Dale Hollow caught all of their fish using forward-facing sonar. The technology has dominated on the clear mountain reservoir over the last few years, as local anglers continue to expertly refine how to use it to catch suspended largemouth bass. Reagan and Bouldin were the most effective and efficient at adapting to the conditions on Sunday.
For Reagan, that meant abandoning his starting areas down the lake because of heavy winds, and then abandoning his backup water up the lake because it was blown out by muddy water. With Plans A and B both a flop, he went into “practice mode” and wound up catching his fish from a couple of areas he hadn’t even checked until the tournament. His primary lures were a Berkley Stunna 112+2 jerkbait and a Queen Tackle tungsten jighead with a Zoom Fluke .
“I had to find places the wind wasn’t blowing into really hard, where I could make decent casts on them, and some areas that weren’t just completely mud,” Reagan said.
Reagan tracked down enough fish to put together a pretty solid limit in the morning. Midday, his bite slowed until he applied some old-fashioned outdoors knowhow.
“Later in the day I looked across the lake. I was in a really windy area,” Reagan said. “I looked over at just a little pocket and I saw like four or five loons sitting there, and it was really calm. I thought, ‘There’ll be some bait there.’ I ran over and ended up making my last cull around 2:30. It was a 4.07 (pound bass). And I lost one more.”
Bouldin’s day started off much quicker. He caught a limit in the first 30 minutes.
“Then for whatever reason, where I was on that stretch, it was like they got kicked in the head,” Bouldin said. “They just quit. I made one more stop and there wasn’t really anything on it. So I ran around to this pocket in the Wolf (River), and there were fish suspended everywhere. I caught a 5-10, and then just a couple minutes later I caught two 4-pounders almost back to back.”
After his flurry, Bouldin figures he had 20 pounds by 10 o’clock. He made one last cull and lost a fish that might’ve gotten him the outright win. His catch came on a Burtek Tackle Wrangler soft-plastic minnow and a Rapala Crush City Freeloader.
Bouldin shouted out his buddy, Steven Heady, who did all the electronics rigging on Bouldin’s boat. Heady’s expertise ensured Bouldin would have clean power and the clearest, crispest sonar returns.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Lucas Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 21-3, $2,233
1st: Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 21-3, $2,233
3rd: Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 21-1, $843
3rd: Christian Nash, Allons, Tenn., five bass, 21-1, $843
5th: Bryce McDonald, Paintsville, Ky., five bass, 20-13, $595
6th: Tanner Rich, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-2, $546
7th: Wyatt Pearman, Hodgenville, Ky. five bass, 19-4, $496
8th: Gavin Cloutier, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 19-3, $947 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
9th: Logan Vicars, Corinth, Ky., five bass, 18-13, $372
9th: Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 18-13, $372
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Brady Duncan of Lebanon, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $340.
Thomas Doc Legassie of Kingsport, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $1,498 Sunday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 11 co-anglers finished:
1st: Thomas Doc Legassie, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 10-11, $1,489
2nd: Gary Haraguchi, Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 10-2, $914
3rd: Joshua Cloutier, Glasgow, Ky., three bass, 9-7, $497
4th: Parker Burgess, Granville, Tenn., three bass, 9-3, $347
5th: Lucas Brown, Albany, Ky., three bass, 9-2, $298
6th: Tommy Pritchard, Bargersville, Ind., three bass, 9-1, $273
7th: Pop Catalin, Cookeville, Tenn., three bass, 8-15, $248
8th: Bobby Hannah, Brandon, Miss., three bass, 8-10, $323
9th: Wayne Crouch, Jamestown, Tenn., three bass, 8-6, $198
10th: Cole Mann, Crossville, Tenn., three bass, 8-4, $165
10th: Darryl Lee, Portland, Tenn., three bass, 8-4, $165
Gary Haraguchi of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $170, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Gavin Cloutier of Jonesborough, Tennessee, now leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 492 points, while Tommy Pritchard of Bargersville, Indiana, leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 494 points.
The next event for BFL Music City Division anglers will be held April 26, at Center Hill Lake in Sparta, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Claremore’s Martin Posts Fourth Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Eufaula
Muskogee’s Eudy Tops Co-Angler Division
EUFAULA, Okla. (March 24, 2025) – Boater T.J. Martin of Claremore, Oklahoma, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine at Lake Eufaula . The tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, was the second event of the season for the BFL Okie Division. Martin earned $11,925, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Martin and his co-angler, Mason Eudy of Muskogee, Oklahoma, shared a pretty awesome day together on Lake Eufaula. They both won their respective divisions, and they both caught giant bass that earned them some extra prize money. Martin landed a 10-pound, 9-ounce fish that earned him the Berkley Big Bass award and $610 on the boater side, while Eudy weighed in a 9-pound, 11-ounce fish that won the $305 Berkley Big Bass award on the co-angler side.
“This morning, it wasn’t fast by any means,” Martin said. “But the first fish I caught was that 10-pounder. And then it just kind of went from there. I think I wound up catching about 10 or 12 keepers today. And then my co-angler wound up winning also. He had a 9 3/4. It was a really cool day. We figured it up and for five we would’ve had 32 or 33 pounds (if they were sharing weight).”
The duo spent the day running a pattern that Martin figured out on Thursday during practice. He was dialed in on a particular type of rock, to the point he could almost call his shot anywhere he found the juice.
Martin caught most of his winning fish on an umbrella rig with swimbaits and custom jigheads from his own tackle shop – Martin Outdoors & Tackle in Owasso, Oklahoma. He also caught a couple on a Deps Sakamata Shad.
“My Garmin LiveScope was key for sure,” he added. “The key was you had to put the bait almost on the bank and just drag it back. The fish were super spooky because the area I was fishing was getting a lot of pressure. I couldn’t leave the scope on them. When I’d see them, I’d cast over there a good ways past them and then take the scope off of them (while working the umbrella rig back). They’ve definitely gotten used to the scope shining on them, especially in these lakes that have multiple tournaments a weekend. I think that was definitely a key.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: T.J. Martin, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 23-11, $11,925 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Nick Kincaid, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 19-8, $2,157
3rd: Ronnie Allen, Chouteau, Okla., five bass, 18-14, $1,439
4th: Brett Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 17-8, $1,007
5th: Darin Anderson, Sand Springs, Okla., five bass, 17-5, $863
6th: Zane Johnson, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 17-4, $791
7th: Preston Cook, Miami, Okla., five bass, 17-2, $719
8th: Tate Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 17-0, $647
9th: William Gaddis, Afton, Okla., five bass, 15-8, $575
10th: Michael Furgerson, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 15-3, $503
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Mason Eudy of Muskogee, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and $2,462 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 16 pounds, 8 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Mason Eudy, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 16-8, $2,462
2nd: Mitch Baskett, Yukon, Okla., three bass, 12-11, $1,079
3rd: Cody Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., three bass, 11-0, $717
4th: Micah Phillips, Fort Gibson, Okla., three bass, 10-9, $503
5th: Mark Taylor, Oklahoma City, Okla., three bass, 9-8, $531
6th: Riley Motrych, Shawnee, Okla., three bass, 9-4, $396
7th: Jeff Corriveau, Owasso, Okla., three bass, 7-8, $360
8th: JD Smith, Carthage, Mo., three bass, 7-1, $324
9th: Porky Roberts, Morris, Okla., two bass, 6-11, $288
10th: Robert Joslin, Fort Smith, Ark., two bass, 6-7, $252
After two events, Ronnie Allen of Chouteau, Oklahoma, now leads the Fishing Clash Okie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 498 points, while Robert Joslin of Fort Smith, Arkansas, leads the Fishing Clash Okie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 480 points.
The next event for BFL Okie Division anglers will be held May 10, at Broken Bow Lake out of Broken Bow, Oklahoma. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Winter Springs’ Bloom Earns Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Harris Chain of Lakes
| Gator Division anglers enjoy first Abu Garcia “Fishing 4 Free!” promotion of the season with gift packs awarded to every competitor
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 24, 2025) – Boater Joey Bloom of Winter Springs, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 14 ounces, Sunday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Harris Chain of Lakes. The tournament, hosted by Discover Lake County Florida, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Bloom earned $4,584 for his victory. The Gator Division fished a doubleheader this weekend, starting with a regularly scheduled event on Saturday. They fished again on Sunday in what was actually a makeup event for a tournament that was previously postponed. Bloom finished fifth in Saturday’s tournament with 19 pounds, 5 ounces. The difference in his win on Sunday was all about conditions. “Today was good,” he said. “I started off just fishing around, and I ended up catching a quick limit for about 8 pounds, just fishing shallow Kissimmee Grass around docks. The biggest thing for me today on why I did so good was the wind. The wind ended up pushing all the bait up all the way to the bank. I was able to throw a Senko and a little swim jig and ended up catching some pretty decent fish and culled all the way to 19 pounds. Then I ended up leaving an area and pulled up to another Kissimmee Grass stretch and caught a 7-pounder flipping. And that brought me up to almost 25 pounds.” In Saturday’s event, the lack of wind had the bait and the bass scattered. It also affected another critter that Bloom keyed on to dial in the areas with the most bait. “There was a shad spawn that happened during practice, and I knew that there were some bigger fish eating the shad,” Bloom said. “So I just keyed in on the areas where I saw all the white birds. Wherever I saw the white birds is where it really seemed to be going down for me. Yesterday (Saturday), the white birds were scattered all over the place. They weren’t really eating anything. They were just kind of sitting in the bushes. Today they were standing in the water eating all the bait, and the bass were coming up. I was able to get some bigger bites on the swim jig and flipping.” Bloom’s key baits were a white Dirty Jigs No-Jack Swim Jig, a Yamamoto Senko and a Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug. The top 10 boaters finished the tournament: 1st: Joey Bloom, Winter Springs, Fla., five bass, 24-14, $4,584 Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com. |
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Sunday’s event also marked the first Phoenix Bass Fishing League division to enjoy the Abu Garcia “Fishing 4 FREE!” promotion. Every angler competing Sunday in the fourth Gator division event of the season received an Abu Garcia gift pack valued at $230 for boaters and $180 for co-anglers – a value that exceeded the entry for the tournament. Anglers received their Abu Garcia gift boxes at the event, and in addition also received a code for 25% off an order at AbuGarcia.com.
Josh Hubbard of Dunnellon, Florida, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $675.
Tanner Scarborough of Winter Haven, Florida, won the co-angler division and $2,292 Sunday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 12 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers finished: 1st: Tanner Scarborough, Winter Haven, Fla., three bass, 13-12, $2,292 Christopher Freeman of Eustis, Florida, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $337, catching a bass that weighed in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day. After four events, Dylan Quilatan of Windermere, Florida, now leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 990 points, while Preston Williams of Tallahassee, Florida, leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 935 points. The next event for BFL Gator Division anglers will be held Sept. 27-28, at the St. Johns River in Palatka, Georgia. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-18 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000. The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI. For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. About Major League Fishing |
Lily’s Grubb Grabs First Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Dale Hollow Lake
Bowling Green’s Hayles Tops Co-Angler Division
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 24, 2025) – Boater Branden Grubb of Lily, Kentucky, caught a five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Dale Hollow Lake. The tournament, hosted by Star Point Marina & Resort, was the second event of the season for the BFL Mountain Division. Grubb earned $3,296 for his victory.
“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Grubb said after getting his trophy. “It’s my first win, so I’m just happy. You beat these guys in the Mountain Division, you’ve really done something.”
Grubb has spent enough time on Dale Hollow this year to stay on the fish throughout their spring transitions. Building on his recent history, he found the lake’s largemouth bass in prespawn staging areas.
“I just have been really fortunate to be around them this spring,” he added. “I caught all of ’em on forward-facing sonar with a jighead minnow. These fish at Dale Hollow are notorious for following the bait, and they migrate with the wind. You kind of find spawning hollows or spawning areas that have wind blowing into them, and if the bait shows up there the fish are right with them. You just have to find where the quality is at that time.”
Grubb located a handful of areas in practice where he felt he could catch the right quality. However, his first spot was a bust. Turbid water, which he felt was possibly caused by algae, pollen or both, made it tough to see fish on the sonar. Grubb admits he got a little spun out at first, but he settled back in once he got to his second area.
“It ended up going down really quick,” he said. “Blastoff was at 7, and I had a limit by 8:15. I ended up culling and getting pretty close to what I weighed in by 9:30.”
As pumped as Grubb was about getting the win, he wanted to make sure he shared the credit with a friend in the fishing industry – Dewayne Wilson of Dixie Custom Rods.
“He makes an awesome forward-facing rod,” Grubb said. “It’s the 3B Outdoors Tightline Special. That’s what I caught all my fish on today. He’s just a really good guy that’s got a lifetime warranty on his rods.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Branden Grubb, Lily, Ky., five bass, 21-2, $3,296
2nd: Lucas Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-15, $1,648
3rd: Lee Stephens, Columbia, Ky., five bass, 20-12, $1,099
4th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 20-10, $769
5th: Tanner Rich, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-6, $659
6th: Gavin Cloutier, Jonesborough, Tenn., five bass, 20-4, $1,104 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th: Blake Smith, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 19-15, $549
8th: Wyatt Pearman, Hodgenville, Ky., five bass, 19-10, $494
9th: Logan Cherry, Alvaton, Ky., five bass, 19-9, $412
9th: Garret Moon, Albany, Ky., five bass, 19-9, $412
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jason Smith of Union, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $405.
Drew Hayles of Bowling Green, Kentucky, won the co-angler division and $1,648 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 11 pounds, 6 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Drew Hayles, Bowling Green, Ky., three bass, 11-6, $1,648
2nd: Mark Redman, Scottsville, Ky., three bass, 9-14, $824
3rd: Kade Oliver, Muncie, Ind., three bass, 9-11, $549
4th: Caleb Edgerton, Dayton, Ohio, three bass, 9-4, $485
5th: Dylan Reed, London, Ky., three bass, 8-15, $330
6th: Connor Doyle, Yukon, Okla., three bass, 8-14, $302
7th: Joseph Bezold, California, Ky., three bass, 8-8, $275
8th: Nate Raleigh, Ft Thomas, Ky., three bass, 8-6, $247
9th: Hans Schreyer, Sarasota, Fla., three bass, 7-15, $206
9th: Allen Neal, Whitley City, Ky., three bass, 7-15, $206
Devereaux Adams of Powder Springs, Georgia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $202, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Lucas Reagan of Byrdstown, Tennessee, now leads the Fishing Clash Mountain Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 496 points, while Caleb Edgerton of Dayton, Ohio, leads the Fishing Clash Mountain Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 489 points.
The next event for BFL Mountain Division anglers will be held May 17, at Cherokee Lake in Jefferson City, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
17-Year-Old Dylan Quilatan Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Harris Chain of Lakes
Winter Garden’s Saratt Tops Co-Angler Division
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 24, 2025) – Boater Dylan Quilatan of Windermere, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 27 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Harris Chain of Lakes. The tournament, hosted by Discover Lake County Florida, was the third event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Quilatan earned $4,796 for his victory.
As a 17-year-old, Quilatan is far from a traditional BFL angler. And his age is only the beginning of what sets him apart. The young gun grew up with parents who don’t fish, in a place that is anything but a bass fishing hotbed – New York City.
Living in the Big Apple for most of his life, Quilatan had an interest in fishing but got a late start – though he did actually catch his first fish in Central Park. It wasn’t until his family relocated to Florida that Quilatan was able to pour his energy into exploring his curiosity about bass fishing.
“We moved down here five years ago, and I started fishing tournaments after we got a boat,” he said. “I’ve learned everything myself from spending time on the water and doing my own research. My dad doesn’t fish at all. I watch a lot of pro tournaments, live streams and the replays. I mean, I spend so much time behind the steering wheel idling and so much time trying to learn how to fish shallow. I just spend a lot of time out here, and it’s starting to pay off.”
Quilatan’s interest in the sport is much more than a hobby. He wants to become a pro one day and is already coordinating his educational pursuits to support his fishing pursuits.
“I’m a senior in high school,” he said. “This is my second year doing the BFLs, and, you know, I sacrifice a lot for this. I do online school so I can fish as much as possible.”
That includes competing in Abu Garcia MLF High School Fishing tournaments and other prep leagues, where he’s already won some big events. Plus, Quilatan is fishing the full Toyota Series Southern Division for the first time this season.
Last year, fishing the BFL Gator Division as a rookie, he finished fifth in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) standings. This season, his goal is to win AOY – and he’s well on his way. Quilatan finished second in the opener at Lake Okeechobee, seventh at Lake Toho, got the win Saturday at Harris Chain and then finished fourth on Sunday at the Harris Chain in a tournament held as a makeup for an event that was previously postponed. He’s now firmly in the AOY lead by a margin of 60 points over second place with just one event left to fish.
Now, he’s eyeing his next big step.
“I’ve committed to Carson-Newman University,” Quilatan said. “I was thinking of taking a year after I graduate to try to quality for a pro circuit, but I decided that college was the better option. The reason I don’t really want to try to jump into any kind of pro circuit right now is because the fishing in Florida doesn’t really translate to a lot of the lakes we’d go to. So just going there blind, coming from Florida, I’d be at a pretty big disadvantage. That’s why I’m going to college at Carson-Newman in Tennessee – to gain experience in all kinds of fisheries.”
That level of maturity and focus was a big part of his success at Saturday’s BFL event on the Harris Chain. Quilatan caught a bass on his very first cast of the morning. Then it slowed down dramatically. At 10 a.m., he had a tiny limit for about 4 pounds.
At 10:30, Quilatan thought he was about to turn the day around. He caught his biggest bass – a 7 1/2-pounder – and thought he’d figured out a pattern to catch a big limit. It just never materialized. He tried expanding on that bite until there were just 30 minutes left to fish. Knowing he needed to adjust, Quilatan made a move.
“I decided to run to another lake and caught most of my weight in the last 20 minutes of fishing,” he said. “I caught a 6.7 (pound bass) on my last cast, and I came in with less than two minutes left. I think the biggest key was just staying mentally focused. I live here, and the fish on the Harris Chain are always moving. So you really just have to be able to adjust to the conditions.”
With tournaments coming up on his home fishery, Quilatan declined to say too much about how he caught his fish Saturday. Regardless, for a teenager with huge aspirations, catching them last minute and validating his instincts goes a long way toward building confidence that he’s on the right path in fishing.
“Just to come away with the win means the world to me,” he added. “It’s all paying off, but you know I just want to thank my parents, my sponsors and the good Lord for guiding me in my decisions during the week.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Dylan Quilatan, Windermere, Fla., five bass, 27-1, $4,796
2nd: Kennie Steverson, Umatilla, Fla., five bass, 22-5, $2,898 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
3rd: Finn Taylor, Lake Placid, Fla., five bass, 21-15, $1,595
4th: Gary Armstrong, Sorrento, Fla., five bass, 19-7, $1,119
5th: Joey Bloom, Winter Springs, Fla., five bass, 19-5, $959
6th: Parker Stalvey, Green Cove Springs, Fla., five bass, 18-14, $879
7th: Stephen Williams, Green Cove Springs, Fla., five bass, 18-10, $799
8th: Steven Eastman, Eustis, Fla., five bass, 18-7, $719
9th: Lance Pemble, Leesburg, Fla., five bass, 18-6, $639
10th: Marshall Tommie, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 17-12, $560
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Nathan Vick of Archer, Florida, caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $715.
Leandro Saratt of Winter Garden, Florida, won the co-angler division and $2,398 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 15 pounds, 11 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Leandro Saratt, Winter Garden, Fla., three bass, 15-11, $2,398
2nd: Aymon Wilcox, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., three bass, 14-8, $1,199
3rd: Mark Ortel, Punta Gorda, Fla., three bass, 13-1, $795
4th: Dana Bass, Miami, Fla., three bass, 12-7, $560
5th: Mark Fields, Oviedo, Fla., three bass, 11-9, $460
5th: Jimmy (James) Bass, Ocala, Fla., three bass, 11-9, $460
7th: Wayman Mobley, Miami, Fla., three bass, 10-12, $400
8th: Ryan O’Donnell, Cocoa, Fla., three bass, 10-11, $360
9th: Chris Nickle, Sanford, Fla., three bass, 10-9, $400
9th: Terry Weaver, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., three bass, 10-9, $300
Marlei Hunt of Wesley Chapel, Florida, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $357, catching a bass that weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
The BFL Gator Division anglers competed again on Sunday to make up an event that was previously postponed. With the third and fourth events of the season in the books, Dylan Quilatan of Windermere, Florida, now leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 990 points, while Preston Williams of Tallahassee, Florida, leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 935 points.
The next time the Gator Division squares off will be the Super Tournament – the division’s season finale – on the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida, on September 27-28. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-18 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Lancaster’s Sims Gets the Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Wylie
Knightdale’s Barnes Tops Co-Angler Division
YORK, S.C. (March 23, 2025) – Boater Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Wylie . The tournament, hosted by Visit York County, was the second event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Sims earned $10,641, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
According to Sims, this was a long overdue win.
“I’ve been knocking on the door of these things for so long, and it seemed like every time something bad would happen,” he said. “I’d lose a fish here or there. Man, you have no idea … I mean, this is not my first win, but this is my first win in the BFLs. Being known around where we’re from as being a pretty good fisherman and you can’t win one of them? It couldn’t come at a better time.”
In practice on Wednesday, Sims caught a big bag “doing something that most locals to Wylie know about,” though he didn’t provide any more details than that. Then on Thursday, a cold front came through and changed the conditions. By Friday, he wasn’t able to repeat his performance and got just one bite.
“But I still knew it was going to warm up, so I knew it still might work,” he said. “Fast forward to today, I started closer to the ramp. There was a big tournament there about a month ago, and there were a lot of release fish. I started there and caught a 5-pounder. I left there and went straight upriver and kind of just did the rest with a jig.”
The 5-pounder came fishing shallow. Once he went upriver, Sims figured out a key depth range – not too deep and not too shallow. And regarding that Lake Wylie “local pattern,” he was able to catch his two biggest bass using that technique.
Yet the real turning point in his victory came on a particular piece of cover where he experienced both heartbreak and elation.
“Man, I lost a 6-pounder toward about 12 o’clock or so,” he said. “I lost a 6-pounder at the boat, and it was on kind of like a pole sitting out in the middle of nowhere. I went back to that pole three or four times throughout the day, and there was a bunch of fish on it. And finally at the end of the day I was able to coax another one into biting. That was what gave me the win right there because I culled like a pound.”
Reflecting on his win, Sims offered a big thank you to Tournament Director Steve Sizemore and the rest of the crew.
“You can’t ask for a better tournament director,” he added.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Chad Sims, Lancaster, S.C., five bass, 18-00, $10,641 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Britt Myers Jr., Lake Wylie, S.C., five bass, 17-13, $1,820
3rd: Travis Donaldson, Cleveland, N.C., five bass, 16-13, $1,032
3rd: William Bond, Moncks Corner, S.C., five bass, 16-13, $1,032
5th: Michael Webster, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 16-9, $728
6th: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 16-7, $668
7th: Cole Huskins, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $607
8th: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $546
9th: Tanner Schultz, Lexington, S.C., five bass, 14-10, $485
10th: Aaron Digh, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 14-4, $425
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Jason Damico of Cramerton, North Carolina caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $475.
Mekye Barnes of Knightdale, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $1,816 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Mekye Barnes, Knightdale, N.C., three bass, 9-7, $1,816
2nd: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 9-6, $908
3rd: Kevin Farley, Landrum, S.C., three bass, 8-11, $515
3rd: Tommy Swicegood, Salisbury, N.C., three bass, 8-11, $747
5th: Dale Surrett, Midland, N.C., three bass, 8-3, $448
5th: Phillip Ragland Jr., Rustburg, Va., three bass, 8-3, $448
7th: Jim Freeland, Youngsville, N.C., three bass, 7-14, $303
8th: Jared Jones, Denver, N.C., three bass, 7-0, $257
8th: Victor Cuevas, Supply, N.C., three bass, 7-0, $257
10th: Scott McKay, New London, N.C., three bass, 6-15, $212
Tommy Swicegood of Salisbury, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $232, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 493 points, while Kevin Farley of Landrum, South Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 498 points.
The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held April 12, at High Rock Lake in Lexington, North Carolina. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 10-11 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Fothergill breaks records, makes history with Bassmaster Classic win
FORT WORTH, Texas — Nineteen months ago, Easton Fothergill was lying on a gurney in an Alabama hospital, awaiting surgery to remove an infected abscess from his brain.
Sunday afternoon, in front of thousands of fans at Dickies Arena, Fothergill stood tall as champion of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Fothergill, a 22-year-old native of Grand Rapids, Minn., finished the three-day event on Lake Ray Roberts with a total of 15 bass for 76 pounds, 15 ounces. It was the biggest winning weight in the 55-year history of the most prestigious fishing tournament in the world and was exactly 8 1/2 pounds more than the nearest competitor in the field of 56 anglers. Fothergill is also the second-youngest champion in Bassmaster Classic history (only Stanley Mitchell who won the 1981 Classic at 21 was younger.)
For most anglers, the Ray Scott Trophy and a $300,000 check are the biggest prizes to accompany a Classic victory. But for Fothergill, just being able to compete in the Classic was the ultimate prize. He said every feeling was heightened given his very real brush with mortality less than two years ago.
“It’s indescribable, the trajectory of my life since that first bad moment,” Fothergill said. “Everything has come true that I’ve ever wanted. It’s pretty crazy.”
Fothergill fished with confidence on Lake Ray Roberts, having to switch spots and techniques every day of the tournament. The versatility was necessary as Day 1 was extremely windy, Day 2 was calm, and Championship Sunday was somewhere in between. Rising temperatures started the spawn on Ray Roberts, too, and bass were scattered across the 23,950-acre reservoir as they began moving to shallow water.
As Fothergill would find out, that made getting bites difficult on Ray Roberts. The difference for him was he was able to get big bites every day, something most of his peers couldn’t do.
“Eighty percent of my catches this week came on a 3/32-ounce Neko rig (red bug),” he said. “I caught a couple on an off-white jerkbait, too, but I had confidence in the Neko in the (slightly stained) water.”
Fothergill’s most important catch of the week came mid-afternoon Championship Sunday and with only four bass in his livewell, at that. He spotted a fat bass suspended near a tree in the back of a slough. He went back to the Neko rig, casting delicately to not spook the bass. He said he “lost four baits to that tree within 10 minutes. I just broke them off rather than spook that fish … The funny thing was she swam out and wasn’t even interested in the bait. But then she turned back and just ignited on it.
“I was scared (of losing) at 1 o’clock and with only four fish,” he said. “But that was the fish that got it for me.”
It was another moment in a stretch of unexpected twists in Fothergill’s young life.
Only weeks after his brain surgery in August 2023, he won the 2023 Bassmaster College Bracket presented by Lew’s on Kansas’ Milford Lake. That earned him a spot in last year’s Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, where he finished 16th. His hot streak continued with wins in two Bassmaster Opens last year, and that performance got him an invitation to fish the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, as well as a berth in this year’s Classic on Ray Roberts.
He stumbled out the gate of the 2025 Elites, finishing 93rd and 101st in the pair of Florida derbies to start the season.
But those less-than-stellar finishes didn’t deter Fothergill. He found his groove on the Coosa River in Alabama, where he retreated and gathered himself between the Florida swing and the Classic. He’s familiar with the Coosa from his time competing for the University of Montevallo and catching fish there settled his nerves.
He started with a bang at the Classic, catching 24-15 on Day 1 (good for third place) and followed with a tournament-high 29-6 on Day 2. That gave him a commanding lead of 8 1/2 pounds, which is exactly the cushion he finished with on Championship Sunday. He caught 22-10 on Day 3, including the 8-pounder, which was the Mercury Big Bass of the Day.
