Cover Boy Brandon Card’s Lake Fork Forecast

There are family photos to prove Vexus® Boats pro Brandon Card has been flipping through the pages of bass fishing magazines since age three, perhaps dreaming of being on the front cover of 500,000 copies of Bassmaster Magazine where he finds himself this month at age 38.

Now a pro for 14 years, the University of Kentucky grad who calls High Rock Lake, NC home has notched two 4th place finishes in recent Elite Series events on Lake Fork, and graciously shared his thoughts about being on the front cover of the magazine he grew up reading, and what fans can expect at this week’s Bassmaster Elite event.

 

Q: When did you first learn Dalton Tumblin’s photo of you landing a smallmouth on Lake Saint Clair would be on the cover of Bassmaster Magazine?

Card: Editor James Hall called me about a month before it printed to make sure my sponsors and jersey were still consistent with those shown in the photo, and at first, I thought it was for the media guide or website. Then he told me it was for the cover of Bassmaster, and I was fairly speechless. I’m just so grateful.

 

Q: You’ve done very well on Fork, notching two Top 5s in recent years. Why does this place suit you so well?

Card: When the fish are mostly done spawning and head away from the shoreline, it kind of fishes like Cherokee and Douglas in East Tennessee where I grew up. Both of those top finishes here recently took place away from the shoreline.

 

Q: Lake Fork is an iconic big bass lake, what’s the biggest bass you have ever caught, and what’s the biggest bass you have ever caught on Lake Fork?

Card: My biggest bass ever was a 9-pound 12-ounce giant on a plastic craw at Kissimmee, FL, but my biggest bass on Fork was 8-pounds 8-ounces on a forward-facing sonar minnow.

 

Q: What’s your forecast for what fishing fans can expect on Fork this week?

Card: The lake is full, but it’s still a fairly small reservoir compared to other places we fish, so guys will still be fishing close to one another, and it’s still going to take over 100 pounds to win.

 

Q: You were one of the very first pros to run a Vexus Boat. Five years later, what do you love most about it?

Card: That’s easy – the super comfortable AirWave® seats that cushion the shock from waves, and the massive amounts of storage.

 

Q: This Sunday is Mother’s Day. You’re super close to your mom and your bride, Kelly. How will you celebrate Mom’s Day as a touring pro away from home?

Card: We’ve agreed that if I’m in contention to win, that Kelly is flying to be here Sunday. That would be incredible! And yes, you’re right, my mom and Kelly are both my greatest fans, not just when I do well, but also to cheer me on and encourage me after the tough tournaments.


2026 Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series Dates and Locations Set

Decatur, Ala. (May 2, 2025) – The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series will enter its thirteenth season next year as the state's premier weekend tournament trail for amateur bass anglers with an 11-event schedule offering more than $750,000 in prizes and awards. The season gets underway February 21, 2026, on Lake Jordan, in Wetumpka, Alabama, and concludes October 16-17, 2026, with the championship on Lake Eufaula, in Eufaula, Alabama.

"In August 2024, the 12th season of the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series sold out in under seven minutes. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on our team to put together a schedule that will excite the anglers and spur them to sign up like they did in 2024, but I think we have done it. We will be returning to Lake Eufaula for the championship for the first time since 2016, which is exciting for anglers in both the North and South divisions. I think this year's schedule offers a number of opportunities to see heavy weights atop the leaderboard," said Kay Donaldson, Director of the Alabama Bass Trail.

Sanctioned by BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society), the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series contains two divisions, North and South, and each division is made up of five tournaments on five different lakes. The maximum number of boats for each tournament is 225. Teams must fish in all five tournaments in their respective division; no single entries will be allowed.

North Division: February 28, 2026 - Lake Guntersville, hosted by Marshall County Sports and Tourism March 28, 2026 - Pickwick Lake, hosted by Florence-Lauderdale Tourism April 18, 2026 - Neely Henry Lake, hosted by City of Gadsden May 09, 2026 - Wheeler Lake, hosted by Decatur Morgan Tourism June 20, 2026 - Weiss Lake, hosted by Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce

South Division: February 21, 2026 - Lake Jordan, hosted by Elmore County Economic Development Authority and the City of Wetumpka March 21, 2026 - Lay Lake, hosted by Discover Shelby April 11, 2026 - Lake Martin, hosted by Tallapoosa County Tourism May 16, 2026 - Logan Martin Lake, hosted by City of Lincoln June 13, 2026 - Alabama River (Cooter's Pond), hosted by City of Prattville

Hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, the championship tournament will be held October 16-17, 2026, on Lake Eufaula.

The no-entry fee championship event will include up to 180 boats. The 180 boats are comprised of the 10 regular season winners, top 75 teams in points from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions, along with the top five student teams, top five college teams and the top five couples teams collectively from both divisions that fished all five events in their respective divisions.

Each regular season tournament features a $15,000 guaranteed first place prize and pays 40 places totaling $64,450.

The no-entry fee championship will feature a $100,250 payout with a first-place prize of $50,000. There is also a $5,000 bonus cash prize for Angler of the Year and $2,500 for runner-up Angler of the Year.

2026 Payout Schedule: First Place - $15,000 Second Place - $7,500 Third Place - $6,000 Fourth Place - $4,000 Fifth Place - $3,000 Sixth Place - $2,000 Seventh Place - $1,300 Eighth Place - $1,300 Ninth Place - $1,300 Tenth Place - $1,300 11th – 15th - $1,000 each 16th – 25th - $750 each 26th – 30th - $600 each 31st – 40th - $500 each Big Fish - $1,000 ABT Gear - $250

2026 Championship Payout: First Place - $50,000 Second Place - $10,000 Third Place - $5,000 Fourth Place - $4,000 Fifth Place - $3,000 Sixth Place - $2,500 Seventh Place - $2,200 Eighth Place - $2,000 Ninth Place - $1,800 Tenth Place - $1,500 11th – 15th - $1,200 each 16th – 25th - $1,100 each Big Fish - $500 daily ABT Gear - $250

In addition, the Alabama Bass Trail will pay a $500 entry fee for the 18 teams who qualify for the B.A.S.S. Team Championship. According to Donaldson, over $750,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded when the Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series wraps up its season in 2026.

The ABT 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.AlabamaBassTrail.org, on Facebook at Alabama Bass Trail Series and on the Alabama Bass Trail TV YouTube channel.

Anglers who fished all five events in their respective divisions in 2025 will be given a priority entry period beginning August 1, 2024, at 5:30 a.m. CST online at www.alabamabasstrail.org. Registration opens for new teams August 15 at 5:30 a.m. CST. The entry fee is $1,600 per team, which includes registration for all five tournaments in the respective division. Each team may choose to pay a $600 non-refundable deposit to hold the team's spot. The balance of $1,000 is due on or before December 19, 2025. All entry fees are subject to a credit card processing fee

Alabama Bass Trail Tournament sponsors include Phoenix Bass BoatsLanders McLarty ChevroletMcGraw–Webb ChevroletAdvantage Trailer RentalsAlabama State ParksJack’sMountain DewFishAlabama.orgAmerica’s First Federal Credit UnionVisit North AlabamaAlabama Tourism DepartmentT-H Marine Supplies, Inc., Power-Pole Total Boat ControlVMCRapalaCrush CityAmerican BaitworksPro-Guide BatteriesBuffalo Rock CompanyGarminLew’sStrike King, and Southern Protection Agency SPA .

WOTM–TV will continue the live-streaming and Angler's Channel will film and produce the Alabama Bass Trail television series to air at a later date.

For more information, call Donaldson at 855-934-7425 or visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.

About Alabama Bass Trail 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.


A Case Study on How to Deal with High Water

By Vance McCullough, AC Insider

Going on a month now without any substantial rainfall at my house in North Florida. Our lakes and ponds have reacted by shirking the onset of summer heat, retreating into their own depths and revealing white sand beaches that beckon us to join them in the yet cool water. Might as well swim with the fish under the sun anyway as they are mostly feeding only beneath the moon now, their shoreline ambush points high and dry.

Such is not the case on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula where anglers participated in the Major League Fishing Toyota Series event this past weekend – well, one day this past weekend. The rains came down and the waters came up and the organization shortened the multi-day tournament to a one-day affair.

Three solid fish were enough to land three different anglers in the Top 10. Fourth place went to a man who only caught two, one of which took big bass honors at five pounds, twelve ounces.

A Texan by the name of River Lee took his first national level win with thirteen pounds, ten ounces, one of only five limits weighed-in among Top 10 finishers.

How he did it is a classic study in managing flood conditions during a tournament. Let’s have a look and learn along with Lee.

History tells us that bass go shallow and cling to hard cover such as wood under these conditions. They may also seek clearer water behind grass lines that filter out sediment. And the upper ends of creeks, oxbows or any place where water runs into the system should be the first places to clear up as the weather stabilizes. Keep this in mind as we read about Lee’s approach.

Spinnerbaits, jigs and plastics that feature a big profile and move a lot of water are all on deck for these tournaments. Lee used those time-tested classics, but he also threw a wacky rig to round out his bait selection.

A slow, thorough pace was important as evidenced by Lee’s frequent use of Power-Poles.

Here’s the story in Lee’s words as shared by our friends at our friends at MLF:

“In practice, before the water came up crazy, I was fishing the old bank line, where the bank grass was, and I was catching them,” said Lee. “We were getting a lot of bites on a wacky. So, going into it, I thought with the water still coming up that I still could do that. It would just have more water on it.

“I picked this area, and I put the trolling motor down in the mouth of it. Well, I just fished everything in front of me – flipped, wacky rig and spinnerbait. If I wasn't flipping, I was doing one of the other two. And my first bite, it came flipping in an isolated bush by a walkway of a dock.”

As Lee eased around his chosen area, he made the decision of the day. Recalling a pond he hadn’t been able to get into a few weeks ago in a BASS Nation event, the Texas pro gave it another go.

“I tried to get in there a few weeks ago, but (the water) wasn't high enough,” said Lee. “So, I was fishing in that creek and got all the way to the back, and I could hear the water running. I pulled up my phone and I looked at my Google Earth, and I was like, ‘I think we can get back there.’ It just looks like a wall of bushes, and the gap that I went through was probably like 4-foot wide – I had to force my boat in there. But once I got through that first wall of bushes, it was a little easier at that point. I guess that helped to kind of disguise it from everybody else.”

Once in the pond, Lee fished around the newest part of Lake Eufaula and didn’t catch anything until he got to a little spillway in the back. There, he plucked his second keeper of the day.

Then, Lee headed back into the regular lake and caught his third fish on a grass line on a wacky rig before returning eventually to his little pond. There, he caught the bass that pushed him over the top.

“I never caught anything in the pond itself; I caught them all where that spillway was running out,” he explained. “It was so shallow, but there was a little hole washed out in there that had just enough water for them to be there. The second time I went in there, I made 15 casts at it before I had a bite – I was fixing to leave it. I made one last cast up there and caught that fourth keeper. And I poled back down, because I had already picked my poles up – I was fixing to leave. I poled back down and made another cast and caught one the next cast. I don't know what happened, what triggered it or anything, but they just bit back-to-back.”

For baits, Lee used a Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug, a Rapala Crush City Pick Stick and a chartreuse and white, double-willow War Eagle spinnerbait.

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.


Athletic Brewing Company Named Official Non-Alcoholic Beer Sponsor of Major League Fishing

BENTON, Ky. (May 6, 2025) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, announced today that Athletic Brewing Company has been named the Official Non-Alcoholic Beer Sponsor throughout the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The multi-year agreement unites two brands committed to the great outdoors.

Athletic Brewing will hold category exclusivity within non-alcoholic beer across multiple MLF-owned properties, including the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) events. As part of the deal, Athletic Brewing will enjoy broad marketing rights, media exposure and event activation.

“We’re thrilled to bring Athletic Brewing into the MLF family,” said Chris Bork, Vice President of Sponsorship & Sales Development for MLF. “Their commitment to quality, community and outdoor adventure aligns perfectly with the MLF lifestyle. From their award-winning brews to their impact-driven mission, Athletic Brewing is a great fit for our anglers and fans alike.”

Athletic’s Two For The Trails environmental grant program and IMPACT initiatives align closely with MLF’s own environmental stewardship, furthering the positive influence of both organizations.

"Athletic Brewing is delighted to become the Official Non-Alcoholic Beer of Major League Fishing, a captivating blend of sport and entertainment where top anglers pursue their passion,” said Athletic Brewing Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Katz. “This community’s passion for adventure on the water deeply resonates with us, and we can’t wait to share our award-winning NA brews with them over the next two seasons.”

Launched commercially in 2018, Athletic pioneered a proprietary method for making non-alcoholic beer, re-engineering nearly every step of the brewing process through hundreds of small-batch trials. This innovative approach has made Athletic the most highly awarded non-alcoholic brewer of the past decade, with over 100 taste awards and NA brews that rival full-strength counterparts.

Athletic’s mission is to positively impact its customers’ lifestyles while greatly impacting their communities and environment for the better. In addition to giving back up to $2 million annually to protect and enhance outdoor spaces, Athletic maintains exceptional levels of water recapture and efficiency at its custom breweries in Connecticut and California, and donates up to $100,000 to meaningful causes each year through its IMPACT Brew Series.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing, its tournaments and sponsors, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at FacebookXInstagram 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.

About Athletic Brewing Company
Athletic Brewing Company is America's largest dedicated non-alcoholic brewer. Athletic is revolutionizing how modern adults drink by crafting game-changing NA brews that can be consumed anytime and anywhere. Launched commercially in 2018, Athletic is the number one non-alcoholic beer brand in America1 and a top 20 U.S. brewing company2. Its award-winning brews are available nationwide at over 75,000 retail locations. Athletic operates custom breweries in Connecticut and California and donates up to $2 million annually to protecting and restoring outdoor spaces across the globe via its Two For The Trails program. Athletic is proudly a Certified B Corporation™. Learn more and shop at www.athleticbrewing.com.

Follow Athletic Brewing on FacebookInstagramLinkedInTikTokX, and YouTube to stay up-to-date on all things Athletic.


Palmer’s Hartwell Hustle: A Solid Finish and Toyota Bonus Bucks

By Walker Smith, Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

The 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series stop at Lake Hartwell delivered a masterclass in adaptability and Luke Palmer, the seasoned pro from Coalgate, Oklahoma, walked away with a third-place finish and a hefty bonus check from Toyota Bonus Bucks. With a game plan rooted in stubborn determination and a knack for reading subtle lake features, Palmer turned Lake Hartwell into a showcase of his skill.

A career built on consistency

Luke Palmer’s rise in professional bass fishing is a story of determination and precision. Since joining the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2018, he’s racked up an impressive resume, including multiple top-10 finishes and a reputation for thriving under pressure. Palmer’s ability to dissect fisheries, from Oklahoma’s muddy reservoirs to clear waters in the Southeast, has made him a perennial threat. At Lake Hartwell, roughly his third time fishing the lake, he leaned on experience and intuition to navigate a fishery that didn’t fully cooperate.

Hartwell’s puzzle and Palmer’s plan

Lake Hartwell, a 56,000-acre impoundment straddling the Georgia-South Carolina line, is a spotted bass haven with a reputation for rewarding versatility. For the 2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite Series, Palmer arrived with a clear strategy.

“I came into Hartwell with a gameplan, and I also decided that I was going to be really hard-headed,” he said.

His focus? Targeting points—lots of them.

“I targeted spotted bass for most of the tournament and I considered largemouth as a welcomed bonus.”

The herring spawn, a springtime staple at Hartwell, didn’t materialize in practice as Palmer hoped.

“The herring spawn didn’t really get going for me like I had hoped,” he admitted.

Instead, he pivoted to a pattern that felt like home.

“So, I fished a lot of points like I do back home in Oklahoma,” Palmer said. “Any point that looked different than the others, I’d fish those multiple times per day.”

This wasn’t a scattershot approach. Palmer’s success hinged on identifying unique features.

“I looked for points that looked unique, if that makes sense,” he explained. “You could look at the points on my mapping and many of them would stand out like sore thumbs. Maybe they had a little different features like a secondary point or a ditch.”

With Hartwell’s endless points, Palmer had plenty of options. He anchored his efforts near the dam, where clearer water and abundant structure harbored the biggest spotted bass.

“I stayed towards the dam the entire time because there was clearer water and lots of points to choose from down there,” he said. “I went north some, but I tended to devote my time towards the deep, clear water. I felt like that’s where the biggest spotted bass were hanging out.”

Palmer’s arsenal included finesse tactics to coax wary spotted bass. His ability to stick with the pattern, even when the bite slowed, paid off. The result? A third-place finish that earned him not only a podium spot but extra cash through Toyota’s Bonus Bucks program, a contingency award for being the highest finishing pro towing his boat with a 2021 or newer Toyota tow vehicle.

The Toyota Tundra: Palmer’s road warrior

Off the water, Palmer’s loyalty to his Toyota Tundra is unwavering. The truck, a constant companion on the grueling Elite Series trail, is more than just a vehicle—it’s a lifeline.

“I had driven diesels all my life and wouldn’t trade the Tundra for any of them,” Palmer said. “There’s more than enough power and the ride is very comfortable. It doesn’t beat you to death and makes 10 to 20-hour drives much more enjoyable.”

Whether towing his boat to Hartwell or heading home to Oklahoma, Toyota’s reliability keeps Palmer focused on fishing, not logistics.

Family first, always

For Palmer, success on the water is only part of the equation. His heart lies with his family—a 7-month-old daughter and a 10-year-old stepdaughter. The Elite Series demands long stretches away from home, a sacrifice that weighs heavily.

“Family is everything to me,” he said. “Being away so much is really tough. You miss a lot of things, and at first, you don’t realize how hard that can be. That’s why when I get even a few days home, I’m here being a husband and father. It’s the most important job in my life.”

Those words resonate with anyone who’s balanced passion with personal life and Palmer’s grounded perspective keeps him relatable despite his Elite status.

Looking ahead to Lake Fork

With Hartwell in the rearview, Palmer’s sights are set on Lake Fork, the next stop on the 2025 Elite Series schedule. The Texas powerhouse is a fishery of extremes, capable of producing massive bags or humbling the best.

“We head to Lake Fork next, and I’ve had good and bad tourneys there,” Palmer said. “It’ll be a good tournament for sure, so I’m anxious to get there and see what’s happening.”

He’s already itching to lean into his strengths.

“There might be some good bank fishing down there. I love flipping bushes—it’s my favorite thing to do. I’m coming around to the minnow fishing, but I’d love to flip bushes and any other shallow cover I can find.”


82-Year-Old McMullin Earns Third Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Shelbyville

Normal’s Wehmeyer Tops Co-Angler Division

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (May 5, 2025) – Boater Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville. The tournament was the second event of the season for the BFL Illini Division. McMullin earned $2,748 for his victory.

Spending 250 days on the water over any course of time would be a heck of an accomplishment for any weekend warrior bass angler. What with work and family and other responsibilities, it’s just not easy to get out there as often as most would like.

Now imagine not only fishing that much, but competing 250 times. That’s what 82-year-old McMullin has accomplished. According to the most up-to-date records, McMullin has competed in 254 tournaments with MLF and its predecessors, dating back to the Operation Bass Red Man Tournament Trail days that preceded the FLW era of the Bass Fishing League. Some Red Man records were lost in an office fire years ago, so the number of tournaments he’s entered is probably actually higher.

Whatever the exact total, McMullin is a diehard grassroots angler. He says he started fishing a lot more tournaments after he wrapped up a 37-year-long career at Chrysler back around 2001. He’s spent his long retirement enjoying competition and getting a few wins, including on Saturday.

“It means a lot to win one at 82 because I didn’t get a check at all last year,” he said. “That’s the first year I’ve ever gone without getting a check. I was about ready to give up. I had one keeper in the first tournament and won this one. It’s been a pretty good year so far.”

And in case you were wondering, McMullin is fully rigged with all the latest fish-finding technology – plus a good sense of humor.

“I’ve got LiveScope on the boat, but I don’t know how to use it,” he said with a chuckle.

As far as the fishing, McMullin claims it was all luck, though anyone who’s fished as long as he has knows there’s always more to winning than chance.

“I’m 82 years old, so I’m surprised I got bit the way I did,” he joked. “I only had one keeper yesterday (Friday in practice). I got there today and just had two small bass – 13-inchers. But as we got toward the back of the cove, the fishing picked up and it got better all the sudden. Then it cut off again after I got those fish. But I was able to catch one right a quittin’ time that gave me a limit.”

McMullin fished several coves in 3 to 5 feet of water. He stayed close to the takeoff area. And he kept his tactics simple, sticking with a confidence bait.

“I caught ’em on a blue (Yamamoto) Senko,” he said, adding that he fished it Texas-rigged with a light weight. “I had two baits tied on. I had a black Senko tied on, and I had a blue one, but I never did throw the black one. I caught all the fish on a blue one.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Bobby McMullin, Pevely, Mo., five bass, 14-3, $2,748
2nd:      Patrick Odell, Windsor, Ill., five bass, 13-15, $1,499
3rd:       Clay Reeves, Kenney, Ill., five bass, 11-2, $916
4th:        Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 10-8, $741
5th:        Doug Borgmann, Ashley, Ill., three bass, 10-1, $855
6th:        Hunter Russell, Salem, Ill., four bass, 10-0, $1,004 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
7th:        Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., five bass, 9-1, $458
8th:        Riley Walk, Neoga, Ill., five bass, 8-10, $412
9th:        Kyle Dowdy, Sunrise Beach, Mo., three bass, 8-8, $366
10th:     Chris Engelage, Mascoutah, Ill., three bass, 8-4, $321

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Doug Borgmann of Ashley, Illinois, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $305.

Aaron Wehmeyer of Normal, Illinois, won the co-angler division and $1,374 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Aaron Wehmeyer, Normal, Ill., three bass, 7-14, $1,374
2nd:      Ken Landreth, Swansea, Ill., three bass, 7-9, $687
3rd:       Ty Zeller, Normal, Ill., three bass, 6-6, $459
4th:        Anthony Tatroe, Braidwood, Ill., three bass, 6-0, $321
5th:        Gavin Thomas, Aviston, Ill., three bass, 5-12, $275
6th:        David Ribbing, New Memphis, Ill., two bass, 5-10, $252
7th:        Brad Thacher, Murray, Ky., three bass, 5-9, $229
8th:        Andrew Boring, El Paso, Ill., two bass, 5-4, $206
9th:        Hayden Swain, Tamaroa, Ill., two bass, 5-2, $183
10th:     Ryan Fancher, Olney, Ill., two bass, 5-1, $160

Dan Brown of Glenarm, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $152, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After two events, Travis Boley of Weldon, Illinois, now leads the Fishing Clash Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 487 points, while Matt Chumbler of Carbondale, Illinois, leads the Fishing Clash Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 482 points.

The next event for BFL Illini Division anglers will be held June 21, at Lake Shelbyville out of Shelbyville, Illinois. 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. 3-4BFL Regional tournament on the Mississippi River in Quad Cities, Illinois. 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 Sport 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


West Point’s Armstrong Gets the Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Columbus Pool

Alabama’s Goodman Tops Co-Angler Division

COLUMBUS, Miss. (May 5, 2025) – Boater Eddie Armstrong of West Point, Mississippi, caught a five-bass limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Columbus Pool. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Mississippi Division. Armstrong earned $3,021 for his victory.

In mid-April, the Bassmaster Open on the Columbus Pool of the Tombigbee system was won on a white swim jig in the grass, while several others in the top 10 also worked a white swim jig or vibrating jig. Armstrong knew about the results of that tournament, and he knew the rest of the field did, too. So he purposely changed it up to avoid the most heavily pressured areas.

“All the locals had jumped on the bandwagon, and I knew everybody that would come pre-fish was going to be doing the same thing,” he said. “And that’s what they did.

“I got to messing around with just some isolated stuff that didn’t look good to everybody else and noticed that the fish had really pulled out of the grass and were a boat length away from the grass. Every fish I weighed in but one came off a junebug lizard, and I caught one off a frog that was actually on an isolated stump with grass on it.”

Armstrong fished his 8-inch lizard on a Texas rig with a 3/16-ounce weight. He tossed it into the edge of the grass – sparse grass; “just a few springs” – and fished it back slowly, bringing it off the edge and letting it drop while staying a long way off. That slow approach and staying back produced better-than-average fish.

“We learned that a long time ago out here,” he said. “This is not something that’s new. A lot of times the fish will back off from the grass (when there’s heavy fishing pressure).”

Another key was staying in shallow water. Armstrong held the boat in 3 to 4 feet of water most of the time and at the deepest was only in about 8 feet. Using this approach, he fished four primary areas. He caught a limit from the first spot then culled four of those bass throughout the day.

“I always fish to win,” Armstrong added. “I felt like I had a good chance after what I saw yesterday and knowing what everybody else was going to do and I wouldn’t have anybody (to share water with). One of the places that I fished had probably 10 boats go down that all went by fast throwing a swim jig because there wasn’t hardly any grass there. They were just really going from spot to spot, and we (he and his co-angler) actually caught four keepers off that spot.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Eddie Armstrong, West Point, Miss., five bass, 14-12, $3,021
2nd:      Hunter Briles, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 14-3, $1,511
3rd:       Luke Glasgow, Guin, Ala., five bass, 12-5, $1, 507 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Kyle Shaw, Millport, Ala., five bass, 11-13, $705
5th:        David Dove, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 11 - 09 $604
6th:        John Anderson, Bay Springs, Miss., five bass, 11 - 07 $654
7th:        Kyle Glasgow, Guin, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $478
7th:        Kevin Nicely, Ethelsville, Ala., five bass, 10-15, $478
9th:        Gene Brown, West Point, Miss., four bass, 10-14, $403
10th:     Jeffery Davis, Steens, Miss., five bass, 10-7, $352

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Tommy Robinson of Florence, Alabama, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $345.

Jonathan Goodman of Ethelsville, Alabama, won the co-angler division and $1,511 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 11 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Jonathan Goodman, Ethelsville, Ala., three bass, 8-4, $1,511
2nd:      Andy Lockhart, Amory, Miss., three bass, 7-9, $755
3rd:       Gary Stripling, Kennedy, Ala., three bass, 7-1, $504
4th:        Travis Culbreth, Pearl, Miss., three bass, 6-7, $352
5th:        Richard Baker, Jackson, Tenn., three bass, 6-5, $302
6th:        Chance Starnes, Louisville, Miss., three bass, 5-14, $277
7th:        Takaaki Kojima, Temecula, Calif., three bass, 5-12, $252
8th:        Allen Swedenburg, Columbus, Miss., two bass, 5-9, $227
9th:        Lance Jackson, Starkville, Miss., three bass, 5-8, $201
10th:     Brandon Mast, Mathiston, Miss., three bass, 5-2, $167
10th:     Jeffery Reece, Guys, Tenn., two bass, 5-2, $167

Craig Perrigin of Gordo, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $172, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Luke Glasgow of Guin, Alabama, now leads the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 714 points, while Steve Hammack of Caledonia, Mississippi, leads the Fishing Clash Mississippi Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 694 points.

The next event for BFL Mississippi Division anglers will be held June 7, at Ross Barnett Reservoir out of Ridgeland, Mississippi. 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 Kentucky-Barkley Lakes out of Paris, 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 Sport 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Reform’s Davidson Earns Second Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Demopolis

Laurel’s Chastain Tops Co-Angler Division

DEMOPOLIS, Ala. (May 5, 2025) – Boater Hunter Davidson of Reform, Alabama, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Demopolis. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bama Division. Davidson earned $3,347 for his victory.

Winning just about any bass tournament usually requires reacting to changing conditions. Sometimes those changes are subtle. Then, there are changes like Davidson and the rest of the field encountered on Demopolis.

“The water came up 4 feet last night,” he said. “It was in the trees. The fish I found yesterday (Friday) were gone. So I started in there, and I had like four small fish. I decided to leave pretty quick after I saw how high the water was. I went into another hole that was pretty hard to get in, and I ended up catching all my weight in there off of grass on a swim jig.”

Davidson used a shallow ditch to access the tucked-away area. Because the bass were locked in on the morning shad spawn, bailing on his first area early was a key decision, leaving Davidson enough time to capitalize on the shad spawn bite in what turned out to be his winning area. Davidson caught his fish on C&B Custom Jigs swim jigs in white and black/blue.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Hunter Davidson, Reform, Ala., five bass, 13-3, $3,347
2nd:      David Wesson, Southside, Ala., five bass, 12-4, $1,623
3rd:       Donald Griffith, Robertsdale, Ala., five bass, 11-14, $1,582 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        Zeke Gossett, Pell City, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $758
5th:        Tim Fox, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 11-4, $649
6th:        Joshua Cameron, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 11-2, $985
7th:        Timothy Travis, Tuscaloosa, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $541
8th:        Tim Ferguson, Pelham, Ala., five bass, 10-5, $487
9th:        Stihl Smith, Alexander, Ala., five bass, 10-2, $433
10th:     Chad Hall, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 9-13, $379

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Joshua Cameron of Meridian, Mississippi, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $390.

Larry Chastain of Laurel, Mississippi, won the co-angler division and $1,623 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 7 pounds.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Larry Chastain, Laurel, Miss., three bass, 7-0, $1,623
2nd:      Tom Nelson, Tuscaloosa, Ala., three bass, 6-8, $812
3rd:       Cody Clowdus, Lincoln, Ala., three bass, 6-1, $705
3rd:       Curtis Hillman, Eufaula, Ala., three bass, 6-1, $460
5th:        Gunter Williams, Linden, Ala., three bass, 5-12, $325
6th:        Ken Grice, Gallion, Ala., three bass, 5-8, $298
7th:        Jeff Turner, Morris, Ill., three bass, 5-1, $271
8th:        Brad Mahan, Clanton, Ala., three bass, 5-0, $230
8th:        Barry Jones, Verbena, Ala., three bass, 5-0, $230
10th:     Phillip Easterling, Clanton, Ala., three bass, 4-14, $189

Cody Clowdus of Lincoln, Alabama, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $195, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 6 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Joe Minor of Clanton, Alabama, now leads the Fishing Clash Bama Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 725 points, while Larry Chastain of Laurel, Mississippi, leads the Fishing Clash Bama Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 722 points.

The next event for BFL Bama Division anglers will be held June 7, at Neely Henry Lake out of Gadsden, Alabama. 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 Logan Martin Lake in Lincoln, 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 Sport 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Georgia’s Sellers Cranks His Way to Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Eufaula

Phenix City’s Graziano Tops Co-Angler Division

EUFAULA, Ala. (May 5, 2025) – Boater Kyle Sellers of Lumpkin, Georgia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Eufaula. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Bulldog Division. Sellers earned $4,097 for his victory.

It was a sweet win for Sellers. Not only because getting your first BFL win is a huge deal. It was sweet because he caught his fish doing his favorite thing: ledge fishing with Strike King 6XD and 8XD crankbaits.

“I love it. It’s my favorite thing to do,” he said. “Just put it in drive and sit back and idle and listen to music and find as many schools as you can. You idle across a school and look and go, ‘This is about to be fun.’”

Some mechanical troubles during practice hampered Sellers’ efforts to idle the entire lake and mark schools of postspawn bass. And the best school he marked down the lake vanished before the tournament. The situation forced him to limit his target area in the event.

“Without being able to practice on Friday and with those fish being gone, I just decided to stay up the lake,” Sellers said. “I just ran from school to school where I knew they were and checked some spots where they get. I fished basically from Lakepoint to White Oak. I mixed in a little brush here and there but only caught small fish. I only had 14 pounds at 1 o’clock, and I pulled up on a school and fired my crankbait in there and lost one about 5 1/2 pounds. The very next cast I fired back in there and caught a 6-8. Very next cast I caught a 6-pounder. It’s just one of those things. It was a lot of fun.”

Those two kickers essentially carried the day for Sellers because he sat on that school the rest of the day and never got another bite. In addition to the crankbaits, he mixed in a jighead minnow and caught one fish on a football jig, but the crankbaits were definitely the main players.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Kyle Sellers, Lumpkin, Ga., five bass, 22-1, $4,097
2nd:      John Lee, Cataula, Ga., five bass, 21-6, $1,816
3rd:       Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 20-5, $1,710 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
4th:        John Pearson, Perry, Ga., five bass, 20-1, $847
5th:        Carson Maddux, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 18-14, $726
6th:        Shane Powell, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 17-14, $666
7th:        Chandler Ray, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 17-3, $705
8th:        Todd Classon, Camilla, Ga., five bass, 17-0, $545
9th:        Jim Murray Jr., Parrott, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $484
10th:     John Duvall, Madison, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $424

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Sellers caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $465.

Steve Graziano of Phenix City, Alabama, won the co-angler division and $1,816 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Steve Graziano, Phenix City, Ala., three bass, 12-7, $1,816
2nd:      Jacob Chandler, Covington, Ga., three bass, 11-3, $1,140
3rd:       Shawn Malcom, Monroe, Ga., three bass, 9-0, $606
4th:        Brayden Tisdale, Opp, Ala., three bass, 8-0, $424
5th:        John Patterson, Milledgeville, Ga., three bass, 7-14, $363
6th:        Jeffrey Webb, Watkinsville, Ga., three bass, 7-13, $383
7th:        Justin Merritt, Adairsville, Ga., three bass, 7-11, $303
8th:        Adam Johnson, Duluth, Ga., three bass, 7-8, $272
9th:        Benjie Winkler, Cleveland, Ga., three bass, 7-4, $242
10th:     Jeff Cook, Columbus, Ga., three bass, 7-0, $212

Jacob Chandler of Covington, Georgia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $232, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Michael Wilder of Lizella, Georgia, now leads the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 718 points, while Daniel Arnberg of Auburn, Alabama, leads the Fishing Clash Bulldog Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 706 points.

The next event for BFL Bulldog Division anglers will be held June 14, at Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, 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 Sport 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Virginia’s Trent Earns Sixth Career Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Kerr Lake

Wilkesboro’s Cannon Tops Co-Angler Division

HENDERSON, N.C. (May 5, 2025) – Boater Tyler Trent of Nathalie, Virginia, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Kerr Lake . The tournament, hosted by Vance County Tourism Development Authority, was the fourth event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Trent earned $8,205, including the lucrative $5,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

Tournament morning started out on a pretty sour note for Trent, when a mechanical issue left him unable to use the big motor just 10 minutes after takeoff. It could’ve been an insurmountable hurdle, but Trent didn’t let it stand in the way of getting his sixth career BFL win and his second this season. Trent also won the March 8 Piedmont Division event on Kerr Lake.

“Luckily, I didn’t make it too far, so I could fish on the trolling motor and still make it back to weigh-in on time,” he said. “That’s basically how my day went. I just fished everything that was in front of me.”

Trent used a shaky head and a jig. While there was no pattern, he found plenty of rocky areas and laydowns to target en route to an impressive showing given the circumstances.

“I probably caught 30-some keepers,” Trent said. “I mean, it’s basically my home lake, so I know every end of it.

“It feels great, honestly,” he added. “This is my sixth BFL now I’ve won, but the other five, I was pretty much on ’em and knew it was going to happen. This one, when I broke down I thought I had no chance, and it just turned out to be one of those days you hear about.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Tyler Trent, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 17-8, $8,205 (includes $5,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:       Ryan Harrell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 17-5, $1,603
3rd:       Lucas Murphy, West Columbia, S.C., five bass, 16-2, $1,168
4th:        Winston Husband, Gilbert, S.C., five bass, 15-0, $748
5th:        Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-12, $1,026
6th:        A.J. Lester, Huddleston, Va., five bass, 14-10, $838
7th:        John Wiese, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $534
8th:        Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 13-1, $481
9th:        Austin Wike, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 13-0, $427
10th:     Wesley Cashwell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 12-15, $374

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $385.

Steve Cannon of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $2,003 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 12 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Steve Cannon, Wilkesboro, N.C., three bass, 8-12, $2,003
2nd:      Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 8-9, $801
3rd:       Bobby Henderson, Charlotte, N.C., three bass, 8-7, $533
4th:        Cameron Deese, Kershaw, S.C., three bass, 7-14, $374
5th:        Wayne Smelser, Wytheville, Va., three bass, 7-12, $321
6th:        Sean Tobatto, Greensboro, N.C., three bass, 7-10, $294
7th:        Jason Hinger, Timberlake, N.C., three bass, 7-9, $317
8th:        Robert Green, Sedalia, N.C., three bass, 7-4, $240
9th:        Jay Huffstickler, Stanley, N.C., three bass, 7-2, $214
10th:     Trevor Lewis, Wake Forest, N.C., three bass, 6-14, $187

Braxton Spurlin of Ellenboro, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $192, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After four events, Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, now leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 969 points, while Travis Ruff of Connelly Springs, North Carolina, leads the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 977 points.

The next event for BFL North Carolina Division anglers will be held Sept. 13-14, at Lake Norman in Huntersville, 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 Sport 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Last-minute heroics lift Rigsbee and Clark to victory at Buggs Island

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. — Ayden Rigsbee has been humbled by Buggs Island Reservoir more times than he can count, but he and Triangle Bass Club partner Nolan Clark exacted revenge on Rigsbee’s home lake by winning the Strike King Bassmaster High School Series at Buggs Island title with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces.

“Winning this tournament feels awesome. This place can be really rough at times and treat you terribly,” Rigsbee, a freshman, said. “It feels good to finally pull something off on your home lake.”

Triangle Bass Club anglers Kieran Stephenson and Grady Stanley and McDowell High School’s Jackson Dowdle and Mason Brewer tied for second place with 16-12. Oldham County High School’s Olevir Johnson and Rhett Shirrell finished fourth with 15-8 and Lucas Crutchfield from Mecklenburg County Youth Bassmasters finished fifth with 15-4.

This was the first Bassmaster event Clark and Rigsbee had ever fished together. With the win, they punched their ticket to the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship at Clarks Hill this July.

“I never in a million years thought I would win one of these,” Clark, a sophomore from the Jordan Lake region of North Carolina, said. “We tried our best and everything just worked out.”

Rain and storms greeted the field of 145 boats Sunday morning, but the teams were able to battle the elements to land 75 limits and over 1,020 pounds of bass for the day.

Rigsbee and Clark fished in Nutbush Creek on the lake’s southeast side. When the bridge they started on only produced one keeper bass, the duo pivoted to thick stumps and tree roots in the back of the creek that postspawn largemouth were holding on. Rock and riprap also came into play.

Falling water and the early morning storms, Rigsbee said, positioned the bass on cover off of the bank.

“We found them really shallow in practice, but we thought the thunder and lightning might have pushed them off some,” he explained. “The water dropped overnight, and the low water pulled them out even further.”

Rigsbee and Clark kept their front graphs off all day long and used several shallow techniques to claim the title. A buzzbait produced several quality bites when the rain was falling while a jig was better in just overcast conditions.

“I throw a buzzbait everywhere I go,” Clark said. “As soon as the rain picked up, I knew I needed to pick up the buzzbait, and every single time I caught one. When it wasn’t raining, I would flip a jig into the outside trees, and they would suck it in and hold onto it.”

To start the morning, the duo fished the bridge for over an hour without a bite. That’s when Rigsbee and Clark moved to the very back of Nutbush and began working their way back out.

“We knew something had to change if we wanted to win this,” Rigsbee said. “We made a couple of adjustments and started playing the wind a little more. The bites kept getting bigger and bigger.”

With around 13 pounds in the livewell late in the afternoon, the duo moved back out to the bridge and landed a quality keeper on a weightless fluke and then their biggest bass of the day, a 5-pounder, on a Pirate Baits balsa crankbait with just a few minutes left in their fishing day.

“It was the last cast we made. I threw it to the bridge corner, cranked it three times and felt like I got stuck,” Clark explained. “I held it there for a second, and my line went the other way. It was complete chaos for about two minutes. We weren’t sure if we were going to win, but we knew we had a chance then.”

Stephenson and Stanley landed the Big Bass of the Day, a 6-2 largemouth that anchored their second-place bag.

Mecklenburg County, Virginia hosted the tournament.