Local favorite Lee Livesay, who hails from Longview, Texas, some 170 miles from Ray Roberts, closed the gap early Sunday and tied Fothergill atop the leaderboard with 58-5 each. The pair traded blows throughout the late morning until Livesay’s bite went slack. That’s when Day 1 leader Trey McKinney ratcheted up pressure on Fothergill.
McKinney, a 20-year-old from Carbondale, Ill., and the 2024 Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year, was in sixth place coming into Championship Sunday. He shot into third place mid-morning courtesy of a fat 7-11 largemouth that put him only 1 pound behind Fothergill and Livesay. By 1 p.m., McKinney was alone in second place, though he still trailed Fothergill by 6-5. He narrowed the gap in a hurry, however, with his fifth keeper — a 6-pounder that put him 2-5 behind the leader.
But Fothergill slammed the door with his 8-pounder, only his fifth keeper of the day.
It was a fitting way to win the sport’s biggest tournament, as it changed the narrative for the young ace from the North Star State. He’s said before he felt others saw him as a hyper-talented angler who had the terrible misfortune of having to undergo brain surgery.
But now, “Classic champion” will precede any other description of him.
“I appreciate everything in life much more now,” he said. “I’m definitely a stronger person.”
McKinney wound up closest to Fothergill with 68-7 over three days. Livesay placed third with 66-10. Rounding out the Super Six are, fourth, Tennessee’s Hunter Shryock 64-14; fifth, Canada’s Cory Johnston, 58-7; and sixth, Florida’s John Cox, 56-13.
John Garrett was the first person outside the cut to 25 for the final day of 55th Bassmaster Classic, but the 8-12 he caught on Day 1 remained the Mercury Big Bass until the end, earning the Tennessee pro $2,500. Fellow Tennessean Brandon Lester hooked the heavy (8-6) on Day 2 and Fothergill’s 8-1 was biggest Day 3, earning both anglers $1,000 prizes.
Fothergill also took home an additional $10,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while Cox earned $5,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Fothergill earned an additional $20,000 while Lester claimed an additional $3,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
The Fort Worth Sports Commission hosted the event.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Fothergill snags 29-6 bag to take commanding lead at Bassmaster Classic
| March 22, 2025
The 22-year-old native of Grand Rapids, Minn., entered Day 2 of the Classic in third place, less than two pounds out of the lead. He had high hopes for Saturday morning, but it didn’t start out exactly as he planned, with only one bass in his livewell at 10 a.m. Then, what he called “the 180” started — and what a turnaround it was. Between 10:28 a.m. and 11:31 a.m., Fothergill caught three hogs that added a whopping 19-10 to his total. He finished the day with a limit of five bass weighing 29-6, giving him a two-day total of 54-5, exactly 8 1/2 pounds more than his nearest competitor. No lead is too big, but the Classic compass clearly points to the young ace from the North Star State. And barring a complete collapse on Championship Sunday, coupled with one of his closest competitors yanking a huge sack of bass, Fothergill is a day away from winning the Ray Scott Bassmaster Classic Trophy and the $300,000 prize that goes with it. Fothergill used sonar electronics to pinpoint his best bass. His flurry began when a jerkbait yielded a 6-13 cruising near the water’s surface. A 5-13 followed a half-hour later and 20 minutes after that, the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie dropped the hammer on a 7-pound hog. There was no doubt Fothergill realized the significance of the moment as he hoisted that fat bass for nearby spectator boats to see. “We’ve got a shot to win tomorrow, boys,” he told the camera operator aboard his boat, his rapid breathing and quivering voice audible through the words of confidence. Fothergill said a key adjustment was vital to his big swing on Saturday. “All week long it’s been extremely windy and the fish I’ve been catching have been at the base of trees, at the bottom, on the rockpiles,” he said. “Today, they were suspended. A lot of the fish I caught were about 2 feet to 6 inches under the water. They were on the surface … I caught that first one on a jerkbait, but ultimately, I’ve been throwing a 3/32-ounce Neko (rig) all week long and today I went to a 1/32-ounce Neko. I was basically throwing it on their heads, but the key was to throw it extremely soft. That’s how high up they were. I had to make no splash, be super stealthy.” Fothergill’s propensity to boat big bass was on display Friday, as well, when he caught fish weighing 6-4 and 6-8. He finished Day 1 in third place with 24-15, putting him only 1-15 behind Day 1 leader Trey McKinney. Following with the heaviest bag of the tournament was huge, but Fothergill knows there’s plenty of work to be done if he’s to win the 55th edition of the world’s most prestigious fishing tournament. “I’ve got to do my best to block (that lead) out,” he said. “We’re in Texas. All I can do is go catch the five biggest ones and see what happens.” Canadian pro Cory Johnston entered the day in second place and remains there with 45-13. He said Ray Roberts’ bass are preparing to spawn, which compels him to fish staging areas and target feisty bass looking to get to shallow beds. “I think I had six bites today,” he said. “Nothing was easy, but I think I figured something out today. I’m looking forward to getting back out there.” Johnston said warmer water temperatures (61.5 degrees where he was fishing mid-afternoon) could help produce big bags on Sunday. “100 percent, they want to spawn,” he said. “They’re ready and they’re coming … I caught all my fish shallow today, 2 feet, 3 feet. I’m just reeling moving baits. If I could see them better, I’d love to fish the spawn. But the water is still a little dingy. I think prespawn is the way to win.” Tennessee’s Hunter Shryock is third with 44-13. He only had three fish for eight pounds until a switch in strategy drew him back into the championship fray. Shryock finished Day 2 with a 23-1 bag. “I had to slow down and start flipping, which really hadn’t shown itself all week,” he said. “(It could have been) the water clearing up. The water may have dropped a little bit. Whatever the reason … I was able to salvage the day … I caught a 7-10 and a 6 in the last hour and a half that obviously catapulted me. I feel like I could catch five of those the way things were going.” Lee Livesay, a Longview, Texas, resident and one of the pre-tournament favorites, is in fourth place with 44-9 heading into Championship Sunday. He caught 21-9 on Friday to follow a 23-pound bag on Day 1. His main lures on Saturday included a pink ChatterBait (with a pink trailer), as well as a 6th Sense Texas-rigged Whale he reeled through milfoil on Ray Roberts. “I’ll do about the same thing tomorrow, but I want to find a fresh group of fish,” Livesay said. “You can’t go doing anything crazy. I’ll open up a couple new areas, try a couple new techniques. But I know the deal. I have to get lucky and have a couple of those 6-pounders eat. And a couple other guys have to stumble.” Livesay likes his chances, despite trailing Fothergill by nearly 10 pounds. “It’s Texas and it’s my backyard,” he said. “You never know what happens on the last day.” Florida veteran John Cox is in fifth place with 44-8. McKinney, the 20-year-old phenom from Carbondale, Ill., who led Day 1 with 26-9, dropped to sixth overall after managing a 15-13 limit on Saturday. The cutline was 28-15. Tennessee pro John Garrett, who leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, finished just outside the cut with 27-8 over two days. He did, however, maintain his lead on the $2,500 Mercury Big Bass prize with the 8-12 largemouth he caught Friday. Fellow Tennessean Brandon Lester won $1,000 for having the big bass (8-6) on Saturday. The final takeoff of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. CT from Isle du Bois at Lake Ray Roberts State Park in Pilot Point, Texas. The final weigh-in will begin at 5 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Takeoffs are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. CT from Isle du Bois at Lake Ray Roberts State Park in Pilot Point, Texas. Weigh-ins begin at 5 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Sports Commission is hosting the event. 2025 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2025 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor: Under Armour
2025 Bassmaster Classic Platinum Sponsor: Toyota, Progressive
2025 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: GSM Outdoors
2025 Bassmaster Classic Local Partners: Mountain Dew, Anderson Merchandisers, BDS, Cavender's, MAXAM Tire, TNT Fireworks, Busch Light
2025 Bassmaster Classic Youth Forum Sponsor: U.S. Army
2025 Bassmaster Classic Weigh-In Sponsor: Yokohama Tire
2025 Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party Title Sponsor: Cavender's
2025 Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party Presenting Sponsor: Resistol
2025 Bassmaster Classic Tailgate Title Sponsor: Progressive
2025 Bassmaster Classic Tailgate Presenting Sponsor: Lippert
2025 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am Title Sponsor: Progressive
2025 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am Presenting Sponsor: Yokohama Tire
2025 Bassmaster Classic Host: Fort Worth Sports Commission
About B.A.S.S. B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. -30- Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster. |
| 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour 3/21-3/23 Lake Ray Roberts, Fort Worth TX. (ANGLER) Standings Day 2 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 10 54-05 0 BIG BASS ------------------------------ |
McKinney overcomes early nerves to take Day 1 Classic lead
| March 21, 2025
Though conventional wisdom says don’t ever change what’s working, McKinney’s hype song might as well be “The Kids are Alright” by The Who, because things are, indeed, quite alright for the whiz kid from Carbondale, Ill. McKinney, who celebrated his 20th birthday only last month, holds the Day 1 lead in the world’s most-celebrated fishing tournament. His limit of five bass totaled 26-9 and gave him a 1-pound cushion over Canada’s Cory Johnston, who’s in second with 25-9. Rounding out the Top 5 in the 56-angler field are, third, Minnesota’s Easton Fothergill, 24-15; fourth, Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat, 23-7; and fifth, Texas pro Lee Livesay (who many pundits consider the favorite here,) with 23-0. The entire field will fish again Saturday, and the Top 25 anglers will make Sunday’s cut, with the winner pocketing $300,000 cash. McKinney’s performance in B.A.S.S. events has belied his youth from the start. At 18, he finished second in the Bassmaster Opens EQ standings and became the youngest angler ever to qualify for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. He took the Elites by storm, too, winning Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and finishing second in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings. McKinney started his first Classic with a bang, too, when he hooked a 7-pounder just after 9 a.m. He admitted his nerves were getting the best of him before he hooked that big fish. “I could hardly breathe for a while,” McKinney said. “It was a disaster. I was throwing in trees, throwing in bushes, getting hung up. But you catch a 7-pounder and that makes everything alright. At that point, I knew I just needed to get four more bites. Whether we’re leading it or we’re close, it didn’t matter. What mattered was I didn’t lose it on the first day.” McKinney’s next two catches (a 5-pounder and a 4-8) gave him 16 1/2 pounds and the tournament lead just after 10 a.m. He rounded out his bag with a pair of 4-12 bass caught just after noon. McKinney’s sonar electronics malfunctioned about 1 p.m. on Friday after running through some big waves on the lake, which roiled under steady 15-20 mph winds. But with 26 pounds already in the livewell, McKinney knew he’d put himself in position to make a run at the 55th annual Bassmaster Classic title. He said he’ll continue looking for “fresh ones” — bass that haven’t been fished over in days and perhaps are moving toward shore to spawn. “It’s the end of March,” he said. “They’re coming at some point, whether it’s to spawn or coming to the trees I’m fishing. Some fish are going to be moving around. I want the ones that haven’t seen a bait every five minutes.” Johnston, who finished third in the 2024 AOY standings courtesy of two Elite Series wins, was right behind McKinney with a robust 25-9 limit. He said he’s found a pattern rotating into different water depths and searching for specific cover. He pounded more than 20 different spots Friday on Ray Roberts and expects to do more of the same on Day 2. “Whenever I can find the right cover, I feel like they’ll bite,” Johnston said. “They’re all tight to cover, right on the bottom. I’m not gonna leave any fish out there tomorrow … I didn’t back off today. I went looking for a lot of new water today. I pulled what I could.” Fothergill is third with 24-15 and like McKinney, is accustomed to the spotlight of early success. He finished 16th at last year’s Classic on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees as a 21-year-old, and he notched a pair of Bassmaster Open victories later in 2024. It was a continuation of Fothergill’s memorable 2023 season when he won the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket while a student at the University of Montevallo (Ala.). “It definitely helps, being here at the Classic last year,” he said. “There’s much less nerves this year … I have a lot better understanding of what to expect.” Fothergill caught two of the heaviest bass weighed Friday, including a 6-4 in the morning and a 6-8 just past noon. He said he’s spotting big fish with his electronics, though he’s working hard to excite bites. “I have a pretty good pattern going, fishing four different areas in various places on the lake” he said. “I tried to practice pretty strategically, knowing the wind was going to blow all week long. I had two places out of the wind today and I only hit one of them. That was my goal, to save one of those spots for tomorrow.” Tennessee pro John Garrett, who leads the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race, caught the Mercury Big Bass on Friday — an 8-12 largemouth. He’s in 21st place with 16-13. Takeoffs are scheduled for 7:30 a.m. CT from Isle du Bois at Lake Ray Roberts State Park in Pilot Point, Texas. Weigh-ins begin at 5 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Sports Commission is hosting the event. 2025 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
2025 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsor: Under Armour
2025 Bassmaster Classic Platinum Sponsor: Toyota, Progressive
2025 Bassmaster Classic Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: GSM Outdoors
2025 Bassmaster Classic Local Partners: Mountain Dew, Anderson Merchandisers, BDS, Cavender's, MAXAM Tire, TNT Fireworks, Busch Light
2025 Bassmaster Classic Youth Forum Sponsor: U.S. Army
2025 Bassmaster Classic Weigh-In Sponsor: Yokohama Tire
2025 Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party Title Sponsor: Cavender's
2025 Bassmaster Classic Kickoff Party Presenting Sponsor: Resistol
2025 Bassmaster Classic Tailgate Title Sponsor: Progressive
2025 Bassmaster Classic Tailgate Presenting Sponsor: Lippert
2025 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am Title Sponsor: Progressive
2025 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am Presenting Sponsor: Yokohama Tire
2025 Bassmaster Classic Host: Fort Worth Sports Commission
About B.A.S.S. B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. -30- Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster. |
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2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour 3/21-3/23 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 5 26-09 0 BIG BASS ------------------------------ |
2024 class of High School All-Americans honored on Bassmaster Classic stage
March 21, 2025
FORT WORTH, Texas — The 2024 Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team were treated to a trip to Dickies Arena to be recognized on the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour stage ahead of the Day 1 weigh-in. This is the first time in the program’s history the All-American class has been honored on the Classic stage.
For the past decade, the Bassmaster High School All-American Fishing Team has recognized and celebrated the top high school anglers across the country. These student-athletes demonstrate outstanding performance on the water, dedication to conservation efforts and commitment to their communities. The 2024 class of 12 talented anglers continued this tradition of excellence and were recognized for this incredible achievement.
Since its inception, the Bassmaster High School All-American program has launched the careers of numerous anglers who have competed at the highest levels, including the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series and even the prestigious Bassmaster Classic. These young anglers are the future of the sport, inspiring upcoming generations through their skill and dedication.
This year, nearly 300 applications were submitted from 31 states. From this talented pool, 45 students were named Bassmaster All-State Anglers, with the final 12 honorees selected based on their tournament success, conservation initiatives and community service efforts. This year, each All-American was awarded a B.A.S.S. Life Membership.
Meet the 2024 Bassmaster High School All-American Team
Carsen Adcock – Haughton, La.
A junior at Haughton High School, Adcock has four wins, including the 2023 Bassmaster High School Series event on the Red River and the North Louisiana B.A.S.S. Nation event on Toledo Bend. His commitment to community service includes involvement in local churches and lake cleanup initiatives. Academically, he maintains a 3.81 GPA while excelling in multiple extracurricular activities.
Elijah Coleman – Mount Sterling, Ky.
Coleman, a senior at Montgomery County High School, secured three wins, including the 2024 High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship. He has a passion for conservation, assisting Kentucky Fish and Wildlife in habitat restoration, and maintains a 4.0 GPA while balancing an advanced course load.
Max Flatten – Watertown, S.D.
Flatten, a senior at Watertown High School, boasts three wins, including the South Dakota TBF High School State Championship (back-to-back years). He is actively involved in community outreach programs, including Sportsmen Against Hunger and local bass fishing clubs, all while maintaining a 3.35 GPA.
Rylan Hamlin – Jackson, Mich.
Hamlin’s dominance includes 24 wins, highlighted by the 2024 Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation High School State Championship. His passion for mentorship and conservation extends beyond competition, and he balances his dedication to fishing with a 3.59 GPA.
Kyle Herrman – Topeka, Kan.
A senior at Jefferson West High School, Herrman has earned four wins and has qualified for the Bassmaster High School National Championship three times. He actively mentors youth anglers and participates in lake improvement projects while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Nicholas Herrman – Topeka, Kan.
The twin brother of Kyle, Nicholas boasts five tournament wins, including the 2024 Kansas TBF High School State Championship. He volunteers in youth fishing programs and maintains a 4.0 GPA, excelling in academics and athletics.
Presley Lannom – Lebanon, Tenn.
Lannom, a junior, secured seven wins, including the 2023 Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation High School event on Douglas Lake. He is a leader in conservation efforts and maintains a 3.62 GPA while running a podcast featuring professional anglers.
Kael Moore – Cedar Falls, Iowa
Moore, a junior at Cedar Falls High School, has seven wins, including the Iowa High School Bass Team Championship. A multi-sport athlete, he founded his school’s bass team and maintains a 4.0 GPA.
Tanner Moulton – Enfield, N.H.
Moulton, a senior, has nine wins, including the 2023 NHIAA State Championship. He is a student-athlete leader involved in multiple sports and community outreach programs, maintaining a 3.7 GPA.
Grace Olsen – Gardner, Ill.
Olsen, a senior, has one win and eight Top 5 finishes, qualifying her to compete in Zimbabwe with the USAngling USA Bass High School Youth Team. She excels in leadership and community service, maintaining a 3.56 GPA.
Dylan Sorrells – Dallas, Texas
Sorrells has six wins, including the THSBA event on Lake Lewisville, and is the THSBA Metro Division Angler of the Year. He dedicates over 300 hours to youth fishing education and maintains a 3.43 GPA.
Joe Vaulton – Knoxville, Tenn.
Vaulton, a senior, has eight wins and two Angler of the Year titles. He is heavily involved in conservation, tournament fundraising, and mentorship programs while maintaining a 4.2 GPA.
Congratulations to the 2024 Bassmaster High School All-American Team.
2025 Bassmaster High School Series Title Sponsor: Strike King
2025 Bassmaster High School Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster High School Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster High School Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
2025 Bassmaster High School Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
Hammond makes all the right adjustments to win Kayak Championship
March 21, 2025
YANTIS, Texas — Nothing went as planned for North Carolina’s Wyatt Hammond during the 2025 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship scored by TourneyX. Fortunately, every adjustment he made produced big largemouth bass.
The Fayetteville, N.C., angler landed a 111.25-inch limit to win the coveted trophy, filling his limit with four bass measuring 22 inches or better along with one 21.75-incher during the 11 hour, one-day shootout.
It is Hammonds biggest tournament limit ever.
“This is unreal. Absolutely wild,” he said. “It wasn’t until midday when I started really catching fish and thinking I had a shot. One thing would happen, and I would shake it off and go to the next. Looking back, keeping my head in the game the entire time is what got me here.
“It seemed like every time I set the hook it was a 20-incher.”
Georgia’s Joshua Diehl finished second with 106.75 inches followed by South Carolina’s Bennett Nall, also with 106.75 inches.
Originally scheduled as a two-day tournament, high winds forced the cancellation of the first day of the tournament, forcing a one-day, 11-hour shootout on Thursday. The anglers made the most of their extended day, with 16 anglers reaching the 100-inch mark or better and 39 anglers landing 90 inches or better.
Hammond has fished in Texas only one other time — last fall at Caddo Lake. Nothing from that experience assisted him this week. He instead elected to target the types of hard cover that he finds success with around in his home state. Docks, a pond dam, riprap and rock were all key pieces of cover.
“Luckily, I got away from the trees, which is what I was trying to do. I wanted hard cover. Docks, points, stuff we fish in North Carolina,” Hammond explained.
A 3/8-ounce homemade jig paired with a Berkley MaxScent Creature Hawg caught all of the bass in his final bag. Humminbird Mega LIVE imaging helped Hammond make pinpoint casts to the docks bigger bass were holding on.
“I had a lot of fish following glidebaits and following ChatterBaits,” Hammond said. “I could see them on Mega LIVE following those baits. Everyone on Fork is throwing minnows, glidebaits and jerkbaits, so I wanted to throw something different that they hadn’t seen a lot. They hadn’t eaten it all week until yesterday. I told some people I didn’t think these bass ate anything being dragged across the bottom. But on tournament day, they ate something being dragged on the bottom.”
Throughout the day, Hammond was forced to make several pivots, but each turned into something better than he could have expected.
“Pulling up to a pocket and having someone sitting in there and being like, ‘Okay it’s no problem, I’ll fish over here in the meantime,’ and then catching an 8-pounder is crazy,” he said. “Then a boat drives over your spot, and you move on and find a brand-new school with 30 minutes left before lines-out and catch an 8-pounder; It is awesome.”
After practice, Hammond planned on tossing a ChatterBait in drains, but the first spot he pulled up to had a boat fishing it. He moved to his next spot and landed a 21-incher within his first couple of casts. He then caught two 20-inchers and knew things could play out how he wanted to.
He filled out an impressive limit measuring over 106 inches, and while he caught multiple 18-, 19- and 20-inch bass, he wasn’t able to cull up to his final tally until late in the day when he stumbled on that new school of bass. He landed an 8-pounder during that flurry to clinch the victory.
Everything he caught was in 8 feet of water or less.
After a horrendous practice and a trailer breakdown, Diehl anchored his 106.75-inch limit with a 23.50-inch largemouth.
“I have no regrets,” he said. “This was an amazing experience. It ranks in the Top 5 of all my performances. This is a dream come true. My goal was just to walk across the stage. Leaving with second place, I’m happy to be here.”
The Georgia angler experienced one of the most unusual ChatterBait bites in the Glade area of the lake. Fishing a drain with stumps in 2 to 4 feet of water, Diehl would pitch his Z-Man ChatterBait Elite Evo to the stump, drop it, and lightly shake it.
The bass would eat it and then sit next to the cover with the bait in its mouth.
“I started finding more bucks when I was following the drain. As I went back, I was seeing more and more bass relating to the ditch itself,” he said. “I continued to scan, and I made a cast towards a piece of timber, and I got hung up at the top of it. I dragged it through and when I did that, I let it drop to fix some line, and a fish sat on it. That was a 22.5. That’s when I realized they wanted it slow.”
Hailing from Anderson, S.C., Nall experienced the best hour of fishing in his life during this tournament, landing everything in his final 106.75-inch limit in the final moments of the tournament.
“It was the most magical day of fishing or even an hour of fishing I’ve experienced in my life,” he said. “I knew I had to find something really special.”
He landed just one keeper bass in practice; Nall was just hoping to score one bass in the tournament. With three hours left he looked at the leaderboard and saw the crazy totals, and knew hungry prespawners would be his key.
“The only way I knew how to do that was to chuck and wind a Rat-L-Trap,” Nall said. “I did that on clay points with a channel swing pushing up against it. One particular point, I pulled up to it and caught a 21 1/2 the first cast. I came back and made the same cast again and caught a 21 1/4. The next 20 to 30 minutes, I caught five over 20.”
A Rapala lipless crankbait was his key bait, mostly because it was the last lipless bait left in his tacklebox.
Ewing Minor anchored his fourth-place 106.25-inch limit with the Big Bass of the Tournament, a 24.25-inch largemouth he landed on a jerkbait.
The Top 14 finishers cashed a check.
Full results from the 2025 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship scored by TourneyX can be found here.
The Wood County Economic Development Commission hosted the event.
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Championship Sponsor: Yamaha Rightwaters
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Title Sponsor: Newport
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Presenting Sponsor: Native Watercraft2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year Sponsor: Dakota Lithium
Limited edition legacy lures released at Bassmaster Classic
Heddon, Cordell, Norman lures commemorate 25th anniversary of Bass Fishing Hall of Fame
Ft. Worth, Texas — A series of limited-edition lures bearing the autographs of five members of the inaugural Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction class will soon be available for sale to lure collectors and fans of the sport.
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Matt Arey Has a Score to Settle with Ray Roberts
The last time the Bassmaster Classic was held in Fort Worth, Matt Arey was one of the last two anglers on the stage inside Dickie’s Arena. Arey sat in the hot-seat, as eventual champion Hank Cherry weighed his fish, besting the Team Toyota pro by less than two pounds. Arey is a consummate professional, and he congratulated his friend Hank, before walking off the stage shaking his head at what might have been.
Arey is not afraid to admit coming in second place in the Bassmaster Classic hurt. It hurt bad. The North Carolina native licked his wounds and promptly put the pain of his second place behind him, using it as motivation to get back to the Classic and put himself in position to win this event once again.
This morning Arey idled out of Isle Du Bois State Park with a clean slate, getting another shot at Lake Ray Roberts after coming ever so close to hoisting bass fishing’s biggest trophy in the summer of 2021.
“Ray Roberts may be the same lake that we fished in 2021, but this tournament is a whole different animal,” Arey explained. “The water level was six-feet higher, and we competed the 2021 Classic in June due to COVID restrictions. I was flipping and frogging flooded bushes. I’ll still be power fishing this week, but there isn’t a flooded bush to be found on Ray Roberts right now. The only similarity is how I’m approaching this event, with only one goal… to win.”
You might think that would be Arey’s goal in every event he competes in, but the truth is, it’s not. You see, Arey is a realest and extremely analytical. He approaches tournament bass fishing like a calculated businessman versus a gambler. His main goal in regular season Elite events is to cash checks, stack up solid points, and make championship events.
Obviously if the opportunity presents itself to content for a win, Arey will take more risks, but for the most part he is perfectly fine with consistency instead of the “hero or zero” mentality. You may criticize this mindset, but you can’t argue it has worked out for the even-keeled tournament veteran.
The 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour is Arey’s sixth straight Classic appearance, and if you factor in his time at FLW before coming to B.A.S.S. this is his 15th straight championship event. The proof is in the pudding. Arey’s system works.
But Arey knows the Classic is not like a regular season event. Points do not matter here, only prizes. He makes a deliberate effort to change how he practices and approaches this event. Aiming for a win and nothing else.
“I literally do not care if I finish second or 50th this week, if it’s not a win it doesn’t matter,” Arey said. “I’ve learned the hard way that no one remembers who finishes runner up in this event. With a win or bust mentality, it’s hard to be satisfied with practice for this tournament, but I think fans are in for a show this weekend. It’s March in Texas with a warming trend… big things are going to happen.”
Hopefully Arey is one of the anglers who makes big things happen and puts on a show for fishing fans here in Fort Worth. Several members of the Arey family will be among the packed crowd inside Dickie’s Arena. Led by his wife and #1 teammate, Emily, Arey’s family supports and cheers him on regardless of his on the water performance.
“This tournament is very special for my family,” Arey said emotionally. “They know what this event means. They were there and helped pick me up back in 2021 after it felt like I got kicked in the gut by one of the bulls they have down at the historic Stockyards. Family is everything to us, and I can’t tell you how much it means to have their unwavering support.”
Yamaha Power Pay Pick Three from Classic Media Day
It’s media day at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour and the anxious excitement from anglers, fans, and media alike is tangible. The Classic is unlike any other bass tournament and with the start of the event just a few hours away, the collective mood of the competitors is changing as the weight of the opportunity in front becomes more and more real.
The volatile wind and weather this week have added an element of the unknown for Classic competitors, as they prepare to compete for $300,000 and a life-changing trophy. There is an additional $20,000 on the line for anglers running a Yamaha Outboard in the Classic through the Yamaha Power Pay program. Which rewards anglers who compete in one of the over 500 supported tournaments and are the highest finishing person (or team) running an eligible Yamaha motor.
We caught up with Yamaha pros Carl Jocumsen, Justin Atkins, and defending champion Justin Hamner to gain a little insight of their thoughts and gameplans going into the Classic.
Q – What are three lures / techniques you expect to play a role on Ray Roberts this weekend?
Jocumsen – “Big swimbait for sure, a big jig, and a spinnerbait.”
Atkins – “A squarebill crankbait, a bigger swimbait like a Berkley Cull Shad, and a flipping jig.”
Hamner – “A jerkbait, a crankbait, and a neko worm if the wind would ever lay down a bit.”
Q – What are the three ‘loudest’ variables running through your mind going into day one of the Classic tomorrow?
Jocumsen – “Rotation of areas, terms of dealing with other competitors. Managing the wind, in terms of travel time between spots. And then timing, in terms of decision making on when to focus deep versus shallow. Those three are taking up some brain space this week.”
Atkins – “Wind, wind, and wind. Nah, wind is definitely number one, but fishing pressure and getting away from the crowd is another. Lastly is time management. It’s going to be tough to move around the lake tomorrow, so time management will be key.”
Hamner – Number one, the wind. The wind has been difficult for everyone this week. Number two, where I’m going to eat dinner at each night. Number three, has been trying to find good sweet tea. I’m a Milo’s man, usually, and it’s been tough to find.”
Q – Pick two anglers you expect to do well and a third who is your pick to win the 2025 Classic.
Jocumsen – “Lee Livesay and Jordan Lee are two anglers I expect to do well. Then I’m picking myself to win. Always bet on yourself!”
Atkins – “Pat Schlapper is going to win this thing. I’m calling it. Then I’d say Zaldain and Livesay are on the short list to do well. They are locals, after all.”
Hamner – “I’m going to win this thing and go back-to-back. Then I’d pick Lee Livesay for his local advantage and Patty (Patrick) Walters because he always catches them.”
Q – What are you going to spend the $20,000 Yamaha Power Pay bonus on if you win it Sunday?
Jocumsen – “Man, that would be nice! I’d take my wife (Kayla) on a holiday. We’d take a trip to the beach, somewhere we haven’t been.”
Atkins – “If I was smart that money would go into a retirement fund, but realistically it would probably go into a deer hunting lease or two… and a new bow and arrow.”
Hamner – “Last year we used our Yamaha money to pay for a trip to Disney World. It was a blast, man, so we’d go back there. A Disney World trip and maybe a new pair of tennis shoes.”
5 Classic questions with Vexus pro John Cox
Q: “Bassmaster Classic Week” is pressure packed and super busy, but what’s been the most fun part of your week so far.
JC: Figuring out how to get bites in practice. Seriously, beyond all the sponsor dinners and stuff, the simple reward of figuring out how to get bites never stops being a blast.
Q: How would you summarize Lake Ray Roberts for fans?
JC: Fans can expect to see a lot of 4 to 6-pound fish weighed-in and have fun with the fact this lake is very capable of showcasing bass over 10-pounds.
Q: Tell fans three baits you know you’ll have tied on to begin the 2025 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Ray Roberts.
JC: A 1/2 -ounce Berkley Power Blade spinnerbait. A thin-sided rattling bait called the Berkley Jack, and a Berkley Frittside 5.
Q: What will be the biggest challenge in this Bassmaster Classic?
JC: That’s easy, dealing with the insane gusting winds that have been crazy through practice and will continue to blow through the Classic.
Q: How has your Vexus AVX 2100 aluminum performed in 40-50 mph gusts this week?
JC: Amazingly well. Big winds bring big waves, and most aluminum boats don’t do well in absorbing the shock of those rides like this Vexus does. There’s no rattling or banging, and it’s got those awesome AirWave® pedestal seats, so I feel super comfortable being able to go where I want to fish.
Crawford, Wagner get last laugh with win at Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am
March 19, 2025
FORT WORTH, Texas — Comedian and actor Lavell Crawford and Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Emil Wagner teamed up to win the 2nd annual Progressive Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire to kick off the extravaganza of activities that surround the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour in Fort Worth, Texas.
“I called (the win) … I called it,” Crawford said. “You got to think things into existence if you want it. I had a great time. It was so fun. Emil’s a great kid and we had a good time out there on the water.
“They said I didn’t catch anything, but hey, man, I put in work. I would have caught them if they had bit my line, that’s all I can say,” Crawford laughed.
The team won a set of Yokohama tires and a $2,500 Bass Pro Shops gift card.
The Pro-Am boasted a wide variety of celebrity guests, ranging from NFL, NASCAR, WWE and Olympic athletes to musicians, actors, comedians and other celebrities. The star-studded field teamed with a host of pro anglers, including pros from the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series and the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, in kicking off Classic week events.
The Pro-Am celebrates the meteoric rise of competitive fishing in pop culture and featured teams of celebrities matched with some of the world’s best anglers.
The celebrity guests featured included:
- Social media influencer and reigning Bassmaster Classic Pro-Am champion Hood Fishing Entertainment
- Barstool Sports talent/host Sydnie Wells
- Tennessee Titans defensive linebacker Jeffery Simmons
- Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland
- Three-time Olympic gold medalist for shot put and discus Ryan Crouser
- NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain
- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen
- Social media personality Justin Chiasson (Stalekracker)
- Comedian and actor Lavell Crawford
- U.S Marine Veteran & Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer
- BlacktipH content creator/designer Jake Jorgensen
- Bluegrass music artist Billy Strings
- Southern Methodist University Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee
- Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Kevin Dotson
- 8-year NFL veteran Barkevious Mingo
- WWE Superstar Bron Breakker
- WWE Superstar Tony D’Angelo
- TV personality Heavy D (Diesel Brothers)
- TV personality Diesel Dave (Diesel Brothers)
- Canadian TV personality Pat Roach (Trailer Park Boys)
- Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark
- 12-year NFL veteran Trent Cole
Celebrities in the Pro-Am were paired with some of the biggest names in bass fishing, including:
- 50-year Bassmaster pro and four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Rick Clunn
- 30-year Bassmaster pro and Bassmaster Classic champion Mike Iaconelli
- Two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year and 20-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Gerald Swindle
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Andrew Loberg
- Two-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion and Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Joey Cifuentes
- Two-time Bassmaster High School All-American Tucker Smith
- Sixteen-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and Bassmaster Classic champion Randy Howell
- 2021 B.A.S.S. Nation champion Matty Wong
- Two-time Bassmaster Opens champion and Bassmaster Team Championship champion Matt Robertson
- 2021 Bassmaster Northern Opens Angler of the Year Jonathan Kelley
- Three-time Elite Series champion Steve Kennedy
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Emil Wagner
- Two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year and six-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion Brandon Palaniuk
- Bassmaster Elite Series champion Luke Palmer
- Two-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion Bill Lowen
- Three-time Bassmaster Opens champion Stephen Browning
- Bassmaster Opens champion Cliff Crochet
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie and Bassmaster College Series champion Beau Browning
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Paul Marks
- Bassmaster Elite Series newcomer and seven-year professional angler Dakota Ebare
- Bassmaster Opens champion and Bassmaster College Classic Bracket champion Tristan McCormick
- Bassmaster Opens pro and BassmastHER ambassador Anastasia Patterson
The pairings for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire were:
- Dakota Ebare and Hood Fishing Entertainment
- Joey Cifuentes and Ben Cleveland
- Tucker Smith and Sydnie Wells
- Rick Clunn and Ross Chastain
- Gerald Swindle and Dakota Meyer
- Mike Iaconelli and Billy Strings
- Matty Wong and Diesel Dave (Diesel Brothers)
- Matt Robertson and Tony D’Angelo
- Jonathan Kelley and Jake Jorgensen
- Steve Kennedy and Rhett Lashlee
- Brandon Palaniuk and Heavy D (Diesel Brothers)
- Luke Palmer and Pat Roach (Trailer Park Boys)
- Bill Lowen and Bron Breakker
- Cliff Crochet and Justin Chiasson (Stalekracker)
- Beau Browning and Ryan Crouser
- Emil Wagner and Lavell Crawford
- Paul Marks and Kevin Dotson
- Andrew Loberg and Barkevious Mingo
- Randy Howell and Jeffery Simmons
- Stephen Browning and Trent Cole
- Tristan McCormick and Patrick Queen
- Anastasia Patterson and Damone Clark
Coverage of the 2025 Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire will be presented on The Roku Channel on April 5.
2025 Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am Driven by Yokohama 3/19-3/19
Eagle Mountain Lake , Fort Worth TX.
Team
1. Emil Wagner - Lavell Crawford
Day 1: 2 12-09 Total: 2 12-09
2. Brandon Palaniuk - Heavy D
Day 1: 1 10-12 Total: 1 10-12
3. Beau Browning - Ryan Crouser
Day 1: 4 09-15 Total: 4 09-15
4. Steve Kennedy - Rhett Lashlee
Day 1: 2 09-15 Total: 2 09-15
5. Joey Cifuentes III - Ben Cleveland
Day 1: 3 08-10 Total: 3 08-10
6. Rick Clunn - Ross Chastain
Day 1: 4 06-09 Total: 4 06-09
7. Jonathan Kelley - Jake Jorgensen
Day 1: 2 06-00 Total: 2 06-00
8. Randy Howell - Jeffrey Simmons
Day 1: 2 05-01 Total: 2 05-01
9. Dakota Ebare - Hood Fishing Entertainment
Day 1: 2 05-00 Total: 2 05-00
10. Cliff Crochet - Stalekracker
Day 1: 1 04-08 Total: 1 04-08
11. Matty Wong - Diesel Dave
Day 1: 2 03-15 Total: 2 03-15
12. Paul Marks - Kevin Dotson
Day 1: 2 03-14 Total: 2 03-14
13. Tucker Smith - Sydnie Wells
Day 1: 1 03-09 Total: 1 03-09
14. Stephen Browning - Trent Cole
Day 1: 1 03-00 Total: 1 03-00
14. Michael Iaconelli - Billy Strings
Day 1: 1 03-00 Total: 1 03-00
16. Andrew Loberg - Barkevious Mingo
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
16. Bill Lowen - Bronson Steiner
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
16. Tristan McCormick - Patrick Queen
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
16. Luke Palmer - Pat Roach
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
16. Anastasia Patterson - Damone Clark
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
16. Matt Robertson - Tony D'Angelo
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
16. Gerald Swindle - Dakota Meyer
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 0 30 96-05
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0 30 96-05
About Progressive Insurance
Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers
Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles and homes; it is the second-largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, boat and RV insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.
Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot® and HomeQuote Explorer®.
The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR.
About Yokohama Tire Corporation
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology, innovation, sustainable manufacturing and environmentally conscious products. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, and commercial truck and bus. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit yokohamatire.com and yok
Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Tires 101” section at yokohamatire.com.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
$10,000 Bonus on the Line from Toyota
Anglers competing in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour now have 10,000 more reasons to tow their boats with a Toyota this week in Fort Worth. $10,000 will be up for grabs for the highest finishing Classic competitor driving a 2021 or newer Toyota tow vehicle through Toyota’s popular contingency program “Bonus Bucks”.
This payout has increased for the 2025 Classic, up from $7,500 in past years. Also new for 2025, the second and third highest finishing Classic competitors driving a Toyota will earn $5,000 and $3,000 payments, respectively.
Elite Series pro John Cox has capitalized on Bonus Bucks rewards numerous times throughout his 14-years as a full-time professional fisherman and has his eyes on the prize this week.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to win quite a bit of money through Bonus Bucks and I want to get my hands on this ‘Happy Gilmore’ check,” Cox joked. “Last year I was the second highest Toyota driver in the Classic and the first highest in REDCREST. I actually used that money on a down payment for my new Tundra this year, which was so nice. I’ve been handing down my old trucks to my kids, cause they are all driving now, so we just keep adding them to the family.”
He and his wife, Melissa, have a driveway full of Toyota tow-vehicles at their Florida home and value the added opportunity from Toyota as well as the brand’s steadfast support of tournament bass fishing. Melissa has spent plenty of time behind the wheel of her husband’s trucks, as she often has had to serve as John’s driver and teammate, helping him manage a famously jam-packed tournament schedule.
“We love the trucks, and I definitely love the extra bonuses,” Melissa Cox said. “We have four Toyotas in our driveway at home, three Tundras and a 4Runner. Obviously, Toyota isn’t a sponsor of John’s but through Bonus Bucks we’ve really felt the love from the brand, and everyone feels like family.”
When questioned what they’d spend this year’s increased Classic Bonus Bucks payout on if they were to win it, Cox was quick to consider a high-dollar cleaning service for his fishing-tackle-filled garage. What Cox lacks in tackle organization, he makes up for with humor and his uncanny ability to catch bass in shallow water and notch top finishes regardless of the fishery or time of year.
While Cox was quick to admit he did not have a stellar practice on Lake Ray Roberts, it would surprise no one to see his name near the top of the leaderboard as the 56th annual Super Bowl of Bass Fishing plays out.
Toyota Bonus Bucks rewards far more than just Classic competitors. With over 620 supported tournaments, including team trails, college and even kayak events, you can reap the rewards of Bonus Bucks just like the pros. To learn more or see a full list of tournaments head to: www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/events.
Superior Small Storage
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Based on angler demand, DAIWA adds new smaller sizes to the D-BOX series |
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FOOTHILL RANCH, CA (March 18, 2025) – Slap a logo on something and call it day. Perhaps fine for some, but that’s not the DAIWA way… Last season, DAIWA introduced the D-BOX series, and it was an instant hit. Now, the innovative fishing company is introducing the 2025 D-BOX series, consisting of four smaller models. Not your average fishing utility box, DAIWA’s D-BOX features a clear lid for quick identification of its contents. That same durable lid is sealed shut with four robust latch closures. Speaking of sealing, all sizes also include rubber gasket rimming on the inside of the lid to keep the contents weathertight, free from moisture intrusion. As a result of its sealed status, when locked shut, DAIWA’s D-VEC utility boxes float! Accidentally drop it in the drink and it’ll bob on the surface for retrieval. A unique addition to the array of smaller D-BOX collection is the new Small Shallow Universal model that features a slotted silicon panel that’s perfect for the organization of jigheads, small pre-rigged swimbaits, hair jigs, among dozens of other applications. The slotted silicone is resistant to tearing and helps make sure hook points aren’t compromised. D-BOX FEATURES:
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2025 D-BOX Small Shallow Universal (SSU)
MSRP $21.99 |
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MSRP $13.99 |
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MSRP $13.99 |
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MSRP $15.99 |
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For DAIWA’s latest color catalog and/or information on DAIWA dealers in your area, call DAIWA’s Customer Service Department at 562-375-6800 or e-mail inquiries to: [email protected]. The URL for DAIWA’s web site is daiwa.us |
MLF Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats to Visit Harris Chain of Lakes
LEESBURG, Fla. (March 18, 2025) – Event No. 2 of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern division is scheduled to take place next week, March 27-29, in Leesburg, Florida – the Toyota Series at the Harris Chain of Lakes Presented by Suzuki Marine.
The three-day tournament, hosted by Discover Lake County, Florida, will showcase the region’s top bass-fishing boaters and co-anglers competing for a grand prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.
Pro Tyler Sheppard of Yulee, Florida, knows the Harris Chain well, with seven top-10 finishes – including a BFL win in 2023 and a 6th-place finish in the 2024 Toyota Series event. But this time, Sheppard brings a little extra inspiration – he just became a father, welcoming his newborn son home from the hospital on Monday.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Sheppard said. “He was born on Friday, and it’s been incredible. I’m running on about no sleep, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Hopefully, I can carry some of that ‘dad energy’ into the tournament.”
Sheppard expects this event to showcase a variety of patterns across the Harris Chain, with anglers able to fish to their strengths.
“There are going to be prespawn, spawning, and postspawn fish, so it’s wide open,” he said. “The grass is always a player, and if you find the right group of fish, it can carry you for three days. But there are also plenty of opportunities for big fish on crankbaits or swimbaits, especially in the lower lakes like Apopka.”
The decision to run to Lake Apopka will be critical for some, as it’s known for producing big limits but comes with the risk of limited fishing time.
“It’s a gamble with the locks, but it’s a place where you don’t need long to get right if you can make it work,” Sheppard added.
On his deck, Sheppard plans to keep Florida staples tied on, including a 6th Sense Divine Swim Jig for grass fishing and a bladed jig for targeting bigger bites.
“If there’s a flipping bite for spawners, a 6th Sense Creature bait will also come into play,” he said.
As for what it will take to win, Sheppard believes consistency will be key.
“I’d say 67 to 70 pounds over three days will probably get it done,” he predicted. “It’s Florida, so you’ll need at least one big day, but you also have to back it up with solid limits.”
Anglers will begin each day at 7:30 a.m. ET, launching from the Ski Beach at the Venetian Gardens, located at 201 E. Lake Harris Drive in Leesburg. Weigh-ins will take place at the same location, starting at 3:30 p.m. daily. Fans are invited to attend in person and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of up to $75,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of up to $100,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard plus $5,000 cash.
The 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the five divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2026. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, and is hosted by the City of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Texas natives Golding, Marks chosen as recipients of Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s Meritorious Service Award
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— For Immediate Release — Mar. 18, 2025 — When talk begins to center around the significant figures in the history of Texas bass fishing, no conversation is complete without a mention and nod to Earl Golding and Phil Marks.
Both were proud Texans whose vast contributions to the sport made them easy choices to receive the Meritorious Service Award from the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. Golding was a Waco-based sportswriter who is credited with starting the first competitive bass tournament while Marks played a pivotal role in developing numerous tournament-proven baits for Strike King that turned into top sellers.
Both Golding and Marks will be honored posthumously at a Hall of Fame function Thursday, March 20 in Fort Worth, Texas. They are the sixth and seventh recipients, respectively, of the MSA.
“Learning more about these two gentlemen through our Board’s process in honoring them with the Meritorious Service Award allowed me to gain a deeper appreciation for the impact they had and still have on the sport of bass fishing,” said BFHOF Board President John Mazurkiewicz. “It will be the Board’s honor to celebrate this special recognition with Earl’s and Phil’s family, friends and industry associates in their home state of Texas at one the biggest annual events in the bass fishing world.”
When the late bass fishing legend and Hall of Famer Ray Scott recognizes you by saying "Earl … without a doubt should be considered a forefather of competitive bass fishing," millions of bass angler deserve to know more about Golding.
He began his career at the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald as a sports reporter in 1949 and began covering Texas’ flourishing hunting and fishing scenes a year later. In 1955, he hatched the idea of a fishing tournament to be sponsored by the newspaper as a way to determine who was the best bass angler in the state. Held at the newly-impounded Lake Whitney, the invitation-only tournament was the first of its kind not only in Texas, but in the nation. Seventy-five anglers were invited and 73 showed up to fish.
As word of the tournament spread, Golding received letters from anglers across the state expressing interest in competing the following year. In response, Golding instituted an open format, and the event has been going strong ever since. This year’s Texas State Bass Tournament, as it’s presently known, is scheduled for April 26-27 at Toledo Bend Reservoir. The event will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026. It is believed to be the world’s oldest “open” bass fishing competition and has maintained the tradition of awarding the tournament champion only a commemorative wall plaque that carries the inscription “Winner of the State Tournament”. There is no cash payout.
Golding, with support from his wife, Martha, served as the tournament director for 25 years and did so without receiving any compensation. In 1998, Golding was the fifth inductee in the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2007 at age 81.
While Golding created the tournament framework for anglers to scratch their competitive itch, Marks spearheaded the development of baits that helped anglers from all backgrounds catch more fish.
Marks was a proud graduate of Texas A&M and spent his professional life in the fishing industry. He served as Strike King’s head of research and development and vice president of sales for many years. He collaborated with key pro anglers to design and refine baits that helped win numerous titles at every level of tournament angling. From Bassmaster Classic titles, Bassmaster and FLW Angler of the Year titles and numerous wins across the Bassmaster, FLW and MLF circuits and events worldwide, Marks helped solidify Strike King’s status as a premier lure manufacturer. It’s difficult to truly measure Marks’ influence and accomplishments within the fishing industry.
“Phil Marks was instrumental in the success of Strike King in many ways,” said former Strike King president John Barns. “Not only was he a talented and innovative lure designer, he was also very involved in selling Strike King products to several of our largest accounts nationwide. He was an incredible fisherman as well, winning countless tournaments, many times using lures that he designed. Phil was bigger than life in the fishing industry and had close relationships with many professional fishermen and industry leaders. He was loved and respected by all. His mark on the industry will be felt for years to come.”
One of his signature creations was the Strike King 10 XD crankbait, which he introduced to the world during his victory at the 2012 Sam Rayburn FLW Tour Open. He used a prototype version of the bait, along with other Strike King lures, to amass 82 pounds over four days, including a 32-pound, 12-ounce limit on the final day. That win and the exposure it created for the 10 XD catapulted the lure to one of the all-time winningest baits in major tournament history.
Outside of his business pursuits and his passion for the outdoors, Marks was a devoted family man, coaching sports teams for his children and sharing his passion for life with family and friends. He passed away at age 55 in 2020.
“The best words I have to describe Phil is that he uniquely embodied everything that is right about the fishing industry and this lifestyle we’re all so passionate about,” said Ken Eubanks, CEO of Rather Outdoors, Strike King’s parent company. “Phil was unique, genuine and authentic in everything he did, both within his profession, and his life overall. He is deeply missed, and I consider him a truly irreplaceable part of our company, and my life, along with the many other lives he’s touched over the years.”
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The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization led by a volunteer board of directors and is dedicated to celebrating, promoting and preserving the sport of bass fishing. Since 2017, the Hall’s inductees and memorabilia representing the history of bass fishing have been showcased in Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Mo., where it has rapidly become a popular destination. Bass Fishing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are held annually on the last Thursday in September at the White River Conference Center inside Wonders of Wildlife. For more information about the Hall, its mission, and to become a supporting member, visit www.BassFishingHOF.com, or contact BFHOF executive director Barbara Bowman at [email protected].
Huff Laments Recent Weather Trends, Looking forward to Better Fishing
Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships / Photo Credit: Andy Crawford, Bassmaster
Toyota Bonus Bucks pro Cody Huff has battled severe weather and increased fishing pressure to have a chance in the Bassmaster Classic.
If you’ve been watching television or your weather apps the past few days, you’re likely aware of the severe storms that moved through much of the country. It has been a struggle for everyone, and the Bassmaster Classic qualifiers have been both sympathetic and empathetic.
Toyota Bonus Bucks pro Cody Huff is one of the young phenoms in this sport and with high hopes and a large paycheck on the line, he’s reporting a tough practice due to the weather conditions.
“Practice was brutally tough on me and I’m not posturing or anything of the sort,” Huff said. “I’m struggling to get bites whether they’re big, small or somewhere in the middle. You would think this would be a good time of year to fish because everything is lining up perfect and the water is warming. You kind of have your choice between 50-degree pre-spawn bass and 60-degree spawning bass. It lines up for a slugfest because we all know this lake has big ones, but ‘how many’ is the important question.”
The perceived scarcity of quality fish has many anglers worried but Huff remains steadfast in his approach. Although the weather was a big-time factor the first few days of practice, the young Ozarks angler is trying his best to stick to his plan as Mother Nature allows.
“The first day of practice was absolutely crazy,” Huff said. “The wind and waves were definitely wild, but the biggest issue was the inability to efficiently navigate the lake. It’s hard to move around and explore a new fishery you don’t really know anything about. But there’s always a silver lining—these conditions have made me settle down a little more and run less on my big motor, which means I get to keep the trolling motor down and fish more. We are definitely being tested by the elements this week.”
With Huff coming from the Bull Shoals and Table Rock region, there are a few unexpected similarities between his home waters and Lake Ray Roberts, and he is optimistic about the possibilities ahead.
“There are a couple of ways this fishery is similar to where I’m used to fishing,” Huff said. “There’s a little rock, which is key during the pre-spawn period because they hold heat. There’s standing timber, with which I’m also familiar. This place reminds me of Grand Lake or The Ozarks except without all of the docks. I will say, it has a lot of catfish and eerily similar water color which puts the fish—all species—in shallower water than you’d expect."
Huff thinks things may play out different than what most pundits have predicted. The Classic may not be full of electric fish catches but if people tune in throughout the day, he seriously thinks there may be a chance of watching rare history occur.
“Whether I catch ‘em on forward-facing sonar or in six inches of water, I’d really rather find a group of fish somewhere but I’m not sure if that dream will come true or not,” Huff said. “I might have to pick them off one at a time, but I’m absolutely prepared to do it. I think this tournament might be won by someone who doesn’t have a five-fish limit during a day of competition. They seriously might get four to seven bites a day and survive with that because they’ll be giants. But man, if you run into the right offshore school, it could be a runaway-type of tournament.”
According to old industry nomenclature, the wind is apparently your friend. But with such extreme conditions and water clarity changes, the fishable areas of the lake have been greatly condensed which is leading to crowded water and possibly increased fishing pressure.
“This is a smaller lake to begin with,” Huff said. “And when you add prominent wind coming from a certain direction, it gets even smaller. Every little cut you turn into has six or seven boats in it and you don’t want to encroach on anyone’s area, so it’s a little challenging to find water. But I’m going to continue working my hardest to do this thing with the utmost respect. I have faith in myself.”
Regardless of the high winds and spring storms, the Toyota Bonus Bucks pro has a plan to conquer this week’s puzzle. But can he put it together? That’s the all-important question.
New Daiwa Tatula - Your Everyday Workhorse
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New 2025 TATULA 150 baitcaster masters multiple applications and is rife with DAIWA’s progressive reel technologies. |
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FOOTHILL RANCH, CA (March 16, 2025) – Slap the name TATULA on a rod or reel and it sells. Why? Because for over a decade, anglers have gotten more than they paid for and consequently keep coming back to the well. And it’s because of this legacy-of-trust that DAIWA only labels it TATULA when they’re certain the rod or reel will exceed expectations, especially given the affordability. This template proves positive in the new 2025 TATULA 150 baitcasting reel. |
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A multipurpose weapon, the perfectly-palmable TATULA 150 aces numbers of the most popular bass fishing techniques. “Truthfully, the reel is great for crankbaits, frogs, topwaters, ChatterBaits, and bladed jigs,” said DAIWA Field Marketing Manager, Chris Martin. The bedrock of TATULA 150’s exceptional performance is DAIWA’s Long Cast (LC) Concept. “It’s in the name,” said Martin. “The advanced 36mm A7075 spool and its braking system were specifically developed to maximize casting distance. Martin continued, “the spool inductor extends into the magnetic field of the braking system for most of the cast to stabilize the spool and prevent backlash. Once the spool is stabilized and slows, the inductor moves away from the magnetic field and frees the spool to extend casting distance.” “This type of braking system is critical for anglers throwing non-aerodynamic lures that surge during the cast due to air-resistance. Baits like frogs with long leg appendages, buzzbaits, and even crankbaits are much easier to cast with our Long Cast Concept.” |
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Application-wise, the TATULA 150 is lights-out for deep cranking, effectively managing modern baits that are reaching depths never imagined. The (5.3:1) TATULA 150 yields a slow and powerful retrieve to bring billed-baits to their maximum depth effortlessly. What’s more, the TATULA 150’s HYPERDRIVE® system delivers unparalleled smoothness while retrieving crankbaits and more, thanks to its three-point gear contact within the HYPERDRIVE® DIGIGEAR™ system. Not only is smoothness improved, but the three-point contact between the gear teeth spreads the load across more surface area, extending gear-life. An extended 100mm handle also improves angler comfort and leverage in these applications. |
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2025 TATULA 150 KEY FEATURES & TECHNOLOGIES: LONG CAST (LC) CONCEPT The aggregate of DAIWA baitcasting technologies to maximize casting distance and minimize backlash. MAGFORCE-Z DAIWA’s proprietary magnetic braking system that utilizes a moveable rotor on the 36mm A7075 spool to automatically adjust braking pressure based on the spool speed. This results in long and smooth casts and prevents overruns and backlash. HYPERDRIVE® ARMED HOUSING A distortion-proof aluminum frame steadfastly houses the gear unit within the reel body. The concept comprises a combination of different manufacturing techniques, which considerably improve the functioning and lifespan of the reel. HYPERDRIVE® DIGIGEAR™ Technology that makes the gear teeth more efficient at transferring power, resulting in a smoother, more powerful gear set that also reduces gear noise. The gears are also strengthened by larger teeth in the traction wheel. And, the gearing has three points of contact – most gearing has only two – which maintains contact between the gear teeth, creating silky performance and a longer gear life. HYPERDRIVE® TOUGH CLUTCH The clutch mechanics have been optimized to remain safely in position even on hard casts. |
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T-WING SYSTEM (TWS) An innovative “T” shaped mechanical aperture that the line passes through when casting and retrieving baits, which allows the line to flow freely, reducing friction and sharp angles that slow line flow. TWS is unique to DAIWA baitcasting reels. ULTIMATE TOURNAMENT DRAG (UTD) The sophisticated drag system uses carbon washers, alloy, stainless steel drag plates, and special lubricant to provide smooth performance. UTD prevents sticking when dragging starts and stable drag for the duration of fighting a fish. ZERO ADJUSTER The spool tension knob comes ideally preset at the factory to match the model and reduce backlash when casting into the wind or with lighter lures. However, anglers can fine tune the spool tension to their personal preferences. 100mm SWEPT HANDLE The increased torque turns the barrel with greater ease and provides more cranking power. MSRP $199.99 |
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DuraSafe Launches New G-Cradle Brackets That Fit BBT Mounts
Brackets Work With Garmin® ECHOMAP™ Ultra Models Mounted in Bass Boat Technology Mounts
New Berlin, WI – DuraSafe, the leader in innovative security solutions for anglers, is excited to announce the launch of its new G-Cradle Bracket, designed to fit Bass Boat Technology (BBT) mounts. Unlike standard mounts, BBT mounts are thicker and require a wider G-Cradle bracket—so DuraSafe has stepped up to deliver a highly requested solution!