2025 Bassmaster High School Series Title Sponsor: Strike King

2025 Bassmaster High School Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, 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, Yokohama

2025 Bassmaster High School Series Youth Sponsors: Seaguar, Shimano

 

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2025 Bassmaster High School Series at Buggs Island 5/4-5/4
Buggs Island Reservoir, Mecklenburg  VA.
Standings Day 1

Team                                       Club/School                       Pts

1.  Nolan Clark - Ayden Rigsbee                  Triangle Bass Club                    0
Day 1: 5   16-13   Total:   5  16-13
2.  Kieran Stephenson - Grady Stanley            Triangle Bass Club                    0
Day 1: 5   16-12   Total:   5  16-12
2.  Jackson Dowdle - Mason Brewer                Mcdowell High School Bass Fishin      0
Day 1: 5   16-12   Total:   5  16-12
4.  Olevir Johnson - Rhett Shirrell              Oldham Co High School Bass Team       0
Day 1: 5   15-08   Total:   5  15-08
5.  Lucas Crutchfield - Bradley Solomon          Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste      0
Day 1: 5   15-04   Total:   5  15-04
6.  Troy Watson - Shockley Hiatt                 Mayberry High School Anglers          0
Day 1: 5   15-01   Total:   5  15-01
7.  Conner Wharton - Nicholas Farmer             Lake Anna Elite Anglers               0
Day 1: 5   14-12   Total:   5  14-12
8.  Logan Eudy - Brody Clontz                    Stanly County Jr Bassmasters - N      0
Day 1: 5   13-10   Total:   5  13-10
9.  Elliott Clay - Xavier Keogh                  Riley's Catch                         0
Day 1: 5   12-11   Total:   5  12-11
10. Jacob Spencer - Tripp Thompson               Patrick County High School            0
Day 1: 5   12-05   Total:   5  12-05
11. Tanner Sims -                                Tunstall Trojans Bass Team            0
Day 1: 5   12-03   Total:   5  12-03
11. Jacob Greenwood - Cain Dowling               Trhs Devildog Anglers  Travelers      0
Day 1: 5   12-03   Total:   5  12-03
13. Trey Richardson III - Reid Luckett           Free State Bass                       0
Day 1: 5   12-00   Total:   5  12-00
14. Mason Carr - Robert Duvall                   Lake Anna Elite Anglers Junior        0
Day 1: 5   11-15   Total:   5  11-15
14. Griffin Sheets - John Hicks                  Sml Junior Anglers                    0
Day 1: 5   11-15   Total:   5  11-15
16. Jonah Shockley - Hunter Heath                Patrick County High School            0
Day 1: 5   11-13   Total:   5  11-13
16. Carter Elliott - Tucker Robertson            Meigs County High School Fishing      0
Day 1: 5   11-13   Total:   5  11-13
16. Chayd Freeze - Fisher Stamm                  Roco Anglers                          0
Day 1: 5   11-13   Total:   5  11-13
19. Faith Burks - Allie Reagan                   Clay County Anglers                   0
Day 1: 5   11-12   Total:   5  11-12
19. Lucas Gatewood - Mason Tarlton               Anson Anglers                         0
Day 1: 5   11-12   Total:   5  11-12
21. Logan Parker - Hudson Howell                 Cherokee Bass Team                    0
Day 1: 5   11-11   Total:   5  11-11
22. Elijah Ambrose - Jarren Crowder              Hs Potomac River Bassmasters          0
Day 1: 5   11-10   Total:   5  11-10
23. Joah Coley - Morgan Coley                    Focused Fishing                       0
Day 1: 5   11-06   Total:   5  11-06
23. Brody Musser - Gavin Lytton                  Swva Bassin                           0
Day 1: 5   11-06   Total:   5  11-06
25. Brody Teller - Will Anderson                 Sumner County Bass Team               0
Day 1: 5   11-04   Total:   5  11-04
26. Isaac Kowalski - Miller Nixon                Goochland County Bass Team            0
Day 1: 5   11-03   Total:   5  11-03
26. Carter Pjesky - JD McBroom                   Off The Hook High School Bassmas      0
Day 1: 5   11-03   Total:   5  11-03
28. Camdon Fauver - Cade Bailey                  Frederick County Hs Bass Wrangle      0
Day 1: 5   11-02   Total:   5  11-02
28. Berkley Wright - Ross Reese                  Brunswick Academy Junior Team         0
Day 1: 5   11-02   Total:   5  11-02
30. Trent VanDam - Wyatt Carr                    Reeths-Puffer High School             0
Day 1: 5   11-00   Total:   5  11-00
31. Parker Jones -                               Sc Lower State Hs Bass Club           0
Day 1: 4   10-14   Total:   4  10-14
32. Conner Harris - Hunter Harris                Riley's Catch                         0
Day 1: 5   10-13   Total:   5  10-13
33. Collier Alderman - Dawson Lytton             Swva Bassin                           0
Day 1: 5   10-11   Total:   5  10-11
33. Eli Rakes - James Millner                    Foothills Youth Anglers               0
Day 1: 5   10-11   Total:   5  10-11
35. Logan Brown - Caleb Southerly                Lake Anna Elite Anglers               0
Day 1: 5   10-10   Total:   5  10-10
36. Bryant Washburn - Wyatt Reynolds             Foothills Jr. Anglers                 0
Day 1: 4   10-10   Total:   4  10-10
37. Andrew Carr - Charles Duvall                 Lake Anna Elite Anglers Junior        0
Day 1: 5   10-09   Total:   5  10-09
38. Levi Stanley - Colt Hackney                  Triangle Bass Club                    0
Day 1: 5   10-08   Total:   5  10-08
39. Tanner Mason - Kaden Randles                 DAR High School - AL                  0
Day 1: 5   10-07   Total:   5  10-07
39. Asher Sigmon - Cole Turner                   Bassett High School                   0
Day 1: 5   10-07   Total:   5  10-07
41. Landon Vaughn - Will Taylor                  Pendleton High School Fishing Te      0
Day 1: 5   10-04   Total:   5  10-04
42. Max Himmel -                                 Catholic High School Fishing          0
Day 1: 5   10-03   Total:   5  10-03
43. Taylor Bogard - Christian Childress          Wilkes County Bandits                 0
Day 1: 4   10-03   Total:   4  10-03
44. Aydin Knapp - Justin Humphrey                Southern Outcasts                     0
Day 1: 5   10-01   Total:   5  10-01
45. Thomas Newman - Cayden Ryman                 Frederick County Hs Bass Wrangle      0
Day 1: 5   10-00   Total:   5  10-00
46. Peyton McAndrew - Cutler Wooten              Sml Anglers                           0
Day 1: 5   09-14   Total:   5  09-14
47. Connor Strachan - Connor Fleming             Bryant High School                    0
Day 1: 5   09-13   Total:   5  09-13
48. Jesse Lancaster - Fisher Lancaster           Triangle Bass Club                    0
Day 1: 5   09-12   Total:   5  09-12
49. Jacob Barker - Henry Price                   Skyhawks Fishing Club                 0
Day 1: 5   09-11   Total:   5  09-11
50. Gage Jones - Eli Walker                      Buggs Island Elite Anglers            0
Day 1: 5   09-10   Total:   5  09-10
50. Zachary Stall -                              Lakes Community High School           0
Day 1: 5   09-10   Total:   5  09-10
52. Gavin Frost - Nathan Haga                    Radford Youth                         0
Day 1: 5   09-08   Total:   5  09-08
52. Trevor Lynch - Dakota Elder                  Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste      0
Day 1: 5   09-08   Total:   5  09-08
52. Ethan Rose - Grant Arnold                    Jefferson County Patriot Anglers      0
Day 1: 5   09-08   Total:   5  09-08
55. Jacob Hicks - Colton Hall                    Sml Anglers                           0
Day 1: 5   09-07   Total:   5  09-07
55. Parker Wicker - Gavin Williams               Roco Anglers                          0
Day 1: 5   09-07   Total:   5  09-07
57. Parker Bilbrey - Tyler Thompson              Monterey Anglers                      0
Day 1: 5   09-07   Total:   5  09-07
58. Dylan Harlow - Marilyn Gibson                Greensville County Anglers            0
Day 1: 5   09-06   Total:   5  09-06
59. Tate Bowen - Brycen Bowen                    Buggs Island Elite Anglers            0
Day 1: 5   09-05   Total:   5  09-05
60. Grayson Fitch - Daniel Lindsey               Southern Outcasts                     0
Day 1: 5   09-05   Total:   5  09-05
61. Chase Kirk - Jaxon Yaussy                    Lake Anna Elite Anglers               0
Day 1: 5   09-04   Total:   5  09-04
62. Tyler Nelson - Saw Reynolds                  Bandys Fishing Team Juniors           0
Day 1: 5   09-03   Total:   5  09-03
63. Carson Holbert -                             Eagleton Fishing Team                 0
Day 1: 5   09-02   Total:   5  09-02
64. Quinn Barbee - Andrew Miller                 Southeastern Bass Anglers             0
Day 1: 5   09-00   Total:   5  09-00
65. Cole Powell - Grayson Thomas                                                       0
Day 1: 5   08-15   Total:   5  08-15
66. Jackson Moore - Jacquelyn Moore              Greensville County Anglers            0
Day 1: 5   08-15   Total:   5  08-15
67. Caleb Johnson - Chase Murphy                 Lake Anna Elite Anglers               0
Day 1: 4   08-15   Total:   4  08-15
68. Logan Brown - Jake Bryant                                                          0
Day 1: 5   08-14   Total:   5  08-14
69. Colin Turner - Robert Knouse                 Bassett High School                   0
Day 1: 4   08-13   Total:   4  08-13
70. Caleb Godson - Asher Ready                   North Augusta High School Fishin      0
Day 1: 5   08-12   Total:   5  08-12
70. Caleb Moore - Dean Austin                    Off The Hook IL Bassmasters           0
Day 1: 5   08-12   Total:   5  08-12
72. Jon Gavin Dellinger - Carter Ross            Cleveland County Bass Anglers         0
Day 1: 5   08-10   Total:   5  08-10
72. Jakob Fullerton - Kaden Tomblin              Southern Garrett Bass Slayer          0
Day 1: 5   08-10   Total:   5  08-10
74. Jacob Burkhead -                             Benton Panther Fishing Team           0
Day 1: 4   08-10   Total:   4  08-10
75. Camm Bennett - Justin Massey                 Freedom Ffa Bass Club                 0
Day 1: 5   08-09   Total:   5  08-09
76. Austin Hayes V - Traydun Freeze              Roco Anglers                          0
Day 1: 5   08-07   Total:   5  08-07
77. Devin Yates - Adrian Yates                   Southern Outcasts                     0
Day 1: 5   08-06   Total:   5  08-06
78. Evan Bush - Cason Thomas                     Lowndes High School Lip Rippers       0
Day 1: 5   08-05   Total:   5  08-05
78. Cayden Mines - Liam Garvey                   Swva Bassin                           0
Day 1: 5   08-05   Total:   5  08-05
78. Rhylen Watkins - Jace Childers               Bandys High School                    0
Day 1: 5   08-05   Total:   5  08-05
81. Landen Daniel - Hunter Watson                Madison Anglers                       0
Day 1: 5   08-01   Total:   5  08-01
82. Jaxson Beard - Anderson Mesplay              Pendleton High School Fishing Te      0
Day 1: 4   07-15   Total:   4  07-15
83. Tanner Moulton -                             Upper Valley Weekend Warriors         0
Day 1: 4   07-07   Total:   4  07-07
84. Dylan Terrell -                              Port City Bass Masters                0
Day 1: 4   07-05   Total:   4  07-05
85. Caleb Upton - Matthew Briggs                 Buggs Island Elite Anglers            0
Day 1: 4   06-15   Total:   4  06-15
86. Nathan Holderness -                          Gilbert Bass Anglers                  0
Day 1: 4   06-14   Total:   4  06-14
87. Tyler Shore - Nathan Harris                  Davie High War Eagle Bass Fishin      0
Day 1: 4   06-14   Total:   4  06-14
88. Noah Mazzarisi - Tanner Bailey               Oregon Panthers                       0
Day 1: 3   06-02   Total:   3  06-02
89. Jack Sharpe -                                Sumner County Bass Team - TN          0
Day 1: 3   05-15   Total:   3  05-15
90. Evan Havens - Asher Perry                    Patrick County High School            0
Day 1: 4   05-14   Total:   4  05-14
91. Luke Pappas - Jerry Hodge                    Hs Potomac River Bassmasters          0
Day 1: 4   05-13   Total:   4  05-13
92. Slate Baker - Jackson Cary                   Buckingham Bassmasters                0
Day 1: 3   05-12   Total:   3  05-12
93. Eli Ellege - Aidan Ellege                    Warrior Hs Bass Anglers               0
Day 1: 3   05-06   Total:   3  05-06
94. Matthew Carey - Noah Hollar                  Roco Anglers                          0
Day 1: 3   05-05   Total:   3  05-05
94. Barrett Moore - Braydon Shriver              Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste      0
Day 1: 3   05-05   Total:   3  05-05
96. Thomas Hance - Braddock Morris               Fluvanna County High School           0
Day 1: 3   05-03   Total:   3  05-03
97. Aidan Cohan - Alex Roots                     Port City Junior Bass Masters         0
Day 1: 3   04-13   Total:   3  04-13
98. Will Heath - Chace Handy                     Patrick County High School            0
Day 1: 2   04-10   Total:   2  04-10
99. Fred Neville Jr Jr - Sawyer Fitch            Southern Outcasts                     0
Day 1: 3   04-08   Total:   3  04-08
100. Kohen Dulaney - Carter Lamb                  Mcdowell High School Bass Fishin      0
Day 1: 2   04-02   Total:   2  04-02
101. Parker Smith - Jake Arnold                   Powhatan Bass Masters                 0
Day 1: 1   03-15   Total:   1  03-15
102. Bryson Clarke - Stephen Nunnelley            Skyhawks Fishing Club                 0
Day 1: 2   03-11   Total:   2  03-11
102. Mason Shifflett - Gavin Griffin              Powhatan Bass Masters                 0
Day 1: 2   03-11   Total:   2  03-11
104. Clay Smith - Christian Smith                 Freedom Ffa Bass Club                 0
Day 1: 2   03-06   Total:   2  03-06
104. Dalton Whittington - William Payne           Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste      0
Day 1: 2   03-06   Total:   2  03-06
106. Reece Seamans - Colton Wilbourne             Mecklenburg Co Junior Bassmaster      0
Day 1: 2   03-03   Total:   2  03-03
107. RJ Moffett JR - Camden Perkinson             Powhatan Bass Masters                 0
Day 1: 2   03-01   Total:   2  03-01
107. Porter Morrison - Harrison Kirkpatrick       Catholic High School Fishing          0
Day 1: 2   03-01   Total:   2  03-01
107. Josiah Smith - Isaac Borum                   Warrior Bass Anglers                  0
Day 1: 2   03-01   Total:   2  03-01
110. Garrett Smith - Parker Daniels               Powhatan Bass Masters                 0
Day 1: 1   03-01   Total:   1  03-01
111. Laythan Vick - Bruce Dear III                Southern Outcasts                     0
Day 1: 2   02-15   Total:   2  02-15
112. Jake Boersma - Holden Prichard               Covenant Bass Fishing                 0
Day 1: 2   02-10   Total:   2  02-10
113. Kade Williams - Jazmyne Reynolds             Patrick County High School            0
Day 1: 1   02-06   Total:   1  02-06
114. Blake Woodley - Wyatt Rose                   Powhatan Bass Masters                 0
Day 1: 1   01-09   Total:   1  01-09
115. Cole Goodman - Cole Loudin                   Lake Anna Elite Anglers               0
Day 1: 1   00-11   Total:   1  00-11
116. Eli Cooke - Andrew Yarboro                   Cleveland County Bass Anglers         0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Dannon Garber - Colton Wiles                 Mecklenburg High School Anglers       0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Daniel Lowhorn -                             Mt Juliet Fishing Team                0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Wyatt Lucy - Jacob Ermel                     Brunswick Academy Vikings             0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Alvin Martin - Aiden Barringer               Roco Anglers                          0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Gavon Mcclure - Joseph Sherman               Frederick County Hs Bass Wrangle      0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Nathan Mccoy -                               Roco Anglers                          0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Colton Milam - Ryder Milam                   Buggs Island Elite Anglers            0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Ethan Ogburn - Tyler Jarratt                 Greensville County Anglers            0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Tyson Owen - Hayden Marchant                 Fluvanna County High School           0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Landon Poole - Griffin Scearce               Buggs Island Elite Anglers            0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Bryson Shook - Gavin Queen                   Bandys High School                    0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Alex Thigpen - Owen Thigpen                  Riley's Catch                         0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Samantha Thurman - Jackson Shivley           Foothills Youth Anglers               0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
116. Jackson Wagner - Bryce Cubbage               Powhatan Bass Masters                 0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Kieran Stephenson        Fuquay Varina, NC   06-02          $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        75       487      1020-06
----------------------------------
75       487      1020-06


Jake Lawrence Earns First MLF Bass Pro Tour Win at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4

Tennessee rookie catches 27 bass totaling 83-2 on Nickajack Lake in final day Championship Round to earn top prize of $150,000

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 4, 2025) – Thirty hours of competition across four days at the Major League Fishing (MLF) O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries boiled down to the final 20 seconds. Separated on SCORETRACKER® by just 6 ounces, Jake Lawrence and Jacob Wheeler both set the hook.

Wheeler and Lawrence had long since distanced themselves from the rest of the field during Sunday’s Championship Round on Nickajack Lake. The latter half of the day morphed into a one-on-one prize fight: Wheeler, the winningest Bass Pro Tour angler of all time, who caught all smallmouth in the current beneath Chickamauga Dam, versus Lawrence, a rookie who caught all largemouth roughly 40 miles down the lake. Lawrence had led most of the day, but with 6 minutes left, Wheeler finally passed him. Still, both anglers felt like if they could just muster one more scorable bass, they’d secure the trophy and $150,000 top prize that comes with it.

With 45 seconds left before lines out, Lawrence made a bomb cast with his Buckeye Buzzerk buzzbait . About halfway back to the boat – 21 seconds left to be exact – a massive mouth engulfed it. Nine seconds later, Lawrence swung the bass over the gunnel and hung it on the BUBBA scale: a 5-pound, 9-ounce buzzer-beater, easily enough to put him back in the lead. At virtually that exact moment, Wheeler hooked up with another smallmouth, but he couldn’t get it in the boat before time expired. It might not have been enough to overcome Lawrence’s late lunker anyway.

With a total of 83-2 on 27 scorable bass, Lawrence had won his first Bass Pro Tour title in what might have been the most dramatic finish in the seven-year history of the tour. More than an hour later, he still couldn’t come up with a way to describe the ending other than divine intervention.

“The only thing I can say is, man, He wanted me to do it,” Lawrence said. “Wheeler jumped me there by a couple ounces, and I said out loud, ‘Lord, if you want me to do this, you’re going to make it happen.’ I had 45 seconds left, and I had just gotten my buzzer back to the boat, and I said, alright, you can throw right, which is where I had been catching them, or you can throw somewhere totally new. And I chose to throw somewhere totally new, and it was the deal. Unbelievable.”

The tournament may not have been decided until Lawrence’s literal last cast, but his win was a week in the making. Stage 4 offered the Bass Pro Tour field a unique challenge, with the two-day Qualifying Round taking place on Lake Chickamauga, then the Knockout and Championship Rounds relocating to neighboring Nickajack Lake, one reservoir down on the Tennessee River chain.

Like many in the field, Lawrence chose to spend most of the three-day practice period on Chickamauga. The Paris, Tennessee, native didn’t make it to Nickajack until Wednesday afternoon, when he got his first clue about how to attack the mysterious fishery, which had never hosted a tour-level MLF/FLW event: He caught a few bass that looked to be feeding on spawning bluegill.

“I was very fortunate in the 4 hours that I had the last day of practice that I saw several cruising shallow,” Lawrence said. “I actually caught a 2-pounder that was real close to a bluegill bed. I assumed that she was relating to it, kind of hanging around that area. And that’s really what I ran with.”

Just to make it back to Nickajack, Lawrence needed to finish among the Top 20 anglers on Chickamauga. After a lackluster Day 1, he sat in 21st. But on the second day, he showed off the offshore ledge fishing skills he’s honed during a lifetime fishing Kentucky Lake, blasting 91-11 to rocket all the way to second place.

That stellar Day 2 performance actually briefly put Lawrence in the top spot on SCORETRACKER®, but Justin Lucas edged him with a couple late catches to win the Qualifying Round. That might have turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. While Lucas skipped Saturday’s Knockout Round and advanced straight to the Championship Round, Lawrence got an extra day of competition on Nickajack. He stacked up 40 pounds by the midpoint of the second period and used the latter half of the day to practice. He later said he “100%” would not have won without that extra time on the water.

Lawrence wound up keying in on Mullins Creek in the mid-lake area. While the rest of the lake got dirty following the thunderstorms that hit the area earlier in the week, the water in the spring-fed creek stayed clean.

“It seemed like everybody on the lower end really struggled, and I have to imagine it’s because of the water quality,” Lawrence said. “The clarity just got really, really bad down there. This lake is generally really clear, so it’s kind of a shock the first couple days that happens. However, my little area back there stayed clean because of that spring-fed creek in the back of it.”

The final piece of the Nickajack puzzle was figuring out how to trigger the bass relating to bluegill beds and other bare spots amid the carpet of eelgrass in Nickajack. Lawrence primarily leaned on a Yamamoto D Shad and a Yamamoto Senko during the Knockout Round. However, even though it doesn’t necessarily have a reputation as a tournament winner, he always keeps a buzzbait handy when trying to cover water up shallow this time of year, and it quickly became apparent on Sunday that’s what the big ones wanted.

“I actually caught a couple non-scorables on it (during the Knockout Round), and I had like a 5- or 6-pounder in that area that came off,” Lawrence said of the buzzbait. “It was just enough to kind of keep me interested, keep me going with it. And in such vast areas like this – and when I say vast, it wasn’t like the area was humongous, but there was no change. And so, I’m not super confident in slowing way down and dragging when there’s just nothing to really key on. So, that was a really big deal for me to cover a bunch of water.”

Lawrence got on the board Sunday morning with a couple scorables on the D Shad. Around 9:30 a.m., he caught consecutive fish on the buzzbait, including a 4-4, which gave him the confidence to keep it in his hands. Thirty-five minutes later, he threw it over a hole in the grass at the base of a tapering point, and the water exploded.

Lawrence wrangled a giant into his Phoenix. At 8 pounds, 3 ounces, it easily earned Berkley Big Bass honors for the day, clearing the next-biggest bass caught over two days at Nickajack by more than 2 pounds. Perhaps more important, it clued him into the spot that would provide almost all his shallow fish for the rest of the day – a series of sandy patches around that point.

“It was just light enough that I could see the hole up there in probably 10 to 14 inches of water,” Lawrence said. “My first cast up there was that 8-pounder. And it just kind of materialized from there.

“When I came back to it 30 minutes into that third period, oh my goodness, it was unbelievable. It was like every third cast. Had a father and son that was bluegill fishing right on the end of it, and their bobber was going down, and (bass) were blowing up on my buzzbait. It was just mayhem there for about 20 minutes.”

Lawrence followed up the 8-pounder with consecutive 2-pounders in the final 10 minutes of Period 1, which gave him the lead at the intermission. When competition resumed, he made the decision to swap his casting rod for spinning gear and move to deeper water. Using his one allotted period with forward-facing sonar during Period 2, he targeted bass that were suspending around submerged timber in a nearby creek channel. Lawrence racked up 33-3 on 11 scorable bass during the period, pushing his lead to more than 7 pounds.

That Lawrence, one of the best on tour with the technology, put together the best forward-facing sonar period of the day didn’t come as a shock. But part of what will make this win so memorable is the fact that he combined his forward-facing prowess with offshore ledge skills and shallow power fishing to get it done. Lawrence prides himself on his versatility and willingness to change course on a dime.

“That’s really how I fish,” he said. “I mean, I don’t generally like to do four or five different things, but I really try to stay very open-minded and keep my options open.”

That diverse skill set has powered Lawrence to one of the best starts to a pro career in bass fishing history. Since Lawrence, who will turn 34 this month, decided last year to try his hand at tournament fishing full time, he’s been as good as anyone, amassing an astounding eight Top 10s and two wins in 11 career tour-level events to the tune of $430,000 in earnings.

Every time he moves a rung up the tournament ladder, Lawrence just keeps winning. He now has at least one victory at every level of MLF competition – Phoenix Bass Fishing League, Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and Bass Pro Tour – in the past three years alone. Across all those levels, he has an insane seven wins and 19 Top-10 finishes in 25 events since the start of 2023. Oh, by the way, he also won the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award in the Toyota Series Plains Division last year and finished second in the Invitationals points race. He moved up to fourth in the current BPT standings.

With the lock box back on his transducers for Period 3, Lawrence returned to his shallow honey hole. It didn’t take him long to reignite the buzzbait bite. Within the first 45 minutes of the final frame, he’d added another four fish for 11-7. With less than 2 hours left to fish, he led by more than 15 pounds.

But Lawrence never doubted that Wheeler would figure it out, and the world’s No. 1-ranked angler lived up to his reputation. While Lawrence hit a lull, Wheeler – the only competitor who was able to make the smallmouth bite below Chickamauga Dam last on Sunday – ignited a flurry that added 10-10 to his total in the span of 10 minutes.

Especially after he fell one bite short of the win at Stage 3 on Lake Murray, it felt inevitable that Wheeler wouldn’t be denied again. Multiple times during the final hour, he pulled within one scorable bass of Lawrence’s lead.

“I knew that I had to keep catching them,” Lawrence said. “I knew that (Wheeler) was going to. Just the feeling of ‘oh my gosh, I think I may win this,’ to ‘oh no, now I’m going to let it slip.’”

Finally, with 6 minutes left before lines out, Wheeler got over the hump. He boated a 3-12 that put him 6 ounces clear of Lawrence – which meant Lawrence would have to catch at least a 2-pounder to retake the lead.

Lawrence pleaded for another largemouth to eat his buzzbait. For a few casts in the final minutes, he actually put down the bait before deciding to live or die with the tool that had already produced 12 of his scorable bass.

However, he did decide to stop casting to the spot that had produced most of his buzzbait fish, instead throwing to the other side of the point.

On his first cast that way, the bass struck so violently, Lawrence initially thought it had missed his bait. He set the hook, flipped it into the boat, grabbed its lower lip and unleashed a guttural scream of celebration.

“She hit it with such force coming at me that it threw a bunch of slack in my line, and I honestly though she missed it,” he said. “I started to go wind it in fast to make another cast, and when I started winding it down, she was there. I was like, ‘oh my goodness. There is no way this is happening.’”

Every angler likes to end an outing with a fish. Growing up fishing alongside my dad and brother, we’d always ask for some “last cast magic” as everyone threw one final time.

Of course, the last cast usually doesn’t turn out to be the last cast – until you catch one. But with the Bass Pro Tour’s live scoreboard, Lawrence almost certainly didn’t have time to make another cast and fight a fish before lines out.

That 5-9 – the second biggest bass of the day not only for Lawrence but the entire Championship Round field – delivered the ultimate last-cast magic.

“That’s God’s work right there,” Lawrence said in the seconds after his win became official. “That’s the way to end one.”

The top 10 pros at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries on Nickajack Lake finished:

1st:          Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 27 bass, 83-2, $150,000
2nd:        Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 27 bass, 77-15, $45,000
3rd:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 17 bass, 48-14, $35,000
4th:         Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 42-7, $30,000
5th:         Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-14, $25,000
6th:         Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 12 bass, 37-4, $23,000
7th:         Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 12 bass, 29-9, $22,000
8th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 11 bass, 25-9, $21,000
9th:         Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., seven bass, 21-12, $20,500
10th:       Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., six bass, 15-8, $20,000

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Lawrence won the Berkley Big Bass Award on Sunday with his giant 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth that he caught in the first period. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries was hosted by Visit Chattanooga and Fish Tennessee and showcased 66 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing for a purse of $650,000, including a top payout of $150,000 and valuable Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

Television coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Oct. 18. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

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

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


Wheeler Paces Field in Knockout Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 3, 2025) – Seeing Jacob Wheeler’s name atop SCORETRACKER® for virtually all of Saturday’s Knockout Round at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries probably didn’t surprise anyone. Wheeler, an eight-time winner on the Bass Pro Tour , lives in nearby Harrison, Tennessee, and he entered the event as a clear favorite.

But Wheeler himself didn’t expect such a strong showing after the field relocated from Lake Chickamauga for the first of two days on the smaller, more mysterious Nickajack Lake.

Fishing in the current beneath the Chickamauga Dam, Wheeler posted the first scorable bass of the day – a 2-pound, 11-ounce smallmouth – 4 minutes after lines in. From there, he led nearly wire-to-wire. He stacked up 10 smallmouth totaling 32-6 in the first hour and 35 minutes (which would have been enough to finish above the elimination line). Despite spending most of the final two periods scouting new water, he cruised to a 63-5 total on 20 bass, finishing 9-3 clear of Wesley Strader.

“It was an unbelievable day of fishing today,” Wheeler said. “I felt like I could have caught another 40 pounds if I wanted to.”

Wheeler and the rest of the top nine finishers will be joined by Qualifying Round winner Justin Lucas on Nickajack for Sunday’s Championship Round. Weights will zero overnight, then the angler who can rack up the most weight will take home the $150,000 top prize.

Wheeler devoted about a third of the three-day practice period prior to Stage 4 on Nickajack, which was enough to convince him to focus on the riverine upper section of the reservoir. However, Saturday’s conditions, with overcast skies, bouts of rain and a strong current flowing from the dam, were quite a bit different than anything he saw in practice.

Turns out, that activated the smallmouth. Zipping between a handful of spots in a small zone, Wheeler got bites in bunches. The coolest flurry came when he caught a 4-7 and a 6-2 (the Berkley Big Bass of the day) back-to-back on a walking topwater.

“It was the most unbelievable bite I’ve had in a long time,” Wheeler said. “I threw it out there, and those suckers came up blowing up. I threw a (Rapala) Jowler out there, and twitch, twitch, and 4- and 5-pound smallmouth were blowing my topwater out of the water, and a freakin’ 6-pounder comes up and eats it. It was unbelievable.”

Wheeler built a lead of more than 12 pounds during the opening period, which allowed him to spend the rest of the day sampling more spots in preparation for the Championship Round. Wheeler said that “every hour, things seemed to be changing a little bit,” and with more current in the forecast for tomorrow, he expects the complexion of the fishery to shift once again.

“It was very important (to start fast),” Wheeler said. “I was able to understand a little bit more than I did, and I was able to sort of go, ‘okay, this is not going to work,’ or ‘this might develop tomorrow.’ I have some things that I didn’t have in the boat today that I know I’m going to have to add to my arsenal for tomorrow.”

As dominant as Wheeler looked during the Knockout Round, he’s not clearing out space for another trophy just yet. Predicting it’ll take around 50 pounds to claim the trophy, he described himself as “uneasy” about what the additional current, which could mean dirtier water, will do to his fish. While he thinks he’ll stay on the upper end of the lake, he’s not necessarily all-in on the smallmouth-dominated approach he employed Saturday.

“In the river section, the more current you have, it’s not necessarily the best,” he explained. “When there’s a decent amount of current, the fish will set up on offshore places, and you can catch them. But when you get a lot of current and a lot of mud, they leave that stuff. So, you’ve got to do a little bit more power fishing on the bank. And I think that will be a little bit more difficult. Like, the places I caught them today, I might be able to catch them on a couple places, but it won’t be like it was today.”

Wheeler admitted the proximity of Stage 4 to his adopted home made for more pressure than he typically feels entering a Bass Pro Tour event. He’s one day away from living up to the hype – and from adding a win on Nickajack to a résumé that already includes top-level victories on both of its neighbors, Chickamauga and Guntersville.

“By no means is Nickajack a home lake to me,” Wheeler said. “I’ve spent probably 10 days of my entire life down on that place. But I know the region, I know the Tennessee River. I’ve won on Chickamauga, I’ve won on Guntersville and had some really good finishes all throughout the Tennessee River. So, to me, they’re all sort of similar. It’s fun to go compete, but I do feel a little more pressure to try to represent the local community and do a good job at this event just because it is so close to home.”

Drew Gill has been at the cutting edge of the sport since his career went national in 2023, thanks in large part to his mastery of forward-facing sonar. He combined that skill with some savvy strategy on Saturday to pull off an unprecedented game plan in the Bass Pro Tour’s every-fish-counts format.

For nearly the first 4 hours of competition, Gill didn’t pick up a rod. Instead, the 22-year-old phenom spent all that time idling and graphing, locating fish he could target during his lone period with forward-facing sonar.

He played it to perfection. Gill didn’t catch his first scorable bass until shortly after 11:30 a.m., and that was the only fish he put on SCORETRACKER® until the start of the third period. He entered the final frame in 15th place, nearly 13 pounds back of the elimination line. By lines out, he had climbed all the way to fourth with 40-4 on 14 bass.

“It was a really aggressive decision to choose to not fish in the tournament, to actively practice in the tournament,” Gill said. “It’s one of those decisions that you can either look like a hero or look like an idiot. And today, we ended up on the hero side of things, and that was really cool.”

In Gill’s words, he made the “unique decision because of a unique set of circumstances.” He only spent about 3 hours of official practice on Nickajack, so he knew he needed to learn more about the fishery in order to make his eighth Championship Round in 11 career BPT events. He figured most of the field had also spent the bulk of practice on Chickamauga, so the weights wouldn’t get away from him too quickly (as long as the elimination line pace stayed below 15 pounds per period, he thought he could get there). The time of year added the final ingredient, as Gill said he’s targeting fish that aren’t moving much during the course of the day.

“I taught myself on Chick, I can catch enough weight when I have Scope to overcome any amount of not catching them when I don’t,” Gill said. “And this time of year, when you’re fishing for isolated, single fish, if you find one on SideScan, that one is already caught. Whether you reel him in right then or not, that one is already caught. So, I had the opportunity to sit down and catch a bunch without catching them for 4 hours, and then once I had them all found, I just went and essentially scooped them all up the last period.”

The good news for Gill is that, while idling, he found two other areas that set up like the one where he did all his damage during the third period. So, he won’t have to try and pull off a similar comeback during the Championship Round.

“I think I’ve already got my fish for tomorrow found today,” he said. “That was kind of the side part of my strategy; I was like, if it’s going to be good enough that I can catch what I need in 2 1/2 hours, it’s also going to be good enough that I can find stuff that I won’t use.”

Even though he doesn’t plan to do it again on Championship Sunday, don’t be surprised if Gill pulls this trick out from time to time going forward as long as the BPT limits competitors to one period per day with forward-facing sonar.

“This was a decision I’m really glad I made, and I can promise you, although this was the first time I’ve made this decision and I don’t think it’s one that will happen often, it won’t be the last time,” Gill said. “This has given me the confidence I need to potentially be willing to make this gamble again sometime.”

The top nine pros from the Knockout Round that now advance to Championship Sunday on Nickajack Lake are:

1st:          Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 20 bass, 63-5
2nd:        Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 19 bass, 54-2
3rd:         Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 18 bass, 45-6
4th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 14 bass, 40-4
5th:         Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 39-11
6th:         Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 13 bass, 36-14
7th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 12 bass, 36-7
8th:         Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 14 bass, 35-13
9th:         Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 12 bass, 31-9
*QR Winner: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.

Eliminated from competition are:

11th:      Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 11 bass, 27-8, $15,900
12th:      Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 25-11, $15,800
13th:      Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 11 bass, 25-7, $15,700
14th:      Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., seven bass, 23-7, $15,600
15th:      Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., seven bass, 18-5, $15,500
16th:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., seven bass, 16-1, $15,400
17th:      Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, six bass, 13-15, $15,300
18th:      Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., four bass, 8-14, $15,200
19th:      Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., two bass, 6-2, $15,100
20th:      Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., two bass, 4-2, $15,000

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Wheeler won Saturday’s Berkley Big Bass Award with the 6-pound, 2-ounce smallmouth that he caught in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The full field of anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday on Lake Chickamauga. After the two-day Qualifying Round was complete, leader Justin Lucas advanced directly to Sunday’s Championship Round on Nickajack Lake. The anglers that finished 2nd through 20th competed in Saturday’s Knockout Round on Nickajack Lake. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the top nine finishers now join Lucas in Sunday’s Championship Round. In the Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $150,000.

On Championship Sunday, the final 10 anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. ET from the Tennessee Riverpark, located at 4301 Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga. The takeout Sunday will be held at the same location, beginning at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at  MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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

On Sunday, May 4, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Ross’s Landing at 201 Riverfront Parkway for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW!  big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel. The event also includes a meet and greet with Paw Patrol's Skye and Marshall, a youth fishing derby presented by Hardee’s and a casting contest. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries is hosted by Visit Chattanooga and Fish Tennessee and features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

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

Television coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Oct. 18. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

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


Major League Fishing Cancels Saturday Watch Party, Events and Championship Trophy Ceremony to Resume Sunday

WHAT:
Due to the forecast for Saturday afternoon, Major League Fishing (MLF) has cancelled the Watch Party originally scheduled for Saturday, May 3, from 3-6 p.m. The Watch Party and Trophy Ceremony will take place as planned on Sunday, May 4, from 3-6 p.m. at Ross’ Landing. Fans are invited to attend and celebrate with the professional anglers from the Bass Pro Tour on Sunday as MLF crowns the champion of O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries.

WHEN:
Saturday, May 3
(canceled)

Sunday, May 4
3 p.m. – MLF Bass Pro Tour Fan Experience & Watch Party
4 p.m. – Live Music
5 p.m. – Top 10 Interviews & Trophy Ceremony

WHERE:
Ross’ Landing
201 Riverfront Parkway
Chattanooga, Tennessee

NOTES:
The FREE, family-friendly event will be fun for fishing fans of all ages, with opportunities to watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, participate in casting contests, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros.

The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel Sunday and the first 100 attendees will receive free food from Hardees. The event also includes a meet and greet with Paw Patrol’s Skye and Marshall and a youth fishing derby, presented by Hardees. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

Hosted by Visit Chattanooga and Fish Tennessee, the four-day tournament features 66 of the world’s top professional anglers competing for a $150,000 top prize, crucial points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) race and coveted qualification spots for the Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026.

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 FacebookXInstagram 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.


Justin Lucas Tops Qualifying Round at MLF Bass Pro Tour O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 2, 2025) – Justin Lucas’ Day 1 lead at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries got a few early challenges, but for just about all of the first two periods Friday on Lake Chickamauga, the Alabama pro retained the top spot on SCORETRACKER®. When he added a 4-pound, 12-ounce largemouth to his total late in Period 2 to extend his lead to 19 pounds, the Qualifying Round win and automatic berth to the Championship Round that comes with it looked to be safely in his grasp.

Less than an hour of competition time later, Lucas found himself trailing Jake Lawrence. The Tennessee native had rocketed from 21st place at the start of the day – an even 33 pounds behind Lucas – all the way to the top of the leaderboard. He wound up stacking up 91-11 on 28 scorable bass, easily the best day of any angler during the event.

However, while Lawrence’s bite went dry late, Lucas stayed steady. He added seven scorable bass during the final frame to bring his Day 2 tally to 62-13, which pushed his total an even 127 pounds and edged Lawrence by 4-2 in one of the most dramatic Qualifying Rounds in recent memory.

Claiming the top spot will allow Lucas to sit out while the rest of the Top 20 heads one reservoir down the Tennessee River to Nickajack Lake for Saturday’s Knockout Round. He will join the top nine finishers there on Sunday for the Championship Round, where $150,000 will be on the line.

Lucas stacked up most of his Day 1 weight by targeting schools of postspawn bass offshore. So, he figured his ability to win the Qualifying Round would depend on those fish regrouping overnight.

When he arrived at his most productive spot Friday morning, however, he caught just one non-scorable bass. So, he turned to Plan B, another offshore ledge where he’d plucked a few fish the day prior. He wound up recording an even better start, catching 11 bass for 37-1 during the opening period.

In addition to his spot switch, Lucas’ key adjustment was swapping from a Neko rig and deep-diving crankbait, his main tools on Day 1, for a jighead minnow, as the fish weren’t relating as closely to the bottom.

“I just think it was conditions,” he said. “It was calm, no wind. The fish were up in the water column chasing bait, and so anything on the bottom, they weren’t real interested. There’s no current, and when there’s no current, the fish are suspended. And that was the deal.”

After utilizing his forward-facing sonar in Period 1, Lucas went shallow in search of bass on beds, as he’d done a day prior. Once again, he found the fish less willing to cooperate – he only caught one bass during Period 2, the aforementioned 4-12. With Lawrence closing hard, he decided to return to his best offshore spots even though he wouldn’t have forward-facing sonar at his disposal.