Anglers using Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra 10" and 12" models with BBT mounting systems can now secure their graphs with DuraSafe’s new G-Cradle Bracket—along with the popular E-LOCK® for ultimate protection.
While the original DuraSafe G-Cradle Bracket is designed to work with Garmin’s provided mounting bracket for ECHOMAP Ultra models, this new version expands compatibility to fit one of the most popular aftermarket gimbal mounting systems—BBT mounts.
The G-Cradle Bracket is a game-changer when it comes to securing Garmin ECHOMAP Ultra graphs. These units attach using a cradle with a quick-release mechanism, which, when disengaged, allows the faceplate to be easily removed—and stolen. By installing the G-Cradle Bracket along with DuraSafe’s E-LOCKs, the release mechanism is blocked, preventing theft and ensuring peace of mind on and off the water.
Beyond security, the G-Cradle Bracket also provides added stability. For those concerned about accidental disconnection, it can be used with Garmin’s factory gimbal knobs to prevent the faceplate from unintentionally popping out of the Garmin cradle.
For more information about DuraSafe’s complete line of G-Cradle Brackets and other innovative security solutions, visit www.durasafelocks.com. Proudly made in the USA. Patent pending.
About DuraSafe:
DuraSafe is the leading manufacturer of innovative security products for outdoor enthusiasts. Specializing in lock solutions for the marine industry, DuraSafe ensures that anglers and boaters can focus on what they love without worrying about theft. Proudly made in the USA, DuraSafe products are designed with durability and convenience in mind.
For more information, visit www.durasafelocks.com
NPFL - The Numbers Are In!
WILKESVILLE, Ohio—The National Professional Fishing League has announced that the official report from Strike King NPFL Stop 1 at Santee Cooper Lakes is in, and the numbers exceeded all expectations. The event—March 7-9 and hosted by Clarendon County Tourism—broke every online audience record in League history and is a harbinger of bigger things to come.
For 2025, the NPFL created its own production company—FullCom Media—and made its platform for presenting tournament events more accessible to fans. Coverage is now available on the League website (thenationalprofessionalfishingleague.com) and on the League’s YouTube channel, where subscriptions are dramatically up year-over-year.
“We’re excited about the growth we’re seeing from our efforts,” said NPFL President Brad Fuller, “and we know there’s still a long way to go to make our production what we want it to be, but I’m confident we’ll get there.”
Website page views for the first tournament were up by nearly 1,800% and user engagement increased by more than 1,600% over last season. Advanced advertising impressions jumped by 1,835%.
Much of the success can be attributed to finding a new audience. There was a 1,041% increase in first-time web visitors.
There was also substantial growth on social media, particularly Facebook, where page views and likes increased roughly 1,000%.
“The improvement in our numbers means a lot to us,” Fuller said, “but it means even more to our sponsors and advertisers. We’re delivering a greater return on investment than ever before, and that will continue. We’re determined to be the best value in the sport.
“Moving forward, we’re focused on refining our live broadcast execution and maximizing sponsor value,” Fuller added. “It’s an exciting time for the League and we’re encouraged by the progress, but there’s a long road ahead and we’re not taking our foot off the gas!”
About the National Professional Fishing League
The National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) was founded to bring competitive fishing to a broader audience and offer anglers a platform to compete at the highest level. The NPFL is committed to fostering integrity, competition, and innovation in the sport, providing anglers and fans alike with an exciting and unique experience.
Media Contact: Ken Duke — (407) 574-1898 or [email protected].
Benton’s Kell Earns First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes
Illinois’ Westfall Tops Co-Angler Division
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (March 17, 2025) – Boater Brad Kell of Benton, Kentucky, caught a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 14 ounces, Sunday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes . The tournament, hosted by Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, was the first event of the season for the BFL LBL Division. Kell earned $4,244 for his victory.
Mother Nature presented a big challenge to the LBL anglers, giving them muddy water, high water and a north wind to contend with. Kell fell back on one of his tried-and-true tactics for the big Tennessee River reservoir.
“I did the same thing I’ve been doing for years – throwing a (lipless crankbait) on river bars and current breaks, looking for schools of smallmouth with my eyeballs and not necessarily forward-facing sonar. I never turned it on,” he said. “I found them just by fishing; fishing by the seat of my pants.”
To be clear, Kell wasn’t sight-fishing. It was way too muddy for that. But these days, casting and winding on main-lake bars without sonar can feel a little like stepping back in time. And time was also a factor for Kell.
“These were places that I’ve been fishing since I was 15 years old,” he said. “Sweet spots that I’ve found since I was a little kid. It’s related to the time of year. The fish are coming up to do their thing, and they get ganged up.”
Kell ran far enough south that he could see the Paris Landing bridge. There, he caught a limit of smallmouth bass, primarily from two schools. He had three other schools located, but the weather shut those fish down.
“It took a little bit (to get a bite),” he said. “My first spot didn’t pan out. I hung out there for about an hour. The second spot, it was on like Donkey Kong – 4- or 5-pounders on every cast. I lost a 7. I had a 7-pounder straighten out a split ring, and then it jumped up by the boat, and my co-angler (Kristin Hamilton), she saw it too. It was a 7-pound smallmouth all day long.”
Kell figures that giant bass created such a commotion that the rest of the school shut down because he never got another bite.
“The next spot, I caught them really good,” he continued. “They were smaller, but I did catch one that I weighed in. And when she (Hamilton) went to net the fish, it came off and the hook caught her right in the nose. The fish came off and fell in the net. She was bleeding. The fish was bleeding. It was pandemonium.”
After those two flurries, bites were tough to come by, but Kell had all he needed to sew up the win. He caught his fish primarily with Duo Realis G-Fix lipless crankbaits.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Brad Kell, Benton, Ky., five bass, 24-14, $4,244
2nd: Kane Hackemack, Georgetown, Ind., five bass, 23-7, $2,122
3rd: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., five bass, 22-8, $1,413
4th: Garrett McDowell, Windsor, Ill., five bass, 22-5, $990
5th: Harlan Thomas, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 21-14, $849
6th: Randy Stone, Dexter, Ky., five bass, 21-1, $778
7th: Josh Dowdy, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 19-15, $707
8th: Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 18-11, $637
9th: Harold Buchmeier, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 18-5, $566
10th: Harrison Terry, Burns, Tenn., five bass, 18-0, $495
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
John Riegger of Metropolis, Illinois, caught a bass that weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $600.
Mike Westfall of Norris City, Illinois, won the co-angler division and $2,122 Sunday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Mike Westfall, Norris City, Ill., three bass, 12-12, $2,122
2nd: Philip Thomas, Clarksville, Tenn. three bass, 12-8, $1,061
3rd: Eric Law, Primm Springs, Tenn., three bass, 11-13, $707
4th: Jerry North II, Three Way, Tenn., three bass, 11-8, $495
5th: Jeff McWhorter, New Concord, Ky., three bass, 11-1, $424
6th: Jack Ryan, Salem, Ill., three bass, 10-12, $389
7th: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., three bass, 10-4, $354
8th: Mike Raymer, Paris, Tenn., three bass, 9-9, $318
9th: Joshua Smith, Benton, Ky., three bass, 9-7, $283
10th: Bo Bivins, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 9-6, $248
Anthony Cancelli of Clarksville, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $300, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
In addition to winning the tournament, Brad Kell of Benton, Kentucky, has the early lead the Fishing Clash LBL Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Mike Westfall of Norris City, Illinois, leads the Fishing Clash LBL Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 250 points.
The next event for BFL LBL Division anglers will be held May 10, at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes out of Gilbertsville, Kentucky. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Little Rock’s Hawkins Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Hamilton
Searcy’s Warden Tops Co-Angler Division
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (March 17, 2025) – Boater Chip Hawkins of Little Rock, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Hamilton . The tournament was the first event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Hawkins earned $11,000, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
Even with all the advanced electronics and new, high-end tackle out there for bass anglers, there are some simple, old-school fishing adages that still hold true – and can still lead to winning stringers.
“My whole life, people have always told me, when it starts raining throw a spinnerbait, and I’ve always done it,” said Hawkins. “And I’ve actually had some of my best tournaments doing it.”
It worked on Saturday at Lake Hamilton. Hawkins caught his winning fish on a BOOYAH spinnerbait with an orange kicker blade. Hawkins was expecting to find fish moving up to get ready to spawn, so in practice he hunted for pockets with the warmest water – areas closer to 60 degrees. While his practice was pretty terrible – in his words – those pockets ended up being where he caught his fish.
“This morning it was raining and cloudy, and so I just picked up a spinnerbait and started running shallow pockets,” he said. “Until it quit raining around 11:30 or 12. Then it was pretty much over.
“I think I was just fishing shallower than most people, to be honest,” Hawkins added. “I was fishing 2 feet of water, where everybody else was still fishing points.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Chip Hawkins, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 18-12, $11,000 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 16-8, $2,000
3rd: Eugene Moore III, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-13, $1,334
4th: Jackson Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 14-11, $933
5th: Brady Horton, Clinton, Ark., five bass, 14-9, $800
6th: Russell Richmond, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 14-7, $1,273
7th: Allen Stewart, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-5, $633
7th: Cody McEntire, Walnut Ridge, Ark., five bass, 14-5, $633
9th: Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-2, $533
10th: Kollin Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $467
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Russel Richmond of Sheridan, Arkansas, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $540.
Rocky Warden of Searcy, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and $2,270 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 11 co-anglers finished:
1st: Rocky Warden, Searcy, Ark., three bass, 9-13, $2,270
2nd: Benjamin Russell, Saint Robert, Mo., three bass, 9-8, $1,000
3rd: Michael Brown, Arkadelphia, Ark., three bass, 9-5, $666
4th: Tommy McCullar, Benton, Ark., three bass, 8-4, $467
5th: Dale Clark, Malvern, Ark., three bass, 7-15, $400
6th: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., three bass, 7-14, $367
7th: Keagan Harrison, Sulphur Rock, Ark., three bass, 7-13, $333
8th: Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., three bass, 7-11, $300
9th: Reagan Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 7-10, $236
9th: Zachary Morrow, Lonsdale, Ark., three bass, 7-10, $236
9th: Trenton Williams, Alma, Ark., three bass, 7-10, $236
Warden also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $270, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
In addition to winning the event, Chip Hawkins of Little Rock, Arkansas, has the early lead in the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Rocky Warden of Searcy, Arkansas, leads the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 250 points.
The next event for BFL Arkie Division anglers will be held April 12, at Lake Ouachita out of Royal, Arkansas. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Alabama. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
South Carolina’s Mitchell Robinson Earns First Major Win at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 on Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine
Landrum, South Carolina pro catches final day limit weighing 17-5 on Championship Sunday to earn $115,000 top prize
ANDERSON, S.C. (March 16, 2025) – The final day of Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki Marine on Lake Hartwell turned out to be a classic. Big spotted bass and largemouth hit the scales left and right, and the event went down the wire, as all the leaders struggled to put it away.
Going out with the lead, Dustin Smith weighed an even 13 pounds on the final day for a 53-11 total, which was not quite enough to hold off young Mitchell Robinson . Starting the day in second, Robinson never caught more than 20 pounds any day of the week, but he managed to scrape up 17-5 on Day 3 for a 53-13 total to earn his first win above the high school level. For the win, Robinson takes home the trophy plus $115,000, which is a lot of money to win at 19 years old.
In July 2023, Robinson and partner Cody Abbott won the Bassmaster High School National Championship at Lake Hartwell – at the time, it was the culmination of years fishing Hartwell and Keowee, the home lakes for the Robinson family. Robinson and Abbott split $5,000 in scholarship money in that one – not insignificant, but maybe not a huge factor for someone diving headlong into the family plumbing and fishing businesses.
This week, Robinson made some real money, combining knowledge he learned fishing with family and top-tier skills with forward-facing sonar. His best days, Day 1 and Day 3, Robinson was allowed full use of forward-facing sonar, and he ran a pattern that relied on moving fast and looking for fish off the beaten path.
“Those fish have always been there, but they've never been fished for,” said Robinson. “So, now with LiveScope, you can target them, because these fish are a cast off the bank. They're under people's boats. It's probably the fish they used to see on 2D. So, that little ‘Scope pattern panned out really good for me.”
Keeping the trolling motor moving, Robinson scanned banks that might not look like much but had the right characteristics for him.
“These banks are either sand, clay or pea gravel – any sort of flatter bank, but not like a big, long flat,” he explained. “A lot of times it is just it's a little flat, but then it has a drop or a ditch running by it. And transitions, too: If you see some rock and then it switches to sand real quick and then back to rock.
“You want something for them to ease up there and just cruise around and eat. That's about all they're doing is feeding. I think it's the same fish you see cruising down the bank that you try to catch. There's a group that cruises shallower and then a little deeper and a little deeper. I think that's all these fish do on this lake.”
The beauty of the mid-depth cruisers is that Robinson could catch them at a much higher rate than he could have on the bank. Though they’re not hidden anymore, Robinson still thinks that they’re more willing to bite.
“When they see your boat, you’re done with the ones way up shallow. They're already skittish to be up there because they know they can be seen by everything,” he said. “But these I'm fishing for, they know they're a little hidden.”
Putting his boat in about 10 feet of water, Robinson panned to each side, looking as deep at 20 to 25 feet and as shallow as he can see. He likes to run his forward range at about 80 feet, his color gain at 55 and his gain at 70.
Today, because of the pollen washed in from overnight rains, he ran his noise reject on medium.
Pollen is often the bane of forward-facing sonar, and really one of the few environmental conditions outside of wind that can slow the experts down. It looked for a bit like it might end Robinson’s comeback bid.
“The pollen and the wind ruined my entire area where I caught 20 pound of spots Day 1,” said Robinson. “So, I went back today and I got one bite. It was a good one, but literally one bite there, and it kinda spun me out a little bit.”
To catch his fish, Robinson used the same things that have been working for spotted bass for years – a shaky head and a Neko rig.
For both, he used a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko, putting it on a light shaky head or using a 1/16-ounce nail weight. The key for both baits was to go light, so he could keep it out of the low and sticky grass and moss growing on the bottom. For his shaky head, he used a 7-foot, 2-inch, medium Phenix M1, and he used a 7-1, medium-light Phenix K2 Torzite for his Neko.
On Day 2, fishing without forward-facing sonar, Robinson used the shaky head to catch two big fish from a little bridge – no ‘Scope needed. Even with ‘Scope, the fishing wasn’t point and shoot – according to Robinson, even the easier ones he’s targeting aren’t easy.
“I think I've seen five bass for 30 to 35 pounds a day on ‘Scope,” said Robinson. “That big one had 25 or 30 with him, and most of them were the same size. To show you how finicky they are, seven or eight went down. ‘Donk.’ I set the hook. Nothing. ‘Donk.’ He drops it. And then ‘donk,’ he swims off with it, and then I get that 5 1/4. You know he don't have no trouble sucking that 5-inch Senko in, so they just don't want to bite.”
Of course, if you give yourself enough opportunities and convert at an above average rate, you can overcome a finicky bite.
With father Marty and older brother Marshall fishing on the Bass Pro Tour , Mitchell looks to be on track to join the duo in short order. That’s a goal for the future – in the present, the youngest Robinson got the job done on the home pond again.
“Winning here might be a little less impressive than winning somewhere else, but it definitely feels the best winning on the home pond,” said Robinson. “I put in a lot of time here, so I think winning here is probably the best feeling ever.”
Based on the reaction of the crowd of friends and family at weigh-in, he’s probably right.
The top 30 pros at the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 on Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine finished:
1st: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 53-13, $115,000 (includes $35,000 Phoenix MLF Bonus)
2nd: Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 15 bass, 53-11, $30,000
3rd: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 51-13, $20,000
4th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 15 bass, 51-7, $18,000
5th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 15 bass, 50-7, $17,000
6th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 15 bass, 50-0, $16,000
7th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 49-13, $15,000
8th: Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Penn., 15 bass, 49-8, $14,000
9th: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 49-1, $13,000
10th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 15 bass, 48-15, $12,000
11th: Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., 15 bass, 47-8, $10,000
12th: Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-2, $10,000
13th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 47-1, $10,000
14th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 15 bass, 47-0, $10,000
15th: Lucas Black, Saint Simons Island, Ga., 15 bass, 46-11, $10,000
16th: Joseph Webster, Hamilton, Ala., 15 bass, 45-9, $10,000
17th: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 15 bass, 45-7, $10,000
18th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 45-6, $10,000
19th: Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 15 bass, 45-5, $10,000
20th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 15 bass, 45-4, $10,000
21st: Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 15 bass, 44-12, $9,500
22nd: Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 15 bass, 44-2, $9,000
23rd: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 15 bass, 43-8, $9,000
24th: Alex Bradley, Wellford, S.C., 15 bass, 43-4, $9,000
25th: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., 15 bass, 42-13, $9,000
26th: Gary Adkins, Green Bay, Wis., 15 bass, 42-1, $9,000
27th: Samuel Fish, Chelsea, Ala., 15 bass, 41-15, $9,000
28th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 41-1, $9,000
29th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 15 bass, 40-7, $9,000
30th: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 15 bass, 40-0, $9,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 150 bass weighing 459 pounds, 13 ounces caught by the final 30 pros on Sunday. The catch included 30 five-bass limits.
The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Anderson, featured pro anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and valuable points to qualify for the 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Championship in September. The full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round on Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advanced to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they competed for the grand prize of up to $115,000.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on CBS Sports Network.
The next event on the schedule for 2025 is the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 3 at Lewis Smith Lake Presented by Phoenix Boats, set for April 15-17 in Cullman, Alabama.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Bubba, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitationals updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook , 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.
Alabama Bass Trail Announces 2026 ABT 100 Tournament Schedule and Payout
Priority Registration Opens June 1
Decatur, Ala. (March 14, 2026) – The Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) announces dates and locations of the 2026 ABT 100 tournament series which includes a payout reaching $300,000 for all three tournaments. Returning for the sixth season, the tournament series is held on three different lakes beginning January 17, 2026, at Lewis Smith Lake, in Cullman, Alabama. This event attracts professional and amateur anglers from across the United States who will compete for a $25,000 first place prize.
“We are looking forward to taking 100 of the best teams in bass fishing back to the Coosa River in 2026. We have seen the Coosa River flourish over the last several months and we look forward to showcasing these awesome fisheries to our fan base around the world”. said ABT Program Director Kay Donaldson.
The ABT 100 Series is open to professional and amateur anglers and features three tournaments. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 100. Entry fee for each event is $1,000 and teams must fish in all three tournaments. (No single entries allowed.)
Tournament dates and locations for the 2026 Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series:
January 17, 2026 Lewis Smith Lake, Cullman, Ala., hosted by Visit Cullman June 6, 2026 Neely Henry Lake, Gadsden, Ala., hosted by City of Gadsden November 7, 2026 Lake Jordan, Wetumpka, Ala., hosted by Elmore County Economic Development Authority and the City of Wetumpka
Each tournament features a $25,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 20 places plus a $1,000 big fish totaling $100,000.
Payout Schedule:
First place $25,000 Second place $12,500 Third place $10,000 Fourth place $ 9,000 Fifth place $ 7,500 Sixth place $ 6,000 Seventh place $ 5,000 Eighth place $ 4,000 Ninth place $ 3,000 Tenth place $ 2,000 11th – 20th $ 1,500 each Big Fish $ 1,000
The ABT 100 Series will bring live on-the-water tournament action to viewers directly from the boats competing in the events and also will be televised later in 2026. The weigh-in and Live Leaderboard for each event will be streamed live on www.AlabamaBassTrail100.org
, on Facebook at Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series and on the Alabama Bass Trail TV YouTube channel. The entry fee is $3,000 per team. Each team may choose to pay a $1,500 non-refundable deposit to hold the team’s spot. The balance of $1,500 must be paid by December 1, 2025. Registration is limited to 100 boats and teams that fished the ABT 100 in 2024 will receive priority registration beginning June 1 until June 10, 2025, at www.AlabamaBassTrail100.org
. Registration opens for new teams on June 11, 2025, at 6:00 A.M. CST. The Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series made its debut in January 2021 with professional and amateur anglers from 13 different states competing. Anglers will be traveling from across the United States to compete in the 2026 ABT 100 Series.
ABT 100 Series sponsors include Phoenix Bass Boats, Landers McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw–Webb Chevrolet, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Advantage Trailer Rentals, Alabama State Parks, Jack’s, Mountain Dew, FishAlabama.org, America’
s First Federal Credit Union, Visit North Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, T-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Power-Pole Total Boat Control, Yamaha, VMC, Rapala, Crush City, American Baitworks, Pro-Guide Batteries, Buffalo Rock Company, Garmin, Lew’s, Strike King, and Southern Protection Agency SPA. For more information, call Donaldson at 855.934.7425 or visit online at www.AlabamaBassTrail100.org
, on Facebook at Alabama Bass Trail 100 Series and on Instagram at albasstrail100. About Alabama Bass Trail Since its inception, the Alabama Bass Trail has generated over $103 million in tourism revenue for Alabama, underscoring its importance as a premier fishing destination.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association. Its mission is to promote Alabama as a year-round fishing destination, to preserve natural resources for generations to come, and to educate high school and college-aged students to be good stewards of natural resources. The 13 bass fishing lakes consist of Lake Guntersville, Wheeler Lake, Pickwick Lake, Lewis Smith Lake, Neely Henry Lake, Weiss Lake, Lake Martin, Lay Lake, Logan Martin Lake, Lake Jordan, Alabama River, Lake Eufaula, and the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. For more information, visit www.alabamabasstrail.org
and www.alabamabasstrail100. org.
Alabama’s Dustin Smith Jumps to Day 2 Lead at Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 on Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine
Trussville, Alabama pro paces field into Championship Sunday with 4-pound, 3-ounce lead
ANDERSON, S.C. (March 15, 2025) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 Presented by Suzuki Marine on Lake Hartwell is turning out to be just as interesting as predicted. Through two days, Dustin Smith has the lead, having added 18 pounds, 8 ounces today for a 40-11 total.
Smith, of course, is operating with no forward-facing sonar entirely, running a shallow-heavy game plan. So, the new Invitationals format, which doesn’t allow anglers to use the technology on Day 2, didn’t impact him. More than 4 pounds behind Smith, Mitchell Robinson and Marshall Robinson have combined superlative ‘Scope days with local knowledge to hang right in it. Jayme Rampey dropped from the lead to fourth with a slower day, while Jack Daniel Williams rocketed up from 37th to fifth with 19-3.
Mixed into the Top 10, there are anglers catching big bags on Carolina rigs (aptly named apparently), crankbaits, wacky rigs, jerkbaits, buzzbaits and about anything else you can think of. Multiple anglers caught bass on beds today, the big largemouth are playing and there’s a significant weather front rolling into the area overnight, which will delay the start of competition by one hour. So, we’ll see what happens on the final day – it’s bound to be interesting.
Running shallow, dirty water, Smith brought a few pretty small fish to weigh-in, but he captured a few key fish as well. Starting where he fished on Day 1, he adapted his way into the lead.
“I got a lot less bites today,” said Smith. “I wasn't sure if my area was shot, or if I was just waiting for them to bite. And I think more I just kind of caught them all yesterday. So, I bailed on that and just went and ran all new water and found some pretty good stuff. I got that big one on the buzzbait, man, that was sick.”
Then, fishing a dock near weigh-in with minutes to go, Smith connected with another big fish.
“I got it in the net, scooped it up, threw a fish out, threw him in, and just took off running,” said Smith. “Like, I'd never ever had that happen.”
Though Smith had a great day, and produced some highlights on MLFNOW!, he knows he’s not running back out to a guaranteed motherlode on Day 3. Between the prospect of storms with heavy rain and shallow fish that seem to be a little limited, he’s cautious.
“In that new area, I think I only had four bites,” he said. “I mean, even if you find a good area, you're not going in there and getting 15 bites. It's so hard to run new water because you don't know if there aren’t any fish in there or if there are just a couple in there. And the rain and stuff that's coming through, I mean, this could totally ruin my life. If we get a warm rain tonight, and you could find some warm water run ins, you could get right very quickly, or it could just kill them. It's going to be one or the other.”
Smith has had some pretty close calls at the Toyota Series level, and he won the Southeastern Division AOY in 2020, but he’s still lacking a big tournament win. Tomorrow, he’ll be going out with the lead and in a position to put $115,000 in his pocket.
“It's so hard to get into contention to win one of these, as you know,” said Smith. “But I had a 1-12 in my bag, and I lost two pretty good ones today. Man, if I had just a 2-pound cull, it would have got me over 20 two days in a row. I have had some close calls, and one or two lost fish is the difference between winning one and taking, you know, third or something like that. So, it would be incredible.”
Marty Robinson missed the Top 30 cut by a literal ounce, but there’s a good chance he’ll still be at weigh-in tomorrow. Both Mitchell (the younger brother in his second year on the Invitationals) and Marshall (slightly older and a sophomore on the Bass Pro Tour) are firmly in the hunt.
“I tried to start out on the main lake and throw a crankbait and a swimbait and get me a limit, but that didn't really pan out like I thought it would,” said Mitchell. “But I did catch two small ones. So, I ran to a little bridge that I always fished growing up, and it's usually decent for one good one. But we actually caught a limit in there – a small limit – and then we actually caught two good ones. So, that kind of set my day up for success.”
Splitting their time between Hartwell and Keowee, both Robinsons have grown up fishing the lake and banked on local knowledge with no forward-facing sonar at their disposal on Day 2.