The action wasn’t as fast and furious as it had been in the morning, but Lucas added six fish for 18-11, including a 5-1 that put him back in the lead. He then capped the afternoon with one last savvy decision, running back to the shallows and catching a 2-5 on a Berkley Bullet Pop in the final 10 minutes before lines out.

While it turned out Lucas didn’t need that last fish to win the round, it represented his favorite catch of the day. He designed the Bullet Pop, and while doing so, he used an early prototype to finish 11th at a BASS Open on Chickamauga in 2017.

“I first caught fish on that bait as a 3-D printed bait here in 2017, and I caught some really nice fish on it around laydowns just like I caught that one this evening,” Lucas said. “So, it was just kind of icing on the cake.”

Initially unsure about the strategy of skipping a day on Nickajack, Lucas couldn’t pass up an automatic Top 10, which will be his 15th in Bass Pro Tour competition. He spent a day scouting Nickajack more than a month ago, before it went off-limits, but never ventured there during official practice this week. His plan for the Championship Round is to “try and figure it out on the fly.”

After his Qualifying Round performance, he can at least take confidence from his decision making.

“It’s just a totally different lake, totally different body of water,” Lucas said. “So, I have no idea what to expect down there.”

Even though his Day 1 total of 31-3 had him just 5 ounces outside the elimination line, Lawrence emerged from Thursday frustrated. The former guide on Kentucky Lake and Pickwick should have been in his element targeting bass on offshore ledges, but he said a lack of current killed his bite.

“Yesterday was so frustrating – it was the only time on the TVA chain that I believe I have ever seen the current generation at 0,” Lawrence said. “Like 0 – not 2,000 (cubic feet per second), not 4,000. For a couple hours yesterday, it was at absolute 0. And that really just messed me up. A lot of schools broke apart, disappeared. The ones that were there wouldn’t act right.”

With a bit more current rolling through his prime stretches Friday, Lawrence showed why he’s earned a reputation as one of the best on the Tennessee River system. Rotating between about 10 different offshore schools, he racked up 30-10 in Period 1, then 30-14 in Period 2. He blistered 28-1 in the first 45 minutes of Period 3 to take the lead before a school of white bass moved in and hurt his bite.

“We made it count today,” he said. “We had just enough current to kind of keep those fish together and get them competitive. So, I had a blast.”

Lawrence turned his forward-facing sonar on during Period 3, but he never used it to target individual fish, just to better line up his casts. He did most of his damage on either a Bill Lewis MR-12 crankbait or a soft swimbait.

“The way that the wind blew was kind of opposite of where I wanted to set up, so I was really throwing over the back of the boat, over the Mercury, for the majority of the day,” Lawrence said.

While Lawrence fell short of winning the round, his huge day continued a banner rookie season on the Bass Pro Tour. Including REDCREST on Lake Guntersville last month, where he finished fifth, he’s logged three Top 10s in his first four events of 2025. He’ll have a chance to make it five-for-six this weekend.

The top 20 pros that now advance to competition on Nickajack Lake are:

1st:          Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 44 bass, 127-0
2nd:        Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 41 bass, 122-14
3rd:        Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 33 bass, 88-11
4th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 31 bass, 87-1
5th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 28 bass, 85-1
6th:         Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 30 bass, 84-8
7th:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 26 bass, 80-6
8th:         Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 25 bass, 77-15
9th:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 28 bass, 75-8
10th:      Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 27 bass, 74-8
11th:      Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 25 bass, 73-15
12th:      Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 27 bass, 70-0
13th:      Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 26 bass, 68-12
14th:      Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 22 bass, 68-8
15th:      Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 22 bass, 65-12
16th:      Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga., 22 bass, 62-5
17th:      Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 19 bass, 61-11
18th:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 23 bass, 61-0
19th:      Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 23 bass, 60-8
20th:      Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 20 bass, 59-10

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Nelson earned the Day 2 Berkley Big Bass Award Friday with a 8-pound, 8-ounce largemouth that he caught in Period 3. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The full field of anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Lake Chickamauga Thursday and Friday. With the two-day Qualifying Round now complete, Lucas advances directly to Sunday’s Championship Round on Nickajack Lake. The anglers that finished 2nd through 20th advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on Nickajack Lake. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the top nine anglers will join Lucas in Sunday’s Championship Round. In the Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $150,000.

On Saturday and Sunday, anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. ET from the Tennessee Riverpark, located at 4301 Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga. The takeout Saturday and Sunday will be held at the same location, beginning at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at  MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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

On Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Ross’s Landing at 201 Riverfront Parkway for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW!  big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel each day. The event also includes a meet and greet with Paw Patrol's Skye and Marshall, a youth fishing derby presented by Hardee’s and a casting contest. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries is hosted by Visit Chattanooga and Fish Tennessee and features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

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

Television coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Oct. 18. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, 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 , XInstagram 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.


Texan River Lee Wins Weather-Shortened MLF Toyota Series Event at Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Okla. (May 2, 2025) – Drenching overnight rains sent the lake up even more than it already was, which turned the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southwestern Division event on Lake Eufaula into a one-day tournament. Earning the win, pro River Lee of Diboll, Texas, weighed 13-10 on five fish on Day 1 and edged Wesley Baxley by an ounce. For his win, Lee earned $29,024 and locked in qualification to the Toyota Series Championship this fall on Grand Lake.

In the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race, Dakota Ebare held on to the top spot to earn an extra $5,000. The well-traveled pro managed two fish for 6-5 on Day 1, which put him in 16th and moved him 10 points ahead of runner-up Brody Campbell . Finishing third was Baxley, who put together three Top-25 finishes in an excellent season.

On Day 1 and only, Lee set out with a bit of a plan in mind, and as additional proof of his sound strategy, practice partner Cody Ross also finished in the Top 10. However, the unplanned part of the day turned out to be the key to his win.

“In practice, before the water came up crazy, I was fishing the old bank line, where the bank grass was, and I was catching them,” said Lee. “We were getting a lot of bites on a wacky. So, going into it, I thought with the water still coming up that I still could do that. It would just have more water on it.

“I picked this area, and I put the trolling motor down in the mouth of it. Well, I just fished everything in front of me – flipped, wacky rig and spinnerbait. If I wasn't flipping, I was doing one of the other two. And my first bite, it came flipping in an isolated bush by a walkway of a dock.”

As Lee eased around his chosen area, he made the decision of the day. Recalling a pond he hadn’t been able to get into a few weeks ago in a BASS Nation event, the Texas pro gave it another go.

“I tried to get in there a few weeks ago, but (the water) wasn't high enough,” said Lee. “So, I was fishing in that creek and got all the way to the back, and I could hear the water running. I pulled up my phone and I looked at my Google Earth, and I was like, ‘I think we can get back there.’ It just looks like a wall of bushes, and the gap that I went through was probably like 4-foot wide – I had to force my boat in there. But once I got through that first wall of bushes, it was a little easier at that point. I guess that helped to kind of disguise it from everybody else.”

Once in the pond, Lee fished around the newest part of Lake Eufaula and didn’t catch anything until he got to a little spillway in the back. There, he plucked his second keeper of the day.

Then, Lee headed back into the regular lake and caught his third fish on a grass line on a wacky rig before returning eventually to his little pond. There, he caught the bass that pushed him over the top.

“I never caught anything in the pond itself; I caught them all where that spillway was running out,” he explained. “It was so shallow, but there was a little hole washed out in there that had just enough water for them to be there. The second time I went in there, I made 15 casts at it before I had a bite – I was fixing to leave it. I made one last cast up there and caught that fourth keeper. And I poled back down, because I had already picked my poles up – I was fixing to leave. I poled back down and made another cast and caught one the next cast. I don't know what happened, what triggered it or anything, but they just bit back-to-back.”

For baits, Lee used a Rapala CrushCity Bronco Bug, a Rapala CrushCity Pick Stick and a chartreuse and white, double-willow War Eagle spinnerbait.

The win is Lee’s first at a national level, though he’s been very successful in Texas, especially recently.

“I mean, it's definitely not how I dreamed of winning my first big one,” he said. “But then again, I've also just got to be super thankful that I caught what I caught and just to be in that position, with how it went. So, I'm trying not to let it bother me that it turned into a one-day shootout, and I got the win that way. But I'm super thankful – I did not see it coming at all.”

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula finished:

1st:        River Lee, Diboll, Texas, five bass, 13-10, $29,024
2nd:       Wesley Baxley, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 13-9, $12,247 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd:       Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., five bass, 12-10, $8,957
4th:        Aaron Johnson, Shreveport, La., two bass, 10-11, $7,756
5th:        Matt Reed, Madisonville, Texas, five bass, 9-15, $6,530
6th:        Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., five bass, 9-10, $5,805
7th:        Corey Calvert, Coldspring, Texas, four bass, 9-4, $5,079
8th:        Paul Browning, Monahans, Texas, three bass, 8-4, $4,354
9th:        Seth Kelm, Canyon Lake, Texas, three bass, 7-4, $3,628
10th:     Cody Ross, Livingston, Texas, three bass, 7-2, $2,902

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Johnson earned the $500 Berkley Big Bass Award on Thursday with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces.

Clayton Coppin of Muskogee, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division at Lake Eufaula with a total of two bass weighing 10 pounds, 1 ounce. Coppin earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula finished:

1st:        Clayton Coppin, Muskogee, Okla., two bass, 10-1, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:       Ben Burk, Norman, Okla., three bass, 9-1, $3,721
3rd:       Michael Zachry, Fairfield, Texas, two bass, 8-1, $2,977
4th:        Stephen Vogel, Muenster, Texas, three bass, 6-15, $2,605
5th:        Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., three bass, 6-11, $2,233
6th:        David Bozarth, Montgomery, Texas, two bass, 6-5, $1,861
7th:        Shawn Clark, Afton, Okla., two bass, 6-4, $1,488
8th:        Mark Sloan, Harrison, Ark., two bass, 5-1, $1,402
9th:        Jimmy Wells Jr., Collinsville, Ill., two bass, 4-15, $1,116
10th:     Mike Casanova, Frisco, Texas, one bass, 4-8, $930

Coppin also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award with a largemouth weighing 7 pounds even to win the $150 prize.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Eufaula was hosted by Vision Eufaula. It was the third and
final regular-season tournament for the Toyota Series Southwestern Division. The next event for Toyota Series Southwestern Division anglers will be the Toyota Series Championship, Nov. 6-8, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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 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 Sport 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 FacebookInstagram 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.


Montevallo’s Lead Nearly Doubles as Race for Bass Pro Shops School of the Year

SAN ANTONIO, TX (May 1, 2025) – The race for the 2024-25 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia will conclude on May 31st. Hundreds of college bass fishing teams from all across the nation are continuing to compete for valuable points to count towards college fishing’s only all-encompassing National Rankings system. Whether it be to finish the year in 1st place overall, achieve a school-best end-of-year ranking, or end the season inside of the coveted Top 25, only a few more valuable points earning opportunities remain in this current season for schools to achieve their goals.

In the latest points update to the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia, the University of Montevallo maintains its number one ranking. McKendree University continues to hold onto 2nd, and the University of North Alabama climbs up one spot into 3rd.

Each of these Top 3 ranked teams are past winners of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia:

University of Montevallo: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

McKendree University: 2019, 2020

University of North Alabama: 2014, 2015

This latest points update to the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia is highlighted by points awarded at the MLF College Series National Championship, and numerous School-Run/Other Sanctioned events.

Top ranked University of Montevallo’s two highest-placing teams at the MLF National Championship on Wheeler Lake placed 1st and 2nd overall, earning the four-time defending title winning team the most points of any school to compete that week. Brody Robison & Peyton Sorrow finished in 1st place, and Nicholas Dumke took 2nd. Those two top finishes earned Montevallo 3,980 points. Following the previous update, Montevallo led 2nd ranked McKendree by 1,055 points. Montevallo’s lead over 2nd place has now extended to 1,970 points.

Here is a look at other programs that made significant moves up in the Top 25 for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia:

4) Carson-Newman University – Previously Ranked 7th

7)Campbellsville University – Previously Ranked 8th

10) Bethel University – Previously Ranked 11th

11) Murray State University – Previously ranked 12th

13) Blue Mountain Christian University – Previously Ranked 16th

18) Missouri State University – Previously ranked 19th

Click here to view the complete updated rankings.

Two programs moved into the Top 25 of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia after previously being ranked outside of this coveted spot. Northwestern State University climbed four spots from 27th to 23rd, and East Texas Baptist University moved up two places from 26th to 24th.


Justin Lucas Jumps to Early Lead at MLF Bass Pro Tour O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries at Lake Chickamauga

Alabama pro catches 25 largemouth weighing 64-3 to lead after Day 1 on Lake Chickamauga, full field to complete Qualifying Round Friday

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 1, 2025) – Pre-tournament chatter suggested a diverse event would be on tap at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries , and Day 1 delivered. With the field fishing famed Lake Chickamauga for the first of two days Thursday, a wide range of patterns yielded fish. Cloudy skies made for a strong morning shad spawn bite, then some anglers found schools of fish on offshore ledges, while others targeted shallow cover for spawners and fry-guarders and still others caught smallmouth in the tailrace beneath Watts Bar Dam.

Justin Lucas pieced together the best day of the bunch. The Guntersville, Alabama pro got off to a strong start fishing offshore, then moved shallow and targeted bass on beds in Period 3. That produced a total of 64 pounds, 3 ounces on 25 scorable bass, which has him 5-6 ahead of Waco, Texas, pro Alton Jones Jr. in second. Blaine, Tennessee, pro Ott DeFoe, the only other angler to top 50 pounds, rounds out the top three with 55-15.

With the first two days of Stage 4 taking place on Chickamauga before the field relocates to Nickajack Lake for the Knockout and Championship Rounds, the field got three days of official practice rather than its usual two. Lucas spent most of it on Chick, and yet he still didn’t expect such a strong Day 1 performance.

“Today was fun,” Lucas said. “I can’t believe I caught 25 fish. I didn’t have that many bites in all of practice.”

The big day came at a good time for Lucas, and not just because Thursday marked his 39th birthday. The last time he took the water in competition – at REDCREST on Lake Guntersville, where he’s lived for the past 15 years – he failed to make the Knockout Round and finished 34th. That left a sour taste in his mouth, so seeing his game plan work to perfection provided a welcome jolt of confidence.

“I expected to catch them (at Guntersville), and when you don’t, it definitely takes a little wind out of your sails,” Lucas said. “It feels really good to catch them here.”

Recognizing Chickamauga’s bass were scattered between different phases of the spawn, and in different depth ranges, Lucas centered his strategy on finding an area of the lake where he could catch fish both offshore and around the bank. He started his day plying offshore ledges with the one-two punch of a Neko-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent magnum Hit Worm and a deep-diving crankbait.

As is typical of postspawn ledge fishing, Lucas often got bites in bunches. His best flurry saw him stack nine bass for nearly 23 pounds on SCORETRACKER® in the final 36 minutes of Period 1. In all, he totaled more than 50 pounds fishing offshore.

“I really didn’t catch but probably two fish using (forward-facing sonar),” Lucas noted. “Just more traditional ledge fishing.”

Lucas then switched gears, spending the final period sight-fishing for shallow spawners. He added four more scorable bass for 13-1, most of them eating a wacky-rigged Berkley PowerBait MaxScent The General. He plans to employ a similar program on Day 2, although he’s not sure he can catch another 60 pounds.

“I think the bite is going to be tougher tomorrow,” he said. “I don’t know if I can catch that much weight. But depending on how well some of my deep spots reload, we’ll see.”

If Lucas can maintain the top spot at the end of Friday’s action, he’ll earn an automatic berth to Sunday’s Championship Round. Shortly after lines out Thursday, he remained torn on whether that would be a sound strategy.

On one hand, it’s hard to pass up a guaranteed spot in the Top 10, and there’s no reason to practice or save fish on Day 2 since that will be the field’s final day on Chickamauga. On the other, he (like much of the field) has little experience on Nickajack, so he thinks the best path to hoisting his second career Bass Pro Tour trophy would be to compete in the Knockout Round and hopefully find the winning pattern.

“Obviously, I would take a guaranteed Top 10 anytime,” Lucas said. “But I feel like this one, being that I don’t know Nickajack at all, it would probably benefit me more to make the Knockout Round and fish there and try and figure something out. I think it’s going to be an advantage to the guys that make the Knockout Round.

“I’ll probably try to (win). But I don’t know if it’s a good idea. But I do like Top 10s.”

Like Lucas, Jones pieced together two patterns, both fishing for bedding bass and postspawners offshore. However, he didn’t worry about staying in the same area of the lake.

Jones said he ran a total of 96 miles on the day. He also estimated he caught at least one fish on 10 different baits, illustrating just how spread out the fish are on Chickamauga.

“I never caught one on a big crankbait today, and I never caught one on a swimbait, but I think every other rod on my deck got some action today,” Jones said.

Jones started his day running a few different offshore spots where he targeted postspawn schools.

“I think your chances of catching a quality bass are better offshore if you don’t have forward-facing sonar, and for two-thirds of the day, we can’t,” he explained.

He used the latter part of Period 2 to make a long run to a different area of the lake, making sure he’d have all of Period 3 to maximize his time with forward-facing sonar. Jones used the technology to target fish that were spawning and guarding fry away from the bank. He put together one of the best forward-facing sonar periods of any angler, totaling an even 22 pounds on eight bass and moving from sixth place at the start of the period up to second.

“There’s a lot of fish still spawning, but what I noticed is they’re spawning offshore – points, shoals, bars, whatever,” he said. “And so being really dialed in with that is really, really important this week.”

Like Lucas, Jones expects the bite to slow a bit tomorrow. If he can push his total above 100 pounds, he likes his chances of winning the Qualifying Round.

And he has no reservations about pursuing the automatic berth to the Championship Round. A Top 10 would be important in his pursuit of his first Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title (he’s currently fourth), and since he doesn’t have to worry about saving bass on Chickamauga, he sees no reason not to shoot for it.

“Normally, there’s a little more strategy that goes into grabbing the auto qualification,” Jones said. “Do I want to burn my fish? Do I not want to burn my fish? But here, we’re not coming back. So, there is no number where you lay off here. It’s just pedal to the metal and see what happens.”

The top 20 pros after Day 1 on Lake Chickamauga are:

1st:          Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 25 bass, 64-3
2nd         Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 19 bass, 58-13
3rd:         Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 19 bass, 55-15
4th:         Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 16 bass, 47-12
5th:         Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 17 bass, 47-8
6th:         Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 18 bass, 47-5
7th:         Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 17 bass, 46-3
8th:         Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 44-4
9th:         Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-12
10th:       Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 42-2
11th:       Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan., 12 bass, 41-2
12th:       Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 15 bass, 40-2
13th:       Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 16 bass, 38-12
14th:       David Walker, Huntingdon, Tenn., 13 bass, 38-3
15th:       Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 37-15
16th:       Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 12 bass, 36-14
17th:       Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 12 bass, 33-10
18th:       Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 13 bass, 33-3
19th:       Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 32-3
20th:       Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., nine bass, 31-8

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

“Big Fish” Bobby Lane earned the Day 1 Berkley Big Bass Award Thursday with a 7-pound, 14-ounce largemouth that he caught on a bladed swim jig in Period 1. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

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

Anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. ET Friday from Chester Frost Park, located at 2277 Gold Point Circle N. in Hixson, Tennessee. The takeout on Friday will be held at the same location beginning at 3:45 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, anglers will launch at 7:15 a.m. ET from the Tennessee Riverpark, located at 4301 Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga. The takeout Saturday and Sunday will be held at the same location, beginning at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!®  live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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

On Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Ross’s Landing at 201 Riverfront Parkway for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW!  big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free Abu Garcia rod and reel each day. The event also includes a meet and greet with Paw Patrol's Skye and Marshall, a youth fishing derby presented by Hardee’s and a casting contest. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries is hosted by Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fish Tennessee and features anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

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

Television coverage of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 at Lake Chickamauga and Nickajack Lake Presented by OPTIMA Batteries will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 11 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Saturday, Oct. 18. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, 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 , XInstagram 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 Marco and Rowlands to victory at Buggs Island

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MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. —  Often, tournaments are won by anglers fishing within their comfort zone. That wasn’t necessarily the case for the King University duo of Trey Marco and Jake Rowlands at the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops at Buggs Island.

Using two baits they’ve hardly thrown, Marco and Rowlands won their first College Series event with a two-day total weighing 38 pounds, 9 ounces. The Pennsylvania natives opened the tournament in a tie for eighth place with a limit weighing 17-1 before securing a tournament-best 21-8 on the final day.

“It has been a while since I’ve won a bigger tournament,” Marco said. “This has been a long time coming. We put a lot of hard work into this, and it feels good to be rewarded for it.”

While neither of them had been to Buggs Island as boaters, Marco fished an event on the massive Roanoke River reservoir as a co-angler a few years prior.

“I fished the lake twice as a co-angler four years ago, and that was the year I really started bass fishing,” Marco said. “It feels good to come back here and see all of the progress I’ve made over the past few years.”

Emmanuel University’s Will Wester and Jackson Thomas finished second with a two-day mark of 36-3 while Day 1 leaders Easton Drennon and Chase McCarter from Carson-Newman University fell to third with a total of 34-14.

Marco, a sophomore, and the freshman Rowlands teamed up at the start of the school year but were disappointed with their results during the fall season. The duo worked hard to improve over the winter and spring, with preparation being an important piece of the puzzle. They spent several days on Buggs Island before the off-limits period scanning offshore areas looking for brushpiles.

When tournament week rolled around, they discovered that brush would not be the key piece of cover and shifted their focus to stumps.

“We thought shallow brushpiles would be good for postspawners,” Rowlands said. “We ended up finding that the brushpiles were not what they were on, it was stumps. But luckily when you found brushpiles, there were also stumps around.”

The majority of their productive stumps were in 12 feet of water or less, but on the final day they moved deeper and targeted smaller stumps. Most of these targets had two or three bass holding to them, and at times Marco said they had to weed through the smaller fish to get to the quality largemouth.

“It was hard to find an area by yourself. Our biggest key was finding an area that we had to ourselves. We didn’t see another boat the entire tournament. We pretty much made a circle around a three-mile area. We had 50 to 70 stumps marked. It seemed like the bites came in flurries.”

To trigger their bites, the duo threw a ¾-ounce bucktail jig as well as a Megabass Kanata Jerkbait, neither of which have been used much by Rowlands and Marco in the past. In fact, Rowlands received the jerkbait as a Christmas gift this past December and bought another one after Brandon Palaniuk won the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee in February. There was only one bucktail jig in the boat, and the hook was admittedly a little rusty.

“I really feel like no one was throwing them and these fish haven’t seen them,” Rowland said.

After not catching a single keeper to start Day 1 around a shad spawn, Marco and Rowland headed straight to their primary area on the final day. The duo picked up 11 pounds by 11 a.m., but within a 15-minute flurry, the duo upgraded to over 19 pounds.

“It was one of those things that just seemed meant to be,” Marco said. “The bite you normally don’t get, for whatever reason we got. It was a very short period of time, and we expanded on it a little bit.”

At around 1 p.m., the duo landed their final 4-pounder to put them over the 20-pound mark. While Marco felt good about their chances to win when they landed that bass, Rowlands thought they needed another kicker bite.

“Trey was saying the whole time that we had a shot at the win if we got to 21,” Rowlands said. “And I was saying we needed more. He was right.”

With the win, Marco and Rowlands qualified for their first Bassmaster College National Championship, which will be held just south of King University on Cherokee Lake in July.

Wester and Thomas utilized a similar gameplan to catch their 18-9 and 17-10 limits. They anchored their final day bag with a 5-4 largemouth. The duo dedicated their top finish to head coach Pam Martin-Wells, who passed away in April from cancer.

“It felt great being able to do this for her,” Wester said.

The week started with a blown motor, but in the process of trolling back to the ramp, the Emmanuel duo discovered the bass in the area were hovering around brushpiles.

With a new boat brought up from Georgia, they expanded on their pattern before making the transition to stumps in 6 to 8 feet of water, although they did catch a quality keeper off a stump in 30 feet of water. A ⅜-ounce brown and purple jig produced the majority of their stump bites while a 5/16-ounce Buckeye Lures G-Stroll jighead paired with a Strike King Z-Too minnow was better around the brush, especially if the bass were floating above the brush.

“Our better bites came around midday with the jig,” Wester, a sophomore, said.

With a limit of 10 pounds to start the day, Wester and Thomas slowly culled up throughout the day. Their kicker bite came around mid-morning.

“About 10 o’clock we had 13 pounds, and I leaned into that 5-4, which helped big time,” Thomas, a freshman, said. “We had our weight by 1 and we kept catching 2-pounders from then on.”

Wester and Thomas split Big Bass of the Tournament honors with the Erskine College duo of Rylan Green and Luke McGuffin, who also landed a 5-4 on the final day of competition.

The Top 20 teams qualified for the aforementioned Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Cherokee Lake scheduled for July 10-12. All teams earned points towards the Lunkers Trail points race. The Lunkers Trail will conclude at Chickamauga Lake May 30-31.

Mecklenburg County, Virginia, hosted the tournament.

 

2025 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King

2025 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2025 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

2025 Bassmaster College 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 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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Buggs Island presented by Bass Pro Shops 4/30-5/1
Buggs Island Reservoir, Mecklenburg  VA.
Standings Day 2

Team                                       Club/School                       Pts

1.  Trey Marco - Jake Rowlands                   King University                     250
Day 1: 5   17-01     Day 2: 5   21-08   Total:  10  38-09
2.  Will Wester - Jackson Thomas                 Emmanuel College                    249
Day 1: 5   18-09     Day 2: 5   17-10   Total:  10  36-03
3.  Easton Drennon - Chase McCarter              Carson-Newman University            248
Day 1: 5   20-05     Day 2: 5   14-09   Total:  10  34-14
4.  Lucas Washburn - Braylon Eggerding           Adrian College                      247
Day 1: 5   18-09     Day 2: 5   14-15   Total:  10  33-08
5.  Brennan Berglund - Colton White              University of Montevallo            246
Day 1: 5   17-01     Day 2: 5   16-05   Total:  10  33-06
6.  Nathan Reynolds - Jake Brown                 University of North Alabama         245
Day 1: 5   20-02     Day 2: 5   13-01   Total:  10  33-03
7.  Storm Clark - Elisha Colley                  University of Montevallo            244
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   17-09   Total:  10  33-02
8.  Brody Robison - Peyton Sorrow                University of Montevallo            243
Day 1: 5   17-13     Day 2: 5   15-02   Total:  10  32-15
9.  Colton Boelkes - Joshua Hayes                University of North Alabama         242
Day 1: 5   17-12     Day 2: 5   15-03   Total:  10  32-15
10. Scooter Ligon Jr - Levi Seagraves            Emmanuel College                    241
Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   15-09   Total:  10  32-05
11. Bryce Dimauro - Tripp Berlinsky              University of North Alabama         240
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   16-06   Total:  10  32-02
12. Matt Boerboom - Jacob Swanson                University of Montevallo            239
Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   15-14   Total:  10  32-00
13. Bryson Dotson - Hayden Peck                  Tennessee Wesleyan University       238
Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   15-12   Total:  10  31-14
14. Matthew Massey - Matthew Gunn                Erskine College                     237
Day 1: 5   18-05     Day 2: 5   12-13   Total:  10  31-02
15. Chris Baker - Elijah Kelley                  Kentucky Christian University       236
Day 1: 5   14-14     Day 2: 5   15-12   Total:  10  30-10
16. Zachary Helton - Blake Wheat                 Carson-Newman University            235
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   15-05   Total:  10  30-04
17. Peyton Harris - Dalton Head                  University of Montevallo            234
Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   14-00   Total:  10  30-03
18. Chandler Howell - Clayton Ellis              Blue Mountain Christian Universi    233
Day 1: 5   15-02     Day 2: 5   14-12   Total:  10  29-14
19. Cole Moulton - Jared Hubbard                 Lander University                   232
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   17-07   Total:  10  29-13
20. Anderson Jones -                             Lander University                   231
Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   14-14   Total:  10  29-08
21. Cason Price - Joe Vaulton                    Carson-Newman University            230
Day 1: 5   16-01     Day 2: 5   13-05   Total:  10  29-06
22. Nick Dumke - Connor Bell                     University of Montevallo            229
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   13-06   Total:  10  29-02
23. Brayden Ruckman - Zachary Wolfe              Carson-Newman University            228
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   15-12   Total:  10  29-02
24. Kaden Buchmann - Chase Wodzinski             Lander University                   227
Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 5   15-01   Total:  10  28-15
25. Carson Winn - Ethan Tedder                   University of North Alabama         226
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   15-09   Total:  10  28-14
26. Bryce Mcdonald - Ethan Elliott               University of Pikeville             225
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   13-08   Total:  10  28-14
27. Calup Williams - Hunter King                 Blue Mountain Christian Universi    224
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   15-07   Total:  10  28-13
28. Daylon Milam - James Dubose                  University of Montevallo            223
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   13-00   Total:  10  28-11
29. Drake Sturgill - Hudson Choquette            University of Montevallo            222
Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   11-13   Total:  10  28-09
30. Tyler Thompson - Emery Burnett               Georgia Southern University         221
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   16-01   Total:  10  28-07
31. Paxton Giem - Nick Seitz                     Adrian College                      220
Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 5   15-00   Total:  10  28-07
32. Jake Krauth - Jack Mcillwain                 University of North Alabama         219
Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   14-04   Total:  10  28-05
33. Szymon Piton - Riley Faulkner                Carson-Newman University            218
Day 1: 5   15-01     Day 2: 5   13-02   Total:  10  28-03
34. Lane Clark - Tallis Morrison                 Erskine College                     217
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 5   13-15   Total:  10  28-03
35. Rylan Green - Luke McGuffin                  Erskine College                     216
Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 5   17-14   Total:  10  28-02
36. Logan Hendrick - Jake Brown                  Lenoir Rhyne University             215
Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 5   13-15   Total:  10  27-13
37. Nicholas DellaPorta - Drew Pitts             Carson-Newman University            214
Day 1: 5   15-01     Day 2: 5   12-11   Total:  10  27-12
38. Joe Lutz - Jake Monti                        UNC - Charlotte                     213
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   14-01   Total:  10  27-11
39. Jon Foster - Lawton Williams                 Erskine College                     212
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   14-05   Total:  10  27-09
40. Cameron Dials - Ethan Burnette               Kentucky Christian University       211
Day 1: 5   13-12     Day 2: 5   13-13   Total:  10  27-09
41. Jackson Mitchell - Carson Palmer             Carson - Newman University          210
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   14-05   Total:  10  27-08
42. Tomas Matual - Zach Widelski                 McKendree University                209
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   14-04   Total:  10  27-08
43. Hunter Keller - Wes Smith II                 Catawba Valley Community College    208
Day 1: 5   11-07     Day 2: 5   15-14   Total:  10  27-05
44. Austin Marley - Jack Richardson              Georgia Southern University         207
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   12-15   Total:  10  27-04
45. Colby Reece - Alex Gore                      Carson-Newman University            206
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   12-12   Total:  10  27-02
46. Andrew Blanton - Garrett Smith               Lander University                   205
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   13-12   Total:  10  27-00
47. Blake Bullock - John Mark Berry              Blue Mountain Christian Universi    204
Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 5   13-01   Total:  10  26-14
48. Will Hammond - Parker Lambert                Lander University                   203
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   15-15   Total:  10  26-11
49. Storm Cline - Gabe Fishlock                  Carson-Newman University            202
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   11-06   Total:  10  26-10
50. Brooks Parker - Briggs Alavezos              University of Montevallo            201
Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   13-13   Total:  10  26-08
51. Trace Antunes III - Garrett Ring             University of Montevallo            200
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   12-08   Total:  10  26-07
52. Blair Erickson - Jackson Pontius             University of Montevallo            199
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   12-15   Total:  10  26-07
53. Brady Pinwar - Cole Carr                     Adrian College                      198
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   12-00   Total:  10  26-06
54. Chan Barber II - Jake Kester                 NC State University                 197
Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   12-06   Total:  10  26-06
55. Matthew Strickland - Eli Ward                University of Pikeville             196
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   10-01   Total:  10  26-01
56. Will Rooker - Ben Brockwell                  Kentucky Christian University       195
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   13-15   Total:  10  25-15
57. Drake Hemby - Ewing Minor                    Carson-Newman University            194
Day 1: 5   13-14     Day 2: 5   11-15   Total:  10  25-13
58. Hayden Williams - Luke Garofalo              University of South Carolina - U    193
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   11-12   Total:  10  25-11
59. Wyatt Wood - Wyatt Ford                      University of Montevallo            192
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   12-06   Total:  10  25-11
60. Jeremy Monda - Will Boyd Jr                  Florida Gateway College             191
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   12-00   Total:  10  25-09
61. Derek Rodriguez Jr. - Gavyn Rapp             Adrian College                      190
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   10-00   Total:  10  25-07
62. Turner Hart - Summer Dees                    Bryan College                       189
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:  10  25-07
63. Hunter Slone - Cole Petroff                  Tennessee Tech University           188
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   12-07   Total:  10  25-07
64. Bryson Holderness - Isaac Greene             University of South Carolina - U    187
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   14-11   Total:  10  25-06
65. Will Hart - Logan Fisher                     Emmanuel College                    186
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:  10  25-06
66. Hunter Barrow - Kanton Trull                 Catawba Valley Community College    185
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   12-00   Total:  10  25-06
67. Brian Haire - Fischer Barber                 Troy University                     184
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   13-01   Total:  10  25-06
68. Hank Sturm - Matt Mosby                      Adrian College                      183
Day 1: 5   09-15     Day 2: 5   15-05   Total:  10  25-04
69. Max Hondorp - Ridge Faircloth                Troy University                     182
Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 5   14-02   Total:  10  25-04
70. Garrett Christy - Corban Chenevey            Catawba Valley Community College    181
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   13-11   Total:  10  25-03
71. Peyton Dunn - Michael Avery                  Emmanuel College                    180
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   10-02   Total:  10  25-01
72. Tanner Wassilchalk - Mason Kerr              West Virginia University            179
Day 1: 4   11-04     Day 2: 5   13-13   Total:   9  25-01
73. Nolan Gray - Riley Brown                     Carson-Newman University            178
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   11-14   Total:  10  25-00
74. Hunter Starling - Emory Jackson              Georgia Southern University         177
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   13-01   Total:  10  25-00
75. Cody Abbott - Trenton Carey                  Lander University                   176
Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:  10  24-15
76. Brandon Berry - Hunter Bright                University of Montevallo            175
Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   13-04   Total:  10  24-15
77. Mason Bohland - Brady Metzger                Purdue University                   174
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   12-13   Total:  10  24-15
78. Dylan May - Will Shepherd                    Carson-Newman University            173
Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 5   14-04   Total:  10  24-12
79. Cole Hunter - Joseph Bontrager               University of South Carolina - U    172
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   13-08   Total:  10  24-07
80. Palmer Parrish -                             Clemson University                  171
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   12-02   Total:  10  24-07
81. Joe Shamblin - William Griffith              University of Pikeville             170
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  24-05
82. Hampton Shull - Landon Surrett               Lander University                   169
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   10-12   Total:  10  24-04
83. Mason Kornegay - Miller Dowling              University of Montevallo            168
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   12-05   Total:  10  24-03
84. Kaleb Butts - Landon Bannister               University of South Carolina - U    167
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   10-00   Total:  10  24-02
85. Fisher Heard - Hunter Brewer                 University of North Alabama         166
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   13-10   Total:  10  24-01
86. Matt Brault - Dylan Mclaughlin               Erskine College                     165
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   13-07   Total:  10  24-01
87. Will Hadley - Blayne Leeman                  Kentucky Christian University       164
Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   14-06   Total:  10  24-00
88. Brycen Williamson -                          Erskine College                     163
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   10-08   Total:  10  23-14
89. Dalton DeFelice - Evan Ludlow                University of Montevallo            162
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   11-10   Total:  10  23-14
90. Brayden Batchelor - Quinn Williams           Georgia Southern University         161
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   09-11   Total:  10  23-13
91. Caden Gettys - Tyler Eggers                  Catawba Valley Community College    160
Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   11-09   Total:  10  23-12
92. Jerry Brumbaugh Jr. - Quade Lobo             Adrian College                      159
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   13-04   Total:  10  23-11
93. Drew Kuhnle - Landon Rollison                Lander University                   158
Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   12-00   Total:  10  23-11
94. Zion Dunaway - Andrew Krintz                 Purdue University                   157
Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   12-15   Total:  10  23-08
95. Hunter Kellogg - Owen Klein                  Ohio State University               156
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   11-06   Total:  10  23-08
96. Dustin Weinberg - Cade McBride               Blue Mountain Christian Universi    155
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   12-05   Total:  10  23-06
97. Chandler Pruett - Steven Deschene            Blue Mountain Christian Universi    154
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:  10  23-05
98. James Lamberth - Jaxon Leverette             Troy University                     153
Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   08-00   Total:  10  23-03
99. Bryce Balentine - Connor Koch                Florida Gateway College             152
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   12-04   Total:  10  23-01
100. Finn Maher - Jake Buzin                      University of South Carolina        151
Day 1: 5   10-03     Day 2: 5   12-13   Total:  10  23-00
101. Robert Miller - Levi Bolton                  Emmanuel College                    150
Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 5   11-13   Total:  10  22-15
102. Jackson Rentschler - Tyler Gross             Purdue University                   149
Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   11-08   Total:  10  22-14
103. Kyle Smith - Jacob Highley                   Kentucky Christian University       148
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   12-13   Total:  10  22-13
104. Branton Champion - Cole Guck                 Emmanuel College                    147
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   12-05   Total:  10  22-12
105. Carrson Sizemore - Dalton Blakley            University of Pikeville             146
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   11-11   Total:  10  22-10
106. Hunter Townsend - Jon Wehner Jr              James Madison University            145
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   12-14   Total:  10  22-09
107. Nick Hawkins - Dillan Mcglothern             South Eastern University            144
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   10-00   Total:  10  22-09
108. Lawson Blake - Garrett Simon                 Marshall University                 143
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   10-07   Total:  10  22-09
109. Will Kimbrough - Mac Nail                    Georgia Southern University         142
Day 1: 5   12-12     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  22-08
110. Nick Schaefer - Cameron Gates                University of Pikeville             141
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   10-14   Total:  10  22-08
111. Ethan Hospedales -                           UNC - Charlotte                     140
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   09-14   Total:  10  22-07
112. Harrison McCall -                            Lander University                   139
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   09-13   Total:  10  22-06
113. Gavin Sheffer - Logan Birth                  Liberty University                  138
Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 3   09-11   Total:   8  22-05
114. Kaden Raichel - Luke Davis                   University of Montevallo            137
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   10-08   Total:  10  22-04
115. Cameron Chapman - Dyson Lewis                Catawba Valley Community College    136
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   09-07   Total:  10  22-00
116. Preston Kolisek - Smith McGregor             University of North Alabama         135
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   11-01   Total:  10  22-00
117. Brendon Brones - Porter Welch                Lamar State College Orange          134
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   10-00   Total:  10  21-14
118. Wyatt Gabehart - Riley Hendricks             Lander University                   133
Day 1: 5   10-07     Day 2: 5   11-07   Total:  10  21-14
119. Ethan Vue - Christian Vue                    UNC - Charlotte                     132
Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 5   09-02   Total:  10  21-12
120. Colin Cooper - Cory Mitchell                 Liberty University                  131
Day 1: 5   11-11     Day 2: 5   09-15   Total:  10  21-10
121. Alex Geroulis - William Brogan               Indiana University                  130
Day 1: 5   10-05     Day 2: 5   11-05   Total:  10  21-10
122. Mitch Straffon - Owen Januszewski            Adrian College                      129
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   09-02   Total:  10  21-08
123. Grant Rice - Blake Marcum                    Morehead State University           128
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  21-08
124. Leo Romano - Miller Kieran                   James Madison University            127
Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 5   11-00   Total:  10  21-08
125. Bryson Hatcher - Jake Lovingood              Bryan College                       126
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   10-12   Total:  10  21-06
126. JD Sewell - Holden Hatcher                   Lamar State College Orange          125
Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   11-10   Total:  10  21-04
127. Robie Vines Jr - Colby Bryan                 Catawba Valley Community College    124
Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 5   11-08   Total:  10  21-04
128. Caleb Dugger - Kolby Gambrel                 King University                     123
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 4   09-07   Total:   9  21-03
129. Kasen Pemberton - Avery Padgett              Troy University                     122
Day 1: 5   12-07     Day 2: 4   08-11   Total:   9  21-02
130. Nick Owens - Noah Varitek                    Adrian College                      121
Day 1: 5   09-15     Day 2: 5   11-03   Total:  10  21-02
131. Reece Keeney - Brantley Anders               Kentucky Christian University       120
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 5   12-08   Total:  10  21-01
132. Carter Burdette - Brayden Jordan             Troy University                     119
Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 4   08-04   Total:   9  20-14
133. Asa Putnam - Brett Mouw                      University of Montevallo            118
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   09-03   Total:  10  20-13
134. Dylan Mcgee - Hayden Short                   Kentucky Christian University       117
Day 1: 5   10-02     Day 2: 5   10-11   Total:  10  20-13
135. Joey Meadows - Caleb Edwards                 Emmanuel College                    116
Day 1: 5   09-00     Day 2: 5   11-11   Total:  10  20-11
136. Chase Rogers - Bryson Holland                University of South Carolina - U    115
Day 1: 5   10-15     Day 2: 5   09-11   Total:  10  20-10
137. Gabe Hannon -                                LSU                                 114
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:  10  20-10
138. Jacob Vanscoik - Robert Richbourg            Catawba Valley Community College    113
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   09-04   Total:  10  20-08
139. Chase Loftus - Caden Petrille                University of Iowa                  112
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   09-12   Total:  10  20-08
140. Matthew Mitchell - Butler Cochran            University of South Carolina        111
Day 1: 5   08-08     Day 2: 5   11-14   Total:  10  20-06
141. Logan Howarter - Mason Lyons                 Kentucky Christian University       110
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   09-02   Total:  10  20-05
142. Will Holloway - Nick Pemberton               University of Montevallo            109
Day 1: 5   09-03     Day 2: 5   10-15   Total:  10  20-02
143. Carson Aarup - Ryan Auchmoody                UNC - Charlotte                     108
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   08-14   Total:  10  20-01
143. Alexander Blanchard - Connor Hebert          LSU                                 108
Day 1: 5   08-14     Day 2: 5   11-03   Total:  10  20-01
145. Seth Shuler - Nicholas Giompalo              University of Pikeville             106
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   09-14   Total:  10  19-14
146. Lyndon Gaddy - Daniel Ridenour               East Tennessee State University     105
Day 1: 5   08-08     Day 2: 5   11-05   Total:  10  19-13
147. Thomas Phillips - James Riegert              Ohio State University               104
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 4   08-00   Total:   9  19-12
148. Mitch Johnson - Joe Bob Burchett             Kentucky Christian University       103
Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:  10  19-08
149. Cody Wyatt - Fletcher Allen                  UNC - Charlotte                     102
Day 1: 5   08-12     Day 2: 5   10-08   Total:  10  19-04
150. Matthew Norton - Ian Schroeder               UNC - Charlotte                     101
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 5   10-09   Total:  10  19-02
151. Phillip Herring - Parker O'Bryan             University of Montevallo            100
Day 1: 5   08-14     Day 2: 5   10-04   Total:  10  19-02
152. John James Coco - JD Farage                  LSU                                  99
Day 1: 5   10-01     Day 2: 5   09-00   Total:  10  19-01
153. Fisher Rodgers - Loren Oliver                University Of South Carolina         98
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   09-11   Total:  10  18-13
154. Beau Landry - Peyton Matherne                LSU                                  97
Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 5   09-07   Total:  10  18-13
155. Owen Barker - Carter Jerdon                  Ohio State University                96
Day 1: 5   07-13     Day 2: 5   10-14   Total:  10  18-11
156. Carson Holbrook - Silas Jones                University of Pikeville              95
Day 1: 5   09-07     Day 2: 5   09-03   Total:  10  18-10
157. Thomas Osa - Kole Costello                   High Point University                94
Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 3   06-07   Total:   8  18-08
158. Austin Paulus - Landen Paulus                Ohio State University                93
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   08-05   Total:  10  18-05
159. Colin McGough - Jeremy Etter                 Virginia Tech University             92
Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 4   07-02   Total:   9  18-04
160. Brendan Vinton - Grant Harris                Cvcc Redhawks                        91
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 3   04-04   Total:   8  18-03
161. Cole Mitchell - Hayden Mare                  High Point University                90
Day 1: 4   07-13     Day 2: 5   10-06   Total:   9  18-03
162. Charlie Moomau - Matthew Delaney             West Virginia University             89
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 3   05-07   Total:   8  17-09
163. Cohen Cravey - Maxwell Johnson               Brewton-Parker College               88
Day 1: 4   07-08     Day 2: 5   09-13   Total:   9  17-05
164. Dawson Woerner - Wyatt Cash                  Purdue University                    87
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 3   06-00   Total:   8  17-04
165. Connor Westerman - Michael Mcnulty           West Virginia University             86
Day 1: 4   08-01     Day 2: 5   09-02   Total:   9  17-03
166. Scotty Hagan - Will Copley                   University of Pikeville              85
Day 1: 5   08-00     Day 2: 5   08-12   Total:  10  16-12
167. Ryder Krueger - Mason Laurin                 Troy University                      84
Day 1: 4   05-14     Day 2: 5   10-06   Total:   9  16-04
168. Spencer Knight - Colton Cybulski             Ohio State University                83
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 2   03-13   Total:   7  16-01
169. Chase Hubble -                               University of Florida                82
Day 1: 5   08-09     Day 2: 4   07-08   Total:   9  16-01
170. Thomas Smith - Tyler Michael                 University of South Carolina - U     81
Day 1: 3   06-01     Day 2: 5   09-03   Total:   8  15-04
171. Max Pierlott - Mike Pierlott                 UNC - Charlotte                      80
Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 3   05-09   Total:   8  15-03
172. Ryan Thomas - Nate Harper                    University of Pikeville              79
Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 3   04-11   Total:   8  14-15
173. Kyle Zainitzer - Hayden Alexander            University of North Alabama          78
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   05-06   Total:  10  14-08
174. Bryson Gurley - Ethan Evatt                  University of South Carolina - U     77
Day 1: 3   05-13     Day 2: 5   08-10   Total:   8  14-07
175. Emerson Petty - Jaxon Humphrey               Tennessee Wesleyan University        76
Day 1: 5   10-02     Day 2: 2   03-15   Total:   7  14-01
176. Branson James - Hunter Musick                East Tennessee State University      75
Day 1: 3   04-06     Day 2: 5   09-11   Total:   8  14-01
177. Makenzie Irwin - Nicholas Palazzo            King University                      74
Day 1: 5   09-15     Day 2: 2   04-01   Total:   7  14-00
178. Dylan Reid - Jaxson Smoak                    Georgia Southern University          73
Day 1: 5   11-02     Day 2: 2   02-07   Total:   7  13-09
179. Conner Nichols - Nathanael Eubank            East Tennessee State University      72
Day 1: 5   07-09     Day 2: 3   05-14   Total:   8  13-07
180. Kenneth Vicchio - Devon Blevins              East Tennessee State University      71
Day 1: 1   00-09     Day 2: 5   12-03   Total:   6  12-12
181. Caleb Baynes - Konnor Sweet                  Liberty University                   70
Day 1: 5   08-01     Day 2: 2   04-04   Total:   7  12-05
182. Wes Newman Jr. -                             Liberty University                   69
Day 1: 1   01-07     Day 2: 5   10-11   Total:   6  12-02
183. Sawyer Brady - TJ Edwards Jr                 Blue Mountain Christian Universi     68
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  11-01
184. Aiden Reid - Isaac Patrick                   Catawba Valley Community College     67
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   10-00   Total:   5  10-00
185. MJ Lutz Jr - CJ Chavous Jr.                  University of South Carolina - U     66
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   09-06   Total:   5  09-06
186. Dane Leopold - Chris Veitch                  Coastal Carolina University          65
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  09-02
187. Tanner Herndon - Caleb Griffin               Bryan College                        64
Day 1: 3   05-00     Day 2: 2   04-02   Total:   5  09-02
188. Andrew Oswalt - Evan Mabrey                  University of Montevallo             63
Day 1: 5   08-05     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  08-05
189. Garrett Tucker - Tyler Randolph              West Virginia University             62
Day 1: 3   05-11     Day 2: 1   00-03   Total:   4  05-14
190. Braydon Southerland - Conner Busby           Tennessee Tech University            61
Day 1: 2   03-09     Day 2: 1   02-00   Total:   3  05-09
191. Fisher Carver - Hunter Richie                Brewton-Parker College               60
Day 1: 3   05-05     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   3  05-05
192. Landon Brown - JD Rose                       Morehead State University            59
Day 1: 3   05-04     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   3  05-04
193. Cole Bedard - Jackson Plyler                 NC State University                  58
Day 1: 3   05-02     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   3  05-02
194. Trey Martinez - Maddux Moore                 Sportsman Fishing Club At Lsu        57
Day 1: 2   03-04     Day 2: 1   01-10   Total:   3  04-14
195. Haden James - Daniel Litwin                                                       56
Day 1: 2   03-09     Day 2: 1   00-00   Total:   3  03-09
196. Noah Strand - Max Trenz                      UNC - Chapel Hill                    55
Day 1: 5   01-12     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   5  01-12
197. Alan Ter Molen - Luke Rosebrook              Grace College                        54
Day 1: 1   01-07     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   1  01-07
198. Kayden Crosier - Gavin Warholic              Kent State University                 0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
198. Aaron McGill - Trey Woliver                  University of Tennessee               0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
198. Kyle Werbeck - Joseph Phillips               Kent State University                 0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Rylan Green              Campobello, SC      05-04          $0.00
Will Wester              Royston, GA         05-04          $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       176       933      2265-11
2       165       889      2139-05
----------------------------------
341      1822      4405-00