“I spent most of my practice ‘Scoping,” said Marshall. “I didn't really care about the no-‘Scope day because I knew I was going to probably just fish like I always do – a little bit of cranking, a little bit of dock fishing – and I knew what areas I was going to fish. The places I caught them in the past, the fish usually use the same general areas year after year in the spring.”
Today, both Robinsons ran almost entirely different water than they did on Day 1, but they’ll need to pull out all the stops tomorrow.
“The ceiling really isn't there right now,” said Marshall. “It usually is, and it's usually about 20 pounds, 21 pounds. But right now, for some reason, there's some big largemouth biting. So, a guy could definitely bust 22-plus. I think for me, if I could get around that 19-pound mark I had on Day 1, man, I'd feel good about my chances.”
Mitchell and Marshall will obviously both turn their transducers back on tomorrow, but the forecasted wind won’t make it easy on the pair.
“If we were having just semi-light winds, I'd feel like I have about an 80% chance at it, but the wind is going to make it tough,” said Mitchell. “I’ve got plenty of ways I can catch them in it, but it's mainly like 14- to 17-pound patterns. It's hard to get that big bag doing those type of patterns. I'm going to try to ‘Scope, of course, use my eyes again. If I can get it around five of them, the good thing about that wind is I think it's going to make them bite a whole lot better.”
For both, a win on the home front would be super cool.
“I'd rather win here than anywhere else, because I’ve got all my friends and family supporting me,” said Marshall. “I had a good group today; a big group came out to watch weigh-in. And, man, if me or my brother, either one of us, if we could get the win here, it'd be pretty special.”
Only the top 30 competitors, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to Championship Sunday. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Anderson, features pro anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and valuable points to qualify for the 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Championship in September.
The top 30 pros advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Hartwell are:
1st: Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 10 bass, 40-11
2nd: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 36-8
3rd: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 10 bass, 35-14
4th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty, S.C., 10 bass, 35-13
5th: Jack Daniel Williams, Kingsport, Tenn., 10 bass, 33-8
6th: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 10 bass, 33-5
7th: Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 10 bass, 32-13
8th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 10 bass, 32-8
9th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 32-6
10th: Gary Adkins, Green Bay, Wis., 10 bass, 32-4
11th: Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga., 10 bass, 32-0
12th: Joseph Webster, Hamilton, Ala., 10 bass, 31-0
13th: Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Mo., 10 bass, 30-15
14th: Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Penn., 10 bass, 30-15
15th: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 10 bass, 30-6
16th: Lucas Black, Saint Simons Island, Ga., 10 bass, 30-5
17th: Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 10 bass, 29-14
18th: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 29-12
19th: Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., 10 bass, 29-7
20th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 10 bass, 29-6
21st: Ethan Greene, Eufaula, Ala., 10 bass, 29-5
22nd: Samuel Fish, Chelsea, Ala., 10 bass, 29-5
23rd: Austin Swindle, Parrish, Ala., 10 bass, 29-0
24th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 28-14
25th: Alex Bradley, Wellford, S.C., 10 bass, 28-11
26th: Donnie Davis, Greer, S.C., 10 bass, 28-9
27th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-6
28th: Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-14
29th: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 10 bass, 27-12
30th: Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 27-9
Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Dylan Mayo of Athens, Texas, earned Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass award with a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds, 4 ounces.
In Tackle Warehouse Invitationals competition, the full field competed in the two-day opening round on Days 1 and 2 in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, now advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight.
Due to severe weather in tomorrow’s forecast, Day 3 takeoff has been delayed by one hour. Anglers will launch at 8:30 a.m. ET Sunday from Green Pond Landing, located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson, South Carolina. Weigh-ins will be held at the landing and will begin at 3:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW! live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 2 at Lake Hartwell Presented by Suzuki Marine will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on CBS Sports Network.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Bubba, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitationals updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook , 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.
Nutt continues Pickwick magic; wins B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier
FLORENCE, Ala. — Dylan Nutt has only been fishing Pickwick Lake consistently for three years, but there may not be anyone who is more dialed into what is happening on that Tennessee River reservoir than him right now.
The University of North Alabama junior secured the victory at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance with a three-day total weighing 77 pounds, 6 ounces, one of the largest winning weights ever in B.A.S.S. Nation competition. Nutt caught mostly largemouth to outlast fellow college angler Nick Dumke by 1-10.
“It is unbelievable,” Nutt said. “I don’t even know what to say. I was beyond blessed this week to say the least.”
This is Nutt’s third trophy on Pickwick in the span of a month. He earned a Toyota Series win in February and then won the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open on Saturday, the first day of practice for the Nation event.
“I just feel like I know the bass,” he explained. “At least right now, I really understand what’s going on out there and it has worked for me the last couple of weeks.”
Nutt opened the tournament in second with a limit weighing 25-15 before taking the lead on Day 2 with 27-15, the tournament’s biggest bag. He rounded out his tournament with a 23-8 sack, which proved to be the most difficult limit of the week to complete.
“When I was running down the lake this morning, God told me he was going to test me. And he did.” Nutt said. “I caught two (little) smallmouth and then lost like two or three in a row. I ran around some more and I lost two pretty big ones. My nonboater landed a 4, a 5 and another 5 and stopped fishing. It was tough all day. But something kept me calm.”
Between noon and 3 p.m., Nutt caught the majority of his limit and in the last 15 minutes of fishing, he landed a 5 ½-pound largemouth to seal the victory.
During the week, Nutt followed the bass from their wintering holes to their prespawn staging areas. Each day, the bass got shallower and on the final day, the majority of his limit came in less than 6 feet of water.
“It seemed like some of the smallmouth started spawning and the largemouth aren’t far from it,” he said. “At the start of practice, I was catching bass in their winter patterns and today they aren’t even close to that anymore. Today I saw 61-degree water temperatures.”
While he rotated through about five or six baits throughout the week, a ¼-ounce Damiki rig with a minnow-style bait and a jerkbait were his most productive. As temperatures warmed, he switched from a deeper-diving jerkbait to a shallow-diving jerkbait. Translucent shad patterns were key.
“The water wasn’t too dirty,” he said. “The fish out here eat shad, so I was trying to match the hatch.”
Dumke, meanwhile, was arguably the most consistent angler of the week, landing limits weighing 25-3, 25-7 and 25-2 for a total of 75-12. The
University of Montevallo senior knew he needed things to go perfectly to unseat Nutt, and they nearly did.
“I was so close, yet so far,” he said. “It is a really special lake. It is absurd what this place is doing right now. It was such a fun week. One of the most fun tournaments I’ve ever had. There are so many big ones in this lake. I almost gave Dylan a run and I’m super fortunate for how everything turned out.”
One half of the 2023 College Series Team of the Year, Dumke targeted prespawn staging spots between 8 to 14 feet of water. Those spots were close to some of the winter holes he fished during the Toyota Series event in February. Wind was a key piece of the equation, and he needed that wind to be blowing in on his spots.
“With water temperatures being in the 50s and climbing, the bass had spawning on the brain. They were trying to make their way up there. So, my entire deal was targeting stopping points for bass trying to go to their spawning areas. Steep banks and brush and stumps along those steep areas.”
In areas where largemouth were more prevalent, he threw a 6- or 8-inch Deps Sakamata Shad on a jighead. A 5-inch CrushCity Freeloader was more productive where he found more smallmouth. When the wind really kicked up, he tossed an assortment of jerkbaits including a Rapala Mavrik and a Megabass Vision 110.
Indiana’s Eli Lubbehusen finished third with a three-day total of 70-10. Lubbehusen held down third place the entire tournament with bags weighing 25-4, 20-11 and 24-11. Using mostly a CrushCity Freeloader, Lubbehusen targeted the backsides of current breaks in 8 to 10 feet of water.
“There could be rocks or brush, just as long as I was on the backside and out of the current, it was good,” he said. “I had one big smallmouth every day, but most of my bites were largemouth.”
Having a lighter jighead seemed to trigger the better bites, Lubbehusen noticed.
“I had to go super light. It seemed like the bass wanted it to fall slower,” he said.
Illinois boater Corey Bohlmann landed the Big Bass of the Tournament, an 8-3 largemouth that earned him the $500 bonus.
Bruce, Wis., angler Gabriel Fabbri claimed the nonboater title with a three-day total of 37-8. He collected three-bass limits weighing 11-10 and 11-15 before landing the biggest non boater limit of the week at 13-15. Kacey Meyer finished second with a total of 28-12 and John Doolittle finished third with 24-8.
Tennessee’s Bill Scharton Jr. caught the Big Bass of the Tournament on the nonboater side, a 6-14 he landed on Day 2.
The Top 17 boaters and nonboaters claimed a spot in the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance scheduled for Oct. 22-25.
Visit Florence hosted the tournament.
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
-30-
Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance 3/12-3/14
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Dylan Nutt Nashville, TN 15 77-06 0 $10,487.00
Day 1: 5 25-15 Day 2: 5 27-15 Day 3: 5 23-08
2. Nick Dumke Grand Rapids, MN 15 75-12 0 $5,094.00
Day 1: 5 25-03 Day 2: 5 25-07 Day 3: 5 25-02
3. Eli Lubbehusen Huntingburg, IN 15 70-10 0 $3,596.00
Day 1: 5 25-04 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 24-11
4. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 15 65-11 0 $2,780.00
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 24-04 Day 3: 5 21-13
5. Leslie Brandenburg Springfield, MO 13 62-15 0 $2,607.00
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 3 14-01 Day 3: 5 25-01
6. Adrian Urso Union, KY 15 62-05 0 $2,397.00
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 20-11 Day 3: 5 23-08
7. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 15 61-10 0 $2,247.00
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 20-09 Day 3: 5 20-07
8. Harmon Marien Eagle River, WI 15 60-14 0 $2,097.00
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 15-10
9. Nathan Reynolds Nashville, TN 14 59-00 0 $1,530.00
Day 1: 4 16-11 Day 2: 5 21-08 Day 3: 5 20-13
10. Lane Clark Anderson, SC 15 58-00 0 $1,348.00
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 20-03 Day 3: 5 17-11
11. Dustin Perry Paradise, TX 15 56-05 0 $1,199.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 21-01 Day 3: 5 19-00
12. Taylor Umland Carlock, IL 15 56-05 0 $1,475.00
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 5 17-12
13. Steve Wilson Union City, TN 15 56-02 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 16-15 Day 3: 5 16-08
14. Wesley Kent Smithville, TN 14 53-05 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 4 17-12 Day 3: 5 17-08
15. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 15 52-15 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 22-14 Day 3: 5 15-08
16. Landon Myers Maryville, TN 11 52-11 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 27-07 Day 2: 4 16-11 Day 3: 2 08-09
17. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 12 50-04 0 $1,324.00
Day 1: 5 22-15 Day 2: 5 18-07 Day 3: 2 08-14
18. Evan Newell Lakeland, FL 13 48-10 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 21-02 Day 2: 5 22-06 Day 3: 3 05-02
19. Jim Tomsovic Sparta, WI 12 42-10 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 2 06-06
20. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 11 37-12 0 $824.00
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 1 02-03
------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Corey Bohlmann Le Roy, IL 08-03 $0.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 43 400 1389-15
2 37 333 1199-08
3 15 85 335-10
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95 818 2925-01
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance 3/12-3/14
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Gabriel Fabbri Bruce, WI 9 37-08 0 $2,644.00
Day 1: 3 11-10 Day 2: 3 11-15 Day 3: 3 13-15
2. Kacey Meyer Hewitt, WI 8 28-12 0 $1,557.00
Day 1: 3 10-13 Day 2: 3 12-06 Day 3: 2 05-09
3. John Doolittle Kennesaw, GA 7 24-08 0 $778.00
Day 1: 3 10-03 Day 2: 2 04-04 Day 3: 2 10-01
4. Jason Kirks Clarksville, TN 8 22-12 0 $721.00
Day 1: 2 06-07 Day 2: 3 07-01 Day 3: 3 09-04
5. Kevin Jones Fort Campbell, KY 6 22-11 0 $533.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 10-07 Day 3: 3 12-04
6. Nico Urso Union, KY 6 21-04 0 $448.00
Day 1: 3 09-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 3 12-02
7. Todd Mowery Madison, AL 6 18-12 0 $400.00
Day 1: 3 08-14 Day 2: 1 02-13 Day 3: 2 07-01
8. Ryan Shriber Franklin, TN 6 18-11 0 $374.00
Day 1: 2 05-13 Day 2: 3 11-04 Day 3: 1 01-10
9. Dustin Shuler Tallahassee, FL 6 18-01 0 $350.00
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 3 10-15 Day 3: 0 00-00
10. Bill Scharton Jr Soddy Daisy, TN 4 17-09 0 $561.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 10-05 Day 3: 2 07-04
11. Heath Willard Brookhaven, MS 6 16-03 0 $311.00
Day 1: 1 04-03 Day 2: 3 07-03 Day 3: 2 04-13
12. Mike Riter Harriman, TN 5 14-00 0 $272.00
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 2 07-03 Day 3: 2 04-13
13. David Godwin Lucedale, MS 5 13-11 0 $234.00
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 3 07-09 Day 3: 1 04-05
14. Sam Jackson Jr Northport, AL 5 13-05 0 $234.00
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 3 08-15 Day 3: 1 01-14
15. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 5 13-04 0 $195.00
Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 2 05-05 Day 3: 1 02-15
16. Kb Bridges Spring City, TN 5 12-07 0 $195.00
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 3 10-02 Day 3: 1 00-00
17. Tristan Bramblett Tiger, GA 4 11-15 0 $195.00
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 3 09-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
18. Robert Daniels Sioux City, IA 4 11-08 0 $195.00
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 3 09-06 Day 3: 0 00-00
19. Harvey Miller Melvin, IA 4 10-06 0 $195.00
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 1 01-15 Day 3: 0 00-00
20. Steve Blakeney Acworth, GA 3 10-02 0 $195.00
Day 1: 3 10-02 Day 2: 0 00-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Bill Scharton Jr Soddy Daisy, TN 06-14 $0.00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 9 59 170-02
2 14 73 227-00
3 4 29 97-14
------------------------------
27 161 495-00
Monster bags await Kayak Series Championship anglers at Lake Fork
March 14, 2025
YANTIS, Texas — Giant bass await anglers who qualified for the 2025 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship at Lake Fork scored by TourneyX. With temperatures rising, multitime championship qualifier Matthew Scotch, who is based out of Fort Worth, Texas, believes this tournament will produce impressive bags.
“That time of year is probably the best time of the year to be there,” the east Texan said. “In my opinion, you're gonna have the most fish at their fattest and healthiest as the spawn kicks off. There will be waves of fish spawning all the way through May, but when you get there in March, I mean, you just got the first crack at him. It's gonna be really, really good.”
Tournament days are scheduled for March 19-20. Competitors will be able to launch from any approved public access on the lake starting at 7 a.m. CT and will have until 3 p.m. to fish. This is a catch-measure-release format event, and the top finishers will be honored on the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour stage at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on March 21.
Lake Fork has reached a legendary status as one of, if not the, primary destination in the country for trophy largemouth bass. The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series showed the fishery’s amazing potential last March as then-rookie Trey McKinney caught 130 pounds, 15 ounces over four days to win a massive event that saw the entire Top 10 join the Century Club.
The Kayak Series has made three trips to Lake Fork, with one-day events in March of 2020 and 2021 respectively and the first two-day event on the lake in February 2022.
Scotch, who finished second in last October’s Bassmaster Kayak Series event at Caddo Lake/Lake Bistineau to qualify for this event, believes multiple patterns could play out, which opens up plenty of opportunities for anglers. Weather will determine how far bass will move toward their spawning areas. The Little Caney section of the lake will be popular, but Scotch thinks much of the lake will be in play.
“It turns on early here. It may not be a heavy spawn, but it depends on the weather,” he said. “If we have the right warming trend, we might see an awesome spawn tournament. But if we get a cold front, it might be one of those things where it is a little more prespawn. You can’t come to Fork at a better time of year, really. The middle of March is the sweet time to come.”
A shallow bite should be heating up when anglers arrive, Scotch said. The bass heading toward beds will stage on secondary points close to the spawning grounds. There is also shoreline alligator grass the bass like to get in, but if the water is low, that won’t play quite as much.
Some of those prespawn bass will also school up around hard spots in 12 to 24 feet of water. For those with forward-facing sonar on their kayaks, there will also be opportunities to pick apart some of the standing timber the lake is known for.
Any pattern could produce a heavyweight class of largemouth, and Scotch said he would not be surprised to see a 24.5-incher light up TourneyX during the tournament.
“Just because there will be bass up shallow doesn’t mean someone won’t catch them out deep,” he said. “You will be able to catch them in so many different ways.”
Red crankbaits, ChatterBaits and Texas-rigged worms like a Yamamoto Senko will be popular choices amongst anglers, Scotch anticipates. During the 2024 Elite event, jerkbaits and jighead minnows played a major role offshore as well.
The Wood County Economic Development Commission will be hosting the event.
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Championship Sponsor: Yamaha Rightwaters
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Title Sponsor: Newport
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Presenting Sponsor: Native Watercraft2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year Sponsor: Dakota Lithium
Saturday’s Major League Fishing BFL Tournament on Kentucky/Barkley Lakes Postponed
WHAT:
The Major League Fishing (MLF) Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine LBL division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes, scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, March 15, has been postponed due to the forecast of incoming severe storms and damaging winds. The tournament has been rescheduled to Saturday, July 12, and will now launch from Kentucky Dam Marina.
The LBL division season-opening tournament, which was previously cancelled and rescheduled for Sunday, March 16, is on as scheduled. Anglers will launch on Sunday at 7 a.m. CT from Moors Resort & Marina, located at 570 Moors Road in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Weigh-ins will take place at the marina, starting at 3 p.m. Fans are invited to attend Sunday’s weigh-in and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on MajorLeagueFishing.com.
NOTES:
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and Strike King co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Big bag lifts Nutt to the lead at Pickwick Lake
March 13, 2025
FLORENCE, Ala. — It is safe to say Dylan Nutt has a good thing going on Pickwick Lake right now.
With a two-day total of 53 pounds, 14 ounces, the University of North Alabama junior leads the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier presented by Lowrance. After landing 25-15 on Day 1, Nutt landed a 27-15 limit on Day 2, the tournament's biggest bag thus far, and anchored it with a 7-pound largemouth.
Nutt holds a 3-4 advantage over second-place Nick Dumke and a nearly 8-pound lead over Eli Lubbehusen in third place.
“Today was a good day,” Nutt said. “Everything went to plan.”
This will be the former Bassmaster All-American’s third major tournament victory on Pickwick this season after winning a Toyota Series event on the Tennessee River impoundment in February and the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open last Saturday.
Limits were tough to come by for the 155-boat field on Thursday, with only 37 boaters landing five bass on Day 2. Quality continued to show up at the top half of the field, however, as 13 bags of 20 pounds or better crossed the weigh-in stage.
As temperatures have warmed across the region over the past week, Nutt has been targeting prespawn bass in multiple different staging areas. A mix of cover has been productive in these staging areas including stumps, brushpiles and points. He has caught bass anywhere between 5 and 15 feet of water. The majority of his areas have multiple bass staging in them. Five different baits came into play on Day 2.
“I fished some new water today,” he explained. “I’m just fishing a lot of staging areas where they are getting set up to spawn. Some of them are on the bottom, some are a foot off the bottom and then others are a little higher in the water column.”
The majority of his bass have been largemouth, with some bigger smallmouth also counting toward his total.
Bright, calm conditions made the fishing tough on Day 1, Nutt said, but overcast and rainy conditions made for a better Day 2.
“I think they were just in a feeding mood,” he said.
Nutt opened the morning by fishing one of his primary schools, and on the second cast he landed a 5 ½-pounder. From there, he proceeded to fill out a quick limit, which included the 7-pounder. From there, he made several upgrades throughout the afternoon before check-in time.
“That bass was sitting down there on the bottom and ate my bait,” Nutt said. “When I got him up, I realized I didn’t have the net ready, so I had to play it around the boat and grab it.”
Another weather change is expected tomorrow in northern Alabama as a massive storm system approaches. Winds are forecast to blow between 15 and 25 mph out of the southeast with higher gusts possible, which will make it difficult for Nutt to execute his milk run.
“It’ll be pretty crazy. The lake will get huge,” he said. “I like to move around a lot out here, so that will definitely hurt me.”
Meanwhile, Dumke has been consistent so far this week, catching bags of 25-3 and 25-7 to move from fourth to second on Day 2.
Dumke has visited Pickwick Lake plenty during his college career at the University of Montevallo but has never been here this time of year.
Prespawn bass have also been the key to his success, landing quality bass anywhere from 8 to 14 feet of water around multiple types of cover. Three baits have proved to be the most productive.
On the way back to check-in on Day 1, Dumke’s trim sensor malfunctioned, limiting how fast his boat can go. After attempting to fix it with no success Wednesday evening, Dumke puttered to his starting spot on Day 2. The wait was worth it, however, as the Minnesota native landed a 6 3/4-pounder within his first five minutes of fishing.
“I fished around from there,” he said. “I ran some areas close to that spot. It was a blessing in disguise almost because I was forced to hunker down and pick apart my areas. I had my whole bag around 11 o’clock. It got really tough after that.”
While he is certainly within striking distance, Dumke knows it will be a tough task to unseat Nutt as the leader on Championship Friday.
“The stars are going to have to align a little bit for sure,” he said. “Dylan obviously has a crazy track record here. Him and his brother (Carter) are probably the most dialed anglers out here. You can’t let that get to your head. I’m just going to see what I can put together. I know there are giant ones in my areas.”
Illinois angler Corey Bohlmann continues to hold Big Bass of the Tournament honors with his 8-3 largemouth from Day 1.
Wisconsin’s Gabriel Fabbri leads the nonboater division with a two-day total of 23-9. He is followed by Wisconsin’s Kacey Meyer in second with 23-3 and Florida’s Dustin Shuler in third with 18-1. Tennessee’s Bill Scharton Jr landed a 6-14 bass on Day 2, which leads the Big Bass of the Tournament standings.
The Top 20 boaters and Top 20 nonboaters will return to Pickwick tomorrow for Championship Friday. Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The Top 17 in each division will advance to the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance in October.
Visit Florence is hosting the tournament.