BassmastHER workshops continue to inspire women in 2025

BassmastHER_Logo_Shield.pngBIRMINGHAM, Ala. —  After a very successful inaugural season, Bassmaster’s popular BassmastHER program continues to host workshops in conjunction with events during the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season.

BassmastHER, an initiative started with the goal of creating a space for female anglers at all levels to learn new fishing skills within a supportive community, launched a series of one-day workshops in 2024 that ran in conjunction with select Elite Series events. In response to the program’s success, B.A.S.S. has expanded workshop dates in 2025 to create even more workshop opportunities for female anglers across the country.

Gender does not dictate how successful you can be on the water, but it helps to have a like-minded support system for education, travel, inspiration and ideation. BassmastHER was created to build a passionate community of female anglers, inspire confidence at the water's edge and be the conduit for creating lifetime friends and memories.

BassmastHER workshops are conducted by BassmastHER ambassadors Anastasia PattersonKristine Fischer and Maggie Carsello, along with fishing experts from the Bassmaster staff. Topics at the workshops range from bass fishing fundamentals to casting for accuracy, getting familiar with a bass boat or kayak, bank fishing and discussing industry and sponsorship opportunities. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with other female anglers at the workshops.

“Being a part of BassmastHER is bigger than just me — it’s every little girl, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend who has a passion for fishing,” said Patterson. “They are all a part of this initiative to get more women out there and fishing. The workshops are a great space to learn, lead, network and contribute to plant seeds to grow the community of female anglers and hopefully see more women out on the water.”

2025 BassmastHER workshops have been held in conjunction with the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour in Fort Worth, Texas (March 23) and the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C. (April 26). Upcoming 2025 BassmastHER workshops will run concurrently with the following events:

“As a dad who is teaching his two young girls to fish, I am excited that the BassmastHER program will introduce more females to the sport of bass fishing,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Chase Anderson. “I am thankful for our partners at Toyota for their continued support, and I believe together we can continue to grow this great program.”

Virtual BassmastHER workshop educational material, articles and how-to pieces can be found at Bassmaster.com. Women interested in attending workshops, telling their story or asking fishing-related questions are encouraged to reach out to BassmastHER on any of their social channels, including a private Facebook page for female anglers to network with each other and establish community, or email bassmasther@bassmaster.com.

The BassmastHER workshops are for all skill levels, but participants must be at least 14 years old. Workshops are only $25 to attend and space is limited, so it is first come, first serve.

 

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 Progressive 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.


Lake Fork offers tremendous potential for Bassmaster Elite field

Elite_eventLogo_2025_LakeFork_Raster.png

YANTIS, Texas — Lake Fork is full of water and full of big bass, which bodes well for the 102 anglers set to compete in the 2025 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at this east Texas powerhouse.

Competition days will be May 8-11 with daily takeoffs from Caney Point Recreation Area at 6:30 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at the same location at 2:30 p.m.

“The weather has been pretty stable around Texas lately,” said Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Combs. “We haven’t had a lot of rain, but we’ve had enough. The lake is near full now and it stayed up most of last year, so it should be a regular Lake Fork tournament.

“That being said, it is the rainy time of year in Texas, so a lot could change if we start getting rain. That could cause a little water color change in the pockets and creeks, but Fork’s not on a major river that would (significantly) affect it, so this should be a good, stable tournament.”

A thriving testament to the diligent work by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which manages Lake Fork as a trophy bass fishery, this 27,264-acre impoundment of Lake Fork Creek (Sabine River tributary) boasts an impressive population of quality fish, with double-digit giants impressively abundant.

In all five of the previous Elite events at Lake Fork, the renowned fishery yielded Century Club belts, which recognize four-day total weights of 100 pounds or more. Last year’s event yielded 10 century belts, including then-rookie Trey McKinney’s winning total of 130 pounds, 15 ounces.

The tournament format will differ from the standard Elite Series event, as anglers will catch, weigh and release their fish. Anglers catching fish surpassing 24 inches (referred to as “overs”) may bring one to the weigh-in scales. Any fish brought to the weigh-ins are promptly released.

Combs said he expects a mix of spawn and postspawn fish. Bed fishing for Texas tanks might sound appealing, but Combs warns against depending solely on that uncertain pursuit.

“I don’t think a guy can win it exclusively on spawners unless all the weather conditions lined up for every single day,” Combs said. “Someone could earn a Top 10 with all spawners, but I think it would take a postspawn pattern or a combination of spawn and postspawn to win.”

With minimal vegetation, Lake Fork spawners typically use habitat such as docks, stumps and other hard-bottom sites. The typical assortment of Texas-rigged baits fool these bed fish, but Combs suggests upsizing the profiles for this lake’s bigger class of fish.

Postspawn habitat typically includes hard clay points, ridges and big offshore fields of standing timber, the latter of which offers vast habitat for fish to hang out and feed as they wish.

Forward-facing sonar technology has, in recent years, revealed much about specific bass positioning, so anglers can quickly and efficiently break down large areas to locate prime habitat and fish locations. Combs lists jerkbaits, swimbaits, big crankbaits, Neko rigs and jighead minnows as the likely postspawn lineup.

“I think it’s pretty consistent; we’ve been there several times in May,” Combs said. “I think most of what happens on Fork has been (seen); it will just be a matter of a guy dialing it in a little better than the rest of the field.”

As Combs points out, the likelihood of such a performance is higher with the postspawn option simply due to numeric superiority. While bed fishing might reward an angler with a handful of shots at difference-makers, the potential for intercepting postspawn fish offers higher statistical advantage.

Bass follow predictable seasonal routes into and out of their spawning zones, with periodic pauses at key prespawn and postspawn habitat. If an angler locates one of those receiving areas and has the good fortune to fish it for four days, that one spot could deliver the blue trophy.

“I do think in the past you would need multiple spots to win, but now, with a lot of fish moving out, I think a guy could win on one spot,” Combs said. “In general on Fork, schools of fish move in and out a lot. You need to find a place where fish are coming to you.”

“It’s going to take a lot of weight to win; it will take over 100 pounds, there’s no doubt about that,” Combs said. “There’s definitely a way to get bit with smaller fish — you’re just going to have to concentrate on a lesser bite for better quality fish.

“I think the guys that pull away from the rest of the field will not focus on a 4-pound fish. You really don’t need to weigh a single 4-pound fish if you want to win the tournament. You don’t just get a limit and then go for a big bite. You have to look for nothing but big bites.”

As past events have shown, mega-bags are not only possible, they’re expected. Not everyone will be so fortunate, but Combs fully expects a couple of eye-popping performances.

“You can’t do it every day, but you need that one day with a 30- to 40-pound bag,” he said. “We will see that once, maybe twice.”

Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork will be available on Bassmaster.com on Days 1 and 2 starting at 8 a.m. ET and ending at 3 p.m. and also on Roku from 8 to 11 a.m. FS1 will carry the morning action on Day 3 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon. Championship Sunday coverage will be broadcast on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and FOX from noon to 3 p.m.

The Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork is hosted by Wood County.

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro ShopsDakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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.


Big Show Scroggins Previews Stage Four on the Tennessee River

Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

Terry Scroggins and the rest of the Bass Pro Tour field kicked off O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 this morning on Lake Chickamauga out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. This tournament features a unique split design, highlighting two fisheries on the iconic Tennessee River.  The full field will fish the first two days on The Chick, before switching over to Nickajack Lake for the Knockout and Championship Rounds.

The BPT format always finds ways to keep these top sixty-six anglers on their toes, even for 23-year pro tournament veterans like Scroggins. “Big Show” didn’t pull any punches, his practice his not live up to his expectations for a lake like Chickamauga, where he knows it will take heavy weights to do well.

“I spent my entire practice time on Chickamauga because I simply didn’t find enough fish to feel like I could go down to Nickajack,” Scroggins said. “To be honest, I bet 75% of our BPT field spent all their time on Chick. For such a great fishery it seems to be fishing tough. It’s the typical late-spring funk bass can sometimes get in immediately after the spawn. I didn’t really find them grouped up out offshore yet, and they aren’t flooded in the shallows either.”

This ‘in-between’ stage can be cumbersome for anglers but is usually exciting for tournament fishing fans, as there will be multiple patterns at play with anglers leaning into their strengths to add weight to the SCORETRACKER. While Scroggins and every competitor he talked to was “singing the blues” after practice, you can rest assured the field is still going to catch ‘em. Sandbagging and outpacing expectations is par for the course for these guys.

“With our format, practice really doesn’t mean too terribly much,” the Team Toyota pro admitted. “Especially on a lake with as many fish in it as Chick. All it takes is finding the right group during competition and you can light them up. The winning school of fish is probably offshore somewhere, and I haven’t found them yet, but it can happen quick. I plan to sample some shallower spawning stuff early today before poking around offshore.”

 Sampling the spawn(s)

Scroggins saw plenty of spawning activity throughout his practice days between the shad spawn first thing in the morning, brim and bluegill on their beds in the shallows, and the tail end of the bass spawn; but he doesn’t believe any one of these patterns is steady enough to propel him to the Knockout Round. Instead, Big Show plans to sample all three throughout the day, squeezing a few quality scoreables from each.

“The shad spawn is on here on Chick, but we’re not Lines In until 7:30A.M. each morning and that deal is pretty much over by then,” Scroggins explained. “I still saw enough to try and capitalize on the shad spawn first thing in the morning and then I’ll run and few bed fish I have marked. I didn’t find many, but there are a few up there. Then, there are always big bass hanging around bedding brim this time of year, too.”

This hodge-podge approach is the best way Scroggins knows how to break down a good fishery that’s fishing a little tough. Instead of being tunnel-visioned to one pattern that may be dwindling, he’ll explore several clues he got in practice and continue to dial in his game plan throughout the event. An open mind will win you more fishing tournaments than any lure, technique or piece of equipment.

Scroggins gave a few final predictions Wednesday night as he finished pouring and producing a few more soft plastic worms and Chatterbait trailers on the tailgate of his Tundra.

“I think it will take 25-pounds per day to make the Knockout Round,” Scroggins offered. “Which is light for Chickamauga with our every-fish-counts format, but with the fish being scattered like they are it’s just not easy right now. Our guys are so good, and we have several who live right around here. There will be a few dudes who blast ‘em, but it’ll be a bit of a grind for most of us. That said, this is still the Tennessee River, and you know it’ll show out.”


Productive morning carries McCarter, Drennon to Day 1 lead at Buggs Island

April 30, 2025

CollegeSeries_StrikeKing_BPSjm_4C.png

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. —  Day 1 of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Buggs Island presented by Bass Pro Shops well exceeded the expectations of Easton Drennon and Chase McCarter, who landed a five-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 5 ounces to take the lead over the 200-boat field.

The Carson-Newman duo holds a 3-ounce advantage over North Alabama’s Nathan Reynolds and Jake Brown. Lucas Washburn and Braylon Eggerding from Adrian College and Will Wester and Jackson Thomas from Emmanuel College are tied for third with 18-9.

“We are amazed. Today was a true blessing,” Drennon said. “We honestly struggled in practice. We didn’t see many fish over 2 ½ pounds. It was a tough practice, so we went out with the mindset that we were going to grind out some bites and it went our way.”

Anglers enjoyed warm and sunny conditions on Day 1 of the two-day tournament, which resulted in an overall great day of fishing from the field. A total of 176 limits were caught and over 2,265 pounds of bass hit the scales.

McCarter and Drennon both hail from Tennessee, McCarter from the eastern side of the state and Drennon from the Nashville area. While neither one had seen Buggs Island prior to the week, McCarter’s experience using forward-facing sonar on Douglas Lake played a role in their Day 1 success.

After a lackluster practice, McCarter and Drennon found a small area with shallow and deep-water access that both prespawn and postspawn bass were utilizing.

“The fish had both deep and shallow to dwell in,” Drennon said. “I think that is what made the biggest difference. We had some postspawners and some that still seemed to be prespawn in our bag.”

They filled their bag of 4-pound largemouth using a jighead minnow, but getting the bass to bite it took more convincing than McCarter expected.

“You just had to make a lot of good casts. They weren’t just going to run out and get it; you really had to talk them into it. They wanted it a certain way,” he explained. “Most of them were cruising along the bottom and some of them were stationary. It is a pretty special spot, honestly.”

Although their starting spot didn’t pan out like they hoped, McCarter and Drennon quickly moved to what turned out to be their best point. There, they quickly filled out a limit and landed three of the bass they would take back to weigh-in. A short distance down the bank on another point, they landed two more quality keepers.

“It was unreal. They were just biting,” McCarter said. “I’d say we started catching them around 7:30 and we were done by 11. We left that area after that. We culled a 3.39 and we didn’t think the lake could produce much more than a 20-pound bag. We didn’t want to waste any fish.”

The Carson-Newman team spent the rest of the day trying to expand on their area and found a few more promising spots for the final day. McCarter believes they will need around 17 pounds to keep the lead on Day 2.

Reynolds and Brown anchored their 20-3 Day 1 limit with the Big Bass of the Day, a 5-2 largemouth.

The full field will launch from Occoneechee State Park tomorrow beginning at 6:15 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in at 2:15 p.m. The Top 10% of the field will punch their tickets to the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Cherokee Lake scheduled for July 10-12. Teams will also earn points towards the Lunkers Trail Team of the Year race.

Mecklenburg County, Virginia, is hosting the tournament.

 

2025 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King

2025 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2025 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

2025 Bassmaster College 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 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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Strike King Bassmaster College Series at Buggs Island presented by Bass Pro Shops 4/30-5/1
Buggs Island Reservoir, Mecklenburg  VA.
Standings Day 1

Team                                       Club/School                       Pts

1.  Easton Drennon - Chase McCarter              Carson-Newman University            250
Day 1: 5   20-05   Total:   5  20-05
2.  Nathan Reynolds - Jake Brown                 University of North Alabama         249
Day 1: 5   20-02   Total:   5  20-02
3.  Lucas Washburn - Braylon Eggerding           Adrian College                      248
Day 1: 5   18-09   Total:   5  18-09
3.  Will Wester - Jackson Thomas                 Emmanuel College                    248
Day 1: 5   18-09   Total:   5  18-09
5.  Matthew Massey - Matthew Gunn                Erskine College                     246
Day 1: 5   18-05   Total:   5  18-05
6.  Brody Robison - Peyton Sorrow                University of Montevallo            245
Day 1: 5   17-13   Total:   5  17-13
7.  Colton Boelkes - Joshua Hayes                University of North Alabama         244
Day 1: 5   17-12   Total:   5  17-12
8.  Brennan Berglund - Colton White              University of Montevallo            243
Day 1: 5   17-01   Total:   5  17-01
8.  Trey Marco - Jake Rowlands                   King University                     243
Day 1: 5   17-01   Total:   5  17-01
10. Scooter Ligon Jr - Levi Seagraves            Emmanuel College                    241
Day 1: 5   16-12   Total:   5  16-12
11. Drake Sturgill - Hudson Choquette            University of Montevallo            240
Day 1: 5   16-12   Total:   5  16-12
12. Peyton Harris - Dalton Head                  University of Montevallo            239
Day 1: 5   16-03   Total:   5  16-03
13. Matt Boerboom - Jacob Swanson                University of Montevallo            238
Day 1: 5   16-02   Total:   5  16-02
13. Bryson Dotson - Hayden Peck                  Tennessee Wesleyan University       238
Day 1: 5   16-02   Total:   5  16-02
15. Cason Price - Joe Vaulton                    Carson-Newman University            236
Day 1: 5   16-01   Total:   5  16-01
16. Matthew Strickland - Eli Ward                University of Pikeville             235
Day 1: 5   16-00   Total:   5  16-00
17. Bryce Dimauro - Tripp Berlinsky              Bryan College                       234
Day 1: 5   15-12   Total:   5  15-12
17. Nick Dumke - Connor Bell                     University of Montevallo            234
Day 1: 5   15-12   Total:   5  15-12
19. Daylon Milam - James Dubose                  University of Montevallo            232
Day 1: 5   15-11   Total:   5  15-11
20. Storm Clark - Elisha Colley                  University of Montevallo            231
Day 1: 5   15-09   Total:   5  15-09
21. Derek Rodriguez Jr. - Gavyn Rapp             Adrian College                      230
Day 1: 5   15-07   Total:   5  15-07
22. Bryce Mcdonald - Ethan Elliott               University of Pikeville             229
Day 1: 5   15-06   Total:   5  15-06
23. Storm Cline - Gabe Fishlock                  Carson-Newman University            228
Day 1: 5   15-04   Total:   5  15-04
24. James Lamberth - Jaxon Leverette             Troy University                     227
Day 1: 5   15-03   Total:   5  15-03
25. Chandler Howell - Clayton Ellis              Blue Mountain Christian Universi    226
Day 1: 5   15-02   Total:   5  15-02
26. Nicholas DellaPorta - Drew Pitts             Carson-Newman University            225
Day 1: 5   15-01   Total:   5  15-01
27. Szymon Piton - Riley Faulkner                Carson-Newman University            224
Day 1: 5   15-01   Total:   5  15-01
28. Peyton Dunn - Michael Avery                  Emmanuel College                    223
Day 1: 5   14-15   Total:   5  14-15
28. Zachary Helton - Blake Wheat                 Carson-Newman University            223
Day 1: 5   14-15   Total:   5  14-15
30. Chris Baker - Elijah Kelley                  Kentucky Christian University       221
Day 1: 5   14-14   Total:   5  14-14
31. Anderson Jones -                             Lander University                   220
Day 1: 5   14-10   Total:   5  14-10
32. Joe Shamblin - William Griffith              University of Pikeville             219
Day 1: 5   14-09   Total:   5  14-09
33. Turner Hart - Summer Dees                    Bryan College                       218
Day 1: 5   14-08   Total:   5  14-08
34. Will Hart - Logan Fisher                     Emmanuel College                    217
Day 1: 5   14-07   Total:   5  14-07
35. Brady Pinwar - Cole Carr                     Adrian College                      216
Day 1: 5   14-06   Total:   5  14-06
35. Colby Reece - Alex Gore                      Carson-Newman University            216
Day 1: 5   14-06   Total:   5  14-06
37. Austin Marley - Jack Richardson              Georgia Southern University         214
Day 1: 5   14-05   Total:   5  14-05
38. Lane Clark - Tallis Morrison                 Erskine College                     213
Day 1: 5   14-04   Total:   5  14-04
39. Kaleb Butts - Landon Bannister               University of South Carolina - U    212
Day 1: 5   14-02   Total:   5  14-02
40. Brayden Batchelor - Quinn Williams           Georgia Southern University         211
Day 1: 5   14-02   Total:   5  14-02
41. Jake Krauth - Jack Mcillwain                 University of North Alabama         210
Day 1: 5   14-01   Total:   5  14-01
42. Cody Abbott - Trenton Carey                  Lander University                   209
Day 1: 5   14-00   Total:   5  14-00
42. Chan Barber II - Jake Kester                 NC State University                 209
Day 1: 5   14-00   Total:   5  14-00
44. Trace Antunes III - Garrett Ring             University of Montevallo            207
Day 1: 5   13-15   Total:   5  13-15
44. Hayden Williams - Luke Garofalo              University of South Carolina - U    207
Day 1: 5   13-15   Total:   5  13-15
46. Brendan Vinton - Grant Harris                Cvcc Redhawks                       205
Day 1: 5   13-15   Total:   5  13-15
47. Kaden Buchmann - Chase Wodzinski             Lander University                   204
Day 1: 5   13-14   Total:   5  13-14
47. Drake Hemby - Ewing Minor                    Carson-Newman University            204
Day 1: 5   13-14   Total:   5  13-14
47. Logan Hendrick - Jake Brown                  Lenoir Rhyne University             204
Day 1: 5   13-14   Total:   5  13-14
50. Blake Bullock - John Mark Berry              Blue Mountain Christian Universi    201
Day 1: 5   13-13   Total:   5  13-13
51. Cameron Dials - Ethan Burnette               Kentucky Christian University       200
Day 1: 5   13-12   Total:   5  13-12
52. Joe Lutz - Jake Monti                        UNC - Charlotte                     199
Day 1: 5   13-10   Total:   5  13-10
53. Jeremy Monda - Will Boyd Jr                  Florida Gateway College             198
Day 1: 5   13-09   Total:   5  13-09
54. Blair Erickson - Jackson Pontius             University of Montevallo            197
Day 1: 5   13-08   Total:   5  13-08
54. Hampton Shull - Landon Surrett               Lander University                   197
Day 1: 5   13-08   Total:   5  13-08
56. Paxton Giem - Nick Seitz                     Adrian College                      195
Day 1: 5   13-07   Total:   5  13-07
57. Hunter Barrow - Kanton Trull                 Catawba Valley Community College    194
Day 1: 5   13-06   Total:   5  13-06
57. Brayden Ruckman - Zachary Wolfe              Carson-Newman University            194
Day 1: 5   13-06   Total:   5  13-06
57. Calup Williams - Hunter King                 Blue Mountain Christian Universi    194
Day 1: 5   13-06   Total:   5  13-06
57. Brycen Williamson -                          Erskine College                     194
Day 1: 5   13-06   Total:   5  13-06
61. Carson Winn - Ethan Tedder                   University of North Alabama         190
Day 1: 5   13-05   Total:   5  13-05
61. Wyatt Wood - Wyatt Ford                      University of Montevallo            190
Day 1: 5   13-05   Total:   5  13-05
63. Jon Foster - Lawton Williams                 Erskine College                     188
Day 1: 5   13-04   Total:   5  13-04
63. Tomas Matual - Zach Widelski                 Mckendree University Bass Fishin    188
Day 1: 5   13-04   Total:   5  13-04
65. Andrew Blanton - Garrett Smith               Lander University                   186
Day 1: 5   13-04   Total:   5  13-04
66. Jackson Mitchell - Carson Palmer             Carson Newman University            185
Day 1: 5   13-03   Total:   5  13-03
67. Nolan Gray - Riley Brown                     Carson-Newman University            184
Day 1: 5   13-02   Total:   5  13-02
68. Hunter Slone - Cole Petroff                  Tennessee Tech University           183
Day 1: 5   13-00   Total:   5  13-00
69. Will Kimbrough - Mac Nail                    Georgia Southern University         182
Day 1: 5   12-12   Total:   5  12-12
70. Brooks Parker - Briggs Alavezos              University of Montevallo            181
Day 1: 5   12-11   Total:   5  12-11
71. Carter Burdette - Brayden Jordan             Troy University                     180
Day 1: 5   12-10   Total:   5  12-10
71. Ethan Vue - Christian Vue                    UNC - Charlotte                     180
Day 1: 5   12-10   Total:   5  12-10
73. Gavin Sheffer - Logan Birth                  Liberty University                  178
Day 1: 5   12-10   Total:   5  12-10
74. Cameron Chapman - Dyson Lewis                Catawba Valley Community College    177
Day 1: 5   12-09   Total:   5  12-09
74. Nick Hawkins - Dillan Mcglothern             Webber International University     177
Day 1: 5   12-09   Total:   5  12-09
74. Ethan Hospedales -                           UNC - Charlotte                     177
Day 1: 5   12-09   Total:   5  12-09
74. Harrison McCall -                            Lander University                   177
Day 1: 5   12-09   Total:   5  12-09
78. Kasen Pemberton - Avery Padgett              Troy University                     173
Day 1: 5   12-07   Total:   5  12-07
79. Chandler Pruett - Steven Deschene            Blue Mountain Christian Universi    172
Day 1: 5   12-06   Total:   5  12-06
79. Tyler Thompson - Emery Burnett               Georgia Southern University         172
Day 1: 5   12-06   Total:   5  12-06
81. Cole Moulton - Jared Hubbard                 Lander University                   170
Day 1: 5   12-06   Total:   5  12-06
81. Mitch Straffon - Owen Januszewski            Adrian College                      170
Day 1: 5   12-06   Total:   5  12-06
83. Brian Haire - Fischer Barber                 Troy University                     168
Day 1: 5   12-05   Total:   5  12-05
83. Palmer Parrish -                             Clemson University                  168
Day 1: 5   12-05   Total:   5  12-05
85. Dalton DeFelice - Evan Ludlow                University of Montevallo            166
Day 1: 5   12-04   Total:   5  12-04
85. Spencer Knight - Colton Cybulski             Ohio State University               166
Day 1: 5   12-04   Total:   5  12-04
87. Caden Gettys - Tyler Eggers                  Catawba Valley Community College    164
Day 1: 5   12-03   Total:   5  12-03
88. Mason Bohland - Brady Metzger                Purdue University                   163
Day 1: 5   12-02   Total:   5  12-02
88. Hunter Kellogg - Owen Klein                  Ohio State University               163
Day 1: 5   12-02   Total:   5  12-02
88. Charlie Moomau - Matthew Delaney             West Virginia University            163
Day 1: 5   12-02   Total:   5  12-02
91. Lawson Blake - Garrett Simon                 Marshall University                 160
Day 1: 5   12-02   Total:   5  12-02
92. Thomas Osa - Kole Costello                   High Point University               159
Day 1: 5   12-01   Total:   5  12-01
93. Will Rooker - Ben Brockwell                  Kentucky Christian University       158
Day 1: 5   12-00   Total:   5  12-00
94. Hunter Starling - Emory Jackson              Georgia Southern University         157
Day 1: 5   11-15   Total:   5  11-15
95. Brendon Brones - Porter Welch                Lamar State College Orange          156
Day 1: 5   11-14   Total:   5  11-14
95. Mason Kornegay - Miller Dowling              University of Montevallo            156
Day 1: 5   11-14   Total:   5  11-14
97. Caleb Dugger - Kolby Gambrel                 King University                     154
Day 1: 5   11-12   Total:   5  11-12
97. Thomas Phillips - James Riegert              Ohio State University               154
Day 1: 5   11-12   Total:   5  11-12
97. Kaden Raichel - Luke Davis                   University of Montevallo            154
Day 1: 5   11-12   Total:   5  11-12
97. Grant Rice - Blake Marcum                    Morehead State University           154
Day 1: 5   11-12   Total:   5  11-12
101. Brandon Berry - Hunter Bright                University of Montevallo            150
Day 1: 5   11-11   Total:   5  11-11
101. Drew Kuhnle - Landon Rollison                Lander University                   150
Day 1: 5   11-11   Total:   5  11-11
103. Colin Cooper - Cory Mitchell                 Liberty University                  148
Day 1: 5   11-11   Total:   5  11-11
104. Asa Putnam - Brett Mouw                      University of Montevallo            147
Day 1: 5   11-10   Total:   5  11-10
104. Nick Schaefer - Cameron Gates                University of Pikeville             147
Day 1: 5   11-10   Total:   5  11-10
106. Garrett Christy - Corban Chenevey            Catawba Valley Community College    145
Day 1: 5   11-08   Total:   5  11-08
107. Hunter Keller - Wes Smith II                 Catawba Valley Community College    144
Day 1: 5   11-07   Total:   5  11-07
108. Jackson Rentschler - Tyler Gross             Purdue University                   143
Day 1: 5   11-06   Total:   5  11-06
109. Jacob Vanscoik - Robert Richbourg            Catawba Valley Community College    142
Day 1: 5   11-04   Total:   5  11-04
109. Dawson Woerner - Wyatt Cash                  Purdue University                   142
Day 1: 5   11-04   Total:   5  11-04
111. Tanner Wassilchalk - Mason Kerr              West Virginia University            140
Day 1: 4   11-04   Total:   4  11-04
112. Carson Aarup - Ryan Auchmoody                UNC - Charlotte                     139
Day 1: 5   11-03   Total:   5  11-03
112. Logan Howarter - Mason Lyons                 Kentucky Christian University       139
Day 1: 5   11-03   Total:   5  11-03
114. Max Hondorp - Ridge Faircloth                Troy University                     137
Day 1: 5   11-02   Total:   5  11-02
114. Robert Miller - Levi Bolton                  Emmanuel College                    137
Day 1: 5   11-02   Total:   5  11-02
114. Dylan Reid - Jaxson Smoak                    Georgia Southern University         137
Day 1: 5   11-02   Total:   5  11-02
117. Colin McGough - Jeremy Etter                 Virginia Tech University            134
Day 1: 5   11-02   Total:   5  11-02
118. Sawyer Brady - TJ Edwards Jr                 Blue Mountain Christian Universi    133
Day 1: 5   11-01   Total:   5  11-01
118. Dustin Weinberg - Cade McBride               Blue Mountain Christian Universi    133
Day 1: 5   11-01   Total:   5  11-01
120. Cole Hunter - Joseph Bontrager               University of South Carolina - U    131
Day 1: 5   10-15   Total:   5  10-15
120. Chase Rogers - Bryson Holland                University of South Carolina - U    131
Day 1: 5   10-15   Total:   5  10-15
120. Carrson Sizemore - Dalton Blakley            University of Pikeville             131
Day 1: 5   10-15   Total:   5  10-15
123. Preston Kolisek - Smith McGregor             University of North Alabama         128
Day 1: 5   10-15   Total:   5  10-15
124. Bryce Balentine - Connor Koch                Florida Gateway College             127
Day 1: 5   10-13   Total:   5  10-13
125. Will Hammond - Parker Lambert                Lander University                   126
Day 1: 5   10-12   Total:   5  10-12
125. Chase Loftus - Caden Petrille                University of Iowa                  126
Day 1: 5   10-12   Total:   5  10-12
127. Bryson Holderness - Isaac Greene             University of South Carolina - U    124
Day 1: 5   10-11   Total:   5  10-11
128. Matt Brault - Dylan Mclaughlin               Erskine College                     123
Day 1: 5   10-10   Total:   5  10-10
128. Bryson Hatcher - Jake Lovingood              Bryan College                       123
Day 1: 5   10-10   Total:   5  10-10
130. Zion Dunaway - Andrew Krintz                 Purdue University                   121
Day 1: 5   10-09   Total:   5  10-09
131. Dylan May - Will Shepherd                    Carson-Newman University            120
Day 1: 5   10-08   Total:   5  10-08
131. Leo Romano - Miller Kieran                   James Madison University            120
Day 1: 5   10-08   Total:   5  10-08
133. Jerry Brumbaugh Jr. - Quade Lobo             Adrian College                      118
Day 1: 5   10-07   Total:   5  10-07
133. Branton Champion - Cole Guck                 Emmanuel College                    118
Day 1: 5   10-07   Total:   5  10-07
133. Wyatt Gabehart - Riley Hendricks             Lander University                   118
Day 1: 5   10-07   Total:   5  10-07
133. Fisher Heard - Hunter Brewer                 University of North Alabama         118
Day 1: 5   10-07   Total:   5  10-07
137. Gabe Hannon -                                LSU                                 114
Day 1: 5   10-06   Total:   5  10-06
138. Alex Geroulis - William Brogan               Indiana University                  113
Day 1: 5   10-05   Total:   5  10-05
139. Rylan Green - Luke McGuffin                  Erskine College                     112
Day 1: 5   10-04   Total:   5  10-04
139. Ryan Thomas - Nate Harper                    University of Pikeville             112
Day 1: 5   10-04   Total:   5  10-04
141. Finn Maher - Jake Buzin                      University of South Carolina        110
Day 1: 5   10-03   Total:   5  10-03
142. Dylan Mcgee - Hayden Short                   Kentucky Christian University       109
Day 1: 5   10-02   Total:   5  10-02
142. Emerson Petty - Jaxon Humphrey               Tennessee Wesleyan University       109
Day 1: 5   10-02   Total:   5  10-02
144. John James Coco - JD Farage                  LSU                                 107
Day 1: 5   10-01   Total:   5  10-01
145. Austin Paulus - Landen Paulus                Ohio State University               106
Day 1: 5   10-00   Total:   5  10-00
145. Seth Shuler - Nicholas Giompalo              University of Pikeville             106
Day 1: 5   10-00   Total:   5  10-00
145. Kyle Smith - Jacob Highley                   Kentucky Christian University       106
Day 1: 5   10-00   Total:   5  10-00
148. Makenzie Irwin - Nicholas Palazzo            King University                     103
Day 1: 5   09-15   Total:   5  09-15
148. Nick Owens - Noah Varitek                    Adrian College                      103
Day 1: 5   09-15   Total:   5  09-15
148. Hank Sturm - Matt Mosby                      Adrian College                      103
Day 1: 5   09-15   Total:   5  09-15
151. Robie Vines Jr - Colby Bryan                 Catawba Valley Community College    100
Day 1: 5   09-12   Total:   5  09-12
152. Hunter Townsend - Jon Wehner Jr              James Madison University             99
Day 1: 5   09-11   Total:   5  09-11
153. Will Hadley - Blayne Leeman                  Kentucky Christian University        98
Day 1: 5   09-10   Total:   5  09-10
153. Max Pierlott - Mike Pierlott                 UNC - Charlotte                      98
Day 1: 5   09-10   Total:   5  09-10
153. JD Sewell - Holden Hatcher                   Lamar State College Orange           98
Day 1: 5   09-10   Total:   5  09-10
156. Carson Holbrook - Silas Jones                University of Pikeville              95
Day 1: 5   09-07   Total:   5  09-07
157. Beau Landry - Peyton Matherne                LSU                                  94
Day 1: 5   09-06   Total:   5  09-06
158. Mitch Johnson - Joe Bob Burchett             Kentucky Christian University        93
Day 1: 5   09-04   Total:   5  09-04
159. Will Holloway - Nick Pemberton               University of Montevallo             92
Day 1: 5   09-03   Total:   5  09-03
160. Fisher Rodgers - Loren Oliver                University Of South Carolina         91
Day 1: 5   09-02   Total:   5  09-02
160. Kyle Zainitzer - Hayden Alexander            University of North Alabama          91
Day 1: 5   09-02   Total:   5  09-02
162. Dane Leopold - Chris Veitch                  Coastal Carolina University          89
Day 1: 5   09-02   Total:   5  09-02
163. Joey Meadows - Caleb Edwards                 Emmanuel College                     88
Day 1: 5   09-00   Total:   5  09-00
164. Alexander Blanchard - Connor Hebert          LSU                                  87
Day 1: 5   08-14   Total:   5  08-14
164. Phillip Herring - Parker O'Bryan             University of Montevallo             87
Day 1: 5   08-14   Total:   5  08-14
166. Cody Wyatt - Fletcher Allen                  UNC - Charlotte                      85
Day 1: 5   08-12   Total:   5  08-12
167. Chase Hubble -                               University of Florida                84
Day 1: 5   08-09   Total:   5  08-09
167. Reece Keeney - Brantley Anders               Kentucky Christian University        84
Day 1: 5   08-09   Total:   5  08-09
167. Matthew Norton - Ian Schroeder               UNC - Charlotte                      84
Day 1: 5   08-09   Total:   5  08-09
170. Lyndon Gaddy - Daniel Ridenour               East Tennessee State University      81
Day 1: 5   08-08   Total:   5  08-08
171. Matthew Mitchell - Butler Cochran            University of South Carolina         80
Day 1: 5   08-08   Total:   5  08-08
172. Andrew Oswalt - Evan Mabrey                  University of Montevallo             79
Day 1: 5   08-05   Total:   5  08-05
173. Caleb Baynes - Konnor Sweet                  Liberty University                   78
Day 1: 5   08-01   Total:   5  08-01
174. Connor Westerman - Michael Mcnulty           West Virginia University             77
Day 1: 4   08-01   Total:   4  08-01
175. Scotty Hagan - Will Copley                   University of Pikeville              76
Day 1: 5   08-00   Total:   5  08-00
176. Owen Barker - Carter Jerdon                  Ohio State University                75
Day 1: 5   07-13   Total:   5  07-13
177. Cole Mitchell - Hayden Mare                  High Point University                74
Day 1: 4   07-13   Total:   4  07-13
178. Conner Nichols - Nathanael Eubank            East Tennessee State University      73
Day 1: 5   07-09   Total:   5  07-09
179. Cohen Cravey - Maxwell Johnson               Brewton-Parker College               72
Day 1: 4   07-08   Total:   4  07-08
180. Thomas Smith - Tyler Michael                 University Of South Carolina Uni     71
Day 1: 3   06-01   Total:   3  06-01
181. Ryder Krueger - Mason Laurin                 Troy University                      70
Day 1: 4   05-14   Total:   4  05-14
182. Bryson Gurley - Ethan Evatt                  University of South Carolina - U     69
Day 1: 3   05-13   Total:   3  05-13
183. Garrett Tucker - Tyler Randolph              West Virginia University             68
Day 1: 3   05-11   Total:   3  05-11
184. Fisher Carver - Hunter Richie                Brewton-Parker College               67
Day 1: 3   05-05   Total:   3  05-05
185. Landon Brown - JD Rose                       Morehead State University            66
Day 1: 3   05-04   Total:   3  05-04
186. Cole Bedard - Jackson Plyler                 NC State University                  65
Day 1: 3   05-02   Total:   3  05-02
187. Tanner Herndon - Caleb Griffin               Bryan College                        64
Day 1: 3   05-00   Total:   3  05-00
188. Branson James - Hunter Musick                East Tennessee State University      63
Day 1: 3   04-06   Total:   3  04-06
189. Haden James - Daniel Litwin                                                       62
Day 1: 2   03-09   Total:   2  03-09
189. Braydon Southerland - Conner Busby           Tennessee Tech University            62
Day 1: 2   03-09   Total:   2  03-09
191. Trey Martinez - Maddux Moore                 Sportsman Fishing Club At Lsu        60
Day 1: 2   03-04   Total:   2  03-04
192. Noah Strand - Max Trenz                      UNC - Chapel Hill                    59
Day 1: 5   01-12   Total:   5  01-12
193. Wes Newman Jr. -                             Liberty University                   58
Day 1: 1   01-07   Total:   1  01-07
193. Alan Ter Molen - Luke Rosebrook              Grace College                        58
Day 1: 1   01-07   Total:   1  01-07
195. Kenneth Vicchio - Devon Blevins              East Tennessee State University      56
Day 1: 1   00-09   Total:   1  00-09
196. Kayden Crosier - Gavin Warholic              Kent State University                 0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
196. MJ Lutz Jr - CJ Chavous Jr.                  University of South Carolina - U      0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
196. Aaron McGill - Trey Woliver                  University of Tennessee               0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
196. Aiden Reid - Isaac Patrick                   Catawba Valley Community College      0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
196. Kyle Werbeck - Joseph Phillips               Kent State University                 0
Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       176       933      2265-11
----------------------------------
176       933      2265-11


Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 Presented by E3 Sports Apparel Set for Pickwick Lake Next Week

COUNCE, Tenn. (April 30, 2025) – The next Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Invitational event of the 2025 season is set to take place in Counce, Tennessee, next week, May 9-11, at Pickwick Lake – the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 4 Presented by E3 Sports Apparel.

The three-day tournament, hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake/Hardin County Tourism, will feature professional bass anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000. Anglers will take to the water to catch their five biggest bass each day, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative total.

“Once again, we are grateful to welcome Major League Fishing to Pickwick Lake and for their continued partnership”, said Beth Pippin, Executive Director for Hardin County Tourism. “Pickwick Lake in West Tennessee is on the Bill Dance Signature Lake trail offering world-class fishing where three states meet. We look forward to welcoming the anglers, staff, sponsors, and fans and allowing us to showcase our side of this beautiful lake, and in return bringing us a vast economic impact.”

Former Pickwick Lake champion Jon Canada of Helena, Alabama, is excited to return to the site of his 2022 victory and looking to reclaim his dominance on one of the Tennessee River’s most dynamic spring fisheries. He’ll be competing against Pickwick Lake standouts like Bass Pro Tour phenoms Drew Gill and Jake Lawrence, brothers Carter and Dylan Nutt – the Tennessee River aces who compete collegiately for the University of North Alabama – and a returning Jason Lambert, who recently retired from pro-level competition but couldn’t resist the allure of big-time competition on his home fishery.

“It’s shaping up to be one of those tournaments where you could see it all,” said Canada. “With the weather we’ve had – it hit 89 or 90 degrees this week – everything’s happening fast. Guys are going to be catching fish off the shad spawn, some guarding fry, postspawners, and there may even be a few pre-spawn stragglers pulling up.”

Unlike his 2022 win, when grass played a key role, Canada doesn’t expect vegetation to be a factor this time around.

“The lake had a lot more grass back then. This year, I’ve looked around and haven’t seen any,” he said. “They’ve been managing it pretty aggressively, and it’s basically gone.”

Instead, Canada anticipates a return to more traditional structure fishing.

“You’ll see guys fishing stumps, shell bars, docks, maybe some offshore brush. A spinnerbait or flipping bite could definitely be in play.”

With Day 2 of competition enforcing a no-forward-facing sonar rule, offshore success may come down to “blind fishing” and familiarity.

“I’m okay with that,” Canada said. “It might be a challenge to find offshore schools that fast, but if we get the right conditions – some current and stable water – it could spread people out and open up opportunities.”

Canada emphasized that the Tennessee River system thrives on current.

“That lake – everything relates to current. Doesn’t matter if it’s ledges, ditches, bars, shallow or deep – if they’re pulling water, those fish will bite. That’ll be the biggest thing I’ll be watching next week.”

While a few early-morning smallmouth might show up, Canada is betting on largemouth to anchor most of the top bags. “If someone can unlock the smallmouth after they vanish post-spawn, they’ll be dangerous – but that’s a tough puzzle. It’s going to come down to current, water level, and making good decisions each day.”

Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from Pickwick Landing State Park, located at 120 Playground Loop in Counce, Tennessee. Weigh-ins will be held at the State Park and will begin at 2:30 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 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals feature a field of professional anglers competing across six invitational tournaments around the country, for a total purse of $4.3 million and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points to qualify for the Invitationals Championship, set for Sept. 5-7 on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, and a coveted spot on the MLF Bass Pro Tour – the sport’s premier circuit.

In Tackle Warehouse Invitationals competition, the full field competes 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, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000.

Forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar is limited to only days 1 and 3 of competition. No forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar will be allowed on day 2 of competition.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 4 at Pickwick Lake Presented by E3 Sports Apparel will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Oct. 25 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, 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 FacebookInstagram 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.


Fishing's Greatest Auction is Back

Fishing's Greatest Auction is Back!

Open Now, Online Auction is Your Chance to Bid on More Than 100 Packages – Fishing Trips, Vacations, Tackle, Electronics and Much More. 

Rogers, Minn. (April 29, 2025) — MN-FISH’s “World’s Greatest Fishing Auction” launched this week and runs till Sunday, May 4th.

Go to MN-FISH.com and click on red auction tab to check out the amazing assortment of items available. Shop for yourself, loved ones or even that special client ahead of fishing opener, Mother’s and Father’s days!

All proceeds benefit non-profit MN-FISH Sportfishing Foundation, created in 2018 to give Minnesota anglers and businesses that support them a strong voice in the legislature and state’s fish management.

Fishing’s top brands are represented in this auction! Blackfish, Rapala, Berkley, Whitewater Fishing, Shimano, EGO Fishing, DAIWA, Garmin, Vexilar, Humminbird, 13Fishing, St. Croix Rod, Engel, Fenwick, Pflueger, Tune-Up Custom, GSM, Northland, Lindy, AFTCO, Striker, Fish Monkey and many others.

If you are looking for a fishing trip or two, some of the Midwest’s leading anglers are waiting to take you out. Names like Al Lindner, Jason Mitchell, Brian Brosdahl, Jeremy Smith, Ted Takasaki, Matt Breuer, Butch Furtman, and Jason Durham are offering exclusive guided trips that promise memorable experiences on the water.

There are also incredible vacation packages to top destinations including Lake of the Woods, Leech, Minnetonka, Red, Woman, Mille Lacs, Ontario’s Eagle and others.

Follow MN-FISH on Facebook and Instagram for auction updates; new items added daily!

“Since launched, MN-FISH has helped secure more than $110 million in state investments into Minnesota’s fishing and outdoor recreation infrastructure, benefiting state fish hatcheries, public accesses, invasive carp barriers and urban shore fishing piers, said MN-FISH Executive Director Mark Holsten. “This spring, MN-FISH is helping fund a critical muskie movement/survivability study on Leech Lake, pushing to replace the aging metro fish hatchery in St. Paul and ensure anglers’ voices are heard as the DNR is considering limit and season changes for species like walleye and bass. We’re busy!”

You can browse auction items and bid right now until the auction closes at 8:00 PM CST this Sunday, May 4, 2025.

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About MN-FISH

MN-FISH Sportfishing Foundation & Coalition is Minnesota’s only non-profit organization formed as two entities in order to represent the interested of all Minnesota anglers and other stakeholders. MN-FISH Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit. Its mission is to restore, protect and enhance Minnesota sportfishing for present and future anglers to enjoy. The c-4 MN-FISH Coalition LLC was founded by the Foundation to become the voice of Minnesota Anglers before the DNR and state legislature on all fishing-related issues. To learn more, visit MN-FISH.com.

CONTACT

www.MN-FISH.com

833-3MN-FISH (1-833-366-3474)

Steve Pennaz info@MNFISH.com


B.A.S.S. announces Tackle Warehouse as title sponsor of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork

April 30, 2025

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. is excited to announce Tackle Warehouse as the title sponsor of the highly anticipated 2025 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork, taking place May 8-11 in Yantis, Texas.

Lake Fork has long been known for producing legendary bass fishing moments, and last year’s Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series event was no exception. More than 10 anglers broke the prestigious 100-pound mark, with then-rookie Trey McKinney delivering a jaw-dropping performance to claim victory with an astounding 130 pounds, 15 ounces — one of the heaviest four-day totals in Elite Series history.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tackle Warehouse as the title sponsor for this iconic stop on the Elite Series schedule,” said Phillip Johnson, B.A.S.S. chief operating officer. “Lake Fork always delivers incredible action, and with Tackle Warehouse’s support, we’re looking forward to another unforgettable event showcasing some of the best anglers in the world on one of the most electrifying venues we visit.”

As the industry’s premier online retailer for bass fishing gear, Tackle Warehouse has been a go-to source for tournament anglers and weekend warriors alike. Their sponsorship of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork ensures fans will experience next-level coverage, exclusive content and in-depth access to the gear and techniques that help Elite Series anglers land giant bass.

“We at Tackle Warehouse are so excited for the Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork in the great state of Texas,” said Joey Reggio, general manager of Tackle Warehouse. “We can’t wait to see huge bass, huge bags and tons of excitement at one of the most legendary big-fish factories in the nation!”

The biggest bass of the 2024 Elites was landed by Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Justin Hamner during last year’s Lake Fork event. His 11-pound, 7-ounce behemoth may well be topped this year. With the potential for record-breaking weights and another thrilling showdown on one of the most revered trophy-bass lakes in the country, the 2025 Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork is a must-watch event.

For more information on the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, visit Bassmaster.com.

 

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro ShopsDakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

About Tackle Warehouse

Tackle Warehouse was launched online in 2003 with the goal of meeting the fishing tackle needs of the casual and professional bass angler alike. As a tackle shop run by anglers for anglers, the requirements were evident, and the mission remains the same: provide bass anglers with the widest selection of great products, fast and reliable shipping and excellent customer service, while offering support and education for anglers of all levels and abilities. Tackle Warehouse relies upon its tackle shop roots and a passion for fishing to best serve our customers, as well as the bass fishing community as a whole

 

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 Progressive 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.


Paul Marks Claims First Bassmaster Elite Series Victory at Lake Hartwell

Kennesaw, GA - Rookie angler Paul Marks etched his name into Bassmaster history this weekend, securing his first Elite Series blue trophy with a determined and dynamic performance at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

Marks, 23, who hails from Cumming, Georgia, started strong on Day 1 with a five-fish limit weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces — good enough for third place. He maintained momentum over the next two days with bags of 17-4 and 16-5, entering Championship Sunday in second place. A final-day limit of 15-8 pushed his four-day total to 68 pounds, 8 ounces, earning him the win by a 14-ounce margin over fellow rookie Tucker Smith and a $100,000 top prize.

“I don’t know what to think — it’ll probably take a week to set in, maybe a month,” Marks said. “I think I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. I love spotted bass; I love fishing the way I do. It’s the best thing ever in my eyes.”

Marks’ winning formula combined shallow and offshore tactics. He opened the tournament with a crucial 5-pound largemouth caught bed fishing with a white Zoom Z Craw Jr., but the bulk of his success came offshore. Targeting spotted bass around points and brush piles from the Green Pond area down to the Hartwell Dam, Marks showcased patience and adaptability, crucial traits when chasing blueback herring-spawn bass.

Each morning, Marks capitalized on the herring spawn bite, throwing a Zoom Fluke Stick Jr. and a Super Fluke rigged on a 5/0 Gamakatsu worm hook round bend to trigger early big bites. As the sun climbed, he shifted deeper, fishing 10–30 feet of water with a 3/16-ounce SPRO Skip Gap shaky head paired with the Fluke Stick Jr.

“There are fish everywhere on the bank and I knew it was going to be really hard to win with spots,” Marks said. “I got lucky on Day 1 and caught a big one on the bed. That fish made my tournament.”

Despite the challenges of tracking the fast-moving herring spawn, Marks’ relentless approach — moving constantly and trusting his instincts — ultimately paid off.

“I never let off the gas today; I ran so hard,” Marks said. “It was a long day for me. I really didn’t think I had enough. Somehow, it worked out.”

With his first career Elite Series win secured, Paul Marks’ future in professional bass fishing looks incredibly bright — and this is likely just the beginning.

 

We are Sports Professionals. SPRO works with America's best anglers to design the world's finest fishing tackle. Using cutting edge technology and innovation, SPRO leads the way in developing the highest quality premium fishing equipment available.

 

For more information, please visit, WWW.SPRO.COM

Unified Pros Partners with Fishing Chaos to Launch Virtual Qualifier for The Ultimate Angler Tournament

April 28, 2025, Scottsboro, Alabama — Unified Pros is proud to announce its partnership with Fishing Chaos, the industry leader in digital fishing tournament management, for the Ultimate Angler Tournament—a groundbreaking competition that brings together top-tier anglers from across the country.

As part of this partnership, Unified Pros and Fishing Chaos will launch a Virtual Qualifying Tournament in May 2025, giving anglers from all over the opportunity to compete from their home waters. The top five anglers from this virtual event will earn a coveted spot to compete in the Ultimate Angler Tournament, set to take place later this year.

“Fishing Chaos brings unmatched technology and innovation to the fishing tournament space,” said Lori Waller, Business Development Director at Unified Pros. “Partnering with them allows us to expand access, build excitement, and make the Ultimate Angler Tournament even more inclusive for competitive anglers at every level.”

The virtual qualifier will be hosted through the Fishing Chaos app, allowing real-time scoring, and live leaderboards. Anglers nationwide will be able to participate by submitting catches digitally, leveling the playing field through a modern and efficient platform.

“We’re excited to support Unified Pros and the Ultimate Angler with a seamless digital tournament experience,” said John Calagaz, CEO of Fishing Chaos. “This collaboration reflects our shared vision of elevating the sport and creating more opportunities for anglers to shine.”

Registration for the Virtual Qualifier will open on May 1, 2025 via the Fishing Chaos platform. Full rules, prize details, and eligibility information will be available soon at https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament

For media inquiries, sponsorship information, or to learn more about the Ultimate Angler Tournament, please contact us at info@theultimateangler.org or visit www.theultimateangler.org.


Illinois’ Feldermann Gets Impressive 13th Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Mississippi River Presented by Lew’s

Illinois’ Tinsman Tops Co-Angler Division

LA CROSSE, Wis. (April 28, 2025) – Boater Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin Presented by Lew’s . The tournament, hosted by Explore La Crosse, was the first event of the season for the BFL Great Lakes Division. Feldermann earned $4,437 for his victory.

One of the upper Mississippi River’s all-time greats, Feldermann has now won BFL events out of La Crosse in back-to-back years, just one calendar day apart. This is also his 13th career win, to go along with five BFL All-American appearances and more than $378,000 in career earnings.

“I just pretty much did the same thing I did last year,” he said. “I just fished pondweed with a ChatterBait and a spinnerbait, and I had one spot where I caught a limit pretty quick. Then I went to another spot later in the day and caught my big fish – a 6-6. They were all largemouth, no current, in about 3 feet of water.”

Feldermann’s history on the river is his biggest strength. He says he just “kind of knows where those big ones want to stage before they spawn.” In practice, he caught a few just to get an idea of what was going on, then ran history and applied his expertise to put together the winning weight in the tournament.

“Where I caught the 6-6 is probably 200 to 300 yards long – a 3-foot weed edge,” he added. “It’s a big lake.”

The top 11 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Mike Feldermann, Galena, Ill., five bass, 22-13, $4,437
2nd:      Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-1, $1,958
3rd:       Casey Goode, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 20-5, $1,307
4th:        Tyler Fitch, Fall River, Wis., five bass, 20-3, $914
5th:        Clayton Weber, West Salem, Wis., five bass, 20-2, $783
6th:        Hunter Litchfield, Macomb, Ill., five bass, 19-14, $718
7th:        Dan Mohn, Lansing, Iowa, five bass, 19-9, $653
8th:        Cade Laufenberg, Onalaska, Wis., five bass, 18-10, $1,055 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
8th:        Jeremy Nokken, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 18-10, $555
10th:     Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 18-7, $434
10th:     Wyatt Becker, West Salem, Wis., five bass, 18-7, $434

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Feldermann’s kicker bass weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $520.

Matthew Tinsman of Peoria, Illinois, won the co-angler division and $1,958 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Matthew Tinsman, Peoria, Ill., three bass, 12-3, $1,958
2nd:      Philip Olson, Waukesha, Wis., three bass, 12-2, $979
3rd:       Blake Miller, Cedar Falls, Iowa, three bass, 11-13, $703
4th:        Larry Litchfield, Macomb, Ill., three bass, 11-5, $457
5th:        Duke Lensert, Sister Bay, Wis., three bass, 11-4, $652
6th:        Lee Lewis, Peoria, Ill., three bass, 11-2, $342
6th:        Trevor Gnotke, Pine Island, Minn., three bass, 11-2, $342
8th:        Brad Juen, La Crosse, Wis., three bass, 10-9, $294
9th:        Garrett Koster, Vergas, Minn., three bass, 10-8, $261
10th:     Matthew Commerford, Wendell, Minn., three bass, 10-5, $228

Duke Lensert of Sister Bay, Wisconsin, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $260, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 3 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

In addition to winning the event, Mike Feldermann of Galena, Illinois, has the early lead in the Fishing Clash Great Lakes Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 250 points, while Matthew Tinsman of Peoria, Illinois, leads the Fishing Clash Great Lakes Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 250 points.

The next event for BFL Great Lakes Division anglers will be held May 17, at the Mississippi River out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. 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. 3-4 BFL Regional tournament on the Mississippi River in Quad Cities, Illinois. 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Osage Beach’s Sykora Makes it a Dozen, Gets 12th BFL Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Table Rock Lake

McCain, Hedrick Tie for Win in Co-Angler Division

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. (April 28, 2025) – Boater Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Table Rock Lake Presented by Port of Kimberling Resort and Campground . The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Ozark Division. Sykora earned $ $11,270, including the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.

In the history of BFL and regional competition in the Ozarks, Sykora is streaking toward legend status. He’s earned 51 top-10 finishes across FLW and MLF circuits, has won more than $370,000, has fished the BFL All-American twice and has now won 12 BFL tournaments.

“I was just happy to get my 12th win because it’s been a while,” said Sykora, whose last win came in 2018 at Lake of the Ozarks. “They come in bunches sometimes, so hopefully this is the start of the next bunch.”

Sykora applied old-school bass knowledge to get it done.

“The lake level kind of jumped, and the fish obviously just rode it up,” he said. “So basically, what I was focusing on was isolated bushes and willows in pockets. I was staying in the colored water, and I was flipping a green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog with a 6th Sense peg6th Sense 1/2-ounce tungsten flipping weight and 6th Sense straight-shank 5/0 hook.”

Sykora also worked in a black 6th Sense Vega frog, but the key to the win was flipping up two bigger female bass – both postspawn fish. Sykora worked mid-lake spawning pockets with 45-degree banks where there was a “backstop” – a steep enough bank to keep the water from flooding way out across a wide zone outside the normal shoreline – which helped position fish in the shoreline bushes.

“That is all I did, all day long, is flip,” he added. “I just kept covering water. Sometimes they’d be all the way in the backs of creeks, sometimes in the back of a pocket off the main lake. You never really knew where you were going to catch a good one.”

Sykora added an interesting catch to his latest win.

“One of them was a tagged fish,” he said. “I didn’t even know they tagged fish on Table Rock. I’ve never caught a tagged fish in my life. We called it in just to see, and that fish was caught in 2019. So, six years ago, somebody caught that fish with a tag, and I caught it today. So, no telling how old that fish was.”

The top 11 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Marcus Sykora, Osage Beach, Mo., five bass, 18-14, $11,270 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:      Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., five bass, 17-6, $2,000
3rd:       Wyatt Marler, Oldfield, Mo., five bass, 16-14, $1,334
4th:        Nick Lawler, Ava, Mo., five bass, 16-10, $933
5th:        Aaron Stanphill, Bella Vista, Ark., five bass, 16-5, $900
6th:        Drew Sagely, Rogers, Ark., five bass, 15-14, $733
7th:        Jeffrey Barrickman, Forsyth, Mo., five bass, 15-13, $667
8th:        Eric Olliverson, Shell Knob, Mo., five bass, 15-12, $600
9th:        Jacob Wade, Mountain Grove, Mo., five bass, 15-9, $533
10th:     Brant Rowland, Little Suamico, Wis., five bass, 15-6, $443
10th:     Graden Hansen, Grove, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $443

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Danny Burns of Nixa, Missouri, and Sykora tied for the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after both catching a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces. They each took home $270 for their share of the prize.

Jamie McCain of Lake Lotawana, Missouri, and Dustin Hedrick of Harrison, Arkansas, tied for the win in the co-angler division Saturday after each bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 12 ounces. McCain pocketed $1,500, while Hedrick – who also won the $270 Berkley Big Bass award on the co-angler side for catching a fish that weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces – took home $1,770.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Jamie McCain, Lake Lotawana, Mo., three bass, 8-12, $1,500
1st:        Dustin Hedrick, Harrison, Ark., three bass, 8-12, $1,770
3rd:       Vincent Jones, Robertsville, Mo., three bass, 8-6, $666
4th:        JD Tate, Spokane, Mo., three bass, 8-2, $411
4th:        Walt Hammond, Lees Summit, Mo., three bass, 8-2, $411
4th:        Steve Treiber, Eureka, Mo., three bass, 8-2, $411
7th:        Mark Dettling Jr., Park Hills, Mo., three bass, 8-1, $333
8th:        Bradley Pierce, Gretna, Neb., three bass, 7-15, $300
9th:        Brock Tabor, Harrison, Ark., three bass, 7-14, $267
10th:     Garrett Sanders, Fredericktown, Mo., three bass, 7-10, $233

After three events, boater Eric Olliverson of Shell Knob, Missouri, now leads the Fishing Clash Ozark Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 736 points, while Jamie McCain of Lake Lotawana, Missouri, leads the Fishing Clash Ozark Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 712 points.

The next event for BFL Ozark Division anglers will be held June 14, at Truman Lake out of Warsaw, Missouri. 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Lebanon’s Boggs Achieves Milestone 10th BFL Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Center Hill Lake

Cookeville’s Whittaker Tops Co-Angler Division

SPARTA, Tenn. (April 28, 2025) – Boater Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Center Hill Lake. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Music City Division. Boggs earned $2,403 for his victory.

Boggs has had a ton of success fishing with MLF and its predecessor, FLW. He’s a four-time BFL All-American qualifier with more than $278,000 in career earnings. But this win was extra sweet.

“There’s two things that make this very special to me,” he said. “First off, there was a goal that I set a long time ago to get 10 wins, and I finally achieved that. It’s my 10th BFL win. The second thing was that everything has changed so much. 2022 was my last win, and the past few years it seems like it’s pretty much been dominated by scoping, except on a couple lakes here and there.

“I thought the chance of winning flipping shallow had diminished big time. Thankfully, if you get around the spawn, the right time of year, or the right conditions with the water up, us old-school guys can get in the trees with them and get it done. It feels pretty good to represent the old school in that aspect, and it feels pretty good to do it on a lake that I’ve fished for 20 years and not won on.”

Boggs is now the 25th angler to win at least 10 BFL events across the circuit’s history with Operation Bass, FLW and now MLF. And his win was absolutely old-school power fishing. With the water up above summer pool, he went shallow and caught his 5 1/2-pound kicker on a SPRO Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog and caught the rest flipping a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a Jenko Fishing Creature Weight.

He credits his team partner, Daniel Johnson (13th place), with helping to clue him in to the winning pattern. The two fished a team tournament together the weekend prior and got the win there, as well. Boggs took what he learned from Johnson, along with his own history on the lake, and applied it in other areas – staying respectful of Johnson’s water – to dial in the winning pattern.

“I only had eight keeper largemouth bites,” he added. “I had another five keeper spots – Kentucky bass. That frog fish was crucial in getting there. The lake seems to be pretty full of 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-pounders. Getting those 4 1/2-plus is what steps you up.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 17-5, $2,403
2nd:      Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 17-0, $1,202
3rd:       Braxton Campbell, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 16-11, $801
4th:        Michael Stout, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $561
5th:        Lucas Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $481
6th:        Cody Mackie, McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $441
7th:        Timothy Wacker, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $401
8th:        Jake Cross, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $860 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
9th:        Ike Gillentine, Quebeck, Tenn., five bass, 14-13, $320
10th:     Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $280

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Jason Smith of Union, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $250.

Blake Whittaker of Cookeville, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $1,202 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Blake Whittaker, Cookeville, Tenn., three bass, 9-11, $1,202
2nd:      Mark Redman, Scottsville, Ky., three bass, 9-6, $601
3rd:       Bob Melching, Smithville, Tenn., three bass, 9-1, $402
4th:        Trevor Medley, Sparta, Tenn., three bass, 8-12, $405
5th:        Alex Roberts, Columbia, Tenn., three bass, 8-10, $240
6th:        Trenton Webb, Goodlettsville, Tenn., three bass, 8-4, $220
7th:        Jason Barr, Fort Campbell, Ky., three bass, 7-15, $300
8th:        Parker Burgess, Granville, Tenn., three bass, 7-12, $170
8th:        Danny H. Boggs, Fayetteville, Tenn., three bass, 7-12, $170
10th:     James Proffitt, Celina, Tenn., three bass, 7-11, $140

Trevor Medley of Sparta, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $125, catching a bass that weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, Hunter Bouldin of McMinnville, Tennessee, now leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 739 points, while Tommy Pritchard of Bargersville, Indiana, leads the Fishing Clash Music City Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 729 points.

The next event for BFL Music City Division anglers will be held June 28, at Old Hickory Lake out of Gallatin, 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 out of 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Greenbrier’s Burke Earns First Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Greers Ferry

Oklahoma’s Mitchell Tops Co-Angler Division

GREERS FERRY, Ark. (April 28, 2025) – Boater Cody Burke of Greenbrier, Arkansas, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Greers Ferry. The tournament was the third event of the season for the BFL Arkie Division. Burke earned $3,766 for his victory.

High water opened up a new playing field at Greers Ferry, and Burke took full advantage. He tossed a Zoom Horny Toad and a SPRO Bronzeye Frog to catch more than 40 keepers on the day, with his weigh fish coming primarily on the frog.

“I had a great day,” he said. “I was catching quite a bit of fish shallow, so I just kind of continued to roll with it. It’s way above normal pool, so I was trying to get to places where you could get to the bank and be able to cast at different stuff.”

Burke targeted areas around spawning pockets, though most of his fish were postspawn. He fished entirely within one area that was a few miles long, slinging his topwater around in less than 2 feet of water and covering ground until he got a bite. Then he slowed down to work those areas over more thoroughly and, between he and his co-angler, would often experience flurries of five to 10 bites in a spot.

“It’s my strength – shallow-water fishing,” Burke added. “When I figured out I could do that over having to turn on my LiveScope, I never turned it on today.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Cody Burke, Greenbrier, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $3,766
2nd:       James Stricklin Jr., Fort Smith, Ark., five bass, 13-1, $1,883
3rd:       Chris Huselton, Conway, Ark., five bass, 12-5, $1,256
4th:        Austin Rose, Mena, Ark., five bass, 11-15, $879
5th:        Paul Combs, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 11-12, $1,253 (includes $500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
6th:        Kevin Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-11, $690
7th:        C.J. Brustrom, Locust Grove, Ark., five bass, 11-6, $596
7th:        Travis Mosley, Benton, Ark., five bass, 11-6, $596
9th:        Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-1, $502
10th:     Remington Lawrence, Melbourne, Ark., five bass, 10-14, $939

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Remington Lawrence of Melbourne, Arkansas, caught a bass that weighed 3 pounds, 15 ounces, and earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award of $500.

Gene Mitchell of Stuart, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and $1,883 Saturday, after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 11 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Gene Mitchell, Stuart, Okla., three bass, 8-1, $1,883
2nd:      Stephen Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., Ark., five bass, 7-0, $942
3rd:       Steve Lee, Benton, Ark., Ark., five bass, 6-15, $627
4th:        Eli Garrison, Ward, Ark., five bass, 6-11, $439
5th:        Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 6-7, $361
5th:        James Jewell, Broken Bow, Okla., three bass, 6-7, $361
7th:        Aaron Calvert, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 6-5, $314
8th:        Larry Carter, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 6-4, $282
9th:        Kelvin Trotter, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 6-1, $223
9th:        Reagan Brown, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 6-1, $223
9th:        William Goodhue, Barling, Ark., five bass, 6-1, $223

Eli Garrison of Ward, Arkansas, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $250, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 2 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.

After three events, boater Brian Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, now leads the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 717 points, while Jody Jones of Harvey, Arkansas, leads the Fishing Clash Arkie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 730 points.

The next event for BFL Arkie Division anglers will be held June 14, at Lake Dardanelle out of Russellville, 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 out of Eufaula, 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 FacebookInstagram, 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.


Oklahoma’s Kyle Cortiana Crushes at Lake Seminole in Final Event of Toyota Series Southern Division

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (April 27, 2025) – The final event of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southern Division was possibly the best of the season – Fishing Clash Angler of the Year  went down to the wire, and every day featured big bags and big fish. Taking the lead on Day 1, Kyle Cortiana blasted an even 27 pounds, which he followed with another 20-pound sack that dropped him to second with a 47-14 total. On the final day at Lake Seminole, the Oklahoma pro rallied back for the win, dropping 24-8 to crush the competition with a 72-6 total.

Cortiana earned $34,145 for the win, his second Toyota Series victory in under 12 months (he also won last summer at Lake Champlain). To top it off, he also finished second in AOY, making two Top 10s on the season.

Hayden O’Barr tallied 67-15 for second place, and Levi Thibodaux finished third with 66-8. Making headlines on the final day with a 10-pounder and a 27-8 bag,  Kyle Austin  finished fifth while fishing the last two days with a broken elbow he suffered after falling off his boat at the gas station.

Closing out an impressive season, Parker Knudsen made three Top 10s in a row to earn Fishing Clash Angler of the Year. Cortiana finished up second, and  Bobby Bakewell  finished third in the standings. The Top 25 pros and co-anglers qualified for this fall’s Toyota Series Championship, where up to $235,000 will be on the line on the pro side.

When Cortiana won his first AOY in the Southwestern Division in 2016, he did it fishing shallow, mostly dirty water in Texas and Oklahoma. Now, he’s a threat anywhere in the country, on clear lakes with smallmouth, grassy bowls in Florida and this week, in the deep, timber and grass filled waters of Lake Seminole.

Practicing with Knudsen, as he has all year, Cortiana rolled into town from the most recent Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event and got right to work.

“Parker and I have been working together all year,” Cortiana said. “And I would say that I helped him greatly on the first two events. He was (at Seminole) before me while I was fishing Smith Lake, and he just basically said, ‘Dude, they’re in the timber. The bite is going to be pretty good. Spring Creek Timber is pretty good.’

“So, my first day of practice, we launched together, and he showed me the boat lanes, you know, and then we shut down. He said, ‘I caught some fish right here, and I want to expand this way, let’s expand this way.’ So, he and I expanded that way, and I immediately saw what he was talking about.”

By tournament time, Cortiana knew what was he was looking for, but he had to continue to fine tune his approach to avoid stumbles, and to make up for the more than occasional lost fish.

“I was looking for the deepest timber I could find that was along the grass edge,” he said. “Those were the areas that I had the confidence in to just look, And there’s a ton of that.

“I figured out real fast on Day 1 when I got served the humble pie of 10 pounds by noon that I had to quit going where I caught ‘em in practice,” he added. “There were boats everywhere. I was trying to force myself to fish by boats because I’ve got all these waypoints here where I caught fish. One stretch I had, I caught 11 fish over 4 pounds on my first pass in practice. I never caught a decent bass in that ever, and I fished it again today.

“I just realized I have to go where there’s no boats, where the fish are not getting pressured. Even if there’s fewer fish, they’re more likely to bite because the fish are wanting to eat. I was looking around while I was fishing, identifying areas that had the deep holes in the grass with timber, that had zero boats pounding on them.”

Another separator for Cortiana was his ability to consistently add weight in the afternoon. Though he boxed over 18 pounds in the first hour on the final day, he was able to put big fish in the boat late, while many others struggled once the sun really got up.

“Once it got past that morning bite, every fish you threw at that was up, it was almost like they saw your bait before it hit the water. They would immediately just go and start making their way down,” he said. “So, if you could find those fish already down, or you weren’t the reason they went down – if you just happen to catch that fish out there 80, 90 feet, just kind of making his way down and can pick which direction it’s going and lead that fish while it’s just kind of belly walking the bottom, and then they rise to you. Well, it’s a great scenario.”

Cortiana’s primary weapon was a 5-inch YUM FF Sonar Minnow on a 1/4-ounce Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Pro-V Eagle Eye Jig. He used a 7-foot, medium light Kistler Magnesium spinning rod with a Kistler Magnesium spinning reel, and a 7-foot, medium light  Kistler Helium with a Kistler Kyrios reel. He spooled up with 10-pound braid and a 10-pound fluoro leader across the board.

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series at Lake Seminole finished:

1st:          Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 72-6, $34,145
2nd:         Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 67-15, $14,634
3rd:          Levi Thibodaux, Thibodaux, La., 15 bass, 66-8, $10,168
4th:           Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 65-9, $8,474
5th:          Kyle Austin, Ridgeville, S.C., 15 bass, 63-0, $7,626
6th:          Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 15 bass, 60-2, $6,779
7th:          Aaron Yavorsky, Palm Harbor, Fla., 15 bass, 58-11, $5,932
8th:          Parker Knudsen, Minnetonka, Minn., 15 bass, 57-5, $5,084
9th:          Dylon Smith, Baconton, Ga., 15 bass, 54-3, $4,487
10th:        Buddy Benson, Dahlonega, Ga., 15 bass, 53-1, $3,389

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pros Baylor Ronemus of Tiger, Georgia, and Dylon Smith of Baconton, Georgia, split Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award, both catching a bass weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Pro Hayden O’Barr of Scottsboro, Alabama, brought a bass weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces to the scale Friday to take home the $500 Berkley Big Bass Award for Day 2.