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
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Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance 3/12-3/14
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Dylan Nutt Nashville, TN 10 53-14 0
Day 1: 5 25-15 Day 2: 5 27-15
2. Nick Dumke Grand Rapids, MN 10 50-10 0
Day 1: 5 25-03 Day 2: 5 25-07
3. Eli Lubbehusen Huntingburg, IN 10 45-15 0
Day 1: 5 25-04 Day 2: 5 20-11
4. Harmon Marien Eagle River, WI 10 45-04 0
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 5 20-03
5. Landon Myers Maryville, TN 9 44-02 0
Day 1: 5 27-07 Day 2: 4 16-11
6. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 10 43-14 0
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 24-04
7. Evan Newell Lakeland, FL 10 43-08 0
Day 1: 5 21-02 Day 2: 5 22-06
8. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 10 41-06 0
Day 1: 5 22-15 Day 2: 5 18-07
9. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 10 41-03 0
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 20-09
10. Lane Clark Anderson, SC 10 40-05 0
Day 1: 5 20-02 Day 2: 5 20-03
11. Steve Wilson Union City, TN 10 39-10 0
Day 1: 5 22-11 Day 2: 5 16-15
12. Adrian Urso Union, KY 10 38-13 0
Day 1: 5 18-02 Day 2: 5 20-11
13. Taylor Umland Carlock, IL 10 38-09 0
Day 1: 5 20-09 Day 2: 5 18-00
14. Nathan Reynolds Nashville, TN 9 38-03 0
Day 1: 4 16-11 Day 2: 5 21-08
15. Leslie Brandenburg Springfield, MO 8 37-14 0
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 3 14-01
16. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 10 37-07 0
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 22-14
17. Dustin Perry Paradise, TX 10 37-05 0
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 21-01
18. Jim Tomsovic Sparta, WI 10 36-04 0
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 16-11
19. Michael Kent Smithville, TN 9 35-13 0
Day 1: 5 18-01 Day 2: 4 17-12
20. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 10 35-09 0
Day 1: 5 18-14 Day 2: 5 16-11
21. Jackson Perry Houston, MN 8 35-02 0 $749.00
Day 1: 5 17-15 Day 2: 3 17-03
22. Blake Knies Jasper, IN 9 34-15 0 $749.00
Day 1: 5 19-05 Day 2: 4 15-10
23. Dylan Jarvis Acworth, GA 8 34-10 0 $749.00
Day 1: 5 25-01 Day 2: 3 09-09
24. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 10 34-08 0 $749.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 17-10
25. Matt Adams Guntersville, AL 8 33-14 0 $749.00
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 3 11-10
26. Casey Majni Knoxville, TN 10 33-09 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 16-06
27. Ed Payne Guin, AL 10 33-07 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 17-12
28. Greg Vance Delhi, IA 9 33-04 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 18-00 Day 2: 4 15-04
29. Colton Boelkes Roscoe, IL 9 32-15 0 $689.00
Day 1: 4 12-13 Day 2: 5 20-02
30. Brian Baker Lewisburg, KY 10 31-15 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 16-06
31. Cade Laufenberg Onalaska, WI 10 31-03 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 13-12
32. Brad Smith Collierville, TN 8 30-04 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 21-12 Day 2: 3 08-08
33. Erik Brztowski Lemont, IL 8 30-01 0 $689.00
Day 1: 3 12-11 Day 2: 5 17-06
34. John Thornton Russellville, AL 8 30-01 0 $689.00
Day 1: 3 14-04 Day 2: 5 15-13
35. Tyler Nekolny Coral Springs, FL 10 29-09 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 17-04
36. Louis Monetti Brielle, NJ 8 27-14 0 $689.00
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 5 19-07
37. Cliff King Dayton, TN 10 26-06 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 12-03
38. Jeremy Nokken La Crosse, WI 9 26-06 0 $689.00
Day 1: 4 13-08 Day 2: 5 12-14
39. Robert Myers Lacona, IA 8 25-11 0 $689.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 3 07-06
40. Brian Gibler Clarksville, TN 7 24-12 0 $689.00
Day 1: 2 07-04 Day 2: 5 17-08
41. Brian LaClair Denton, MD 9 24-08 0
Day 1: 4 09-02 Day 2: 5 15-06
42. Justin Yenter Stevens Point, WI 7 24-02 0
Day 1: 2 06-07 Day 2: 5 17-11
43. Dale Coleman Hattiesburg, MS 8 24-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 3 08-07
44. Austin Lytle New Market, TN 8 24-01 0
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 3 10-12
45. Tanner Visco Antioch, IL 7 22-12 0
Day 1: 4 08-06 Day 2: 3 14-06
46. Bill Rosch Michie, TN 7 22-07 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 5 17-11
47. Chris Keeble Lenoir City, TN 6 22-03 0
Day 1: 2 07-02 Day 2: 4 15-01
48. Larry Carter Lucedale, MS 6 22-03 0
Day 1: 2 07-15 Day 2: 4 14-04
49. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 6 21-07 0
Day 1: 2 06-01 Day 2: 4 15-06
50. Dustin Williams Tiskilwa, IL 6 21-06 0
Day 1: 4 12-03 Day 2: 2 09-03
51. Keith Glasgow Guin, AL 8 20-15 0
Day 1: 3 08-14 Day 2: 5 12-01
52. Chad McMurrian Hawkinsville, GA 6 20-13 0
Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 4 14-14
53. Marc Fields Dover, TN 5 20-02 0
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 4 16-13
54. Dakota Bell Monticello, KY 6 20-00 0
Day 1: 3 09-05 Day 2: 3 10-11
55. David Gorman Jr Canton, GA 5 19-15 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 4 17-06
56. Gaven Millington Strawberry Plains, TN 6 19-15 0
Day 1: 4 13-15 Day 2: 2 06-00
57. Harry Linsinbigler IV Dover, FL 5 19-07 0
Day 1: 5 19-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
58. Joshua Shuler Tallahassee, FL 7 19-07 0
Day 1: 4 11-06 Day 2: 3 08-01
59. Mel Biggs Jr Kingston, TN 8 19-04 0
Day 1: 3 05-12 Day 2: 5 13-08
60. Mason Gunter Franklin, GA 6 19-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 1 05-01
61. Greg Hill Eldridge, IA 5 18-11 0
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
62. Kevin Meeks Smyrna, TN 8 18-10 0
Day 1: 3 07-13 Day 2: 5 10-13
63. Bryan Schumacher Sparta, WI 7 18-09 0
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 5 14-03
64. Eric Cerny Cumming, GA 5 18-05 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 3 13-05
65. Collin French Clarksville, TN 4 17-14 0
Day 1: 4 17-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
66. Bryan Hulsey Troy, MO 5 17-09 0
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
67. CJ Maddux Birmingham, AL 4 17-09 0
Day 1: 3 12-10 Day 2: 1 04-15
68. Jeffery Lawson Ellisville, MS 5 16-15 0
Day 1: 3 11-09 Day 2: 2 05-06
69. Julius Mazy Phoenix, AZ 6 16-14 0
Day 1: 2 05-13 Day 2: 4 11-01
70. Hunter Baughman Judsonia, AR 5 16-12 0
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
71. Jason Howland Albert Lea, MN 5 15-10 0
Day 1: 2 07-00 Day 2: 3 08-10
72. Tony Puelz Garnavillo, IA 5 15-07 0
Day 1: 2 06-00 Day 2: 3 09-07
73. Luke Schmits Alexandria, KY 5 15-01 0
Day 1: 1 04-00 Day 2: 4 11-01
74. Josh Hubbard Citrus Springs, FL 4 14-13 0
Day 1: 1 03-14 Day 2: 3 10-15
75. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 5 14-12 0
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
76. John Mayo Maiden, NC 5 14-10 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 3 10-06
77. Scott Robert Greene, ME 5 14-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
78. Corey Bohlmann Le Roy, IL 3 13-15 0
Day 1: 1 08-03 Day 2: 2 05-12
79. Richard Welch Athens, AL 5 13-10 0
Day 1: 3 09-10 Day 2: 2 04-00
80. Dave Turner Citrus Springs, FL 5 13-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
81. Dan Parker Guttenberg, IA 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 3 07-00 Day 2: 2 06-06
82. Joe Johnson Clarksville, TN 5 13-02 0
Day 1: 3 08-01 Day 2: 2 05-01
83. Kevin Ruh Onalaska, WI 4 12-10 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 3 09-13
84. Randall Christopher Danville, KY 4 12-05 0
Day 1: 1 03-02 Day 2: 3 09-03
85. Mason Gillihan Manchester, IA 3 12-01 0
Day 1: 2 07-02 Day 2: 1 04-15
86. Dustin Hinkle Mount Juliet, TN 4 12-00 0
Day 1: 4 12-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
87. Charlie Scott Santa Fe, TN 4 11-13 0
Day 1: 4 11-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
88. Kyle Coffman Minbun, IA 4 11-12 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 3 08-15
89. John Miller Sunrise Beach, MO 3 11-02 0
Day 1: 2 07-14 Day 2: 1 03-04
90. David Chase Las Cruces, NM 3 11-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 11-00
91. Keith Broyles Jackson, TN 4 10-14 0
Day 1: 4 10-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
92. Wyatt Szymanski Stevens Point, WI 4 10-10 0
Day 1: 4 10-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
93. Peter Balishin Sharps Chapel, TN 3 10-08 0
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 1 05-06
94. Mason Phillpotts Swartz Creek, MI 3 10-07 0
Day 1: 2 07-06 Day 2: 1 03-01
95. Jason Brennan Summerville, GA 3 10-05 0
Day 1: 3 10-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
96. Gary Little Soso, MS 4 09-13 0
Day 1: 2 04-15 Day 2: 2 04-14
97. Parker Frew Greenville, MS 2 09-06 0
Day 1: 2 09-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
98. Nathaniel Melgaard Elk Mound, WI 2 09-05 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 09-05
99. Clay Peters Butler, KY 3 08-14 0
Day 1: 3 08-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
100. Billy Harris Clarksville, TN 2 08-14 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 08-14
101. JJ Patton Eldridge, IA 4 08-11 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 4 08-11
102. Tom Howland Riceville, IA 2 08-09 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 08-09
103. Justin Shepard Lansing, IA 3 08-04 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 2 05-08
104. Chase Loftus Iowa City, IA 2 07-12 0
Day 1: 2 07-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
105. Kenneth Oakes Spring Hill, FL 3 07-07 0
Day 1: 3 07-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
106. Collin Tweten Decorah, IA 2 07-01 0
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 1 04-00
107. Johnny Bigger II Spring Hill, FL 2 06-14 0
Day 1: 2 06-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
108. Shane Hoelzle Peachtree City, GA 2 06-11 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-11
109. Tristan Garriga Lucedale, MS 3 06-08 0
Day 1: 3 06-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
110. Jeff Giffen Northport, AL 1 06-05 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 06-05
111. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 2 06-04 0
Day 1: 2 06-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
112. Hunter Nanney Dumas, MS 2 06-03 0
Day 1: 2 06-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
113. Derek Ehrhardt Garnavillo, IA 2 06-02 0
Day 1: 2 06-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
114. Chris Fondren Lebanon, TN 2 05-15 0
Day 1: 2 05-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
115. Nick Ward Newnan, GA 2 05-09 0
Day 1: 2 05-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
116. Eric Morgan Royal Palm Beach, FL 2 05-06 0
Day 1: 2 05-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
117. Bryan Finch Belton, TX 2 05-01 0
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 1 02-00
118. Tom Hill Nicholasville, KY 2 04-14 0
Day 1: 2 04-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
119. Thom Abraham Winchester, TN 1 04-13 0
Day 1: 1 04-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
120. Paul Tabisz Clarkston, MI 2 04-12 0
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
121. Chad Garrison Nolensville, TN 2 04-08 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
122. Bo Collins Robbinsville, NC 1 04-08 0
Day 1: 1 04-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
123. Danny Carter Hernando, MS 2 04-00 0
Day 1: 2 04-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
124. Tad Tinlin Des Moines, IA 1 03-07 0
Day 1: 1 03-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
125. Ricardo Guzman Farmington, MO 1 03-06 0
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
125. Austin Hubatch Rosholt, WI 1 03-06 0
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
127. Richard Pugh Knoxville, TN 1 03-05 0
Day 1: 1 03-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
128. Andrew Mlotek Plainfield, IL 1 02-10 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-10
129. Jeffray Gooch Westport, TN 1 02-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
129. Bryan Greene Trinity, NC 1 02-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
131. Terry Ezzell Russellville, AL 1 02-06 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
132. William Camp Blytheville, AR 1 02-05 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
133. Marcus Warren Jefferson City, TN 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
134. Roger Morris Fayetteville, AR 1 02-01 0
Day 1: 1 02-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Ben Ballou Dickson, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Bradley Baxter Willshire, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Dustin Berryman Russellville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Dan Carrigan Citrus Springs, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Kaden Casey Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Gary Coffman Earlham, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Emile Gennaro Sr Wesson, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. James Hardy Jacksonville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Shannon Jones Morristown, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Mark Jones Meadville, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Casey Knaup Fort Atkinson, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Matt Martin Brookhaven, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Connor Mingo Vinton, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Kevin Postalwait Ripley, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Rick Pullen Houston, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Bo Quinnie Duncanville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Jeremiah Shaver Holmen, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Mark Tonjum Jr Spencer, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Charles Verfuerth Port Washington, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
135. Daniel Ward Sage, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 43 400 1389-15
2 37 333 1199-08
------------------------------
80 733 2589-07
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance 3/12-3/14
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Gabriel Fabbri Bruce, WI 6 23-09 0
Day 1: 3 11-10 Day 2: 3 11-15
2. Kacey Meyer Hewitt, WI 6 23-03 0
Day 1: 3 10-13 Day 2: 3 12-06
3. Dustin Shuler Tallahassee, FL 6 18-01 0
Day 1: 3 07-02 Day 2: 3 10-15
4. Ryan Shriber Franklin, TN 5 17-01 0
Day 1: 2 05-13 Day 2: 3 11-04
5. John Doolittle Kennesaw, GA 5 14-07 0
Day 1: 3 10-03 Day 2: 2 04-04
6. Jason Kirks Clarksville, TN 5 13-08 0
Day 1: 2 06-07 Day 2: 3 07-01
7. Kb Bridges Spring City, TN 4 12-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 3 10-02
8. Tristan Bramblett Tiger, GA 4 11-15 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 3 09-02
9. Todd Mowery Madison, AL 4 11-11 0
Day 1: 3 08-14 Day 2: 1 02-13
10. Robert Daniels Sioux City, IA 4 11-08 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 3 09-06
11. Sam Jackson Jr Northport, AL 4 11-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-08 Day 2: 3 08-15
12. Heath Willard Brookhaven, MS 4 11-06 0
Day 1: 1 04-03 Day 2: 3 07-03
13. Kevin Jones Fort Campbell, KY 3 10-07 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 10-07
14. Harvey Miller Melvin, IA 4 10-06 0
Day 1: 3 08-07 Day 2: 1 01-15
15. Bill Scharton Jr Soddy Daisy, TN 2 10-05 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 10-05
16. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 4 10-05 0
Day 1: 2 05-00 Day 2: 2 05-05
17. Steve Blakeney Acworth, GA 3 10-02 0
Day 1: 3 10-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
18. David Godwin Lucedale, MS 4 09-06 0
Day 1: 1 01-13 Day 2: 3 07-09
19. Mike Riter Harriman, TN 3 09-03 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 2 07-03
20. Nico Urso Union, KY 3 09-02 0
Day 1: 3 09-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
21. Amanda Riley Galesville, WI 3 08-15 0 $200.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 08-15
22. Jaiven Cuevas Perkinston, MS 3 08-10 0 $200.00
Day 1: 1 02-06 Day 2: 2 06-04
23. Angela Mayo Maiden, NC 2 08-03 0 $200.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 08-03
24. Eli French Lucedale, MS 3 08-01 0 $200.00
Day 1: 1 03-06 Day 2: 2 04-11
25. Ted Tinlin Des Moines, IA 3 07-11 0 $200.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 07-11
26. David Lundy Clermont, GA 3 07-01 0 $200.00
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
27. Brandon Troupe Chicago, IL 2 07-00 0 $200.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 07-00
28. Russ Engelbart Anamosa, IA 3 07-00 0 $200.00
Day 1: 2 05-06 Day 2: 1 01-10
29. Kevin Kent Alexandria , TN 2 06-09 0 $200.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-09
30. Donny Davis Waterloo, AL 2 06-06 0 $200.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 2 06-06
31. Jacob Lange Marion, IA 2 06-01 0
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 1 02-13
32. Mike Morris Hubert, NC 2 05-12 0
Day 1: 2 05-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
33. Justin Ortiz Cumming, GA 2 05-11 0
Day 1: 1 03-13 Day 2: 1 01-14
34. Brian Hinspeter Waukee, IA 1 05-07 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 05-07
35. David Wheat Philadelphia, MS 1 04-13 0
Day 1: 1 04-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
36. Mark Smith Brandon, FL 2 04-04 0
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
37. David Hawkes Conyers, GA 1 03-15 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 03-15
38. Edward Malloy Johns Creek, GA 1 03-00 0
Day 1: 1 03-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
39. Chase Kinney Stevens Point, WI 1 02-13 0
Day 1: 1 02-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
40. Dante Johnson Gurnee, IL 1 02-09 0
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
41. Arthur Ballard Irvine, KY 1 02-04 0
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
42. Julie Price Ripley, WV 1 02-03 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 0 00-00
43. Nick Fariss Carthage, TN 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
44. Sam Jenkins Abita Springs, LA 1 02-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-00
45. Eric Davis Dandridge, TN 1 01-15 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-15
45. Matt Tumlin Hillsboro, GA 1 01-15 0
Day 1: 1 01-15 Day 2: 0 00-00
47. Gary Toombs La Grange, KY 1 01-14 0
Day 1: 1 01-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
47. Owen Worthington Kenosha, WI 1 01-14 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-14
49. Terry Pinkard Decatur, AL 1 01-11 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-11
50. Tim Albrecht Rapids City, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Cody Blau Brookings, SD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Matt Champion Scottsville, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Johnny Clark Northport, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Joel Cox Evansdale, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Steven Dahl Muscatine, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Buddy French Ruth, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Jon Houpt Buford, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Kenneth Johnson Monticello, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Jeff Meyer Wheatland, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. William Page Lyles, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Danny Roberts Eatonton, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Allen Smith Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Zak Steigerwald Cedar Rapids, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Tim Towers Crane Hill, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Chris Walker Mount Juliet, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Chase Ward Jackson, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
50. Jason Wulf Crown Point, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 9 59 170-02
2 14 73 227-00
------------------------------
23 132 397-02
Crowd Courtesy with Brandon Palaniuk
Courtesy Dynamic Sponsorships / Photos: Bassmaster
Now that the scales have settled following Palaniuk’s incredible performance on Lake Okeechobee and dozens of stories have been published covering this victory from every which way, there is one underlying theme revolving around the “Prodigy’s” sixth Elite Series win that deserves some extra spotlight… the positivity.
This year, much like the last several years, the world of bass fishing can’t seem to escape drama and would-be negativity. Take a quick scroll through social media comments and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Lake Okeechobee Elite was no different; with DQ’s, technology criticisms, and general negative chatter swirling around the start of the event.
Thankfully, much of that noise seemed to disappear on day two when Palaniuk captured 34-plus-pounds of bass, all broadcasted on Bassmaster LIVE, while fishing one key spot boat-to-boat with several competitors. What was just as impressive as BP’s massive limit was the fact that all the anglers not only got along, they worked together.
Heck, at one point Team Toyota’s newest pro was handing out the obscure crankbait (Megabass BIG-M 4.0) that caught one of the two nine-pounders in his bag to two of his closest competitors, and he was genuinely rooting for them to catch a big bass with it.
The get-along-gang, as Dave Mercer affectionately dubbed them, comprised of Greg DiPalma, Will Davis Jr., Tim Dube, and Brandon Palaniuk walked the line of sportsmanship and competitiveness about as respectfully as possible during their four-day-dance in the canals of Okeechobee.
This isn’t the first time Palaniuk has served as a beacon of positivity in this sport. There is a plethora of examples I could list, but none stand out as much as Palaniuk staying for the final weigh-in of nearly every Elite Series event the past few years to simply support his fellow competitors and be among the first to congratulate them on their victory. Pure class.
Palaniuk’s plight for positivity is admirable and, hopefully, infectious. We could turn this into a ten-part series on how to be a better fisherman, by first being a better person per Brandon Palaniuk. Perhaps we will, but first we’ll start with something simple that we can all relate to; fishing in a crowd and how to do so respectfully.
Crowd Courtesy
According to Palaniuk, sharing water is inevitable in this modern age of tournament fishing. With the improvements in mapping and technology, so many anglers find the same fish, even in what used to be considered sneaky locations. This is a common theme across all levels of fishing and is happening more than ever before. With the explosion of popularity for bass tournaments at the youth level, knowing how to handle these situations with grace is imperative.
“Communication is the number one key to success when sharing water in a tournament,” Palaniuk said. “Communication is key with any relationship in life. When you show up to a spot you want to fish on day one of a multiday event and there are other anglers in the area, talk it out so that everyone is on the same page. Every angler has the same goal; catch fish and make money, so by communicating you ensure each person can do what they need to, and no one gets too worked up.”
The level of communication varies from tournament-to-tournament, or spot-to-spot. Sometimes, like we saw in the canal at Okeechobee, anglers talk about boat placement, casting angles, and even specific baits. Usually, anglers remain tight-lipped about their specifics, but by communicating to start with they establish expectations as a group. Keeping the peace and avoiding heated confrontations that negatively affect all anglers involved.
When Palaniuk burst onto the scene as a B.A.S.S. Nation champion in the 2011 Classic on the Louisiana delta, he was an unknown Idaho pro fishing in a crowd with many household names like KVD, Aaron Martens, and Scott Rook to name a few. The longtime Yamaha Outboards pro ultimately finished fourth in that event, doing so within shouting distance of numerous bass fishing legends.
“That 2011 Classic really laid the groundwork for me in terms of how to share water at this level,” Palaniuk recalled. “We all essentially found the same fish on this massive flat with stumps scattered throughout, but we all established our own little bubbles, or areas we laid claim to. The edges of these bubbles touched, but we wouldn’t encroach the core of each person’s area. There was some chirping, especially on day one, but everyone showed respect.
“Respect is my number two rule behind communication. That sounds simple, but it really is the golden rule. You don’t have to love the fact you’re splitting fish with a competitor, but you should show them and their gameplan respect above all else if they lay claim to a spot on day one.”
The reason Palaniuk mentions “day one” is in reference to an unwritten rule of sharing water at the professional level during a multi-day event. Elite Series anglers know they need to stake their claim to an area during day one of a tournament if they want to be treated with respect by fellow competitors.
Showing up unannounced to a specific spot and moving in on a competitor during day two or three of an event is bad form and will likely result in an ear-full from anglers who fished the area the first day of the event.
It can get contentious, but this tightrope is something professional fishermen walk every single tournament. Through communication, respect, and setting expectations as early as possible you can navigate the challenge of fishing in a crowd appropriately just like Palaniuk has proven to do throughout his career.
Rocket City Makes Final Preparations for Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2025 Presented by MillerTech Energy at Lake Guntersville
MLF Championship to feature massive Outdoor Sports Expo at Huntsville’s Von Braun Center along with top 50 pro anglers battling on Lake Guntersville for $300,000 grand prize
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (March 13, 2025) – The top 50 professional bass fishing anglers from the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour will compete for the top prize of $300,000 and to crown bass fishing’s newest world champion at Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2025 Presented by MillerTech Energy on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama, April 3-6. In In conjunction with the event, the FREE, family-friendly MLF Outdoor Sports Expo will also take place throughout the weekend, April 4-6 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.
The four-day event, hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, and the Madison County Commission , will showcase the top 50 MLF anglers from 2024 – including the top 40 anglers from the Bass Pro Tour – competing for the prestigious REDCREST Championship and a total prize pool for more than ¾ of a million dollars.
“We are excited about bringing the fishing world to Huntsville for REDCREST 2025,” said Judy Ryals, President and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Sitting in the middle of one of the great bass fishing areas in the United States, we look forward to welcoming REDCREST to the Rocket City and seeing the Outdoor Sports Expo take over the Von Braun Center as we create a one-of-a-kind experience for everyone interested in the sport.”
Reigning and two-time REDCREST champion Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, who will be among the 50 competitors, said that Lake Guntersville is fishing as good as it’s ever been and that he expects to see some big fish caught all across the lake.
“Lake Guntersville is fishing unbelievable right now,” Connell said. “It’s been that way for the last few years. It’s one of the best, healthiest lakes in the country, and I think we’re going to see some giant fish caught. It’s going to be an awesome tournament, no doubt.”
Lake Guntersville has long been a bucket-list destination among tournament anglers, regularly producing tournament-winning weights of 30 pounds or more. This year’s event presents a little bit of a challenge, taking place during the spring transition.
“We’re right on the verge of things getting a little funky,” Connell explained. “The fish are starting to move up, but it’s a grindy time of year because they’re transitioning from feeding to spawning. If we hit it just right, they might be shallow and ready to bite, but they could also be cruising and a little harder to catch.”
Connell, whose two prior REDCREST victories have come on Alabama’s Lake Eufaula and Lay Lake, knows that adaptability will be key.
“There are four or five major creeks that could produce the winning fish – North Sauty, Honeycomb, Seibold, Browns, and Spring,” Connell said. “With only 50 boats on the water, the field will probably be spread out and you could realistically not see another angler all day. That’s what makes REDCREST so special—everybody has a real shot.
“You’ll see guys fishing docks, throwing jerkbaits, ChatterBaits, maybe even frogs,” Connell said. “I’ll definitely be throwing a Rapala Mavrik – I love throwing that jerkbait, and we're getting to that time of year where we’re really going to catch them on it. And a (Rapala Crush City) Janitor and (Rapala Crush City) Pigstick weightless stick bait for targeting those shallow, structure-oriented fish. Forward-facing sonar is definitely going to play a role in this one, and I’ll definitely be using it when I can. There isn’t a single tournament where I don’t have a (Rapala Crush City) Freeloader tied on and ready to go.”
Connell is eager for a chance to claim an unprecedented third championship title. For Connell, REDCREST represents the pinnacle of the sport.
“This is the one you want to win,” he said. “It’s not just the $300,000 payday – it’s the prestige. Winning REDCREST sets you apart. Lake Guntersville is world-famous, and to win the biggest tournament on that stage? That’s what we do this for and what it’s all about.”
Anglers will launch each morning from Civitan Park, located at 1130 Sunset Drive, in Huntsville, Alabama, at 7:15 a.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLF NOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
The free, family-friendly MLF Outdoor Sports Expo will also take place throughout the weekend, April 4-6 at the Von Braun Center, located at 700 Monroe St. SW, in Huntsville. Fishing and outdoor enthusiasts are invited to explore an array of booths and vendors, featuring the newest innovations and gear in fishing, boating, and outdoors. Meet some of the biggest names in the industry, including professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour and legendary Bass Fishing Hall of Famers like Kevin VanDam.
The tournament will showcase 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. Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2025 Presented by MillerTech Energy at Lake Guntersville will feature anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable.
The 2024 Bass Pro Tour featured a field of 78 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 Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2025 Presented by MillerTech Energy.
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 highest 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 professional bass fishing’s top prize of $300,000.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on each day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. MLFNOW!® is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
Television coverage of MLF’s Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2025 Presented by MillerTech Energy at Lake Guntersville will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, July 5 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, July 19. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel and Vice TV.
Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour and REDCREST 2025 include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech Energy, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine 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.
Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire returns for 2025 Bassmaster Classic
March 13, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. and Progressive Insurance, a leader in auto and other insurance since 1937, has announced the return of the massively popular Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire to kick off the extravaganza of activities that surrounds the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Pro-Am will boast a wide variety of celebrity guests, ranging from NFL, NASCAR, WWE and Olympic athletes to musicians, actors, comedians and other celebrities. The star-studded field will team with a host of pro anglers, including pros from the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series and the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, in kicking off Classic week events. The pro anglers and celebrities will be competing for a top prize of a set of Yokohama tires and a $2,500 Bass Pro Shops gift card.
Cavender’s Boot City will host an exclusive Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Meet & Greet on Tuesday, March 18, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CT at the Cavender’s store in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards (2601 N. Main St., Fort Worth, TX 76164).
Takeoff for the Pro-Am will be March 19 at 8 a.m. from Twin Points Park at Eagle Mountain Lake (10200 Ten Mile Bridge Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76135), with the weigh-in back at the park at 3:15 p.m. Both takeoff and weigh-in are open to the public and free to attend.
“The inaugural Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am was a massive success,” said B.A.S.S. Chief Operations Officer Phillip Johnson. “It’s back bigger and better for 2025, as we’ve expanded the field and increased the whole scope of the event. This year, fans will also get to watch their favorite anglers and celebrities teamed together competing in a special prime-time production that will stream for free on The Roku Channel on April 5.”
The Pro-Am celebrates the meteoric rise of competitive fishing in pop culture and will feature teams of celebrities matched with some of the world’s best anglers.
The celebrity guests featured include:
- Social media influencer and reigning Bassmaster Classic Pro-Am champion Hood Fishing Entertainment
- Barstool Sports talent/host Sydnie Wells
- Tennessee Titans defensive linebacker Jeffery Simmons
- Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Cleveland
- Three-time Olympic gold medalist for shot put and discus Ryan Crouser
- NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain
- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen
- Social media personality Justin Chiasson (Stalekracker)
- Comedian and actor Lavell Crawford
- U.S Marine Veteran & Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer
- BlacktipH content creator/designer Jake Jorgensen
- Bluegrass music artist Billy Strings
- Southern Methodist University Head Football Coach Rhett Lashlee
- Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Kevin Dotson
- 8-year NFL veteran Barkevious Mingo
- WWE Superstar Bron Breakker
- WWE Superstar Tony D’Angelo
- TV personality Heavy D (Diesel Brothers)
- TV personality Diesel Dave (Diesel Brothers)
- Canadian TV personality Pat Roach (Trailer Park Boys)
- Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark
- 12-year NFL veteran Trent Cole
Celebrities in the Pro-Am will be paired with some of the biggest names in bass fishing, including:
- 50-year Bassmaster pro and four-time Bassmaster Classic champion Rick Clunn
- 30-year Bassmaster pro and Bassmaster Classic champion Mike Iaconelli
- Two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year and 20-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Gerald Swindle
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Andrew Loberg
- Two-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion and Bassmaster Rookie of the Year Joey Cifuentes
- Two-time Bassmaster High School All-American Tucker Smith
- Sixteen-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and Bassmaster Classic champion Randy Howell
- 2021 B.A.S.S. Nation champion Matty Wong
- Two-time Bassmaster Opens champion and Bassmaster Team Championship champion Matt Robertson
- 2021 Bassmaster Northern Opens Angler of the Year Jonathan Kelley
- Three-time Elite Series champion Steve Kennedy
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Emil Wagner
- Two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year and six-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion Brandon Palaniuk
- Bassmaster Elite Series champion Luke Palmer
- Two-time Bassmaster Elite Series champion Bill Lowen
- Three-time Bassmaster Opens champion Stephen Browning
- Bassmaster Opens champion Cliff Crochet
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie and Bassmaster College Series champion Beau Browning
- Bassmaster Elite Series rookie Paul Marks
- Bassmaster Elite Series newcomer and seven-year professional angler Dakota Ebare
- Bassmaster Opens champion and Bassmaster College Classic Bracket champion Tristan McCormick
- Bassmaster Opens pro and BassmastHER ambassador Anastasia Patterson
The pairings for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire are:
- Dakota Ebare and Hood Fishing Entertainment
- Joey Cifuentes and Ben Cleveland
- Tucker Smith and Sydnie Wells
- Rick Clunn and Ross Chastain
- Gerald Swindle and Dakota Meyer
- Mike Iaconelli and Billy Strings
- Matty Wong and Diesel Dave (Diesel Brothers)
- Matt Robertson and Tony D’Angelo
- Jonathan Kelley and Jake Jorgensen
- Steve Kennedy and Rhett Lashlee
- Brandon Palaniuk and Heavy D (Diesel Brothers)
- Luke Palmer and Pat Roach (Trailer Park Boys)
- Bill Lowen and Bron Breakker
- Cliff Crochet and Justin Chiasson (Stalekracker)
- Beau Browning and Ryan Crouser
- Emil Wagner and Lavell Crawford
- Paul Marks and Kevin Dotson
- Andrew Loberg and Barkevious Mingo
- Randy Howell and Jeffery Simmons
- Stephen Browning and Trent Cole
- Tristan McCormick and Patrick Queen
- Anastasia Patterson and Damone Clark
Coverage of the 2025 Bassmaster Classic Progressive Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama Tire will be presented on The Roku Channel on April 5.
About Progressive Insurance
Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers
Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles and homes; it is the second-largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, boat and RV insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.
Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot® and HomeQuote Explorer®.
The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR.