Preston Williams of Tallahassee, Florida, won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 31 pounds, 6 ounces. Williams earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,500, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series at Lake Seminole finished:

1st:           Preston Williams, Tallahassee, Fla., 14 bass, 31-6, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp outboard
2nd:          James Cobbs, Vinemont, Ala., 15 bass, 30-11, $4,413
3rd:          Hunter Prough, Chipley, Fla., 11 bass, 30-9, $3,450
4th:          Jamie Childree, Valdosta, Ga., 13 bass, 28-11, $3,019
5th:          Jeremy Bouldin, Kings Mountain, N.C., 15 bass, 28-4, $2,588
6th:          Doug Wooldridge, Williston, S.C., nine bass, 27-15, $2,306
7th:          Daniel Weaver, Macon, Ga., 13 bass, 27-15, $1,725
8th:          Tyler Nekolny, Coral Springs, Fla., 15 bass, 27-14, $1,510
9th:          Rusty Brogdon, Climax, Ga., 10 bass, 27-8, $1,294
10th:        Leo Morris, Beaver Dam, Wis., 12 bass, 27-7, $1,228

Co-angler Doug Wooldridge of Williston, South Carolina, earned Thursday’s $150 Berkley Big Bass co-angler award with a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Leo Morris of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, who weighed in a 7-pound, 5-ounce bass.

With all three regular-season events in the Toyota Series Southern Division now complete, pro Parker Knudsen of Minnetonka, Minnesota, was crowned the Fishing Clash Southern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) and earned the AOY payout of $1,000 with 763 points, while James Cobbs of Vinemont, Alabama, is the Co-angler of the Year with 763 points and took home the $500 prize.

The Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Seminole was hosted by Visit Bainbridge. It was the third and final regular-season tournament for the Toyota Series Southern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be May 1-3 on Lake Eufaula in Eufuala, Oklahoma. For a complete schedule of events, visit  MajorLeagueFishing.com.

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 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, Vosker, 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.


Minor’s magical smallmouth spot carries him to victory at Dale Hollow

April 27, 2025

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. — Everything about Dale Hollow sets up for how Ewing Minor likes to fish, and he certainly showed that during the 2025 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Dale Hollow Reservoir presented by Native Watercraft.

With a two-day total of 192.75 inches, Minor hoisted the trophy at the famed reservoir, edging out Florida’s Seth Taylor by half an inch. It is the Virginia angler’s second Bassmaster Kayak Series victory, his first coming last year at the Susquehanna River.

He also carried his Carson-Newman University team to victory in the Bassmaster College Kayak Series event that was held in conjunction with the main tournament.

“It was the final kayak tournament for me as a part of the Carson-Newman team,” Minor said. “So, getting the win there was pretty cool to do it with my team. It might be my first major kayak win in Tennessee, too. Dale Hollow is an awesome lake. It is loaded with big fish.”

Home of the world record smallmouth, Dale Hollow produced impressive limits during the two-day tournament, including 43 that measured 90 inches or better. In total, 2,065 bass were caught by the 233-angler field.

Minor has been fishing Dale Hollow two or three times a year for the past three years, learning the ins and outs of what the bass do. He also grew up fishing South Holston Reservoir, another Tennessee smallmouth factory, which helped him decipher the Dale Hollow smallie bite.

“I have always loved highland reservoirs with clear water and smallmouth, especially with the primary baitfish being alewives,” he said. “South Holston, the way those fish act out there is pretty much identical to the way these fish act.”

While many of his fellow competitors targeted the shallow coves and creeks for spawning largemouth, as well as the main lake smallmouth spawning grounds, Ewing found success fishing for prespawn and postspawn smallmouth on one particular section of a long point in 25 feet of water. He landed all of his bass using a ¼-ounce jighead with a 4/0 hook and a 5-inch electric shad colored minnow.

Minor said he isn’t really sure what made that spot special other than the bass were there.

During his first day of practice, Minor landed a 20.75-inch smallmouth right next to the boat ramp he launched at, giving him an idea of what depth range to look in for those bigger bites. As he practiced, he found the smallmouth towards the dam were relating more to bait, while the smallmouth midlake were hunkered down on the bottom.

He found his magic hole with only a couple of hours to go on the final day of practice.

“I threw at a fish, and when I caught it, 30 or 40 more followed it out,” he said. “I threw at one more fish on the other side of the point and the same thing happened. I knew then it had potential, but I didn’t expect it to produce (that much).”

On Day 1, Minor opened the morning by catching an 18.75-inch largemouth close to the launch and only had three bass total before moving out to his smallmouth hole. There, he landed 96 inches of smallmouth in a 45-minute flurry. Once he reached a sizable limit, he left and searched for new water the rest of the day and culled once late in the afternoon with a 19-inch largemouth. His 97.75-inch limit lifted Minor to second place heading into the final day.

Minor spent the entire second day in his smallmouth hole. When he arrived, he discovered the bass were suspended under balls of bait, and it took Minor a little while to figure out the bite.

“They weren’t committing to my bait for the first hour of being there,” he said.

After landing a quality smallmouth and a smaller bass that he would later cull out, the 360 Drive on his Hobie locked up, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Minor. The rest of the day, Minor would let the wind push him over the spot, allowing him to still use his forward-facing sonar.

“It helped me find a way to catch those fish,” he said. “I would drift with the wind back through the spot, and there were still a lot of fish holding tight to the bottom, but when they got directly under the boat, they would swim up towards the boat because they were curious, I guess. When you got past them, they would swim back down. I would time it for my bait to make it to the bottom right after the bass got back to the bottom. If I got the bait to them before they reached the bottom, they wouldn’t eat it.

“Once I got that dialed in, it was lights out for an hour.”

Taylor, who had never been to Dale Hollow, spent his tournament targeting spawning largemouth and smallmouth with his forward-facing sonar. The largemouth, in particular, were spawning in 8 to 10 feet of water, out of eyesight for most anglers. The smallmouth, meanwhile, were on main lake humps in 10 to 14 feet of water, and in practice he felt like many of those smallies were males.

“In practice, I marked over 100 beds,” the Floridian said.

On Day 1, Taylor targeted the largemouth and anchored his 96.50-inch bag with a 21-incher. Most of those bass were located in coves off the main lake. After testing his largemouth stuff in the morning of Day 2 and landing a little over 80 inches, he moved out to the main lake and hoped some big females joined the males on beds. Sure enough, Taylor found plenty of smallies ready to bite and he finished the day with 95.75 inches.

“They were everywhere,” he said. “I went around and caught them with a Neko rig. I caught an 18- to 19-inch smallmouth every 15 minutes and there are probably 200 more beds out there that haven’t been fished.”

Ohio’s Jason Isaacs finished third with a total of 186 inches. After a disappointing practice period, the 2024 Possum Kingdom champion fished totally new water on tournament day, and didn’t even find his starting spot until a couple of minutes before lines in. A shaky head paired with a Z-Man FattyZ produced all of his bites.

“I stopped at a point, and there was a really brief shad spawn,” he said. “I caught a 19.25 and then fished down that bank. I had four smallmouth and one largemouth in my total yesterday. I did the exact same thing today and had four largemouth and a smallmouth. I caught an 18-inch largemouth right on the dam.”

Joshua Sharp of Franklin, Tenn., earned Big Bass of the Tournament honors with a 22.25-inch largemouth he landed on Day 2.

The Top 5 finishers earned an automatic bid to the 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship presented by Native Watercraft, details of which will be announced at a later date.

Full results from the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Dale Hollow Reservoir presented by Native Watercraft are scored by TourneyX and can be found here.

The Pickett County Chamber of Commerce hosted the tournament.

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

2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Platinum Sponsors: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com


Rookie Marks tops Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell

April 27, 2025

Elite_eventLogo_2025_LakeHartwell_Raster (1).png

ANDERSON, S.C. — Despite a Day 1 kicker that clearly helped his cause, rookie Paul Marks played the long game, and his patience paid off with his first blue trophy in the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

Hailing from Cumming, Ga., Marks started strong with a third-place Day 1 limit of 19 pounds, 7 ounces, then held the second-place spot for the next two days with weights of 17-4 and 16-5. Adding a Championship Sunday limit of 15-8, he tallied a tournament total of 68-8.

Edging fellow rookie Tucker Smith by 14 ounces, Marks collected the top prize of $100,000.

“I don’t know what to think; it’ll probably take a week to set in — maybe a month,” the 23-year-old said. “I think I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid.

“I love spotted bass; I love fishing the way I do. It’s the best thing ever in my eyes.”

Marks jump-started his event with a Day 1 bed-fishing effort that produced a 5-pound largemouth. That fish ate a white Zoom Z Craw Jr in about 2 feet of water.

After that, it was nearly all offshore fishing, as Marks committed himself to grinding through numbers of spotted bass and daily culling his way to competitive limits.

“There are fish everywhere on the bank and I knew it was going to be really hard to win with spots,” Marks said. “I got lucky on Day 1 and caught a big one on the bed. That fish made my tournament.”

Marks, who lives about 2 hours west of Hartwell, brought with him a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Whittling down his mental library to an actionable plan was the key, and Marks said he did so on the fly.

“I just ran around and went with my gut feeling,” Marks said.

Marks started every day on the blueback herring spawn, the spring baitfish reproductive aggregations, which attract opportunistic bass predation. This frenzied feeding typically attracts large spotted bass and largemouth, so Marks did his best to leverage this big-bite potential.

“I started out throwing a Zoom Fluke Stick Jr and a Super Fluke on a 5/0 round bend worm hook and I’d catch a couple of good fish every morning that would be in my bag when I came to weigh in,” he said. “The rest of the day, I’d spend most of my time backing off a little deeper in 10 to 20 feet of water — sometimes 30.

“In the deeper water, I’d throw a 3/16-ounce SPRO Skip Gap shaky head with a Zoom Fluke Stick Jr.

Marks fished from the Green Pond area to the Hartwell Dam and worked a mix of points and brush piles. Success, he said, required frequent relocation.

Herring fish are notoriously random, and when the feeding happens it does not last long. Marks maximized his time by constantly seeking fresh activity.

“I never let off the gas today; I ran so hard,” Marks said. “It was a long day for me. I really didn’t think I had enough. Somehow, it worked out.”

Smith, who makes his home in Birmingham, Ala., finished second with 67-10. Smith placed 24th on Day 1 with a limit of 16-04. Adding 18-9 in the second round, he made a big move up to sixth and then earned his Championship Sunday spot by weighing 17-2 on Day 3 and improving to third.

On Day 4, Smith gained one more spot by catching a final-round limit of 15-11.

Smith caught most of his fish on a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in morning dawn and green pumpkin. Targeting the herring spawn, he fished the bait on a shaky head, wacky rig and a Neko rig, with the latter producing most of the bites.

“I caught a big bed fish on a white Yamamoto craw the second day, and I caught a few herring fish on a chartreuse Yamamoto D-Shad,” Smith said. “I’ve been fishing here for a year, so I kinda had an idea of what I wanted to do.

"I just rode around and found some good stuff. I didn’t know it was gonna turn out this good.”

Luke Palmer of Coalgate, Okla., finished third with 66-10. He brought in daily limits of 18-15, 14-15, 17-0 and 15-12.

“This week, I said I was going to be hard-headed, just like I was (during my 2023 Elite win) at Santee Cooper; except I went the exact opposite from 20-pound Sunline fluorocarbon at Santee to 8- to 10-pound Sunline here,” Palmer said. “I kept a Falcon spinning rod with a YUM Sonar Minnow in my hand, and that’s what I did all day long for the last four days and it worked out good.”

Day 1 leader Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., won the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 7-15.

Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., won the $1,000 award for leading the Progressive Angler of the Year standings.

Howell won the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag award for his Day 1 limit of 21-11.

Przekurat leads the Progressive Angler of the Year standings with 368 points. Will Davis Jr of Sylacauga, Ala., is in second with 340, followed by Bryant Smith of Roseville, Calif., with 337, Shane Lehew of Catawba, N.C., with 333, and Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, with 324.

Smith leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 294 points.

Palmer also took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while Fothergill earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Marks earned an additional $4,000 while Palmer claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

Visit Anderson hosted the tournament.

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro ShopsDakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-424-2390, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell 4/24-4/27
Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Paul Marks             Cumming, GA             20  68-08  104 $100,000.00
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   17-04     Day 3: 5   16-05     Day 4: 5   15-08
2.  Tucker Smith           Birmingham, AL          20  67-10  103  $21,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 5   18-09     Day 3: 5   17-02     Day 4: 5   15-11
3.  Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            20  66-10  102  $15,000.00
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   14-15     Day 3: 5   17-00     Day 4: 5   15-12
4.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               20  65-07  101  $12,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   19-09     Day 3: 5   17-03     Day 4: 5   09-15
5.  Jay Przekurat          Plover, WI              20  64-07  100  $12,750.00
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   16-09     Day 3: 5   14-08     Day 4: 5   14-07
6.  Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        20  62-11   99  $16,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   14-05     Day 3: 5   14-05     Day 4: 5   12-06
7.  Easton Fothergill      Grand Rapids , MN       20  61-11   98  $10,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-06     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   17-05     Day 4: 5   11-13
8.  Wesley Gore            Clanton, AL             20  61-03   97  $10,300.00
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   15-10     Day 3: 5   14-05     Day 4: 5   12-08
9.  Emil Wagner            Marietta, GA            20  60-13   96  $10,200.00
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   18-02     Day 3: 5   14-13     Day 4: 5   12-01
10. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA 20  60-02   95  $10,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   20-06     Day 3: 5   12-09     Day 4: 5   12-04
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    07-15      $1,000.00
2   Carl Jocumsen            Queensland TN AUSTRALIA06-05      $1,000.00
3   Bryan New                Leesville, SC       06-14      $1,000.00
4   Tucker Smith             Birmingham, AL      03-13      $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    07-15      $2,000.00
RAPALA CRUSHCITY MONSTER BAG

Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    21-11      $2,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       102       510      1489-15
2       102       510      1396-03
3        50       250       697-15
4        10        50       132-05
----------------------------------
264      1320      3716-06


Fothergill Leans on Consistency and Confidence for Championship Sunday on Lake Hartwell

Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

It’s been a tournament defined by timing, precision and composure and Toyota Bonus Bucks member Easton Fothergill has brought all three to the forefront on Lake Hartwell this week. Now, as he heads into Championship Sunday at the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series event, the Minnesota native sits poised with a shot to claim a coveted blue trophy.

Fothergill, who has been among the most consistent anglers in the field throughout the first three days of competition, knows exactly what it’s going to take to bring home the blue trophy and he's not shying away from taking the necessary risks.

“It’s been really important,” Fothergill said of his ability to stay steady. “I’m on a great average-size of fish doing my pattern. I have about a 3-pound average but I really need that 5-plus pound pounder each day to bring me up to a weight that can help me win this event.”

That kind of brutal honesty has become a hallmark of Fothergill's approach this season and it’s served him well at Hartwell. With daily weights hovering in the 15- to 16-pound range, he’s kept himself firmly in contention by staying locked in on the herring spawn—a notoriously fickle but high-reward pattern this time of year on the clear, blueback herring-rich reservoir.

But it’s not just about the pattern. It’s about how he’s managing it.

“I’m around several other boats and I’m seeing a lot of Top 10 anglers,” Fothergill explained. “We’re all being super cordial and respectful so I’m not worried about that at all. I’m grateful to have spent enough time here in college learning this lake. I used to get my tail whooped here during the herring spawn back then, so I made it a point to learn more about it through the years. I’ve learned since then that it’s all about timing and rotation.”

Those years of experience are showing now in a big way.

While Hartwell might not be his home lake, Fothergill's decision to invest in understanding its seasonal behavior—especially around the often-misunderstood herring spawn—has made him one of the more dangerous anglers on the water this week. With a well-established morning program followed by a tactical move to the shallows as the sun rises, his approach has mirrored that of seasoned veterans.

“I’ve been using two or three techniques,” he said. “I’m solely focused on the herring spawn until the sun gets high then I’ll go shallow to fish for cruising and shallow fish. I found two really big bed fish on Saturday afternoon that wouldn’t bite. But I’m really hoping they’re going to lock down overnight and if I could catch both of them tomorrow, it could be a really special day.”

If those two fish commit on Sunday, it could be a tournament-altering moment.

Fothergill’s willingness to adjust within his system, a defining trait of successful Elite Series anglers, has also been critical. While others have scrambled to relocate roaming bass or chase sporadic schooling activity, he’s executed with poise, rotating through his most productive zones with the utmost patience.

Still, like any tournament, there have been a few missed opportunities.

“On the first day of the tournament, I lost a few big ones,” Fothergill admitted. “It could have really changed how my tournament went. But I can’t complain because on day two and day three, everything has pretty much gone flawlessly.”

It’s that mindset—focused on the future, not dwelling on the past—that keeps Fothergill dangerous heading into the final stretch. With a slim margin separating him from the current leader, he knows that Championship Sunday will demand something special.

And the weather might just provide the boost he needs.

“The weather on Sunday should help me but I’m most excited about the herring bite and I’d love a breeze and a little ripple in the water,” he said. “I’m pretty dialed into that pattern, especially in the morning, so a little surface disturbance would be ideal for what I’m doing.”

Forecasts are calling for partly cloudy skies and a moderate breeze out of the west; prime conditions for herring-related activity. If everything aligns and Fothergill is able to capitalize early, the door swings wide open for a final-day surge.

But he’s not leaving it to chance.

“I’m going to take some chances tomorrow,” Fothergill added. “I have to make something pretty crazy happen in order to win this thing but anything is possible and I’m looking forward to it.”

As for the lake itself? Hartwell holds a special place in Fothergill’s heart.

“Hartwell is my favorite lake in the country because it reminds me of the clear waters of back home in Minnesota,” he said. “It’s tricky to figure out and it’s not always easy, but I feel like each time I get to fish here, I learn more and more how to crack the code.”

With that kind of appreciation for the process and the place, it’s hard not to root for him. Whether he hoists the trophy on Sunday or not, Easton Fothergill has proven he belongs in the spotlight. With a little luck and a lot of execution, he might just end Championship Sunday with a big, blue trophy hoisted over his head.

 


Landstrom’s smallie strategy vaults him into Day 1 lead at Dale Hollow

April 26, 2025

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. — Smallmouth bass were the key to success for Glenn Landstrom on Day 1 of the 2025 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Dale Hollow Reservoir presented by Native Watercraft.

The Huntingburg, Ind., angler secured a limit of brown fish measuring 98.50 inches to claim the Day 1 lead. Virginia’s Ewing Minor is second with 97.75 inches and Florida’s Seth Taylor is third with 96.50 inches. Landstrom was the only angler in the Top 9 to land exclusively smallmouth.

It was an overall stellar day for the 233-boat field on the famed reservoir that splits the border of Tennessee and Kentucky. The Top 25 all landed limits measuring 90 inches or better and 135 limits were registered on TourneyX.

A former Lexington, Ky., resident, Landstrom had only been to Dale Hollow one time before this week for a Bluegrass Kayak Anglers event. He fished for largemouth in that tournament and did not come close to the victory.

“My buddy Jay Wallen won that event, and he told me, ‘You have to be in this general area fishing for smallmouth to win events here.’ So, I put that in my head,” Landstrom explained. “Even though I caught good largemouth in practice, I went and looked for smallmouth, and so far, that is paying off.”

While he found a productive largemouth bite in practice, Landstrom knew smallmouth would likely be the key to winning. On Saturday, he started — and never left — a rocky flat where he could see smallies swimming in and out with his Lowrance ActiveTarget.

“There were only six people who launched at our spot, so there was very little pressure, which was nice. I was shocked considering where I am at,” Landstrom said.

He believes many of these bass are in some stage of the spawn, although he isn’t sure which stage. One lure from Bizz Baits produced all of his bites on Day 1.

“The largemouth seem to be spawned out, although some of the females seem to be guarding the nest, which isn’t usually their job. The water is up in the bushes. I caught a bunch doing that, and it is obvious the largemouth are spawned out,” he explained. “The smallmouth, I have no idea. I can see some beds on my side imaging, and I can see they are on the bed, but I don’t know where they are in the procedure.

“It seems to be a mix of pre and postspawn.”

While his final tally has him leading going into the final day, it could have been a little better had the first 30 minutes gone a little differently. After landing an 18.50-incher to start the morning, Landstrom proceeded to lose the next six bites he received, all of which were bigger than the bass he had already landed.

“I was lucky enough to have the fastest kayak to get to my spot,” he said. “And then I lost 95 to 100 inches in the first 20 minutes. I got the 18.5 in, and the next cast I got hung up. I must have rolled the point of my hook, and I never looked at it once I retrieved it. I lost one after another and I got good — well, bad — video of that.

“I finally looked at my hook and it was blunt. I couldn’t even stick it in my finger.”

After changing out his hook, Landstrom was able to fill out his limit and made a key cull late in the day to edge out Minor for the lead. He broke off a couple of other bass that likely would have lifted his total to the 100-inch mark.

“The bite kind of died in the afternoon,” he said. “I got lucky and caught one with 40 minutes to go to cull me up 2 inches. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m grateful for it.”

Virginia’s Abraham Street landed the Big Bass of the Day, a 21.25-inch largemouth.

The full field will take off from any approved public launch and begin fishing at 5:45 a.m. CT on Day 2. Anglers will have until 2 p.m. to catch their five longest bass. The top finishing anglers will be recognized at Pickett County High School at 5 p.m. The awards ceremony will also be streamed on the Bassmaster YouTube Channel.

The winner will earn the first-place prize of $11,355 and the Top 5 anglers will earn an automatic bid to the 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship presented by Native Watercraft.

Full results from the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Dale Hollow Reservoir presented by Native Watercraft are scored by TourneyX and can be found here.

The Pickett County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the tournament.

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

2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Platinum Sponsors: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com


Cook overcomes clarity concerns to maintain lead in Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell

April 26, 2025

Elite_eventLogo_2025_LakeHartwell_Raster (1).png

ANDERSON, S.C. — Drew Cook struggled with a clarity issue today, but when his afternoon analysis told him he was clearly not where he needed to be, the pro from Cairo, Ga., stepped on the gas and secured the necessary upgrades to maintain the lead on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

After catching 18 pounds, 12 ounces on Day 1, Cook found himself in a three-way tie for 6th place. Adding a second-round limit of 19-9, he took over the lead with a margin of 1-10 over rookie Paul Marks.

Semifinal Saturday saw Cook add 17-3, tally a three-day total of 55-8, and expand his lead to a 2 1/2-pound margin over Marks. Doing so required contending with visibility limitations.

“A lot of the area I’m fishing got dirty either because of the waves, or the pollen really moved in,” Cook said. “That’s kinda the reason I practiced there — the pollen was in there and you really couldn’t see, so I figured I’d have a lot of it to myself, because everybody wouldn’t look through it.”

Employing his uncanny sight-fishing abilities, Cook worked through the challenging conditions and even found encouraging signs that his area’s potential may be expanding.

“I did find a couple of new ones; this morning, I found a couple of new (bed fish),” Cook said. “I found like a 7-pounder, fished for it for a while and found six new ones this afternoon.

“We’re just looking for five big ones.”

Spending most of his day in one main creek, Cook sight fished with a Nories Front Flapper and a wacky-rigged prototype SPRO stick worm. The fish, he said, were scattered throughout his creek, but it seemed like small pockets off the main waters were more productive.

“Today was a grind, but I got one lucky bite,” Cook said. “Toward the end of the day, I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I’m behind.’ I had like 15 pounds and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to fumble right here.’

“I made a couple of adjustments, moved around really quick and caught a couple of fish that I wasn’t planning on catching, but I’m glad I did. In the last 10 minutes, I culled out a 1.3-pounder with a 2.66 and then I culled a 1.80 with a high-2. Those were very valuable.”

As Cook recalled, one of his better fish came from a perplexing scenario — one that B.A.S.S. Live viewers witnessed via drone view. One bed had seven bass clearly engaged in spawning activity.

“I honestly don’t know what was going on there,” Cook said. “I couldn’t get a grasp on who was the male and who was the female.

“There were four females nosed down on my bait. I didn’t even see the one I caught; he was underneath the females. He bit and started swimming off, so I figured I’d take my chance on it being one of the females. It wasn’t, but I needed him.”

Cook said he's committed to his bed-fishing game plan, but he’s contemplating a location change.

“We might move to the other side of the lake, just depending on the pollen,” he said.

Marks, who makes his home in Cumming, Ga., held steady at second place with 53-0. Making his first Elite Top 10, he carries daily weights of 19-7, 17-4, and 16-5.

“I’m trying to get my mind off (my first Top 10) and think about where I’m gonna go fishing,” Marks said. “I’m going to fish close to where I fished today, but different specific spots.

“I think I’ve worn my spots out. The first two days, I caught almost all my fish off of them. I caught a few there today, but they’re definitely getting smaller.”

Marks said he’s mixing up his presentations with topwaters, a Zoom Fluke Stick Jr on a wide-gap hook and also on a shaky head. He has caught mostly spotted bass, but he’s trying to do what he can to run into a couple of big largemouth.

“They’re smarter, but they’re there; you just have to get lucky and get one of them to bite,” Marks said. “Today, I had a small one come up and eat my topwater. That one came off and I caught a 3 1/2-pounder.

“I’m fishing points, humps, brush piles, all kinds of stuff. I’m just running around, because this time of year, there are fish on everything."

Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., caught a limit of 17-2 in third place with 51-15. The highlight of Smith’s day was a 4 1/2-pound spotted bass that bit around 11 o’clock.

“I started out on a herring spawn where there was spotted bass and largemouth,” Smith said. “They came up schooling a couple of times, but I missed them with my bait.

“I went and caught some spots and then went looking for largemouth later. I never found any largemouth, so I went back to spot fishing and caught a couple more.”

Smith caught his bass on a Yamamoto D-Shad and a Yamamoto Senko.

Day 1 leader Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-15.

Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 367 points. Will Davis Jr of Sylacauga, Ala., is in second with 340, followed by Bryant Smith of Roseville, Calif., with 337, Shane Lehew of Catawba, N.C., with 333, and Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, with 324.

Smith leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 293 points.

Sunday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Green Pond Landing. The weigh-in will be held at the Landing at 3 p.m.

Championship Sunday action can be seen on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.

Visit Anderson is hosting this tournament.

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro ShopsDakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-424-2390, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell 4/24-4/27
Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               15  55-08  104
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   19-09     Day 3: 5   17-03
2.  Paul Marks             Cumming, GA             15  53-00  103
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   17-04     Day 3: 5   16-05
3.  Tucker Smith           Birmingham, AL          15  51-15  102
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 5   18-09     Day 3: 5   17-02
4.  Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            15  50-14  101
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   14-15     Day 3: 5   17-00
5.  Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        15  50-05  100   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   14-05     Day 3: 5   14-05
6.  Jay Przekurat          Plover, WI              15  50-00   99
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   16-09     Day 3: 5   14-08
7.  Easton Fothergill      Grand Rapids , MN       15  49-14   98
Day 1: 5   17-06     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   17-05
8.  Emil Wagner            Marietta, GA            15  48-12   97
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   18-02     Day 3: 5   14-13
9.  Wesley Gore            Clanton, AL             15  48-11   96
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   15-10     Day 3: 5   14-05
10. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA 15  47-14   95
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   20-06     Day 3: 5   12-09
11. Trey McKinney          Carbondale, IL          15  47-14   94   $7,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   16-02     Day 3: 5   14-02
12. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA           15  47-11   93   $7,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   12-11     Day 3: 5   18-13
13. JT Thompkins           Myrtle Beach, SC        15  47-06   92   $7,000.00
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   16-15     Day 3: 5   14-13
14. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL           15  47-02   91   $7,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   13-13     Day 3: 5   15-11
15. Andrew Loberg          Guntersville, AL        15  47-02   90   $7,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   16-09     Day 3: 5   16-06
16. Taku Ito               Dalton GA JAPAN         15  47-00   89   $6,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   17-09     Day 3: 5   14-12
17. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         15  46-13   88   $6,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   13-13     Day 3: 5   14-05
18. John Cox               Debary, FL              15  46-09   87   $6,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-00     Day 2: 5   14-14     Day 3: 5   14-11
19. Jordan Lee             Cullman, AL             15  46-06   86   $6,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   15-14     Day 3: 5   12-10
20. Bryan New              Leesville, SC           15  46-05   85   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   12-14     Day 3: 5   17-07
21. Patrick Walters        Eutawville, SC          15  46-04   84   $6,000.00
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   16-08     Day 3: 5   12-01
22. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             15  46-02   83   $6,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   16-08     Day 3: 5   12-12
23. Kyoya Fujita           Yamanashi CA JAPAN      15  45-15   82   $6,000.00
Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   13-00     Day 3: 5   12-06
24. Robert Gee             Knoxville, TN           15  45-14   81   $6,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   16-15     Day 3: 5   15-00
25. Ben Milliken           Omaha, NE               15  45-12   80   $6,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   16-08
26. Alex Redwine           Blue Ash, OH            15  45-12   79   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   15-08     Day 3: 5   14-13
27. Cody Meyer             Eagle, ID               15  45-11   78   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   14-03
28. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI            15  45-04   77   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 5   15-07     Day 3: 5   16-06
29. Evan Kung              Pickering Ontario CANAD 15  45-04   76   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   15-15     Day 3: 5   15-02
30. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI              15  45-01   75   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   11-13     Day 3: 5   15-05
31. Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA 15  45-01   74   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   16-09     Day 3: 5   13-09
32. Kyle Norsetter         Cottage Grove, WI       15  45-01   73   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   14-06     Day 3: 5   15-03
33. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              15  44-12   72   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   15-00     Day 3: 5   11-14
34. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             15  44-08   71   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   14-05     Day 3: 5   13-08
35. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL           15  44-06   70   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   14-07     Day 3: 5   14-03
36. Kyle Patrick           Cooperstown, NY         15  44-01   69   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-14     Day 2: 5   14-03     Day 3: 5   14-00
37. Cory Johnston          Otonabee CANADA         15  44-01   68   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   13-01
38. Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN            15  44-01   67   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   14-05     Day 3: 5   14-05
39. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX            15  43-13   66   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   15-10     Day 3: 5   11-01
40. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               15  43-12   65   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   12-14
41. Timothy Dube           Nashua , NH             15  43-05   64   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   15-03     Day 3: 5   13-13
42. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL            15  43-00   63   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   14-09     Day 3: 5   14-00
43. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN        15  42-06   62   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   12-09     Day 3: 5   11-01
44. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 15  41-10   61   $6,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   17-09     Day 3: 5   10-12
45. Seth Feider            Elko New Market, MN     15  41-08   60   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   16-06     Day 3: 5   12-00
46. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN 15  41-01   59   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   16-05     Day 3: 5   11-07
47. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        15  40-07   58   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   11-14     Day 3: 5   10-06
48. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          15  40-04   57   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   12-10     Day 3: 5   10-05
49. Cole Sands             Johnson City, TN        15  39-13   56   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   13-06     Day 3: 5   10-04
50. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI           15  39-03   55   $5,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-12     Day 2: 5   17-11     Day 3: 5   06-12
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    07-15      $1,000.00
2   Carl Jocumsen            Queensland TN AUSTRALIA06-05      $1,000.00
3   Bryan New                Leesville, SC       06-14      $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       102       510      1489-15
2       102       510      1396-03
3        50       250       697-15
----------------------------------
254      1270      3584-01


Late-day bite pushes Cook atop the leaderboard in Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell

April 25, 2025

Elite_eventLogo_2025_LakeHartwell_Raster (1).png

ANDERSON, S.C. — Persistence plus keen observation paid big dividends by way of a late-day kicker that sent Drew Cook to the top of the leaderboard on Day 2 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

Adding a five-bass limit of 19-9 to his first-round weight of 18-12, the pro from Cairo, Ga., tallied a two-day total of 38-5. Cook heads into Semifinal Saturday with a lead of 1-10 over Paul Marks and a surge of momentum from ending his second day on a high note.

“At 9 o’clock, I found a 4 1/2-pounder that wasn’t there yesterday and fished for it for probably an hour and a half,” Cook said. “I got it to bite like three times and I finally pulled the plug and said, ‘I gotta keep going,’ because I only had one bass.

“I went down the creek and ended up filling my limit. I caught two of the females that were in there and then went back to that fish I had found earlier. I fished for her again for like 45 minutes and then I was like, ‘I gotta keep on going.’”

As his day came to an end, Cook made a final visit to the fish that had long perplexed him. This time, detecting a key detail allowed him to close the deal.

“I went back to that fish at 2:45 and I was able to catch her,” Cook said. “Thankfully, I found out where the male was. There was another male that was up there — a 2 1/2- to 3-pounder — and that’s the one I thought that she was with. That male kept leaving and coming back and acting weird.

“Finally, I realized that there was a 10-inch male about 12 to 15 feet to the left, and that’s where the bed actually was. Once I found that out, it was pretty easy. I got that big female to bite pretty quickly.”

Cook said he started his day fishing points, where he targeted fish feeding on the blueback herring spawn. When that effort proved unproductive, he headed for his shallow spawning areas and spent the rest of his day looking for bed fish and cruising fish.

“I was just trolling down the bank, looking for them on beds and fishing as I’m going,” Cook said. “I caught all of my fish on a Nories Front Flapper rigged on a 4/0 Gamakatsu G-Power flipping hook with a 1/4-ounce weight.”

Cook said his presentation strategy plays a big role in pushing indecisive fish over the edge. Once he flips his bait into a bed, he holds his rod above the reel with his left hand and uses his right hand to steadily tap his rod butt. This creates enticing bait motion without moving the bait out of the bed.

“Most of my fish came out of one creek,” Cook said. “They’re steadily swimming in there. I’m planning on having to leave, but I’m going to give that creek its due because I saw three prespawn females at the mouth of it coming in this afternoon.

“We’re going to try something a little different tomorrow and maybe fish a couple different points. After that, we’re going to put the trolling motor down and keep hunting after them. Hopefully, we can run into five more big ones and get it done.”

Hailing from Cumming, Ga., Marks is in second place with 36-11. After placing third on Day 1 with 19-7, he added 17-4 and gained one spot.

“I pretty much had the same game plan, I just didn’t catch any largemouth today,” Marks said. “I caught all spots and had pretty much what I had yesterday without the largemouth.

“I went and checked some bed fish and looked for some new ones, but I couldn’t get any of them to bite. I probably hit 40 or 50 spots today. I had my weight by about 10:30.”

Marks caught his fish on a Zoom Super Fluke, a Zoom Fluke Stick Jr and a shaky head with a Fluke Stick Jr. He did all of his work in the lake’s lower end.

“From Green Pond to the dam is where the biggest spots live,” Marks said. “It’s just the biggest water, more open water and way more (habitat) for them to live around.”

Day 1 leader Randy Howell of Guntersville, Ala., slipped to third with a two-day total of 36 pounds. After catching a Day 1 limit of 21-11 — the event’s heaviest bag —he added 14-5.

After starting his first morning with a first-cast kicker — a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth he had marked on a bed during practice — Howell spent the first hour of Day 2 throwing a Livingston Walking Boss for bass chasing blueback herring. After that, he spent all day searching for shallow bed fish.

“I fished a lot of new water today and caught a bunch of little fish on the 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in green pumpkin purple/green and green pumpkin purple/copper,” Howell said. “I only got three over 3 pounds today so, hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll get in a better rotation and catch some 4-pounders to get back in contention for Championship Sunday.”

Howell is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-15.

Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 369 points. Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, is in second place with 347 points, followed by Will Davis Jr of Sylacauga, Ala., with 341, Shane Lehew of Catawba, N.C., with 341, and Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Canada, with 328.

Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 290 points.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Green Pond Landing. The weigh-in will be held at the Landing at 3 p.m.

Semifinal Saturday and Championship Sunday action can be seen on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.

Visit Anderson is hosting this tournament.

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro ShopsDakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-424-2390, cgay@bassmaster.com

2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell 4/24-4/27
Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA               10  38-05  104
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   19-09
2.  Paul Marks             Cumming, GA             10  36-11  103
Day 1: 5   19-07     Day 2: 5   17-04
3.  Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL        10  36-00  102   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-11     Day 2: 5   14-05
4.  Jay Przekurat          Plover, WI              10  35-08  101
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   16-09
5.  Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA 10  35-05  100
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   20-06
6.  Tucker Smith           Birmingham, AL          10  34-13   99
Day 1: 5   16-04     Day 2: 5   18-09
7.  Wesley Gore            Clanton, AL             10  34-06   98
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   15-10
8.  Patrick Walters        Eutawville, SC          10  34-03   97
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 5   16-08
9.  Emil Wagner            Marietta, GA            10  33-15   96
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   18-02
10. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  33-14   95
Day 1: 5   18-15     Day 2: 5   14-15
11. Jordan Lee             Cullman, AL             10  33-12   94
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   15-14
12. Trey McKinney          Carbondale, IL          10  33-12   93
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   16-02
13. Kyoya Fujita           Yamanashi CA JAPAN      10  33-09   92
Day 1: 5   20-09     Day 2: 5   13-00
14. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  33-06   91
Day 1: 5   16-14     Day 2: 5   16-08
15. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  32-14   90
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   15-00
16. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX            10  32-12   89
Day 1: 5   17-02     Day 2: 5   15-10
17. Easton Fothergill      Grand Rapids , MN       10  32-09   88
Day 1: 5   17-06     Day 2: 5   15-03
18. JT Thompkins           Myrtle Beach, SC        10  32-09   87
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   16-15
19. Drew Benton            Panama City, FL         10  32-08   86
Day 1: 5   18-11     Day 2: 5   13-13
20. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI           10  32-07   85
Day 1: 5   14-12     Day 2: 5   17-11
21. Taku Ito               Dalton GA JAPAN         10  32-04   84
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   17-09
22. John Cox               Debary, FL              10  31-14   83
Day 1: 5   17-00     Day 2: 5   14-14
23. Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA 10  31-08   82
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   16-09
24. Cody Meyer             Eagle, ID               10  31-08   81
Day 1: 5   16-05     Day 2: 5   15-03
25. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL           10  31-07   80
Day 1: 5   17-10     Day 2: 5   13-13
26. Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN        10  31-05   79
Day 1: 5   18-12     Day 2: 5   12-09
27. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX             10  31-00   78
Day 1: 5   16-11     Day 2: 5   14-05
28. Cory Johnston          Otonabee CANADA         10  31-00   77
Day 1: 5   15-13     Day 2: 5   15-03
29. Alex Redwine           Blue Ash, OH            10  30-15   76
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   15-08
30. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 10  30-14   75   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   17-09
31. Robert Gee             Knoxville, TN           10  30-14   74
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   16-15
32. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               10  30-14   73
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   15-03
33. Andrew Loberg          Guntersville, AL        10  30-12   72
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   16-09
34. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL           10  30-03   71
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   14-07
35. Evan Kung              Pickering Ontario CANAD 10  30-02   70
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   15-15
36. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  30-01   69
Day 1: 5   18-03     Day 2: 5   11-14
37. Kyle Patrick           Cooperstown, NY         10  30-01   68
Day 1: 5   15-14     Day 2: 5   14-03
38. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN          10  29-15   67
Day 1: 5   17-05     Day 2: 5   12-10
39. Kyle Norsetter         Cottage Grove, WI       10  29-14   66
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   14-06
40. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI              10  29-12   65
Day 1: 5   17-15     Day 2: 5   11-13
41. Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN            10  29-12   64
Day 1: 5   15-07     Day 2: 5   14-05
42. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10  29-10   63
Day 1: 5   13-05     Day 2: 5   16-05
43. Cole Sands             Johnson City, TN        10  29-09   62
Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   13-06
44. Seth Feider            Elko New Market, MN     10  29-08   61
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   16-06
45. Timothy Dube           Nashua , NH             10  29-08   60
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   15-03
46. Ben Milliken           Omaha, NE               10  29-04   59
Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   15-03
47. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL            10  29-00   58
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   14-09
48. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA           10  28-14   57
Day 1: 5   16-03     Day 2: 5   12-11
49. Bryan New              Leesville, SC           10  28-14   56
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   12-14
50. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI            10  28-14   55
Day 1: 5   13-07     Day 2: 5   15-07
51. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           10  28-14   54
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   14-09
52. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS        10  28-12   53
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   15-03
53. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID            10  28-11   52
Day 1: 5   15-09     Day 2: 5   13-02
54. Logan Parks            Auburn, AL              10  28-07   51
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   13-14
55. Jeff Gustafson         Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10  28-04   50
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   15-00
56. Buddy Gross            Chattanooga, TN         10  28-04   49
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   13-13
57. KJ Queen               Catawba, NC             10  27-13   48
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   13-07
58. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA               10  27-11   47
Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   11-09
59. Jacob Foutz            Charleston, TN          10  27-11   46
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   14-12
60. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         10  27-11   45
Day 1: 5   14-00     Day 2: 5   13-11
61. Dakota Ebare           Brookeland, TX          10  27-08   44
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   14-00
62. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA            10  27-04   43
Day 1: 5   13-02     Day 2: 5   14-02
63. Beau Browning          Hot Springs National Pa 10  27-04   42
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   13-10
64. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  27-02   41
Day 1: 5   13-15     Day 2: 5   13-03
65. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN           10  26-11   40
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   13-01
66. Jonathan Kelley        Old Forge, PA           10  26-08   39
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   13-05
67. Bob Downey             Detroit Lakes, MN       10  26-07   38
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   14-02
68. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY             10  26-05   37
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   10-11
69. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA          10  26-02   36
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   11-07
70. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  26-00   35
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 5   11-12
71. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA            10  25-14   34
Day 1: 5   14-15     Day 2: 5   10-15
72. Kenta Kimura           Osaka OK JAPAN          10  25-13   33
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   12-13
73. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  25-11   32
Day 1: 5   11-06     Day 2: 5   14-05
74. Logan Latuso           Gonzales, LA            10  25-07   31
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   12-08
75. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA            10  25-00   30
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   13-02
76. Cody Huff              Ava, MO                 10  24-15   29
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   12-15
77. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  24-14   28
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   12-14
78. Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY             10  24-13   27
Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   10-12
79. Joey Cifuentes III     Clinton, AR             10  24-13   26
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   11-12
80. Pat Schlapper          Eleva, WI               10  24-10   25
Day 1: 5   14-13     Day 2: 5   09-13
81. Tyler Williams         Belgrade, ME            10  24-06   24
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   13-05
82. Kyle Welcher           Valley, AL              10  24-05   23
Day 1: 5   14-01     Day 2: 5   10-04
83. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL              10  24-04   22
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 5   10-12
84. John Garrett           Union City, TN          10  24-04   21
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   11-11
85. Jason Christie         Dry Creek, OK           10  23-15   20
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   09-13
86. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL           10  23-11   19
Day 1: 5   12-08     Day 2: 5   11-03
87. Marc Frazier           Newnan, GA              10  23-09   18
Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   11-12
88. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ              10  23-07   17
Day 1: 5   12-02     Day 2: 5   11-05
89. Chris Zaldain          Boyd, TX                10  23-03   16
Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 5   13-07
90. Cliff Pace             Ovett, MS               10  23-01   15
Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   10-14
91. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL         10  23-01   14
Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   11-12
92. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  22-15   13
Day 1: 5   10-02     Day 2: 5   12-13
93. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC           10  22-15   12
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   12-05
94. Blake Capps            Muskogee, OK            10  22-13   11
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   11-12
95. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ         10  22-10   10
Day 1: 5   14-08     Day 2: 5   08-02
96. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  21-15    9
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   10-00
97. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC               10  21-04    8
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   10-07
98. Gregory DiPalma        Millville, NJ           10  20-15    7
Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   08-02
99. Alex Wetherell         Middletown, CT          10  20-14    6
Day 1: 5   09-14     Day 2: 5   11-00
100. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY             10  19-15    5
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   09-15
101. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX              10  18-08    4
Day 1: 5   11-05     Day 2: 5   07-03
102. Jake Whitaker          Hendersonville, NC      10  16-15    3
Day 1: 5   09-10     Day 2: 5   07-05
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    07-15      $1,000.00
2   Carl Jocumsen            Queensland TN AUSTRALIA06-05      $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       102       510      1489-15
2       102       510      1396-03
----------------------------------
204      1020      2886-02


Strategic Relationship Between Garmin and the ACA to Continue for the 2025 Season

SAN ANTONIO, TX (April 25, 2025) – The Association of Collegiate Anglers is excited to announce a continued strategic relationship with Garmin®, the premier marine electronics manufacturer in the industry. Known for revolutionary products like LiveScope™ live-scanning sonar and the Force® Trolling Motor, Garmin has been a proud supporter of collegiate bass fishing since its inception.

Garmin’s support of the ACA and its events will include continued support via the college angler discount program, Garmin Tournament Rewards, and support at events to include the 20th Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops to be contested at Lake Hartwell in May 2025.

“The ACA is currently in its 20th season, and it’s been great to have Garmin as a supporter of the national college fishing tournament trail, and student anglers, since the very beginning,” explained Wade Middleton, Director of the ACA and President of CarecoTV. “As young anglers looking to launch their careers, these fishermen and women are constantly learning to utilize the latest and greatest technologies from Garmin to help them catch more fish. This continued support from Garmin will provide college anglers with the opportunity to pursue their goals at the highest level in the sport.”

 “With the continued growth of collegiate fishing, we are proud to partner with the Association of Collegiate Anglers in support of their ongoing efforts to advance the sport at the university level. Their dedication to supporting student anglers and fishing clubs nationwide is laying a strong foundation for the future of our industry, and we are proud to stand behind this platform that gives these young athletes the opportunity to compete, learn and lead the future of fishing,” said Dave Dunn with Garmin.

Garmin supports the ACA and collegiate anglers in a multitude of different ways. One of those avenues is through the premier discount program that Garmin offers to all college anglers. This program allows anglers to purchase products at a discounted rate, thus upgrading their gear and making them better anglers. To find out more about the discount opportunities and apply to receive a code, click here.

New for this year, Garmin Tournament Rewards pays out $1,000 total for the two different contingency bonuses: Exclusive Electonics Reward, and Force Trolling Motor Reward. The Exclusive Electronics Reward awards $500 to the top placing angler who competes from a boat equipped exclusively with mounted Garmin marine electronics. For the Force Trolling Motor Reward, a reward of $500 is given to the top placing angler at the event with a Garmin Force Trolling Motor installed.


Lachniet’s big day carries him to victory at James River

April 25, 2025

Nation_Mercury_Lowrance_4C_Raster.png

RICHMOND, Va. — Ryan Lachniet saved the best for last on his home waters of the James River.

The Gum Spring native landed a 20-pound, 4-ounce limit on the final day of the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier presented by Lowrance to take the victory with a three-day total of 53 pounds, 6 ounces.

“This is pretty awesome,” Lachniet said. “I’ve been pretty close to winning a few times lately and to finally get a win is pretty cool.”

After a rather difficult practice period, Lachniet opened in sixth with 16-6 before jumping into a tie for second on Day 2 with a 16-12 limit. His final-day limit gave him a nearly 2-pound advantage over his roommate Connor Jacob. Illinois native Erik Brztowski claimed third with 49-2.

“This place is fishing for April, and I wasn’t really on that much,” he said. “I had only caught three or four good ones in practice, so when I caught 16 on Day 1 I felt pretty good about it. And it just got a little better throughout the tournament.”

The Top 3 finishers are all under the age of 24.

A Campbellsville University angler, Lachniet is now qualified for both the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops at Cherokee Lake in July and the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance in late October.

Two more good finishes in Division I of the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN and Lachniet will qualify for the three-tournament Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers division.

Throughout the tournament, Lachniet made long runs downriver to target cypress trees that held the final wave of spawning largemouth. Females were hard to come by, he said, as he didn’t land any until the final day of the tournament.

He targeted those spawners with an ⅛-ounce drop shot paired with a 6-inch morning dawn Roboworm. An ⅛-ounce Owner shaky head with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Nekorama also produced a couple of quality bites.

“I tried to fish enough cypress trees to where I was bound to run into some good fish eventually,” he said. “I needed the tide to be a little higher for the trees. It didn’t set up right when it was lower, so I waited to hit that stuff at the end of the day.”

On Day 2, however, the 22-year-old did all of his damage with a Megabass Magdraft swimbait on a well-known community hole. When he arrived at the start of Day 2, he was shocked to see no one else fishing it and landed all of his weight in a 30-minute flurry.

“The fact no one was on it was a surprise to me,” Lachniet said.

To open Day 3, Lachniet returned to his tide-driven area and landed a 3-pounder and two 2-pounders, but he noticed the tide wasn’t quite how it needed to be, so he started a long run to his next area. On his way, he pulled over to a spot he has landed quality bass in the past and it paid off again this time.

“I had caught a big one there once or twice, so I stopped and fished down the stretch for 45 minutes. I flipped up to a tree and one bit it, and it is an almost 6-pounder. I thought I had a chance if I could catch one more big one.”

As the day shortened, Lachniet made a move to a creek closer to takeoff at Osborne Landing and landed two 3-pounders and then a 5-pounder with 30 minutes left to upgrade to his final tally.

“This is definitely the most important 20-pound bag I’ve caught out here,” he said.

Jacob, meanwhile, qualified for his second-straight Nation Championship with bags of 15-12, 17-6 and 18-3. The 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour competitor will get another chance to qualify for the Classic at the Nation Championship.

“I finished 13th in the Open at La Crosse last September,” he said. “I have got some schools out there, and I hope they are still there (when I get there).”

After spending the first two days of the tournament in a gravel pit in the Appomattox River catching spawning and postspawn largemouth, the Auburn University grad moved out to the main river and landed his Day 3 limit on “baby ledges.”

Those breaks started in 6 feet of water and dropped to 15 feet of water, and when the tide was right Jacob could target those bass with a Megabass Vision 110 jerkbait.

“It was exclusively current-oriented,” he said. “You had to have a slow enough current to get the jerkbait to them. They would sit in the crevices, and you couldn’t really get a bait to them. I came back this morning and it was slow enough to where the bass were feeding and would come up and look at the jerkbait.”

Brztowski, the Day 2 leader, fell to third on the final day. Opening the tournament in second with 17-12, the 22-year-old jumped to the lead with 18-13 before finishing the tournament with 12-9.

“Today it just wasn’t meant to be. I lost a 3-pounder at 1:55 today that might have lifted me to the win, but my hook never popped out of the plastic. It’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Several different baits played a factor for Brztowski. For spawning largemouth, he threw a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog in tilapia magic on a ¼-ounce Texas rig around cypress trees and knees as well as a Berkley The General.

For prespawner and postspawners, a Tight Rope Bite Getter Spinnerbait and a crankbait produced key bites.

Austin Burton of North Prince George, Va., claimed Big Bass of the Tournament honors with a 6-13 largemouth he landed on Day 2.

Jim D’Ambra from Hanover, Mass., won the nonboater division with a three-day total of 29-13. The Nation veteran landed limits each day. He finished Day 1 tied for first with 13-13 before taking the lead for good on Day 2 with 9-12. He wrapped up the tournament with 6-4.

Connecticut’s Gary Belanger finished second with 27-0 and also landed the Big Bass of the Tournament, a 7-9 he landed on Day 1. Massachusetts angler David Tsao finished third with a total of 25-7.

The Top 13 boaters and nonboaters punched their tickets to the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance scheduled for Oct. 22-25 in La Crosse, Wis. The final Qualifying tournament is scheduled for July 16-18 at Lake Erie.

Richmond Region Tourism and Visit Henrico County hosted the event.

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsors: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance 4/23-4/25
James River, Richmond  VA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Ryan Lachniet          Gum Spring, VA          15  53-06    0   $9,267.00
Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   16-12     Day 3: 5   20-04
2.  Connor Jacob           Peoria, IL              15  51-05    0   $4,015.00
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   17-06     Day 3: 5   18-03
3.  Erik Brztowski         Lemont, IL              15  49-02    0   $2,834.00
Day 1: 5   17-12     Day 2: 5   18-13     Day 3: 5   12-09
4.  Austin Burton          North Prince George, VA 15  47-04    0   $3,280.00
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   16-15     Day 3: 5   16-12
5.  Harmon Marien          Eagle River, WI         15  47-04    0   $2,055.00
Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   16-00     Day 3: 5   14-13
6.  Brian LaClair          Denton, MD              15  46-10    0   $1,890.00
Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   15-09     Day 3: 5   15-14
7.  Brian Post             Janesville, WI          15  45-03    0   $1,772.00
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   12-12     Day 3: 5   14-09
8.  Greg Alexander         Hebron, MD              15  43-03    0   $1,653.00
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   15-05     Day 3: 5   16-10
9.  John Smith             Elkview, WV             15  42-13    0   $1,530.00
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   13-09     Day 3: 5   13-04
10. Brody Luckey           Lynchburg, VA           15  42-13    0   $1,063.00
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   12-00     Day 3: 5   15-09
11. Ricky Fulk             Shenandoah, VA          15  42-11    0     $945.00
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   15-13     Day 3: 5   12-07
12. Jeremy Radford         Huntly, VA              15  42-09    0     $827.00
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   15-15     Day 3: 5   14-06
13. Nick Poe               Goodview, VA            15  42-08    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   16-02     Day 3: 5   13-02
14. KC Choosakul           Cameron, NC             15  41-06    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   18-06     Day 3: 5   12-04
15. Cody Bertrand          Dyer, IN                15  40-15    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   15-00     Day 3: 5   10-09
16. Whitney Stephens       Waverly, OH             15  40-11    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   13-14     Day 3: 5   13-09
17. John Conway Jr         Henrico, VA             15  40-10    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   14-12     Day 3: 5   10-02
18. Tj Milton              Chester, VA             15  40-02    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   12-07     Day 3: 5   12-00
19. Craig Morris           Frankford, DE           15  38-01    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   14-03     Day 3: 5   11-05
20. John Lewis             Centreville, VA         15  36-03    0     $650.00
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   12-09     Day 3: 5   08-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Austin Burton            North Prince George, VA06-13          $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       104       562      1291-13
2       100       550      1235-03
3        20       100       276-03
----------------------------------
224      1212      2803-03
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance 4/23-4/25
James River, Richmond  VA.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Jim D'Ambra            Hanover, MA              9  29-13    0   $3,006.00
Day 1: 3   13-13     Day 2: 3   09-12     Day 3: 3   06-04
2.  Gary Belanger          Plainville, CT           9  27-00    0   $1,968.00
Day 1: 3   13-13     Day 2: 3   08-00     Day 3: 3   05-03
3.  David Tsao             Newburyport, MA          9  25-07    0     $859.00
Day 1: 3   08-05     Day 2: 3   09-10     Day 3: 3   07-08
4.  John Sirichman         Monogahela, PA           9  24-02    0     $795.00
Day 1: 3   07-09     Day 2: 3   07-00     Day 3: 3   09-09
5.  Steven Conde           Chepachet, RI            9  23-13    0     $588.00
Day 1: 3   09-06     Day 2: 3   06-04     Day 3: 3   08-03
6.  Craig Ferguson         Emporia, VA              9  23-12    0     $494.00
Day 1: 3   09-00     Day 2: 3   08-07     Day 3: 3   06-05
7.  Bill Roberts Jr        Williamsburg, VA         9  22-07    0     $441.00
Day 1: 3   08-00     Day 2: 3   06-13     Day 3: 3   07-10
8.  Adam Richardson        Littleton, NC            9  22-05    0     $412.00
Day 1: 3   05-12     Day 2: 3   08-11     Day 3: 3   07-14
9.  Blake Rogers           Florence, SC             9  21-15    0     $387.00
Day 1: 3   07-04     Day 2: 3   06-01     Day 3: 3   08-10
10. David Roddy            Inman, SC                9  21-07    0     $344.00
Day 1: 3   10-08     Day 2: 3   06-03     Day 3: 3   04-12
11. Ernest Weathersby      Leominster, MA           9  21-05    0     $344.00
Day 1: 3   04-15     Day 2: 3   10-05     Day 3: 3   06-01
12. Anthony Paschall       Cumberland, VA           9  21-03    0     $301.00
Day 1: 3   06-15     Day 2: 3   07-02     Day 3: 3   07-02
13. Joshua Hall            Palmyra, VA              8  21-01    0     $258.00
Day 1: 3   08-13     Day 2: 3   07-10     Day 3: 2   04-10
14. Nathan Minnix          Goodview, VA             9  20-15    0     $258.00
Day 1: 3   04-13     Day 2: 3   11-04     Day 3: 3   04-14
15. Emil Rostello Jr       Wayne, NJ                9  20-13    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   05-10     Day 2: 3   09-07     Day 3: 3   05-12
16. Guiseppe Andreoli      Coventry, RI             9  19-09    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   10-10     Day 2: 3   04-00     Day 3: 3   04-15
17. Jeremy Willis          Fountain Inn, SC         9  18-05    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   07-10     Day 2: 3   06-01     Day 3: 3   04-10
18. Chris Merritt          Chester , VA             9  17-13    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   07-13     Day 2: 3   05-10     Day 3: 3   04-06
19. Brian Adams            Clayton, NC              9  17-11    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   07-01     Day 2: 3   06-03     Day 3: 3   04-07
20. Finn Erickson          Sicklerville, NJ         7  15-03    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   06-11     Day 2: 3   07-02     Day 3: 1   01-06
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Gary Belanger            Plainville, CT      07-09          $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        60       204       436-06
2        61       202       403-01
3        18        57       120-01
----------------------------------
139       463       959-08


Fish Tip Friday - Drew Gill DOUBLE Edition

We got the chance to spend a day on the water with AC Insider, Drew Gill, and boy did we learn some things!  Drew loaded us up with Fishin' Tips, but THIS one is pretty epic.  Check out this Big Bait / Big Bass Fish TIp Friday...Drew Gill style!


Palaniuk Adapts and Adjusts on Day 1 at Lake Hartwell

Courtesy Dynamic Sponsorships / Photo: Bassmaster

The thing about springtime bass fishing on Lake Hartwell is that it changes faster than a wind shift on a bluff wall. Just ask Team Toyota pro Brandon Palaniuk, who rolled into Day 1 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at lake Hartwell with a bed fish in mind and found nothing but clear water and empty promises.

“I started on a bed fish this morning and she was gone when I got there,” Palaniuk said at weigh-in, a wry smile breaking beneath his ball cap. “I’ve never seen a lake where they spawn and disappear so fast. At 5:30 p.m. last night they were rolling and rubbing, and then she was just gone this morning.”

Still, the seasoned Idaho native and two-time Angler of the Year didn’t panic. Palaniuk did what he’s made a career of doing: he adjusted on the fly.

With a veteran's poise and a deep tacklebox of techniques, Palaniuk put together a mixed-bag limit of three largemouth and two spotted bass. His fish came from just about everywhere—and everything.

“I caught ‘em in a foot of water to 20 feet of water,” he said. “It really was a combination of things. The fish are in every possible stage on Hartwell right now.”

That’s the nature of Lake Hartwell in April. Prespawn, spawn and postspawn fish can all be found in the same stretch of shoreline if you look close enough. The Elite field is forced to stay nimble and perhaps nobody in the game embodies versatility more than Palaniuk.

Over a career spanning more than a decade, Palaniuk has banked millions in tournament winnings. But his reputation goes beyond the stats. Whether he’s skipping docks, watching forward-facing sonar or pulling smallmouth from current breaks, his style is rooted in intuition, adaptability and a quiet confidence that comes from years of grinding it out on the nation’s top waters.

Day 1 at Hartwell was no different.

“I’ve been doing a mix of sight fishing and forward-facing sonar fishing,” Palaniuk explained. “I don’t think one style of fishing is going to dominate this tournament. You’re going to have to show your versatility.”

The 2025 Elite schedule has already featured a wide range of fisheries—from river systems to deep reservoirs—and Hartwell is another puzzle to piece together. This week’s conditions are typical of spring in the Southeast: warm mornings, scattered clouds and pop-up thunderstorms that build heat and tension both on the water and in the weigh-in line.

“The weather won’t really change much for me,” Palaniuk said. “I think we might have a little more sun tomorrow which should make it better. Just afternoon thunderstorms that can pop up out of nowhere. It’s up to me to adapt to the changing conditions and I’m totally prepared to do so.”

It’s not just the fishing that keeps Palaniuk grounded—it’s his family. That’s been the mission since day one.

“I’ve got my family here with me,” he said. “If I couldn’t have my family here with me, I don’t think the career would even be worth it. I always had it in my mind as I was coming up before I started my career, that I wanted to have a good enough career to where my family could travel with me. That has always been part of the plan.”

That plan has led him from a backseat co-angler to an Elite Series mainstay, to a father and husband, all while maintaining his status as one of the most consistent and respected anglers on tour.

His career arc is the kind young anglers dream of—starting on the Federation Nation trail, making a splash at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic and steadily building a legacy not with flashy finishes, but with workmanlike performances and unshakable resilience.

Despite a modest practice, Palaniuk made the most of Day 1, though he admits his weight may not stack up to the leaderboard.

“My practice was not great,” he said. “I was pretty happy with my weight today… until I saw the other weights. Then I figured I probably didn’t do as well as originally thought. But this lake has ‘em and I can’t wait to get out there on Friday.”

That kind of response says a lot about Palaniuk.

Never rattled. Never content. Always fishing forward.

As for the rest of the field, the bite was mixed. Some pros leaned on offshore spotted bass using live sonar, while others targeted isolated bedding fish tucked into wind-protected pockets. Palaniuk, as always, straddled the line between patterns—sight fishing when he could see and scanning when he couldn’t.

“I’m around a few other anglers but nobody’s close enough to mess me up and vice versa,” he said. “Hartwell is a place that when you stop your boat, if you’re within a few feet of the bank, you’re around the bass. I don’t feel like there’s one section of the lake that’s better than the rest. It’s a lot of running around but they sure do live here.”

It’s that kind of lake; one where persistence pays off and the difference between a decent day and a game-changer is often one cast, one adjustment, one instinctive twitch of a rod tip.

Palaniuk has built a career on instincts and there’s every reason to believe his adjustments on Day 2 will lead to something special. And on Hartwell, he’s right in the mix.

 


Early kicker buoys Howell’s lead in Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell

April 24, 2025

Elite_eventLogo_2025_LakeHartwell_Raster (1).png

ANDERSON, S.C. — Randy Howell did not know how his day would start, but he definitely knew where it would start.

Capitalizing on a key practice discovery, the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Guntersville, Ala., made the most of his early plan and laid the foundation for a five-bass limit of 21 pounds, 11 ounces that leads Day 1 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

Heading into Friday’s second round of competition, the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion leads Japanese sensation Kyoya Fujita by 1-2. Howell anchored his leading bag with a 7-pound, 15-ounce largemouth.

“I found that big fish on a bed in practice and shook her off on a green pumpkin purple/green Senko — I had my hook point cut off,” Howell said. “This morning, I lined up on it with my GPS and caught her on my first cast.

“A big fish on any lake in this game is huge, but man, 6-pounders are usually (considered) big here. So, to catch a (nearly) 8-pounder here — definitely, God is blessing me.”

Howell said his strong start has put a much-needed gust of wind in his sails.

“I really needed a good tournament,” Howell said. “I had two 57th places back to back (Pasquotank River and Lake Okeechobee) and I started with a bomb in the first Elite event (St. Johns River), so I have to climb my way out of a hole.

“Today was the first day that I just had that smooth momentum; everything went right.”

Howell said that surge of confidence fueled what would turn out to be a stellar day.

“After that big fish, the rest of the day got better because I already had that fish as a kicker,” Howell said. “This was one of the days you dream about.”

After boating his big bed fish, Howell caught the 1 1/4-pound male. From there, he moved to the main lake and filled his limit by throwing a Livingston Walking Boss for bass that were schooling on the blueback herring spawn.

“I had a decent limit, so that gave me the ability to relax, take my time and just fish slow,” he said. “I just went around the bedding areas and caught cruising fish and bed fish on that same color Senko. I culled out everything but that big fish.”

Noting that he’ll likely continue the same game plan on Day 2, Howell said the first round exceeded his expectations.

“My goal today was to catch 20 pounds, and I caught 21-11,” Howell said. “That was the biggest bag I’ve ever caught on Hartwell. I’ve had some good Classics here in the past.

“This is the first time I’ve been back here in a while. I love this lake and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and keeping it rolling.”

Hailing from Yamanashi, Japan, Fujita is in second place with 20-9. The versatile angler caught his quality shallow and his quantity in deeper water.

“I fished the bank for cruising largemouth and I fished offshore for spotted bass,” Fujita said. “I caught (several) spotted bass on a jighead minnow with a Jackall Drift Fry and a Deps Sakamata Shad.

“I caught two big largemouth — 6-pounder and 4 1/2 — on a Jackall Vividus Gill swimbait. I was fishing the swimbait slow."

Forecasting his second-day’s game plan, Fujita said: “Tomorrow, I’ll try to catch big spots. Today, I caught 3- and 3 1/2-pound spotted bass, so I’ll try to catch bigger ones (on Day 2).”

Paul Marks of Cumming, Ga., is in third place with 19-7. His day was comprised of alternating sessions of shallow and deep patterns.

“I could go offshore and fish the main lake for herring-spawn fish and it was pretty much nonstop,” Marks said. “Once I got a good bag, I went and bed fished and caught a big one that I’d found yesterday (in practice).

“After that, I went back out and culled three times. I finished my day bed fishing. I found a couple of big ones that I couldn’t get to bite. We’ll see if they’ll bite tomorrow.”

Marks said his opening-round limit was comprised of two bed fish and three that he caught while targeting the herring spawn.

Howell is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-15.

Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 369 points. Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, is in second place with 344 points, followed by Will Davis Jr of Sylacauga, Ala., with 343, Shane Lehew of Catawba, N.C., with 334, and Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., with 331.

Marks leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 282 points.

Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Green Pond Landing. The weigh-in will be held at the Landing at 3 p.m.

Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the 2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell will be available on Bassmaster.com on Day 2 starting at 8 a.m. ET and ending at 3 p.m. and will also be on Roku Sports from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Semifinal Saturday and Championship Sunday action can be seen on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.

Visit Anderson is hosting this tournament.

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro ShopsDakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 256-424-2390, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell 4/24-4/27
Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL         5  21-11  104   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   21-11
2.  Kyoya Fujita           Yamanashi CA JAPAN       5  20-09  103
Day 1: 5   20-09
3.  Paul Marks             Cumming, GA              5  19-07  102
Day 1: 5   19-07
4.  Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK             5  18-15  101
Day 1: 5   18-15
4.  Jay Przekurat          Plover, WI               5  18-15  101
Day 1: 5   18-15
6.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA                5  18-12   99
Day 1: 5   18-12
6.  Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN         5  18-12   99
Day 1: 5   18-12
6.  Wesley Gore            Clanton, AL              5  18-12   99
Day 1: 5   18-12
9.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          5  18-11   96
Day 1: 5   18-11
10. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL         5  18-03   95
Day 1: 5   18-03
11. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI               5  17-15   94
Day 1: 5   17-15
12. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC               5  17-14   93
Day 1: 5   17-14
12. Jordan Lee             Cullman, AL              5  17-14   93
Day 1: 5   17-14
14. Patrick Walters        Eutawville, SC           5  17-11   91
Day 1: 5   17-11
15. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL            5  17-10   90
Day 1: 5   17-10
15. Trey McKinney          Carbondale, IL           5  17-10   90
Day 1: 5   17-10
17. Easton Fothergill      Grand Rapids , MN        5  17-06   88
Day 1: 5   17-06
18. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5  17-05   87
Day 1: 5   17-05
19. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX             5  17-02   86
Day 1: 5   17-02
20. John Cox               Debary, FL               5  17-00   85
Day 1: 5   17-00
21. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC              5  16-14   84
Day 1: 5   16-14
22. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX              5  16-11   83
Day 1: 5   16-11
23. Cody Meyer             Eagle, ID                5  16-05   82
Day 1: 5   16-05
24. Tucker Smith           Birmingham, AL           5  16-04   81
Day 1: 5   16-04
25. Cole Sands             Johnson City, TN         5  16-03   80
Day 1: 5   16-03
26. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA            5  16-03   79
Day 1: 5   16-03
27. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  16-02   78
Day 1: 5   16-02
28. Bryan New              Leesville, SC            5  16-00   77
Day 1: 5   16-00
29. Kyle Patrick           Cooperstown, NY          5  15-14   76
Day 1: 5   15-14
30. Cory Johnston          Otonabee CANADA          5  15-13   75
Day 1: 5   15-13
30. Emil Wagner            Marietta, GA             5  15-13   75
Day 1: 5   15-13
32. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL            5  15-12   73
Day 1: 5   15-12
33. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD                5  15-11   72
Day 1: 5   15-11
34. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY              5  15-10   71
Day 1: 5   15-10
34. JT Thompkins           Myrtle Beach, SC         5  15-10   71
Day 1: 5   15-10
36. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             5  15-09   69
Day 1: 5   15-09
37. Kyle Norsetter         Cottage Grove, WI        5  15-08   68
Day 1: 5   15-08
38. Alex Redwine           Blue Ash, OH             5  15-07   67
Day 1: 5   15-07
38. Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN             5  15-07   67
Day 1: 5   15-07
40. Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA  5  14-15   65
Day 1: 5   14-15
40. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA             5  14-15   65
Day 1: 5   14-15
40. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA  5  14-15   65
Day 1: 5   14-15
43. Pat Schlapper          Eleva, WI                5  14-13   62
Day 1: 5   14-13
44. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI            5  14-12   61
Day 1: 5   14-12
45. Taku Ito               Dalton GA JAPAN          5  14-11   60
Day 1: 5   14-11
45. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           5  14-11   60
Day 1: 5   14-11
47. Logan Parks            Auburn, AL               5  14-09   58
Day 1: 5   14-09
48. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ          5  14-08   57
Day 1: 5   14-08
49. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL             5  14-07   56
Day 1: 5   14-07
49. Buddy Gross            Chattanooga, TN          5  14-07   56
Day 1: 5   14-07
51. KJ Queen               Catawba, NC              5  14-06   54
Day 1: 5   14-06
52. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL            5  14-05   53
Day 1: 5   14-05
52. Timothy Dube           Nashua , NH              5  14-05   53
Day 1: 5   14-05
54. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR               5  14-04   51
Day 1: 5   14-04
55. Evan Kung              Pickering Ontario CANAD  5  14-03   50
Day 1: 5   14-03
55. Andrew Loberg          Guntersville, AL         5  14-03   50
Day 1: 5   14-03
57. Jason Christie         Dry Creek, OK            5  14-02   48
Day 1: 5   14-02
58. Ben Milliken           Omaha, NE                5  14-01   47
Day 1: 5   14-01
58. Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY              5  14-01   47
Day 1: 5   14-01
58. Kyle Welcher           Valley, AL               5  14-01   47
Day 1: 5   14-01
61. Wes Logan              Springville, AL          5  14-00   44
Day 1: 5   14-00
62. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC            5  13-15   43
Day 1: 5   13-15
62. Robert Gee             Knoxville, TN            5  13-15   43
Day 1: 5   13-15
64. Beau Browning          Hot Springs National Pa  5  13-10   41
Day 1: 5   13-10
64. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            5  13-10   41
Day 1: 5   13-10
66. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS         5  13-09   39
Day 1: 5   13-09
67. Dakota Ebare           Brookeland, TX           5  13-08   38
Day 1: 5   13-08
67. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5  13-08   38
Day 1: 5   13-08
69. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI             5  13-07   36
Day 1: 5   13-07
70. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN  5  13-05   35
Day 1: 5   13-05
70. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TN AUSTRALIA  5  13-05   35
Day 1: 5   13-05
72. Jeff Gustafson         Kenora, ON Ontario CANA  5  13-04   33
Day 1: 5   13-04
73. Jonathan Kelley        Old Forge, PA            5  13-03   32
Day 1: 5   13-03
74. Seth Feider            Elko New Market, MN      5  13-02   31
Day 1: 5   13-02
74. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA             5  13-02   31
Day 1: 5   13-02
76. Joey Cifuentes III     Clinton, AR              5  13-01   29
Day 1: 5   13-01
77. Kenta Kimura           Osaka OK JAPAN           5  13-00   28
Day 1: 5   13-00
78. Jacob Foutz            Charleston, TN           5  12-15   27
Day 1: 5   12-15
78. Logan Latuso           Gonzales, LA             5  12-15   27
Day 1: 5   12-15
80. Gregory DiPalma        Millville, NJ            5  12-13   25
Day 1: 5   12-13
81. John Garrett           Union City, TN           5  12-09   24
Day 1: 5   12-09
82. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL            5  12-08   23
Day 1: 5   12-08
83. Bob Downey             Detroit Lakes, MN        5  12-05   22
Day 1: 5   12-05
84. Cliff Pace             Ovett, MS                5  12-03   21
Day 1: 5   12-03
85. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5  12-02   20
Day 1: 5   12-02
86. Cody Huff              Ava, MO                  5  12-00   19
Day 1: 5   12-00
86. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  12-00   19
Day 1: 5   12-00
88. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC           5  11-15   17
Day 1: 5   11-15
89. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             5  11-14   16
Day 1: 5   11-14
90. Marc Frazier           Newnan, GA               5  11-13   15
Day 1: 5   11-13
91. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  11-06   14
Day 1: 5   11-06
92. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX               5  11-05   13
Day 1: 5   11-05
93. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          5  11-05   12
Day 1: 5   11-05
94. Tyler Williams         Belgrade, ME             5  11-01   11
Day 1: 5   11-01
95. Blake Capps            Muskogee, OK             5  11-01   10
Day 1: 5   11-01
96. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC                5  10-13    9
Day 1: 5   10-13
97. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC            5  10-10    8
Day 1: 5   10-10
98. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            5  10-02    7
Day 1: 5   10-02
99. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              5  10-00    6
Day 1: 5   10-00
100. Alex Wetherell         Middletown, CT           5  09-14    5
Day 1: 5   09-14
101. Chris Zaldain          Boyd, TX                 5  09-12    4
Day 1: 5   09-12
102. Jake Whitaker          Hendersonville, NC       5  09-10    3
Day 1: 5   09-10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    07-15      $1,000.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       102       510      1489-15
----------------------------------
102       510      1489-15


Prespawn bites carry Brztowski to the lead at James River

April 24, 2025

Nation_Mercury_Lowrance_4C_Raster.png

RICHMOND, Va. — With the combination of a good tide sequence and prespawn largemouth, Erik Brztowski took the Day 2 lead at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance with a two-day total of 36 pounds, 9 ounces.

Landing in second on Day 1 with 17-12, the 22-year-old caught 18-13, the tournament’s biggest bag so far, on Day 2 to vault into the top spot. He holds a 3-7 advantage over Alabama’s Connor Jacob and Virginia’s Ryan Lachniet who are tied for second with 33-2.

After missing the chance to qualify for the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance at the first Qualifier at Pickwick, Brztowski is in prime position to punch his ticket to La Crosse, Wis., for the October event.

“It will be a cool experience (to lead the field),” he said. "I just need to catch some bass tomorrow. I’m grateful for the opportunity. I can’t take it for granted because it is hard to lead a big tournament like this.”

The James River continued to produce limits of bass on Day 2 of the three-day tournament, but the big ones the eastern tidal fishery are known for have still been hard to come by. A 20-pound stringer has yet to hit the scales, but with a better tide cycle, competitors got closer to that mark on Thursday.

Thus far, Brztowski has targeted shallow-water largemouth that have been in all stages of the spawn with one particular type of hard cover producing better than others. A mix of four baits have produced his better bites.

Although he caught bass in all stages again today, he fished two areas where prespawners are moving up, and those areas produced his best bites on Day 2.

“Since we are around the spawn, I’m fishing mostly hard cover and a little bit of grass depending on the tide,” he explained. “I’m fishing slower. I caught a couple bass today that were fat and cooler. So maybe there are some new ones moving up.”

The Illinois boater landed a 3-pounder when he arrived at his starting spot, but with an unfavorable tide at that point, Brztowski moved on to an area he fished in practice and landed his first 4-pound prespawner.

“That settled me down,” he said. “The tide changed a little. Our high tide was the same time, but in some of the creek the water was lower to start with.”

Once he filled out his limit, he moved to another area and made several important culls with bass he also believed to be prespawners.

“That is pretty helpful for me tomorrow,” Brztowski said. “I’m just running around and moving based on how I feel. Just like at home, I’m fishing with my gut.”

From there, he made several more moves that resulted in upgrades, and towards the end of the day he landed another 4-pounder in a spot the tide was hitting to his liking.

Jacob, meanwhile, is trying to qualify for his second-straight Nation Championship. The Auburn University grad has spent his entire tournament in a gravel pit off the Appomattox River catching spawning and postspawn largemouth with his forward-facing sonar. He followed up his 15-12 Day 1 limit with 17-6 on Day 2.

A jerkbait has been a primary player for the postspawners while a flipping bait has landed the spawners. He has also utilized a Megabass Magdraft swimbait.

“It worked well yesterday. I caught half bed fish and half postspawners. Most of them were 3-pounders,” the 2025 Classic qualifier said. “Today was the opposite. I had four decent ones and a great big one, a 6-pounder I caught at the end of the day.”

Jacob was fishing for a spawner when the 6-pounder and another bass close to the same size swam up to the same spot as the bass he was fishing for.

“I couldn’t get the one to bite,” he explained. “Out of nowhere, two blobs pulled up on the hard spot. I thought they were carp. But I casted at them and one looked up at the jerkbait. I twitched it, and the one came up and ate it. It pulled me in a tree, but I was able to get it out and land it.”

Lachniet, who rooms with Jacob during St. Croix Bassmaster Opens as well as this tournament, has been consistent this week, landing bags of 16-6 and 16-12 to put himself in contention for a Nation Championship berth.

A Virginia native, Lachniet made a long run downriver and landed his entire bag within 30 minutes of fishing. Two spots a short distance from each other produced all of his bass. Two baits have triggered the most strikes this week.

“I didn’t really know what to do after that because I didn’t want to run my other good stuff and waste a bunch of fish,” the Campbellsville University angler said. “I looked for a big bite and never really found what I was looking for.”

As a frequent fisher, Lachniet said he is surprised the better-quality bass haven’t shown up as frequently this week.

“I would have thought the weights would have been a lot higher than this. I figured it would take 20 pounds a day to win, maybe 21. I think they are further ahead than I expected. It seems like every bass I catch is postspawn.”

Austin Burton of North Prince George, Va., took over Big Bass of the Tournament honors with a 6-13 largemouth he landed on Day 2.

Jim D’Ambra from Hanover, Mass., leads the nonboater division with a two-day total weighing 23-9. Connecticut’s Gary Belanger is second with 21-13 and Massachusetts resident David Tsao is third with 17-15.

The Top 20 anglers from each division will launch from Osborne Park beginning at 6:30 a.m. on Friday and return for weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. The Top 13 boaters and nonboaters will claim their spot in the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance scheduled for Oct. 22-24.

Richmond Region Tourism and Visit Henrico County are hosting the event.