About Yokohama Tire Corporation
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology, innovation, sustainable manufacturing and environmentally conscious products. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, and commercial truck and bus. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit yokohamatire.com and yok
Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found at the “Tires 101” section at yokohamatire.com.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Vexus Demo Rides Coming to Ft. Worth
The Revolution Tour is coming to North Texas next week! Vexus Boats will be showcasing the VXs21, VXs20, AVX2100, and AVX1980 through Demo Rides at “Arrow S Park” on Lake Worth.
Demo Rides will be held Saturday, March 22nd & 23rd from 8:00 a.m. until Noon. Come check out our industry leading performance and innovation, and visit with Vexus factory reps.
Appointments can be made now on the home page of our website by visiting VexusBoats.com, or sign up in person at Vexus booth #2708 at the Classic Outdoors Expo.
Daniels, Jr. Dives into a Stellar Finish
Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships
Team Toyota pro Mark Daniels, Jr. pulled quite an acrobatic move during Power Stop Stage 3 on Lake Murray.
Are fisherman not athletes? When Team Toyota pro Mark Daniels Jr. lurched over the side of his bass boat to retrieve a snagged bass, one might argue different. With seven minutes to go in a less-than-stellar period, the Alabama-based angler hooked a big largemouth underneath a dock covered with crossmembers. If you’re an angler, and if you’re reading this - I assume you are, you can imagine the sinking feeling you get in your gut when you set the hook over these unfortunate obstacles.
You feel the “thump” on the end of your line and when it comes time to set the hook, your line is wrapped around every possible thing it can be.
That’s what happened to Daniels Jr., but it didn’t stop him from weighing a game-changing 4-pound, 9-ounce bass when he needed it most.
“I was out of the cut line before that bite,” MDJ said. “In Period 3 I was in 19th place by about 8 ounces. You know how fishing goes; I figured somebody was going to catch one and knock me out of the cut. With seven minutes to go, however, I’m fishing a Neko rig underneath the skinny, shallow section of the boat dock and I get bit. I set the hook, and it felt solid but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it unwrapped from the dock post and crossbeams. I was just about to bite my line to cut it off but a second before I did that, I saw the fish rise to the surface and it was one I needed to make the Knockout Round.”
According to MDJ, he didn’t have a choice but to take matters into his own hands. With his heart beating out of his chest with just a few minutes to go, he asked his boat official for permission to jump into the 55-degree water and manually retrieve the fish. It was allowed per Major League Fishing rules but doing so would result in a three-minute penalty. The decision was a no-brainer for Daniels Jr. and the penalty was well worth it.
“If it was a tiny fish, I don’t think I would have done it,” Daniels said. “But my gosh, this fish was a big one. When she surfaced I thought I was going to have a stroke. She was a giant based on what I had been catching. So I stripped down and jumped into the water.”
The cold, pre-spawn water wasn’t exactly comfortable, as you could guess. But duty called and he knew he needed the fish to fish on into the Knockout Round.
“When I got my hands on the fish’s mouth, I cut the line with my teeth, grabbed the fish and swam back underneath the dock to get it back to my boat,” Daniels Jr. said. “I haven’t played sports in a while and I’ll be honest, it was a project getting back into my boat from the bow of the boat. But I did it and as I said earlier, it was totally worth the small penalty.”
His practice was tough. Coming off of a rough Harris Chain event, it was a much-needed confidence boost. Throughout his practice, he kept noticing the pre-spawn and spawning fish setting up on shallow dock posts. While it took a little coaxing to get them to bite, the ones that did fall prey turned out to be the quality fish which led him to a fourth-place finish.
“It finally worked out,” Daniels Jr. said. “It’s not often that a pattern holds up throughout an entire practice period and tournament. But this was special for me. I was just running new water every day because it was totally a pattern thing on those boat docks. It’s so rare that a pattern stays so solid over multiple days, and it allowed me to fish new places and target fresh fish every single day. You’re going to have some tough derbies in this business so when it all works out, you need to take advantage of every opportunity you have. That’s why I took a swan dive into the water for a four-pounder.”
The fish seemed to be farther along in the spawning process in the mid-lake section of Lake Murray. Due to the dirtier water, Daniels Jr. felt as if the water was warming up quicker and staying warmer throughout the day.
“Dirty water gets warmer quicker and stays warmer because of its density,” MDJ said. “I know it sounds nuts but it’s the truth. I was getting bit on a Neko rig on dock posts right at daylight because those big females moved up and the warmer water, dirtier allowed them to commit.”
Commitment comes in two forms, apparently. When the fish are on dock posts, they’ll bite. But sometimes you have to strip down, get ‘em in by hand and take care of business and that’s exactly what MDJ did.
Prespawn largemouth carry Myers to Day 1 lead at Pickwick
March 12, 2025
FLORENCE, Ala. — Landon Myers enjoyed the best day of tournament fishing of his young life so far on Day 1 of the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance. The 18-year-old Alcoa High School (Tennessee) senior landed a five-bass limit weighing 27 pounds, 7 ounces to take the Day 1 lead over second-place Dylan Nutt, who brought 25-15 to the scales.
“I love fishing,” Myers said. “It is a passion of mine. This is a lake I like. I wanted to come here ready to swing on them. I was able to do that today. It was pretty crazy. It was a great day.”
It may not have been easy to get a bite on Pickwick Lake on a bright and warm Day 1, but the bass that did bite were the right size. Of the 43 limits caught today, 15 of them weighed more than 20 pounds. Several other anglers put together impressive bags with just four bass in them.
The Top 17 boaters and nonboaters at the end of the week will advance to the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance Oct. 22-25 in La Crosse, Wis.
Myers, who committed to fish for Carson-Newman University in November, has fished Pickwick in the past. But over the winter, he spent much of his time on Watts Bar and Chickamauga Lake, and some of that knowledge has helped him this week.
Coming off a 57th-place finish at the Strike King Bassmaster High School Series event at Smith Lake at the beginning of the month, Myers wanted to have a strong showing at his first Nation event. His practice period gave him a good reason to be excited.
“Last night I was sitting at dinner shaking. I was pumped (for today),” he explained. “I had a decent practice. I tried not to catch them. There’s not a lot of point in leaning on them in practice. But I had a good idea of what I was going to be doing.”
While his first stop of the day did not pan out as expected, it didn’t take much longer for Myers to find his rhythm. By 10 a.m., the east Tennessean had landed a 22-pound limit fishing sweet spots in one primary area. At 11:30, he caught a 6-pound largemouth to bolster his limit.
“At that point, I had quit fishing my stuff,” he said. “I was running new water from 11:30 on. All of my fish looked like twins. Everything was healthy and fat.”
Then at around 2:30, he boated another kicker largemouth, one that weighed over 6 pounds. His final tally included four largemouth and a smallmouth.
Myers caught bass as shallow as 8 feet of water and as deep as 40 feet of water, but as the temperatures rose, he noticed the prespawners he was targeting started to move shallower. Three baits caught the majority of his weight on Day 1, and he noted his Garmin LiveScope was an important component to his success.
A few other competitors are also fishing the same area, but not as many as he expected.
“I’m probably fishing the bank more often,” he noted. “I’ve caught a lot of bass off wood so far. As it got warmer, I started catching them shallower.”
Warm temperatures are expected to continue throughout the week, and Myers is confident there are still plenty of bass in the area; it is just a matter of getting them to bite.
Nutt, a junior at the University of North Alabama and 2022 Bassmaster High School All-American, continued his impressive streak at Pickwick Lake with his nearly 26-pound limit on Day 1. He has already won a three-day Toyota Series event this year and also won the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open on Saturday (the first day of Nation practice) with an 8-pound largemouth.
It was an overall tougher practice for Nutt, but some of his productive areas paid off once again on Day 1.
“It was really tough, to be honest,” Nutt said. “I did get keyed into a few little things about what the fish are doing. I’ve been catching a lot of 3-pounders, which don’t get you anywhere on Pickwick.”
Targeting bass moving into prespawn staging areas, Nutt landed 20 pounds within his first 30 minutes of fishing. He then went a long while without landing a quality keeper.
“I started second guessing myself. I said a prayer and asked The Lord to help me make the right decisions and fish open-minded,” Nutt said. “The next two spots I went to, I caught a 5 ½ off one of them and a 5 and a 5 ½ off the second one. Today was just a blessing.”
He finished the day with three largemouth and two smallmouth in his bag. Nutt said he rotated through plenty of baits on Day 1, with four turning out to be the most productive. Forward-facing sonar has played a role in his success as well. Water temperatures were between 54 and 56 degrees in his areas.
Indiana’s Eli Lubbehusen sits in third place with 25-4 followed by Minnesota’s Nick Dumke in fourth with 25-3. Georgia’s Dylan Jarvis and Wisconsin’s Harmon Marien are tied for fifth with 25-1.
Corey Bohlmann of Le Roy, Ill., landed the Big Bass of the Day, an 8-3 largemouth that has him sitting in 63rd place.
Gabriel Fabbri of Bruce, Wis., leads the nonboater standings with a three-bass limit weighing 11-10. He is followed by fellow Wisconsin angler Kacey Meyer in second with 10-13 and Georgia's John Doolittle in third with 10-3. Mississippi’s David Wheat caught a 4-13, the Big Bass of the Day.
The full field of 155 boats will launch from McFarland Park beginning at 7 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in starting at 3 p.m. The Top 20 boaters and nonboaters after Day 2 will advance to Championship Friday. Weigh-in will be available to watch live on Bassmaster.com.
Visit Florence is hosting the tournament.
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance 3/12-3/14
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Landon Myers Maryville, TN 5 27-07 0
Day 1: 5 27-07
2. Dylan Nutt Nashville, TN 5 25-15 0
Day 1: 5 25-15
3. Eli Lubbehusen Huntingburg, IN 5 25-04 0
Day 1: 5 25-04
4. Nick Dumke Grand Rapids, MN 5 25-03 0
Day 1: 5 25-03
5. Dylan Jarvis Acworth, GA 5 25-01 0
Day 1: 5 25-01
5. Harmon Marien Eagle River, WI 5 25-01 0
Day 1: 5 25-01
7. Leslie Brandenburg Springfield, MO 5 23-13 0
Day 1: 5 23-13
8. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 5 22-15 0
Day 1: 5 22-15
9. Steve Wilson Union City, TN 5 22-11 0
Day 1: 5 22-11
10. Matt Adams Guntersville, AL 5 22-04 0
Day 1: 5 22-04
11. Brad Smith Collierville, TN 5 21-12 0
Day 1: 5 21-12
12. Evan Newell Lakeland, FL 5 21-02 0
Day 1: 5 21-02
13. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 5 20-10 0
Day 1: 5 20-10
14. Taylor Umland Carlock, IL 5 20-09 0
Day 1: 5 20-09
15. Lane Clark Anderson, SC 5 20-02 0
Day 1: 5 20-02
16. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 5 19-10 0
Day 1: 5 19-10
17. Jim Tomsovic Sparta, WI 5 19-09 0
Day 1: 5 19-09
18. Harry Linsinbigler IV Dover, FL 5 19-07 0
Day 1: 5 19-07
19. Blake Knies Jasper, IN 5 19-05 0
Day 1: 5 19-05
20. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 5 18-14 0
Day 1: 5 18-14
21. Greg Hill Eldridge, IA 5 18-11 0
Day 1: 5 18-11
22. Robert Myers Lacona, IA 5 18-05 0
Day 1: 5 18-05
23. Adrian Urso Union, KY 5 18-02 0
Day 1: 5 18-02
24. Michael Kent Smithville, TN 5 18-01 0
Day 1: 5 18-01
25. Greg Vance Delhi, IA 5 18-00 0
Day 1: 5 18-00
26. Jackson Perry Houston, MN 5 17-15 0
Day 1: 5 17-15
27. Collin French Clarksville, TN 4 17-14 0
Day 1: 4 17-14
28. Bryan Hulsey Troy, MO 5 17-09 0
Day 1: 5 17-09
29. Cade Laufenberg Onalaska, WI 5 17-07 0
Day 1: 5 17-07
30. Casey Majni Knoxville, TN 5 17-03 0
Day 1: 5 17-03
31. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 5 16-14 0
Day 1: 5 16-14
32. Hunter Baughman Judsonia, AR 5 16-12 0
Day 1: 5 16-12
33. Nathan Reynolds Nashville, TN 4 16-11 0
Day 1: 4 16-11
34. Dustin Perry Paradise, TX 5 16-04 0
Day 1: 5 16-04
35. Ed Payne Guin, AL 5 15-11 0
Day 1: 5 15-11
36. Dale Coleman Hattiesburg, MS 5 15-10 0
Day 1: 5 15-10
37. Brian Baker Lewisburg, KY 5 15-09 0
Day 1: 5 15-09
38. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 5 14-12 0
Day 1: 5 14-12
39. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 5 14-09 0
Day 1: 5 14-09
40. John Thornton Russellville, AL 3 14-04 0
Day 1: 3 14-04
41. Cliff King Dayton, TN 5 14-03 0
Day 1: 5 14-03
42. Scott Robert Greene, ME 5 14-02 0
Day 1: 5 14-02
43. Mason Gunter Franklin, GA 5 14-01 0
Day 1: 5 14-01
44. Gaven Millington Strawberry Plains, TN 4 13-15 0
Day 1: 4 13-15
45. Dave Turner Citrus Springs, FL 5 13-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09
46. Jeremy Nokken La Crosse, WI 4 13-08 0
Day 1: 4 13-08
47. Austin Lytle New Market, TN 5 13-05 0
Day 1: 5 13-05
48. Colton Boelkes Roscoe, IL 4 12-13 0
Day 1: 4 12-13
49. Erik Brztowski Lemont, IL 3 12-11 0
Day 1: 3 12-11
50. CJ Maddux Birmingham, AL 3 12-10 0
Day 1: 3 12-10
51. Tyler Nekolny Coral Springs, FL 5 12-05 0
Day 1: 5 12-05
52. Dustin Williams Tiskilwa, IL 4 12-03 0
Day 1: 4 12-03
53. Dustin Hinkle Mount Juliet, TN 4 12-00 0
Day 1: 4 12-00
54. Charlie Scott Santa Fe, TN 4 11-13 0
Day 1: 4 11-13
55. Jeffery Lawson Ellisville, MS 3 11-09 0
Day 1: 3 11-09
56. Joshua Shuler Tallahassee, FL 4 11-06 0
Day 1: 4 11-06
57. Keith Broyles Jackson, TN 4 10-14 0
Day 1: 4 10-14
58. Wyatt Szymanski Stevens Point, WI 4 10-10 0
Day 1: 4 10-10
59. Jason Brennan Summerville, GA 3 10-05 0
Day 1: 3 10-05
60. Richard Welch Athens, AL 3 09-10 0
Day 1: 3 09-10
61. Parker Frew Greenville, MS 2 09-06 0
Day 1: 2 09-06
62. Dakota Bell Monticello, KY 3 09-05 0
Day 1: 3 09-05
63. Brian LaClair Denton, MD 4 09-02 0
Day 1: 4 09-02
64. Keith Glasgow Guin, AL 3 08-14 0
Day 1: 3 08-14
64. Clay Peters Butler, KY 3 08-14 0
Day 1: 3 08-14
66. Louis Monetti Brielle, NJ 3 08-07 0
Day 1: 3 08-07
67. Tanner Visco Antioch, IL 4 08-06 0
Day 1: 4 08-06
68. Corey Bohlmann Le Roy, IL 1 08-03 0
Day 1: 1 08-03
69. Joe Johnson Clarksville, TN 3 08-01 0
Day 1: 3 08-01
70. Larry Carter Lucedale, MS 2 07-15 0
Day 1: 2 07-15
71. John Miller Sunrise Beach, MO 2 07-14 0
Day 1: 2 07-14
72. Kevin Meeks Smyrna, TN 3 07-13 0
Day 1: 3 07-13
73. Chase Loftus Iowa City, IA 2 07-12 0
Day 1: 2 07-12
74. Kenneth Oakes Spring Hill, FL 3 07-07 0
Day 1: 3 07-07
75. Mason Phillpotts Swartz Creek, MI 2 07-06 0
Day 1: 2 07-06
76. Brian Gibler Clarksville, TN 2 07-04 0
Day 1: 2 07-04
77. Mason Gillihan Manchester, IA 2 07-02 0
Day 1: 2 07-02
77. Chris Keeble Lenoir City, TN 2 07-02 0
Day 1: 2 07-02
79. Dan Parker Guttenberg, IA 3 07-00 0
Day 1: 3 07-00
80. Jason Howland Albert Lea, MN 2 07-00 0
Day 1: 2 07-00
81. Johnny Bigger II Spring Hill, FL 2 06-14 0
Day 1: 2 06-14
82. Tristan Garriga Lucedale, MS 3 06-08 0
Day 1: 3 06-08
83. Justin Yenter Stevens Point, WI 2 06-07 0
Day 1: 2 06-07
84. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 2 06-04 0
Day 1: 2 06-04
85. Hunter Nanney Dumas, MS 2 06-03 0
Day 1: 2 06-03
86. Derek Ehrhardt Garnavillo, IA 2 06-02 0
Day 1: 2 06-02
87. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 2 06-01 0
Day 1: 2 06-01
88. Tony Puelz Garnavillo, IA 2 06-00 0
Day 1: 2 06-00
89. Chris Fondren Lebanon, TN 2 05-15 0
Day 1: 2 05-15
89. Chad McMurrian Hawkinsville, GA 2 05-15 0
Day 1: 2 05-15
91. Julius Mazy Phoenix, AZ 2 05-13 0
Day 1: 2 05-13
92. Mel Biggs Jr Kingston, TN 3 05-12 0
Day 1: 3 05-12
93. Nick Ward Newnan, GA 2 05-09 0
Day 1: 2 05-09
94. Eric Morgan Royal Palm Beach, FL 2 05-06 0
Day 1: 2 05-06
95. Peter Balishin Sharps Chapel, TN 2 05-02 0
Day 1: 2 05-02
96. Eric Cerny Cumming, GA 2 05-00 0
Day 1: 2 05-00
97. Gary Little Soso, MS 2 04-15 0
Day 1: 2 04-15
98. Tom Hill Nicholasville, KY 2 04-14 0
Day 1: 2 04-14
99. Thom Abraham Winchester, TN 1 04-13 0
Day 1: 1 04-13
100. Bill Rosch Michie, TN 2 04-12 0
Day 1: 2 04-12
100. Paul Tabisz Clarkston, MI 2 04-12 0
Day 1: 2 04-12
102. Chad Garrison Nolensville, TN 2 04-08 0
Day 1: 2 04-08
103. Bo Collins Robbinsville, NC 1 04-08 0
Day 1: 1 04-08
104. Bryan Schumacher Sparta, WI 2 04-06 0
Day 1: 2 04-06
105. John Mayo Maiden, NC 2 04-04 0
Day 1: 2 04-04
106. Danny Carter Hernando, MS 2 04-00 0
Day 1: 2 04-00
107. Luke Schmits Alexandria, KY 1 04-00 0
Day 1: 1 04-00
108. Josh Hubbard Citrus Springs, FL 1 03-14 0
Day 1: 1 03-14
109. Tad Tinlin Des Moines, IA 1 03-07 0
Day 1: 1 03-07
110. Ricardo Guzman Farmington, MO 1 03-06 0
Day 1: 1 03-06
110. Austin Hubatch Rosholt, WI 1 03-06 0
Day 1: 1 03-06
112. Marc Fields Dover, TN 1 03-05 0
Day 1: 1 03-05
112. Richard Pugh Knoxville, TN 1 03-05 0
Day 1: 1 03-05
114. Randall Christopher Danville, KY 1 03-02 0
Day 1: 1 03-02
115. Bryan Finch Belton, TX 1 03-01 0
Day 1: 1 03-01
115. Collin Tweten Decorah, IA 1 03-01 0
Day 1: 1 03-01
117. Kyle Coffman Minbun, IA 1 02-13 0
Day 1: 1 02-13
117. Kevin Ruh Onalaska, WI 1 02-13 0
Day 1: 1 02-13
119. Justin Shepard Lansing, IA 1 02-12 0
Day 1: 1 02-12
120. David Gorman Jr Canton, GA 1 02-09 0
Day 1: 1 02-09
121. Jeffray Gooch Westport, TN 1 02-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-07
121. Bryan Greene Trinity, NC 1 02-07 0
Day 1: 1 02-07
123. Terry Ezzell Russellville, AL 1 02-06 0
Day 1: 1 02-06
124. William Camp Blytheville, AR 1 02-05 0
Day 1: 1 02-05
125. Marcus Warren Jefferson City, TN 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02
126. Roger Morris Fayetteville, AR 1 02-01 0
Day 1: 1 02-01
127. Ben Ballou Dickson, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Bradley Baxter Willshire, OH 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Dustin Berryman Russellville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Dan Carrigan Citrus Springs, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Kaden Casey Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. David Chase Las Cruces, NM 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Gary Coffman Earlham, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Emile Gennaro Sr Wesson, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Jeff Giffen Northport, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. James Hardy Jacksonville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Billy Harris Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Shane Hoelzle Peachtree City, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Tom Howland Riceville, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Shannon Jones Morristown, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Mark Jones Meadville, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Casey Knaup Fort Atkinson, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Matt Martin Brookhaven, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Nathaniel Melgaard Elk Mound, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Connor Mingo Vinton, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Andrew Mlotek Plainfield, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. JJ Patton Eldridge, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Kevin Postalwait Ripley, WV 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Rick Pullen Houston, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Bo Quinnie Duncanville, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Jeremiah Shaver Holmen, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Mark Tonjum Jr Spencer, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Charles Verfuerth Port Washington, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
127. Daniel Ward Sage, AR 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 43 400 1389-15
------------------------------
43 400 1389-15
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance 3/12-3/14
Pickwick Lake, Florence AL.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Gabriel Fabbri Bruce, WI 3 11-10 0
Day 1: 3 11-10
2. Kacey Meyer Hewitt, WI 3 10-13 0
Day 1: 3 10-13
3. John Doolittle Kennesaw, GA 3 10-03 0
Day 1: 3 10-03
4. Steve Blakeney Acworth, GA 3 10-02 0
Day 1: 3 10-02
5. Nico Urso Union, KY 3 09-02 0
Day 1: 3 09-02
6. Todd Mowery Madison, AL 3 08-14 0
Day 1: 3 08-14
7. Harvey Miller Melvin, IA 3 08-07 0
Day 1: 3 08-07
8. Dustin Shuler Tallahassee, FL 3 07-02 0
Day 1: 3 07-02
9. David Lundy Clermont, GA 3 07-01 0
Day 1: 3 07-01
10. Jason Kirks Clarksville, TN 2 06-07 0
Day 1: 2 06-07
11. Ryan Shriber Franklin, TN 2 05-13 0
Day 1: 2 05-13
12. Mike Morris Hubert, NC 2 05-12 0
Day 1: 2 05-12
13. Russ Engelbart Anamosa, IA 2 05-06 0
Day 1: 2 05-06
14. Jonathan Barnette Jasper, AL 2 05-00 0
Day 1: 2 05-00
15. David Wheat Philadelphia, MS 1 04-13 0
Day 1: 1 04-13
16. Mark Smith Brandon, FL 2 04-04 0
Day 1: 2 04-04
17. Heath Willard Brookhaven, MS 1 04-03 0
Day 1: 1 04-03
18. Justin Ortiz Cumming, GA 1 03-13 0
Day 1: 1 03-13
19. Eli French Lucedale, MS 1 03-06 0
Day 1: 1 03-06
20. Jacob Lange Marion, IA 1 03-04 0
Day 1: 1 03-04
21. Edward Malloy Johns Creek, GA 1 03-00 0
Day 1: 1 03-00
22. Tristan Bramblett Tiger, GA 1 02-13 0
Day 1: 1 02-13
22. Chase Kinney Stevens Point, WI 1 02-13 0
Day 1: 1 02-13
24. Dante Johnson Gurnee, IL 1 02-09 0
Day 1: 1 02-09
25. Sam Jackson Jr Northport, AL 1 02-08 0
Day 1: 1 02-08
26. Jaiven Cuevas Perkinston, MS 1 02-06 0
Day 1: 1 02-06
27. Kb Bridges Spring City, TN 1 02-05 0
Day 1: 1 02-05
28. Arthur Ballard Irvine, KY 1 02-04 0
Day 1: 1 02-04
29. Julie Price Ripley, WV 1 02-03 0
Day 1: 1 02-03
30. Robert Daniels Sioux City, IA 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02
30. Nick Fariss Carthage, TN 1 02-02 0
Day 1: 1 02-02
32. Mike Riter Harriman, TN 1 02-00 0
Day 1: 1 02-00
33. Matt Tumlin Hillsboro, GA 1 01-15 0
Day 1: 1 01-15
34. Gary Toombs La Grange, KY 1 01-14 0
Day 1: 1 01-14
35. David Godwin Lucedale, MS 1 01-13 0
Day 1: 1 01-13
36. Tim Albrecht Rapids City, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Cody Blau Brookings, SD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Matt Champion Scottsville, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Johnny Clark Northport, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Joel Cox Evansdale, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Steven Dahl Muscatine, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Donny Davis Waterloo, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Eric Davis Dandridge, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Buddy French Ruth, MS 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. David Hawkes Conyers, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Brian Hinspeter Waukee, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Jon Houpt Buford, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Sam Jenkins Abita Springs, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Kenneth Johnson Monticello, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Kevin Jones Fort Campbell, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Kevin Kent Alexandria , TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Angela Mayo Maiden, NC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Jeff Meyer Wheatland, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. William Page Lyles, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Terry Pinkard Decatur, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Amanda Riley Galesville, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Danny Roberts Eatonton, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Bill Scharton Jr Soddy Daisy, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Allen Smith Knoxville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Zak Steigerwald Cedar Rapids, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Ted Tinlin Des Moines, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Tim Towers Crane Hill, AL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Brandon Troupe Chicago, IL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Chris Walker Mount Juliet, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Chase Ward Jackson, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Owen Worthington Kenosha, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
36. Jason Wulf Crown Point, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 9 59 170-02
------------------------------
9 59 170-02
B.A.S.S. announces TNT Fireworks as local partner for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic
March 12, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. is thrilled to announce TNT Fireworks as a local partner for the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, set to take place March 21-23 in Fort Worth, Texas.
As part of this exciting partnership, TNT Fireworks will serve as the official sponsor of the new Bassmaster Classic App Light Show, bringing an electrifying atmosphere to Dickies Arena each evening during the Bassmaster Classic Weigh-In presented by Yokohama. Fans will have the unique opportunity to be a part of the action, using the Bassmaster Classic App to sync their mobile devices with an immersive light display, transforming the arena into a dazzling spectacle that celebrates the excitement of professional bass fishing.
“We are always looking for new ways to elevate the Bassmaster Classic experience for both our fans and anglers, and TNT Fireworks brings a dynamic energy to this event,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “With their support, we’re adding a new layer of excitement to the weigh-ins, creating a can’t-miss moment for everyone at Dickies Arena.”
For more than 100 years, TNT Fireworks has been a leading name in the fireworks industry, bringing families together with thrilling entertainment. Their partnership with Bassmaster further strengthens the connection between outdoor sports enthusiasts and high-energy experiences.
“The Bassmaster Classic is an iconic celebration of the great outdoors, and TNT Fireworks is thrilled to bring our own brand of excitement to this year's event,” said Carson Anderson, president of TNT
The Bassmaster Classic is the biggest stage in bass fishing, drawing thousands of fans to experience the competition, explore the Outdoors Expo presented by GSM Outdoors and to attend the most anticipated weigh-in in fishing. With the addition of TNT Fireworks as a local Classic partner, the 2025 Classic promises to be bigger, brighter and more thrilling than ever before.
For more information on the Bassmaster Classic and how to be part of the TNT Fireworks Bassmaster Classic App Light Show, visit Bassmaster.com.
About TNT Fireworks
TNT Fireworks (TNT) is the nation’s number one selling fireworks brand and the nation’s largest distributor of consumer fireworks and sparklers, providing safe, family fun for consumers in 49 states, as well as the United Kingdom, Canada and Puerto Rico. TNT products are sold in 40,000 retail stores, as well as seasonal locations run by nonprofits and additional partners who sell TNT Fireworks to raise money for their respective causes.
For more than 100 years, TNT has set the benchmark for safety, customer satisfaction, innovation and quality in the fireworks industry. TNT is also an industry leader in environmental sustainability, focusing on eliminating waste, sustainable sourcing and water conservation.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
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B.A.S.S. announces Mountain Dew as local sponsor for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic
March 12, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S., the global leader in bass fishing, is proud to welcome Mountain Dew as a local sponsor for the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, taking place March 21-23 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The most anticipated event in professional fishing, the Bassmaster Classic will draw tens of thousands of passionate fans to Fort Worth and Lake Ray Roberts, where the world’s best bass anglers will compete for the sport’s most prestigious title. Mountain Dew, a brand synonymous with outdoor adventure, will be on-site to enhance the fan experience throughout the event.
“We are thrilled to have Mountain Dew on board as a local sponsor for the biggest stage in bass fishing,” said Chase Anderson, CEO of B.A.S.S. “The brand’s commitment to living life to the fullest and outdoor adventures aligns perfectly with the high-energy atmosphere of the Bassmaster Classic. Together, we look forward to delivering an unforgettable experience for our anglers and fans.”
As part of its sponsorship, Mountain Dew will have an exciting presence at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by GSM Outdoors, offering fans interactive experiences, product samples and exclusive giveaways. Attendees will have the chance to grab an ice-cold Mountain Dew while checking out the latest fishing gear.
Mountain Dew branding will also be prominently featured throughout the Classic, including at the daily Weigh-in presented by Yokohama at Dickies Arena, where anglers will cross the biggest stage in bass fishing as they compete for the coveted Ray Scott Bassmaster Classic Trophy. With Mountain Dew joining the impressive roster of Classic sponsors, the 2025 Bassmaster Classic in Fort Worth is shaping up to be an event to remember. Fans can follow all the action live on Bassmaster.com and on Bassmaster’s social media channels throughout the tournament.
For more information on the Bassmaster Classic and all event details, visit Bassmaster.com.
About PepsiCo.
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $92 billion in net revenue in 2024, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit Pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
unnamed - 2025-03-12T083122.327
MUSKEGON, Mich. (March 12, 2025) – Yes, a wool sunshirt. Leave it to Whitewater Fishing with their combined 100-years of apparel design expertise to leverage the inherent comfort, moisture-wicking, and cooling properties of Merino wool and merge them with sunshirt features and technologies. And it’s called the Merino Spindrift Fishing Hoodie…
What is Merino wool?
For starters, it’s not that itchy, scratchy fabric in your ugly Christmas sweater. Rather, it’s a superfine natural fiber that’s sheared from Merino sheep. Originally from Spain, Merino sheep are now raised in South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States.
Key to Merino wool of the highest quality is the diameter of its fibers, measured in microns (one millionth of a meter). For example, routine Merino wool measures in the low 20’s, whereas Whitewater’s new Merino Hoodie comes in at 17.5 microns. That means more of Merino wool’s beneficial properties per square inch of material. (To give you an idea of how fine that is, human hairs average between 50 and 100 microns.)
So, what are those beneficial properties?
Temperature Regulation
Merino wool adapts to your body’s needs. It provides a degree of warmth when it’s cold and offers breathability when it’s warmer. So, in the case of Whitewater’s Merino Fishing Hoodie, it can perform as a lone outer-layer if it’s warm – or – there’s a bit of a nip in the air. Additionally, the Merino Fishing Hoodie serves as the ultimate mid-layer under raingear, such as Whitewater’s Great Lakes Pro and Tamer jacket.
Sun Protection
Perhaps surprising to some, Merino fibers possess natural pigments that absorb UV light. This inherent UV resistance provides some level of sun protection, but not enough for Whitewater. They jacked up the sun protection on the Merino Fishing Hoodie to 50+ UPF.
Odor Resistance
While Whitewater is famous for its antimicrobial treatments, in the case of the Merino Hoodie, the fabric alone offers native antimicrobial properties. This comes from a sheep’s ability to produce a natural wax (sheep grease) that repels water and prevents the accumulation of bacteria, mold, and fungus.
Moisture Wicking
Specialty fabrics and treatments, including some of those from Whitewater, are purposed for wicking moisture off your skin. Merino wool? It naturally lifts perspiration off and away as it does for sheep. Mother Nature is amazing…
Elasticity
Unlike conventional wool, Merino wool offers a degree of elasticity. Meaning, the fabric holds its shape. For the purposes of the Merino Fishing Hoodie, Whitewater blended in nylon and elastane to add the stretch and motion-promotion required for fishing.
Comfort and Softness
This is the no-brainer. Instantly feel the softness with one touch of the fabric. This softness translates into unrivaled comfort against your skin.
Hypoallergenic
Maybe not a requirement for fishing, but it’s factual, nonetheless. Merino wool is officially recognized as asthma and allergy friendly by the international certification body Allergy Standards Limited (ASL).
Fire-Resistant
Yes, it’s true. Merino wool fibers are difficult to ignite, have limited ability to sustain a flame, and can self-extinguish. Merino wool clothing is worn by firemen, police, soldiers, and rescue teams because of its natural fire protection.
Construction-wise, the Merino Fishing Hoodie features flatlock seams for maximum durability and comfort. The exceptional flatlock seams are visible on the outside and designed to keep the smooth Merino feel on the inside.
The Merino Fishing Hoodie’s premium 3-piece hood is designed for fit and comfort, as well as sun protection. And, in cooler conditions, it yields a level warmth.
You might pay a little more for the Spindrift Fishing Hoodie, but when you consider all the benefits of Merino wool, it’s really more of an investment.
Merino Fishing Hoodie FEATURES:
- Betaspun® yarn featuring 82% 17.5-micron Merino Wool, 16% Nylon, and 2% Lycra helps resist abrasion & pilling
- Lightweight 120g fabric
- Natural thermal regulation
- Natural moisture-wicking
- Natural antimicrobial
- Natural sun protection increased to 50+ UPF
- 3-piece hood offers sun protection and warmth if temps drop
- Flatlock seams for next-to-skin comfort and overall durability
$129.99
The gathering and processing of Merino wool is low impact to the environment, earning Whitewater the bluesign® PRODUCT seal.
MLF Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Set for Lake Chickamauga
DAYTON, Tenn. (March 11, 2025) – The second event of the Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Central division is set to take place next week, March 18-20, at Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee – the Toyota Series at Lake Chickamauga.
The three-day tournament, hosted by the Rhea County Department of Tourism – Fish Dayton, will showcase the region’s top bass-fishing boaters and co-anglers competing for a grand prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor plus $5,000 in the co-angler division.
The tournament is shaping up to be a classic spring showdown, but pro Kevin Drake of Cleveland, Tennessee, who has six top-10 finishes on Lake Chickamauga in MLF competition, says that anglers should stay ready for anything.
"For the most part, everything should still be pre-spawn," Drake explained. "I wouldn’t be surprised if a few early spawners show up, but this time of year, the majority are still staging."
Weather will play a key role in determining the winning patterns in this event. A forecast of potential thunderstorms and rain could lead to higher, dirtier water levels, drastically changing the playing field.
“If the water comes up and gets dirty, I’ll be looking for fish on shallow structure, like shell beds and flats,” Drake said.
On the other hand, stable conditions might shift his focus to deeper drop-offs and suspending fish visible on forward-facing sonar. The changing conditions will also very much influence the weights anglers bring to the scales.
"If it stays stable, I think it could take 70 to 80 pounds to win over three days," Drake predicted. "But if it gets muddy, it might take less – maybe in the 55 to 60-pound range. Either way, someone will find them.”
Drake said that having the right mix of baits is critical for success.
“I’ll definitely have a bladed jig, crankbait, and a swimbait tied on,” he said. “You’ve got to be ready for anything, and this lake can get really tough, so you have to keep grinding.”
Anglers will begin each day at 7:30 a.m. ET, launching from the Dayton Boat Dock at 175 Lakeshore St. in Dayton. Weigh-ins will take place at the same location, starting at 3:30 p.m. daily. Fans are invited to attend in person and can also stay connected by following the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily updates on MajorLeagueFishing.com.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of up to $75,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of up to $100,000, if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard plus $5,000 cash.
The 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and the Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the five divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and a qualification to REDCREST 2026. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2025 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 6-8 on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, and is hosted by the City of Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Bassmaster honors Rick Clunn’s legendary 50-year career with inaugural Bassmaster Person of the Year Award
March 11, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Following a historic 2024 season that marked his 500th Bassmaster event and celebrated a remarkable 50-year career, legendary angler Rick Clunn will be honored with the inaugural Rick Clunn Bassmaster Person of the Year Award at the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Established to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport of bass fishing — both on and off the water — the award celebrates those who exemplify integrity, character and a lasting impact on the fishing community.
At 78 years old, Clunn has spent six decades defining professional angling while inspiring countless anglers to take to the water. In recognition of his unparalleled influence, the award will bear his name moving forward, with future recipients receiving the Rick Clunn Bassmaster Person of the Year plaque.
Clunn’s list of accolades is staggering:
- 16 B.A.S.S. career victories, including four Bassmaster Classic wins — two of them back-to-back.
- A record-setting 32 Classic appearances over his career.
- Voted by fans as the greatest professional bass angler of all time.
“Rick Clunn’s 2024 season featured two milestones that may never be repeated — 50 years of participation in B.A.S.S. events and 500 tournaments fished,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “He was there in the earliest days of professional fishing and has watched the sport evolve into the international sensation it is today. Through it all, Rick has remained a model of class and sportsmanship, earning the admiration of both his peers and the next generation of anglers. His milestones in 2024 made it an easy decision to name him the first Bassmaster Person of the Year.”
Despite his legendary status, Clunn remains humble. “I don’t feel deserving of this award,” Clunn said. “I’ve seen these honors given in other sports to people who have done truly special things. I just try to be a person with a positive outlook, to treat people with kindness. To me, this award simply means striving to be a good and kind person.”
Clunn’s age has never slowed him down. At 69, he became the oldest angler to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event, claiming victory at the 2016 St. Johns River Elite. Three years later, he broke his own record at 72, winning at St. Johns once again. In 2024, his 500th Bassmaster event — the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite — was fittingly held at the same river where he made history multiple times. Beyond tournament fishing, Clunn was featured in the first season of The Cast presented by Bass Pro Shops, which aired on FOX Sports networks, and he made a return appearance in season two.
As the 2024 Humminbird Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River drew to a close, Clunn took the stage for what would be his final Elite Series weigh-in. Addressing the mixed crowd of New York and Canadian fans, he made it clear: He wasn’t retiring — just stepping away from bass fishing’s highest level of competition.
“I have to challenge my mind and my body every day, and fishing does that ... ” Clunn said. “I need to thank everybody, but I can’t name them all. So I’ll just thank my family — they’ve supported me forever. This is going to be tough, but it’s also been an incredible journey. I appreciate all of you who have come out, today and through the years.”
As the crowd erupted in applause, an emotional Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer summed up the moment, reflecting on Clunn’s legacy. “Rick, every athlete in every sport says they just want to leave the game better than they found it,” Mercer said. “And I think it goes without saying — what you have given, what you have built, what you have created ... we are all thankful for it.”
With the introduction of the Rick Clunn Bassmaster Person of the Year Award, Bassmaster ensures that Clunn’s legacy will continue to inspire generations of anglers to come.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Travel Tuesday - Why Are You Afraid of BIG Fish?
There have always been a certain percentage of tournament bass anglers who specialize in the offshore game. Guys like David Fritts made careers out of it while most of their competitors were beating the banks. With the rise of new technologies in recent years, more of them have headed offshore.
For me, however, since 2021 the term “offshore” has taken on a different meaning – I’ll always love Guntersville and Rayburn and the smallmouth of the Great Lakes, but I’ve gained a new appreciation for the ocean and the fish that truly live offshore.
I’d been fishing in Costa Rica in the 90s, but when we went to Casa Vieja Lodge in 2020, and then Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge in 2021 (twice in 2021, to be exact), something more clicked in my brain. These fish were apex predators, big and mean and altogether new to me. I had next to no clue about how to catch them, how they fed, or how they lived. I became obsessed.
Part of it, but not all of it, is just how damn big and how damn strong these fish are. Until you’ve lost to a 100-pound yellowfin tuna on spinning gear, and then conquered the next one, you can’t fully understand it. Until you’ve seen two sailfish zigzagging in the spread, greyhounding your teasers looking to eat, you can’t understand it. Until you’ve had a roosterfish stalk your popper, and felt the hairs on the back of your neck standing up just like his comb, you can’t understand it.
I know that many of our readers are hard core bass anglers. That’s what you live, sleep and breathe. That’s cool. It was my first love and resides in my DNA, too. But I strongly suggest that if you think you are a capital-A-Angler that you at least taste a trip into the ocean. This is the stuff that inspired Melville and Hemingway and countless others, and it’s not out of your reach.
After our first trip to Panama, I told Hanna that I’d sell my bass boat if I could pop for tuna 30 days a year. Fortunately, it didn’t come to that, but we’ve taken a whole bunch of serious, accomplished bass anglers down there since then, and every one has had those same wide-eyed moments. No one’s going to force you to give up your trolling motor, your hollow-bodied frogs, your flipping sticks, or your Roland Martin signature glasses, but time on the big pond will change the way you think about fighting fish, about tackle, and about breaking down water.
So why am I telling you this?
We are headed back to Guatemala in February of 2026. We currently have claimed four of the lodge’s boats and there is one left. If you’d like one of them, act quickly, before they too are gone.
We’re headed back to Panama in May of 2026 with a group of 12, 16 or 20 depending on how the chips fall. Currently we have 12 who are going. Whether you’re a single, a pair, or a larger group, we’d love for you to join us during prime popping time.
Shoot us an email at [email protected] and let’s see what you’re made of!
MillerTech Energy Announced as Presenting Sponsor for Major League Fishing’s REDCREST 2025
BENTON, Ky. (March 11, 2025) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today that MillerTech Energy has been named presenting sponsor of REDCREST 2025, April 3-6, at Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.
As one of professional bass fishing’s most prestigious events, REDCREST allows MillerTech Energy to showcase its cutting-edge products during daily MLFNOW!® livestreams to viewers around the world and in person to thousands of fans from across the country in the event’s Outdoor Sports Expo at the Van Braun Center.
The partnership represents a strategic move for MillerTech. By aligning its innovative lithium battery technology that provides unmatched reliability and performance with the sport’s biggest names, MillerTech is solidifying its position as a leader in the outdoor and marine industries and underscoring its commitment to the outdoor community.
“REDCREST provides an incredible stage to connect with our core audience and demonstrate the superior quality of our products,” said Lester Miller, Founder and Owner of MillerTech Energy. “As a faith-based, American-owned company, we’ve always been passionate about supporting outdoor enthusiasts. Being named the presenting sponsor of REDCREST is an exciting opportunity to elevate our brand and share our story with the fishing world.”
The sponsorship marks MillerTech’s third season as an MLF sponsor, further cementing its status as a cornerstone partner in the fishing community. The company also sponsors the MillerTech Time Clock on the popular MLFNOW!® livestream and supports 14 Bass Pro Tour anglers along with numerous other pros that compete across the country at the sport’s highest levels.
“MillerTech has been an incredible partner, and we’re excited to see their involvement grow as the presenting sponsor of REDCREST 2025,” said Jim Wilburn, MLF President of Sales. “Their dedication to innovation and quality mirrors the spirit of competition we celebrate at REDCREST. Together, we’re creating a premier event that fans, anglers and the entire fishing community won’t soon forget.”
MillerTech’s 10-year warranty and dedication to innovation have earned it a loyal following among outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to its involvement in fishing, MillerTech is a major sponsor of NASCAR Cup Series driver Noah Gragson, further demonstrating its commitment to performance-driven industries.
REDCREST 2025 in Huntsville, Alabama, promises to deliver an unforgettable experience for fishing fans, featuring the top 50 MLF anglers from the 2024 season competing for a $300,000 top prize. Anglers will launch daily from Civitan Park in Guntersville, and the entire event will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble. The free, family-friendly Outdoor Sports Expo will host fishing legends, numerous industry vendors, and interactive activities, making it a must-attend event for all fishing and outdoor enthusiasts.
For more information about Major League Fishing and REDCREST 2025, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For more information about MillerTech and its innovative line of lithium batteries, visit MillerTechEnergy.com.
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.
B.A.S.S. announces Progressive Insurance® as new platinum sponsor
March 11, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S., the worldwide authority on bass fishing, today announces Progressive Insurance’s landmark sponsorship across the Bassmaster platform to be the title sponsor for several high-profile Bassmaster properties, including the prestigious Bassmaster Angler of the Year award, recognizing the most consistent and outstanding angler throughout the season.
Progressive will also serve as the title sponsor of the Bassmaster Elite Series, which will now be known as the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. Fans and competitors alike can expect enhanced event experiences and expanded coverage under this premier sponsorship.
Additionally, Progressive will take center stage as the title sponsor of the Progressive Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Pro-Am driven by Yokohama, bringing together renowned celebrities and top professional anglers for an exciting and entertaining competition that benefits charitable causes.
In a move to elevate fan experiences, Progressive will sponsor the Bassmaster Tailgate Experience at both the Bassmaster Classic and one select Elite Series tournament. These interactive events will feature engaging activities, entertainment and exclusive merchandise, further cementing Progressive’s role in connecting with the passionate Bassmaster audience.
Attendees at the upcoming Bassmaster Classic will also receive a special giveaway: custom Progressive-branded buckets distributed during the event, adding a fun and practical souvenir for fans.
“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Progressive Insurance into the Bassmaster family as our new platinum sponsor,” said Chase Anderson, CEO of B.A.S.S. “Their commitment to innovation, community involvement and enhancing the fan experience aligns perfectly with our mission. This sponsorship will undoubtedly elevate our events and provide lasting value to our anglers, fans and industry partners.”
"As the No. 1 boat insurer in the country, Progressive is excited to continue its collaboration with Bassmaster, an organization that shares our passion for the outdoors and dedication to creating unforgettable experiences for anglers and fans alike,” said Eric Doubler, Progressive Recreational Lines Direct Business Leader. “By expanding our sponsorship commitment, we aim to further engage with and support the incredible community of anglers while bringing new levels of excitement to Bassmaster events.”
The Progressive sponsorship officially begins with the kickoff of the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season and will be prominently featured during the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour taking place March 21-23 in Fort Worth, Texas.
For more information about Bassmaster events and the new Progressive sponsorship, visit Bassmaster.com.
About Progressive Insurance
Progressive Insurance® makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers
Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles and homes; it is the second-largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, boat, and RV insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.
Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price®, Snapshot®, and HomeQuote Explorer®.
The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Rutledge’s Gordon Catches Last-Second Fish to Win Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at South Holston Reservoir
Kingsport’s Blakely Tops Co-Angler Division
BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 10, 2025) – Boater Jeremy Gordon of Rutledge, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on South Holston Reservoir. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Gordon earned $3,255 for his victory.
“It started off decent,” Gordon said. “I caught like 17 1/2 pounds fairly quick. Then we had a little front come in, the clouds kind of rolled in and the wind started blowing out of the north-northeast. The bite got pretty tough after like 9 o’clock.”
The front also forced Gordon to make a strategy change. In practice, he was catching one or two quality largemouth bass each day, and his hope was to land a couple 5-pound-class largemouths as kickers. In the tournament, however, he spent a couple fruitless hours running that program before abandoning ship and shifting back to his smallmouth areas.
Around 2 p.m., he did get a break, catching a 4-pounder. Then the wind died down and the sun started shining, which turned on the bite and led to a wild moment that gave Gordon the win by just 2 ounces.
“They started doing what I needed them to do,” Gordon said. “I caught a couple key fish toward the end. Then I caught a 4 1/2-pounder with literally my last cast. I barely made it in (to check-in). It was crazy. I’ve fished a lot of tournaments – Toyotas, Invitationals, local stuff – and I’ve never won a tournament like that on the last cast.”
Gordon caught all his fish around schools of bait near spawning areas. The smallmouth bass are staging up, and he took advantage of it, using forward-facing sonar and a jighead minnow to get five of the right bites.
“It’s my first BFL win,” he added. “I’ve been close in some Toyotas. I mostly fish the Toyotas but decided to get in the Volunteer Division. To get an early win like this, it’s exciting.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., five bass, 20-5, $3,255
2nd: Bryce McDonald, Paintsville, Ky., five bass, 20-3, $1,628
3rd: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 19-9, $1,584 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th: Greg McDavid, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 19-7, $760
5th: Donavan Carson, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 19-6, $651
6th: Michael Morrison, Stamping Ground, Ky., five bass, 18-12, $722
7th: Jake Cross, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 18-9, $543
8th: Josh Lee, Powell, Tenn., five bass, 18-7, $461
8th: Jason Bridwell, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 18-7, $461
10th: Gavin Daniels, Kingston, Tenn., five bass, 18-3, $780
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Gavin Daniels of Kingston, Tennessee, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $400.
T.J. Blakely of Kingsport, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $1,628 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: T.J. Blakely, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 9-4, $1,628
2nd: Brady Field, Gallatin, Tenn., three bass, 9-0, $1,014
3rd: Daniel Perkins, Honaker, Va., two bass, 8-10, $542
4th: Kirk Miles, Crossville, Tenn., three bass, 8-9, $353
4th: Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., three bass, 8-9, $353
6th: Jake Davis, Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 8-5, $298
7th: David Mundy, Dandridge, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $271
8th: Aaron Webb, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 7-10, $244
9th: Isaac Mueller, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 7-4, $217
10th: Shane Winebarger, Abingdon, Va., three bass, 7-1, $190
Brady Field of Gallatin, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $200, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 7 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Corey Neece of Bristol, Tennessee, now leads the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 498 points, while Konnor Sweet of Abingdon, Virginia, leads the Fishing Clash Volunteer Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 485 points.
The next event for BFL Volunteer Division anglers will be held March 29, at South Holston Reservoir in Bristol, Tennessee. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 24-25 BFL Regional tournament on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Auburndale’s Maxwell Posts First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Toho
Sanford’s Westhelle Tops Co-Angler Division
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 10, 2025) – Boater Christopher Maxwell of Auburndale, Florida, caught a five-bass limit weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Toho. The tournament, hosted by Experience Kissimmee, was the second event of the season for the BFL Gator Division. Maxwell earned $4,541 for his victory.
A Toho local, Maxwell has been on the water a lot lately, including for another tournament last weekend, when he weighed in about 17 pounds.
“I didn’t get a big bite (in that tournament),” he said, “but I just did pretty much the same thing today. I had a little bit of a crowd today. I just fished around them and did the same thing. I got the lucky bites today. That’s all I can say.”
Maxwell spent the tournament fishing in Toho’s southern end. He fished pads and grass, intercepting postspawn fish as they left the beds before transitioning to deeper water. He caught his limit pitching a black and blue Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
“I didn’t catch many fish. I caught seven today,” Maxwell said. “They were just the right ones. I just stuck with what I was doing and moved slow because all the boats were coming around, and I just didn’t let myself get aggravated with it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Christopher Maxwell, Auburndale, Fla., five bass, 23-15, $4,541
2nd: George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 20-11, $2,270
3rd: Connor Macdougall, Cape Coral, Fla., five bass, 20-6, $1,514
4th: Chris Crow, Lake Placid, Fla., five bass, 18-10, $1,560 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
5th: Fred Chivington Jr., San Mateo, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $1,530
5th: Austin Chism, Auburndale, Fla., five bass, 18-9, $870
7th: Dylan Quilatan Windermere, Fla., five bass, 18-5, $757
8th: John Kremer, Orange City, Fla., five bass, 17-9, $681
9th: Cedric Perry, Trenton, Fla., five bass, 16-11, $605
10th: Anthony Cilladi, Oviedo, Fla., five bass, 15-14, $530
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Fred Chivington Jr. of San Mateo, Florida, caught a bass that weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $660.
Chris Westhelle of Sanford, Florida, won the co-angler division and $2,580 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 11 co-anglers finished:
1st: Chris Westhelle, Sanford, Fla., three bass, 13-7, $2,580
2nd: Zachary Bach, Bartow, Fla., three bass, 11-11, $1,127
3rd: Leandro Saratt, Winter Garden, Fla., three bass, 11-1, $751
4th: Brian Yusavage, Tamarac, Fla., three bass, 10-1, $488
4th: Preston Williams, Tallahassee, Fla. three bass, 10-1, $488
6th: Larry Austin, The Villages, Fla., three bass, 9-5, $413
7th: Andrew Wiedmann, Titusville, Fla., three bass, 9-1, $376
8th: Taylor Harris, Haines City, Fla., three bass, 8-13, $338
9th: Robert Linthout, Cape Coral, Fla., three bass, 8-9, $300
10th: Justin Hampton, Orlando, Fl., three bass, 8-6, $250
10th: Kenneth Bivins, Orlando, Fla., three bass, 8-6, $250
Westhelle also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $327, catching a bass that weighed in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After two events, Dylan Quilatan of Windermere, Florida, now leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 493 points, while James Sponaugle of Auburndale, Florida, leads the Fishing Clash Gator Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 473 points.
The next event for BFL Gator Division anglers will be held March 22, at the Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. To register for the event as a boater or a co-angler, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com or call (270)-252-1000.
The top 60 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 17-18 BFL Regional tournament on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top award of $20,000.
The 2025 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 134 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 60 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of 12 BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top three, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2025 BFL All-American will take place May 29-31, 2025, at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and is hosted by hosted by Visit Hot Springs and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Li Time Batteries, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Mystik Lubricants, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
Tecumseh High School Wins MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Open on Grand Lake Presented by Columbia PFG
GROVE, Okla. (March 10, 2025) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Maddox Dickson and Alex Hurst, representing Tecumseh High School, brought four bass to the scale Saturday weighing 8 pounds, 3 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Grand Lake Presented by Columbia PFG in Grove, Oklahoma.
A field of 56 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by the City of Grove. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams that advance to the 2025 High School Fishing National Championship are:
1st: Tecumseh High School, Tecumseh, Okla. – Maddox Dickson and Alex Hurst, four bass, 8-3
2nd: Westmoore High School, Oklahoma City, Okla. – Cale Compton and Adam Reed, three bass, 8-3
3rd: Lee’s Summit High School, Lee’s Summit, Mo. – Nathan Meyer and Hunter Rushton, one bass, 5-13
4th: Westside (Okla.) High School Hawg Hunters Fishing Club – Jeremiah Nichols and Jakob Williams, three bass, 5-7
5th: Southwest Louisiana Legacy Fishing – Jackson and Carter Lanclos, two bass, 4-13
Rounding out the top 10 teams are:
6th: Cherokee County (Oklahoma) Anglers – Carl Robbins and Logan Taulbee, one bass, 4-5
7th: Camdenton High School, Camdenton, Mo. – Caston Embry and Kasen Uthe, two bass, 4-0
8th: Inola High School, Inola, Okla. – Chance Lawrence and Eli Rogers, one bass, 3-14
9th: Broken Arrow, Okla. – Maddox Houtman and Fin Kimura, one bass, 3-7
10th: Camdenton High School, Camdenton, Mo. – Corbin Bailey and Kaden Messina, two bass, 3-1
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before March 29, 2025, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship. Tournaments held after March 29, 2025, advance teams to the 2026 National Championship.
The 2025 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 25-27, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2025 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.
Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota , WIX Filters and YETI.
For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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.