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsors: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance 4/23-4/25
James River, Richmond  VA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Erik Brztowski         Lemont, IL              10  36-09    0
Day 1: 5   17-12     Day 2: 5   18-13
2.  Connor Jacob           Peoria, IL              10  33-02    0
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   17-06
3.  Ryan Lachniet          Gum Spring, VA          10  33-02    0
Day 1: 5   16-06     Day 2: 5   16-12
4.  Harmon Marien          Eagle River, WI         10  32-07    0
Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   16-00
5.  Brian LaClair          Denton, MD              10  30-12    0
Day 1: 5   15-03     Day 2: 5   15-09
6.  Brian Post             Janesville, WI          10  30-10    0
Day 1: 5   17-14     Day 2: 5   12-12
7.  Austin Burton          North Prince George, VA 10  30-08    0
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   16-15
8.  John Conway Jr         Henrico, VA             10  30-08    0
Day 1: 5   15-12     Day 2: 5   14-12
9.  Cody Bertrand          Dyer, IN                10  30-06    0
Day 1: 5   15-06     Day 2: 5   15-00
10. Ricky Fulk             Shenandoah, VA          10  30-04    0
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   15-13
11. John Smith             Elkview, WV             10  29-09    0
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   13-09
12. Nick Poe               Goodview, VA            10  29-06    0
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   16-02
13. KC Choosakul           Cameron, NC             10  29-02    0
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   18-06
14. Jeremy Radford         Huntly, VA              10  28-03    0
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   15-15
15. John Lewis             Centreville, VA         10  28-03    0
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 5   12-09
16. Tj Milton              Chester, VA             10  28-02    0
Day 1: 5   15-11     Day 2: 5   12-07
17. Brody Luckey           Lynchburg, VA           10  27-04    0
Day 1: 5   15-04     Day 2: 5   12-00
18. Whitney Stephens       Waverly, OH             10  27-02    0
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   13-14
19. Craig Morris           Frankford, DE           10  26-12    0
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   14-03
20. Greg Alexander         Hebron, MD              10  26-09    0
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 5   15-05
21. Amos Dixon             Camden Wyoming, DE      10  26-08    0     $590.00
Day 1: 5   15-08     Day 2: 5   11-00
22. Richard Owen           Bracey, VA              10  26-06    0     $590.00
Day 1: 5   14-02     Day 2: 5   12-04
23. Craig Owens            Roanoke Rapids, NC      10  26-04    0     $590.00
Day 1: 5   17-03     Day 2: 5   09-01
24. Raymond Jones III      Mocksville, NC          10  26-03    0     $590.00
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 5   12-15
25. Will Smith             Moncks Corner, SC       10  26-02    0     $590.00
Day 1: 5   16-07     Day 2: 5   09-11
26. Mike Morris            Dover, DE               10  26-02    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   12-15
27. Tim Byers              Gasburg, VA             10  25-08    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   12-05     Day 2: 5   13-03
28. Paul Haggenmiller      New Durham, NH          10  25-08    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   12-13     Day 2: 5   12-11
29. Mike Reilly            Hammonton, NJ           10  25-04    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   15-15     Day 2: 5   09-05
30. Mark Moran             Weston, WV              10  25-04    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   14-07
31. Bryan Hulsey           Troy, MO                10  25-01    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   10-13     Day 2: 5   14-04
32. RJ Ricci Jr            Cranston, RI            10  24-14    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   12-05
33. Joshua Smith           Coventry, RI            10  24-13    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   11-03
34. Brian O'Connell        Ridge Spring, SC        10  24-09    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   13-13     Day 2: 5   10-12
35. Ed Powell              Sandyville, WV          10  24-08    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   14-06     Day 2: 5   10-02
36. Gregory Dick           Chesapeake, VA          10  24-08    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   12-14
37. Randy Baran            Millstone Township, NJ  10  24-05    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   10-15
38. Chris Jones            Conway, SC              10  23-15    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   13-09     Day 2: 5   10-06
39. Mike Caul              South Prince George, VA 10  23-15    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   12-11     Day 2: 5   11-04
40. Austin Moore           Washburn, IL            10  23-14    0     $543.00
Day 1: 5   11-09     Day 2: 5   12-05
41. Joe Grafeman           Camdenton, MO           10  23-13    0
Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 5   11-03
42. Brian Brown            Sandusky, OH            10  23-13    0
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   11-15
43. Christopher Napier     Virginia Beach, VA      10  23-11    0
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   13-00
44. Ray Tweedy             Appomattox, VA          10  23-10    0
Day 1: 5   08-10     Day 2: 5   15-00
45. Timothy Garrison       Jefferson, SC            9  23-10    0
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 4   10-11
46. Samuel Pollock         Hampton, VA             10  23-09    0
Day 1: 5   12-10     Day 2: 5   10-15
47. Louis Monetti          Brielle, NJ             10  23-07    0
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   10-01
48. Bryant Copley          Altavista, VA           10  23-05    0
Day 1: 5   14-11     Day 2: 5   08-10
49. Jeff Salmon            Mechanicsville, VA      10  23-01    0
Day 1: 5   10-00     Day 2: 5   13-01
50. John Engler            Vinton, IA              10  23-01    0
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   10-13
51. Bryan Finch            Belton, TX              10  22-15    0
Day 1: 5   11-07     Day 2: 5   11-08
52. Jeremy Sadowski        Voluntown, CT           10  22-14    0
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   10-14
53. Tyler Thompson         Easley, SC              10  22-10    0
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 5   10-12
54. Randy Elliott          Severn, MD              10  22-06    0
Day 1: 5   07-14     Day 2: 5   14-08
55. Andrew Sams            Easton, MD              10  22-06    0
Day 1: 5   10-08     Day 2: 5   11-14
56. Mike Shears            Powhatan, VA            10  22-04    0
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 5   10-00
57. Richard Knoll          Pittsburgh, PA          10  22-01    0
Day 1: 5   12-09     Day 2: 5   09-08
58. Chris Johnson          Farmington, AR          10  22-00    0
Day 1: 5   09-11     Day 2: 5   12-05
59. Derek Jones            Chicago, IL             10  21-15    0
Day 1: 5   10-04     Day 2: 5   11-11
60. Tyler Conde            Chepachet, RI           10  21-09    0
Day 1: 5   11-15     Day 2: 5   09-10
61. John Christopher  II   Clarksburg, WV          10  21-08    0
Day 1: 5   10-12     Day 2: 5   10-12
62. Michael Baldwin Jr     South Chesterfield, VA  10  21-07    0
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   09-13
63. John Erickson          Sicklerville, NJ        10  21-03    0
Day 1: 5   09-03     Day 2: 5   12-00
64. Greg Scythes           Marysville, OH          10  20-12    0
Day 1: 5   11-03     Day 2: 5   09-09
65. Matt Szczoczarz        Cumberland, RI          10  20-10    0
Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   08-07
66. Mark Hogan             Milford, DE             10  20-09    0
Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   08-12
67. Joe McClosky           Swanton, MD             10  20-09    0
Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 5   09-09
68. Fabian Rodriguez       Ocean City, MD          10  20-06    0
Day 1: 5   11-12     Day 2: 5   08-10
69. Thomas Hughes          Midlothian, NY          10  20-05    0
Day 1: 5   11-08     Day 2: 5   08-13
70. Ryan West              Hartsville, SC          10  20-04    0
Day 1: 5   11-13     Day 2: 5   08-07
71. Lyle Atkins            Culloden, WV            10  20-00    0
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   08-00
71. Gary Pope Jr           Georgetown, SC          10  20-00    0
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   08-00
73. Matthew McCarthy       East Liberty, OH        10  20-00    0
Day 1: 5   09-06     Day 2: 5   10-10
74. Josh Ashley            Lovingston, VA          10  19-15    0
Day 1: 5   08-11     Day 2: 5   11-04
75. Sidney Ryan            Bracey, VA              10  19-12    0
Day 1: 5   09-02     Day 2: 5   10-10
76. Jacob Marcantonio      Moosup, CT              10  19-11    0
Day 1: 5   10-11     Day 2: 5   09-00
77. Tanner Visco           Antioch, IL             10  19-10    0
Day 1: 5   08-07     Day 2: 5   11-03
78. Cavin Young Sr         Prince George, VA       10  19-08    0
Day 1: 5   10-06     Day 2: 5   09-02
79. Don Gregg Jr           Powhatan, VA            10  19-06    0
Day 1: 5   07-02     Day 2: 5   12-04
80. Craig Townsend         Westampton, NJ          10  19-05    0
Day 1: 5   08-12     Day 2: 5   10-09
81. Mark Burgess           Norton, MA              10  19-01    0
Day 1: 5   10-09     Day 2: 5   08-08
82. Ben Dalton             Bracey, VA              10  18-14    0
Day 1: 5   08-12     Day 2: 5   10-02
83. Randy Gillespie        Sanford, NC             10  18-09    0
Day 1: 5   07-08     Day 2: 5   11-01
84. Michael Shay           Cheshire, CT            10  18-03    0
Day 1: 5   10-10     Day 2: 5   07-09
85. Tim Davis              Mascot, TN              10  17-15    0
Day 1: 5   08-07     Day 2: 5   09-08
86. Kevin Postalwait       Ripley, WV               9  17-11    0
Day 1: 5   12-04     Day 2: 4   05-07
87. Brian Trieschman       Ellicott City, MD       10  17-07    0
Day 1: 5   13-01     Day 2: 5   04-06
88. Brian Gunn             Savannah, GA            10  17-07    0
Day 1: 5   09-12     Day 2: 5   07-11
89. Greg Del Russo         Hopatcong, NJ           10  17-07    0
Day 1: 5   08-03     Day 2: 5   09-04
90. Dana Brown             Buckhannon, WV          10  17-04    0
Day 1: 5   08-00     Day 2: 5   09-04
91. Jeff Meade             Spotsylvania, VA         8  16-14    0
Day 1: 5   11-07     Day 2: 3   05-07
92. Tony Keller            Charleston, WV          10  16-13    0
Day 1: 5   06-10     Day 2: 5   10-03
93. Jared Leicht           Millville, NJ           10  16-13    0
Day 1: 5   06-12     Day 2: 5   10-01
94. Colton Sowers          Bentleyville, PA        10  16-11    0
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 5   07-10
95. Paul Smith Jr          Spotsylvania, VA         6  16-04    0
Day 1: 4   08-06     Day 2: 2   07-14
96. John Serge             Philadelphia, PA         8  15-08    0
Day 1: 5   11-04     Day 2: 3   04-04
97. Trevor Sharrett        Boiling Springs, SC     10  15-08    0
Day 1: 5   07-09     Day 2: 5   07-15
98. Neal Wisinski          Stevens Point, WI       10  14-15    0
Day 1: 5   07-05     Day 2: 5   07-10
99. Alex Legg              Milford, DE              8  14-13    0
Day 1: 3   05-07     Day 2: 5   09-06
100. Paul Tabisz            Clarkston, MI            8  14-11    0
Day 1: 3   06-06     Day 2: 5   08-05
101. Jason Carpenter        Castle Pines, CO         9  14-00    0
Day 1: 5   07-09     Day 2: 4   06-07
102. Mark Ochkie            California, PA           7  13-14    0
Day 1: 3   05-05     Day 2: 4   08-09
103. Kevin Barnosky         Watertown, CT            9  13-14    0
Day 1: 5   08-00     Day 2: 4   05-14
104. Fred Serge             Lambertville, NJ         6  13-09    0
Day 1: 5   11-14     Day 2: 1   01-11
105. Mike Toney             Blacksburg, VA           7  13-05    0
Day 1: 5   09-01     Day 2: 2   04-04
106. Andrew Hunter          Williamston, SC          7  13-04    0
Day 1: 2   03-06     Day 2: 5   09-14
107. Tim Mitchem            Smithfield, VA           9  12-14    0
Day 1: 5   06-15     Day 2: 4   05-15
108. Greg Miller            Gaffney, SC              8  11-13    0
Day 1: 3   04-10     Day 2: 5   07-03
109. Kyle Goltz             Cornell, WI              5  11-07    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   11-07
110. Richard Hartman        Bracey, VA               8  11-06    0
Day 1: 3   04-15     Day 2: 5   06-07
111. Chris Washinger        Chambersburg, PA         5  11-03    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 5   11-03
112. Jon Jezierski          Clinton Twsp, MI         6  11-01    0
Day 1: 2   02-11     Day 2: 4   08-06
113. Jeffrey Davis          Wendell, NC              5  11-00    0
Day 1: 5   11-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
114. Nick Mandes            North Stonington, CT     7  09-03    0
Day 1: 5   06-12     Day 2: 2   02-07
115. Jon Mitchell           Wendell, NC              5  09-00    0
Day 1: 2   02-10     Day 2: 3   06-06
116. Bob Akin               Carver, MA               5  09-00    0
Day 1: 2   02-14     Day 2: 3   06-02
117. Jim Fields             Camden, DE               3  07-13    0
Day 1: 1   02-10     Day 2: 2   05-03
118. Troy Coney             Owego, NY                4  06-03    0
Day 1: 4   06-03     Day 2: 0   00-00
119. Tom Hill               Nicholasville, KY        3  05-05    0
Day 1: 3   05-05     Day 2: 0   00-00
120. Larry Witt             Evington, VA             1  05-01    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 1   05-01
121. Kevin Collins          Morristown, NJ           2  03-06    0
Day 1: 2   03-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
122. Jim Sampson            Emporia, VA              3  03-01    0
Day 1: 3   03-01     Day 2: 0   00-00
123. Eric Whaley II         Pittsgrove, NJ           2  02-15    0
Day 1: 2   02-15     Day 2: 0   00-00
124. Chris Donavant         Yorktown, VA             0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
124. Ethan Stant            Dover, DE                0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 0   00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       104       562      1291-13
2       100       550      1235-03
----------------------------------
204      1112      2527-00
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance 4/23-4/25
James River, Richmond  VA.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 2

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Jim D'Ambra            Hanover, MA              6  23-09    0
Day 1: 3   13-13     Day 2: 3   09-12
2.  Gary Belanger          Plainville, CT           6  21-13    0
Day 1: 3   13-13     Day 2: 3   08-00
3.  David Tsao             Newburyport, MA          6  17-15    0
Day 1: 3   08-05     Day 2: 3   09-10
4.  Craig Ferguson         Emporia, VA              6  17-07    0
Day 1: 3   09-00     Day 2: 3   08-07
5.  David Roddy            Inman, SC                6  16-11    0
Day 1: 3   10-08     Day 2: 3   06-03
6.  Joshua Hall            Palmyra, VA              6  16-07    0
Day 1: 3   08-13     Day 2: 3   07-10
7.  Nathan Minnix          Goodview, VA             6  16-01    0
Day 1: 3   04-13     Day 2: 3   11-04
8.  Steven Conde           Chepachet, RI            6  15-10    0
Day 1: 3   09-06     Day 2: 3   06-04
9.  Ernest Weathersby      Leominster, MA           6  15-04    0
Day 1: 3   04-15     Day 2: 3   10-05
10. Emil Rostello Jr       Wayne, NJ                6  15-01    0
Day 1: 3   05-10     Day 2: 3   09-07
11. Bill Roberts Jr        Williamsburg, VA         6  14-13    0
Day 1: 3   08-00     Day 2: 3   06-13
12. Guiseppe Andreoli      Coventry, RI             6  14-10    0
Day 1: 3   10-10     Day 2: 3   04-00
13. John Sirichman         Monogahela, PA           6  14-09    0
Day 1: 3   07-09     Day 2: 3   07-00
14. Adam Richardson        Littleton, NC            6  14-07    0
Day 1: 3   05-12     Day 2: 3   08-11
15. Anthony Paschall       Cumberland, VA           6  14-01    0
Day 1: 3   06-15     Day 2: 3   07-02
16. Finn Erickson          Sicklerville, NJ         6  13-13    0
Day 1: 3   06-11     Day 2: 3   07-02
17. Jeremy Willis          Fountain Inn, SC         6  13-11    0
Day 1: 3   07-10     Day 2: 3   06-01
18. Chris Merritt          Chester , VA             6  13-07    0
Day 1: 3   07-13     Day 2: 3   05-10
19. Blake Rogers           Florence, SC             6  13-05    0
Day 1: 3   07-04     Day 2: 3   06-01
20. Brian Adams            Clayton, NC              6  13-04    0
Day 1: 3   07-01     Day 2: 3   06-03
21. Marty McClanahan       Poca, WV                 6  13-02    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   04-10     Day 2: 3   08-08
22. John Lacouture         Burrillville, RI         6  13-00    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   08-03     Day 2: 3   04-13
23. Vincent Luisi          Vineland, NJ             6  12-15    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   09-10     Day 2: 3   03-05
24. Timothy Elliott        Chester, VA              6  12-15    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   05-11     Day 2: 3   07-04
25. Rob Ross               Hopedale, MA             5  12-14    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   06-13     Day 2: 2   06-01
26. Joshua Torres          Port Tobacco, MD         6  12-11    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   06-12     Day 2: 3   05-15
27. Thomas Bates           Appomattox, VA           6  12-10    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   05-01     Day 2: 3   07-09
28. Scott Shrewsbury       Rocky Mount, NC          6  12-09    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   05-11     Day 2: 3   06-14
29. Joseph Kinsley         Parkersburg, WV          6  12-08    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   08-02     Day 2: 3   04-06
30. Zach Queeney           Atco, NJ                 6  12-04    0     $215.00
Day 1: 3   06-14     Day 2: 3   05-06
31. Rickey Wood Jr         Conway, SC               6  11-15    0
Day 1: 3   07-10     Day 2: 3   04-05
32. Donald Quonce          Pulaski, NY              6  11-13    0
Day 1: 3   08-06     Day 2: 3   03-07
33. Jeffrey Graiff         Vineland, NJ             3  11-12    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 3   11-12
34. Danny Williams         Forest, VA               6  11-09    0
Day 1: 3   07-01     Day 2: 3   04-08
35. Andrew Dick            Wilmington, DE           4  11-07    0
Day 1: 3   09-05     Day 2: 1   02-02
36. Mike Hildenbrandt      Virginia Beach, VA       6  11-04    0
Day 1: 3   05-13     Day 2: 3   05-07
37. Ken Lawhon             Hartsville, SC           6  10-09    0
Day 1: 3   04-14     Day 2: 3   05-11
38. Mark Westrick          Hastings, PA             6  10-07    0
Day 1: 3   05-07     Day 2: 3   05-00
39. Kevin Seymour          Central Square , NY      5  10-06    0
Day 1: 2   02-03     Day 2: 3   08-03
40. Jonathan Shores        Charles City, VA         6  10-04    0
Day 1: 3   04-07     Day 2: 3   05-13
41. Gary Melson            Louisville, KY           6  10-02    0
Day 1: 3   05-04     Day 2: 3   04-14
42. Matthew Cosby          Chesterfield, VA         5  10-00    0
Day 1: 3   06-10     Day 2: 2   03-06
43. Greg Marshall          Paris, KY                3  09-15    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 3   09-15
44. Scott Breichner        Hagerstown, MD           6  09-12    0
Day 1: 3   05-02     Day 2: 3   04-10
45. Jim Kline              Hagerstown, MD           5  09-11    0
Day 1: 3   06-08     Day 2: 2   03-03
46. Noah Jones             Conway, SC               6  09-10    0
Day 1: 3   04-13     Day 2: 3   04-13
47. George Georgopoulos    Belmont, NC              5  09-09    0
Day 1: 2   03-03     Day 2: 3   06-06
48. Brian Bruce            Locust Grove, VA         5  09-08    0
Day 1: 2   04-07     Day 2: 3   05-01
49. Brian Ebert            Forest City, NC          6  09-07    0
Day 1: 3   04-08     Day 2: 3   04-15
50. Jay Summons            Malden, MA               5  09-05    0
Day 1: 3   06-10     Day 2: 2   02-11
51. Cedric Davis Jr        Hopkins, SC              6  09-03    0
Day 1: 3   04-15     Day 2: 3   04-04
52. Roland Burton          North Prince George, VA  5  08-15    0
Day 1: 2   03-11     Day 2: 3   05-04
53. Sam Chhoeun            Berkley, MA              6  08-15    0
Day 1: 3   04-12     Day 2: 3   04-03
54. Joe Sodora             Garfield, NJ             6  08-13    0
Day 1: 3   04-14     Day 2: 3   03-15
55. Ethan Monk             Mountain Rest, SC        6  08-11    0
Day 1: 3   03-13     Day 2: 3   04-14
56. John Hritsko           Northern Cambria, PA     5  08-10    0
Day 1: 2   02-07     Day 2: 3   06-03
57. Frank Daniels          Dover, DE                3  08-06    0
Day 1: 3   08-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
58. Stephen Sanders        West Palm Beach , FL     5  08-05    0
Day 1: 3   06-02     Day 2: 2   02-03
59. Roger Castillo         Goode, VA                6  08-02    0
Day 1: 3   08-02     Day 2: 3   00-00
60. Ricardo Cruz           New York, NY             5  07-15    0
Day 1: 2   03-15     Day 2: 3   04-00
61. Matt Champion          Scottsville, NY          5  07-10    0
Day 1: 3   05-10     Day 2: 2   02-00
62. Tom Perkins            Glen Burnie, MD          4  07-10    0
Day 1: 1   02-04     Day 2: 3   05-06
63. Brandon Regnault       Providence, RI           5  07-09    0
Day 1: 2   02-06     Day 2: 3   05-03
64. John Taylor Jr         Charleston, WV           5  06-15    0
Day 1: 2   02-14     Day 2: 3   04-01
65. Dave Reed              Westminster, MD          4  06-11    0
Day 1: 1   01-08     Day 2: 3   05-03
66. Mike Morris            Hubert, NC               5  06-10    0
Day 1: 3   04-07     Day 2: 2   02-03
67. Kendry Jerez           Paterson, NJ             4  06-02    0
Day 1: 1   00-12     Day 2: 3   05-06
68. Darryl Hunt            Haddonfield, NJ          4  06-00    0
Day 1: 3   04-13     Day 2: 1   01-03
69. Michael Griffiths      Cherry Tree, PA          3  05-14    0
Day 1: 3   05-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
70. Robert Mccoy           Mount Airy, MD           6  05-13    0
Day 1: 3   00-00     Day 2: 3   05-13
71. Brian Penney           Haverhill, MA            3  05-04    0
Day 1: 1   01-03     Day 2: 2   04-01
72. Ray Rios               Lafayette , NJ           4  05-03    0
Day 1: 1   01-04     Day 2: 3   03-15
73. Devon Kitson           Montclair , NJ           3  04-10    0
Day 1: 0   00-00     Day 2: 3   04-10
74. Rob Wells              Kitty Hawk, NC           3  04-06    0
Day 1: 3   04-06     Day 2: 0   00-00
75. Jerald Conley          Franklinville, NJ        3  04-00    0
Day 1: 2   02-09     Day 2: 1   01-07
76. Dave Haas              Sewell, NJ               3  03-14    0
Day 1: 3   03-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
77. Tanner Smith           Sellers, SC              3  03-14    0
Day 1: 3   03-14     Day 2: 0   00-00
78. Michael Briggs         N Providence, RI         1  03-12    0
Day 1: 1   03-12     Day 2: 0   00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        60       204       436-06
2        61       202       403-01
----------------------------------
121       406       839-07


Arey Eyes Familiar Waters with Open Mind Ahead of Lake Hartwell Bassmaster Elite Event

Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

As the Bassmaster Elite Series rolls into Lake Hartwell, a fishery steeped in both Southern charm and national fishing lore, Team Toyota pro Matt Arey finds himself at the intersection of familiarity and unpredictability. A veteran angler with nearly two decades of professional experience, Arey brings a wealth of knowledge to this blueback herring-fueled powerhouse of a lake—but he admits, this one's going to be tricky.

“Well, I don’t really know how to say how this tournament is going to go,” Arey said with a chuckle that held a hint of respect for what lies ahead. “It’s going to be another forward-facing sonar event for sure. I caught some nice fish throughout my practice and if you’re not utilizing the technology, you’re not going to catch them like everyone else will.”

Arey, a North Carolina native, is no stranger to these waters. He estimates he’s fished the lake “20 times or so” which makes sense given it’s just a few hours from his Shelby home. From FLW Tour showdowns to early career regional events, Arey has seen Hartwell in every mood—but this time, he’s facing a dynamic, sonar-dominated bite that’s changing by the hour.

“There are a lot of herring spawning and the technology is going to be totally dominant in this tournament,” he said. “You’re going to need to have a limit of 3 1/2-pounders to have a chance at winning. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

The game within the game

For anglers unfamiliar with Hartwell's unique forage base, the blueback herring spawn is one of the most exciting—and frustrating—patterns in bass fishing. It’s a game of timing, speed and precision. Bass roam in wolfpacks, often schooling near points, docks and clay banks. They’re aggressive one minute and ghosted the next, making the already cerebral challenge of professional bass fishing even more daunting.

Arey understands the stakes. With a blend of largemouth and spotted bass in play and a wide temperature window—he noted water temps ranging from 68 to 74 degrees—the fish are scattered in different phases of the spawn.

“I think the fish will be in a few different stages; mainly late spawn and early post-spawn,” he explained. “There will be several different patterns in play.”

That kind of versatility suits Arey well. Known for his technical prowess and analytical approach, he’s not a one-dimensional angler. Whether it’s targeting brush piles with a worm for largemouth or chasing nomadic spotted bass, he’s got the chops to pivot on the fly. But he’s also honest about the role luck and timing will play this week.

“On a scale of one through 10 maybe I’d rank this practice at a seven,” Arey said. “I had one good day, one so-so day and one bad day. I covered a lot of water but the weather coming in this weekend is going to change a lot of things.”

Indeed, a looming low-pressure system and forecasted thunderstorms could throw a wrench in everyone's game plan. Arey, who had success during slick-calm, bluebird conditions in practice, knows that stability is critical when chasing herring eaters.

“These herring fish become really unpredictable when a weather front moves through,” he added. “I’ll be focusing on the herring spawn for sure but I’m honestly not sure how it’s going to play out.”

The battle for mid-lake

With Lake Hartwell’s vast acreage and maze of creeks, points and off-the-wall structure, one would think anglers could spread out. But make no mistake, the mid-lake zone is going to look like rush-hour traffic.

“The mid-lake area will get the most attention for sure,” Arey said. “I’ll probably try to avoid the crowds, to be honest. I know the lake really well but it’s not always a blessing when you know the lake too well. So it’s important that I keep an open mind during this event.”

That sentiment speaks volumes. In a tournament scene increasingly dominated by technology and tight timing windows, Arey’s wisdom is a reminder that success isn’t just about knowing where to fish—it’s knowing when to adapt.

Eyes on the prize… and family

Arey’s consistency over the years is well-documented. With multiple top 10 finishes in his six years on the Bassmaster Elites, his name is always one to watch when the bite is tough and the pressure is high. But this week he has his sights set on something bigger than points or prize money.

“If you gave me 70 pounds of fish after four days, I’d sit at the house and be happy as could be,” he said with a smile. “About 68 to 70 pounds will win this tournament in my opinion. The winning combination will be a mix of spotted bass and largemouth.”

And perhaps more meaningful than anything on the water, Arey will have his most important supporters in attendance.

“Because we’re so close to our home, my family will be here Friday for the weigh-in,” he said. “It means everything to me and seeing their faces and having them around is the best thing I could possibly imagine. There is nothing better. They are my whole world.”


Greg Hackney Claims NPFL Victory - Gear Breakdown

Lake Norman, NC – Greg Hackney secured an impressive win at the National Professional Fishing League (NPFL) event on Lake Norman, bringing in a total weight of 47 pounds, 11 ounces across the three-day competition. This victory marks Hackney's first NPFL win and solidifies his reputation as one of the sport’s foremost competitors.
Hackney’s winning strategy capitalized on isolated structures between boat docks in the southern section of Lake Norman. “The biggest key this week was my spotlight lens sunglasses,” Hackney stated. “I was targeting stumps and rocks between boat docks in Main Lake pockets, where the bigger fish were spawning. The sunglasses allowed me to clearly see the stumps and rocks the fish were spawning on, which made all the difference.”
Hackney’s techniques incorporated two configurations of the Strike King® Finesse Worm in the green pumpkin color. “I was fishing with a 4-inch green pumpkin Strike King Finesse Worm on a 1/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade® Jig Head, and wacky-rigging a 6-inch green pumpkin Strike King Finesse Worm. My setup included a 300 Lew’s® Hyper Mag spinning reel paired with the Team Lew’s Signature Series Mark Zona Multi-Purpose spinning rod,” Hackney added.
The tournament showcased Hackney’s resilience and adaptability. He led after Day One with 16 pounds, 6 ounces but faced challenges on Day Two, managing a limit of spotted bass weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces. On the final day, Hackney rebounded strongly, landing his biggest bag of the week at 17 pounds, which included a decisive four-pound fish caught in the championship round.
Hackney’s ability to read the conditions and adapt his strategy proved pivotal. He identified key pockets where bass were spawning. The two-pronged approach of fishing the Strike King Finesse Worms on both shaky head and wacky rigs enabled him to target fish effectively as conditions evolved.
This marked Hackney's second top 10 finish in the NPFL this season, following an 8th-place showing at Santee Cooper. His win, witnessed by thousands of spectators, further cements his legacy in professional bass fishing.
The National Professional Fishing League continues its trail next month on Douglas Lake, Dandridge, TN, from May 22-24, 2025.
Championship-Winning Gear:
·       Reel: HyperMag Spinning Reel
 
About Rather Outdoors
Rather Outdoors is a global outdoors corporation uniting some of the most recognizable brands in the fishing space. With historic and iconic brands such as Lew’s, Strike King, Quantum, Zebco, Fox, Matrix, Salmo, and Fox Rage, Rather Outdoors provides a wide assortment of fishing products worldwide in an effort to enhance angler’s success and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. To learn more about the Rather Outdoors brands, visit www.ratheroutdoors.com.

Lawrence Locks up Toyota Bonus Bucks at REDCREST

Jake Lawrence’s fifth-place finish in Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville locked up an additional $10,000 payout from Toyota Bonus Bucks. The Paris, Tennessee pro was the highest finishing angler towing his boat with a 2021 or newer Toyota tow vehicle and added to his impressive pile of winnings from Toyota’s popular program.

The Bass Pro Tour rookie employed a multi-faceted approach on Lake Guntersville to propel himself up the Scoretracker, including a strong forward-facing sonar pattern for roaming and bedding bass that he couldn’t see with the naked eye during his one allotted FFS period. He bookended his ‘scope period each day with a swim jig and weedless single swimbait in hand, power fishing Guntersville’s iconic grass flats.

Well known as an expert with FFS and the latest technology, Lawrence continues to prove he is far more than an electronics guru.

“I’m 34 years old and grew up fishing without FFS,” Lawrence said, reminding would-be cynics. “I remember the first GPS I used in the boat, it was handheld, and I used it to fish offshore on Kentucky Lake.  Honestly, it didn’t work nearly as well as triangulating visual clues on the bank… I can always fall back on the way I grew up fishing and I love that our hybrid format showcases that.”

Lawrence has been busy, fishing the Toyota Series-Central division on top of his BPT schedule. He’s logged three top ten finishes in just five events and thousands of miles on the road so far in 2025. We caught up with the red-hot pro to pick his brain with a few questions around his time spent on the highway driving to and from bass tournaments.

Q – Tournament fishermen are basically part time truck drivers, what is one tip you can give for a better road trip?

Lawrence – “Pack your own snacks. I try to pack halfway healthy stuff like nuts, jerky, trail mix and maybe a bag of candy or two. Packing your own snacks saves you money and time on the road, but the key is to pack them somewhere out of view or easy reach in your truck. That way you aren’t grabbing a fistful every mile.”

 

Q – What is your favorite gas or service station to stop during tournament travel?  

Lawrence – “I’m a sucker for a Casey’s gas station. Anytime I see a Casey’s that I can easily whip the truck and boat into, they get my business. It’s that dang pizza – it’s so good!”

 

Q – What are three things you are listening to in your Tundra on the way to the lake?

Lawrence – “1. I save my music for practice… I always have my EarPods in during practice, usually listening to classic rock but it’s across the board with me. You never know what I might be listening to.

  1. I try to schedule all my phone calls for long drives. I use that windshield time to catch up on sponsor calls, talk to old friends, and family.
  2. I listen (not watch, that would be dangerous) to LIVE tournament coverage that’s on a lake I’m interested in. Whether it’s an old show on the fishery I am driving towards and have a tournament on, or it’s just a lake I plan to fish in the next few weeks. I use the live show like a podcast. These shows really are a great educational tool. In eight hours of coverage there are always a few useful nuggets of information.”

 

Q – You won the $10,000 Toyota Bonus Bucks reward at REDCREST… what are you going to spend that money on?

Lawrence – “It’s funny you ask that,” Lawrence chuckled. “Leading into REDCREST my beautiful wife and I had been debating redoing the landscaping in our front yard. She wanted to go all out, while I didn’t know how I felt about all that.

“Well, she came with me to the REDCREST anglers meeting, where we saw the $10K Bonus Bucks check from Toyota. I looked at my wife and promised her if I won that Bonus Bucks money, she could have her new landscaping. I’m happy to report our front yard is in the process of a makeover right now. New shrubs, flower beds, rocks, it’s the whole shebang. Happy wife, happy life!”


Wisconsin’s Brian Post takes advantage of hot bite to lead Day 1 of B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier 

April 23, 2025

Nation_Mercury_Lowrance_4C_Raster.png

RICHMOND, Va. — Normally a good practice doesn’t result in a good tournament for Brian Post, but that was not the case on Day 1 at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance.

The Janesville, Wis., pro landed a limit weighing 17 pounds, 14 ounces to take the Day 1 lead in eastern Virginia, two ounces better than second place Erik Brztowski and 11 ounces better than third place Craig Owens.

Anglers enjoyed sunny and warm conditions on the first day of the three-day tournament, which had the bass biting, although not the size some expected from the normally prolific tidal fishery. Over 100 limits hit the scales on the boater side on Wednesday for a total of 1,306-2, but no angler approached the 20-pound threshold.

As a Wisconsin native, Post knows just how good the Upper Mississippi River can fish in October. So, his goal this week is to punch his ticket to the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance scheduled for Oct. 22-24 on Pools, 7, 8 and 9.

“I’m from Wisconsin and I am trying to get to La Crosse at the end of the year,” he said. “My travel partner for the Opens made it through the Eufaula Oklahoma regional, and I’m just trying to get there with him. Top 13 is the goal.”

Post has fished the James River twice as a St. Croix Bassmaster Opens pro, finishing 8th in the April 2023 event. Instead of chasing the tide, he treated it as a normal river in that event and those same concepts played today.

“I did the same thing this year. I actually had a really good practice,” he said. “I had a plan today. I ran to a spot today and never started the motor again. Except for one, I think I burned that place to the ground.

With bass in all three stages of the spawn, Post stayed close to takeoff and focused on the bass locked on the bed. While he couldn’t get his first couple of bedding fish to bite at dead low tide, the bite turned on as the tide flowed back into the river and Post landed a limit within an hour span.

“I only lost one good one today and a half hour later I caught it,” he said.

He landed them all with two baits.

“All of my bass came off bed today,” Post said. “But you do have all three stages (happening). I have seen a few prespawners and some fry in different areas. (In my area), I saw some fresh bucks, so I don’t know if another wave is moving up.”

Post only burned five gallons of gas on Day 1 but intends on making a longer run on Day 2 to target more prespawn and postspawn largemouth.

“These are, run here and make 10 casts, run there and make 10 casts,” Post said. “They are more one- and two-bite places, but they are the right kind. When it clicked in practice, it was pretty easy. Some of it is hidey hole stuff, some of it is stuff I found on the trolling motor and it looked right.”

He does have one female located that would not lock on the bed he intends to catch tomorrow.

“The male is locked on, and she is gigantic,” Post said. “I don’t know which one of them pulled my plastic off the first time. She is fresh, but not locked on. She would come up and hang out with him for a while and then back off for almost 20 minutes. I got her marked and I’m going to make a couple stops on her tomorrow.”

Brztowski, a 22-year-old from Lemont, Ill., fished the James River as a co-angler in that last Open as well and is now trying to punch his ticket to the Nation Championship on the famed fishery. He landed a limit weighing 17-12 to land in second.

“I was changing with the bass today,” he said. “My third fish was a 5-pounder. I just made good decisions. It was a good time.”

Using four different baits, Brztowski is fishing all three stages of the spawn. With an incoming tide, Brztowski made a stop at an area he found in practice and landed a quick limit before moving to his primary areas.

While he saw bigger fish in practice, he learned a lot today as he caught each one. He anticipates Day 2 will be a little tougher but expects there will still be good ones around his areas.

“I caught plenty of fish today,” he said. “I know there are still plenty of fish out there. I just have to play the tide right and fish some new areas.”

New Jersey boater Mike Reilly landed the Big Bass of the Day, a 5-14 largemouth.

Connecticut’s Gary Belanger and Jim D’Ambra from Massachusetts are tied for the nonboater lead, each with a three-bass limit weighing 13-13. Belanger anchored his bag with a 7-9 largemouth, the Big Bass of the Day. Rhode Island’s Guiseppe Andreoli is third with 10-10.

The full field of 125 anglers will takeoff from Osborne Park tomorrow beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. The Top 20 boaters and nonboaters after Day 2 will advance to Friday’s final round and the Top 13 from each division at the conclusion of the tournament will advance to B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

Richmond Region Tourism and Visit Henrico County are hosting the event.

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance

2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsors: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

 

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 Progressive 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 FacebookInstagramTwitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Chad Gay, Communications Manager, 205-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com

 

2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at James River presented by Lowrance 4/23-4/25
James River, Richmond  VA.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Brian Post             Janesville, WI           5  17-14    0
Day 1: 5   17-14
2.  Erik Brztowski         Lemont, IL               5  17-12    0
Day 1: 5   17-12
3.  Craig Owens            Roanoke Rapids, NC       5  17-03    0
Day 1: 5   17-03
4.  Harmon Marien          Eagle River, WI          5  16-07    0
Day 1: 5   16-07
4.  Will Smith             Moncks Corner, SC        5  16-07    0
Day 1: 5   16-07
6.  Ryan Lachniet          Gum Spring, VA           5  16-06    0
Day 1: 5   16-06
7.  John Smith             Elkview, WV              5  16-00    0
Day 1: 5   16-00
8.  Mike Reilly            Hammonton, NJ            5  15-15    0
Day 1: 5   15-15
9.  John Conway Jr         Henrico, VA              5  15-12    0
Day 1: 5   15-12
9.  Connor Jacob           Peoria, IL               5  15-12    0
Day 1: 5   15-12
11. Tj Milton              Chester, VA              5  15-11    0
Day 1: 5   15-11
12. John Lewis             Centreville, VA          5  15-10    0
Day 1: 5   15-10
13. Amos Dixon             Camden Wyoming, DE       5  15-08    0
Day 1: 5   15-08
14. Cody Bertrand          Dyer, IN                 5  15-06    0
Day 1: 5   15-06
15. Brody Luckey           Lynchburg, VA            5  15-04    0
Day 1: 5   15-04
16. Brian LaClair          Denton, MD               5  15-03    0
Day 1: 5   15-03
17. Bryant Copley          Altavista, VA            5  14-11    0
Day 1: 5   14-11
18. Ricky Fulk             Shenandoah, VA           5  14-07    0
Day 1: 5   14-07
19. Ed Powell              Sandyville, WV           5  14-06    0
Day 1: 5   14-06
20. Kyle Goltz             Cornell, WI              5  14-05    0
Day 1: 5   14-05
21. Richard Owen           Bracey, VA               5  14-02    0
Day 1: 5   14-02
22. Brian O'Connell        Ridge Spring, SC         5  13-13    0
Day 1: 5   13-13
23. Joshua Smith           Coventry, RI             5  13-10    0
Day 1: 5   13-10
24. Austin Burton          North Prince George, VA  5  13-09    0
Day 1: 5   13-09
24. Chris Jones            Conway, SC               5  13-09    0
Day 1: 5   13-09
26. Randy Baran            Millstone Township, NJ   5  13-06    0
Day 1: 5   13-06
26. Louis Monetti          Brielle, NJ              5  13-06    0
Day 1: 5   13-06
28. Raymond Jones III      Mocksville, NC           5  13-04    0
Day 1: 5   13-04
28. Nick Poe               Goodview, VA             5  13-04    0
Day 1: 5   13-04
28. Whitney Stephens       Waverly, OH              5  13-04    0
Day 1: 5   13-04
31. Mike Morris            Dover, DE                5  13-03    0
Day 1: 5   13-03
32. Brian Trieschman       Ellicott City, MD        5  13-01    0
Day 1: 5   13-01
33. Timothy Garrison       Jefferson, SC            5  12-15    0
Day 1: 5   12-15
34. Paul Haggenmiller      New Durham, NH           5  12-13    0
Day 1: 5   12-13
35. Mike Caul              South Prince George, VA  5  12-11    0
Day 1: 5   12-11
36. Joe Grafeman           Camdenton, MO            5  12-10    0
Day 1: 5   12-10
36. Samuel Pollock         Hampton, VA              5  12-10    0
Day 1: 5   12-10
38. Richard Knoll          Pittsburgh, PA           5  12-09    0
Day 1: 5   12-09
38. Craig Morris           Frankford, DE            5  12-09    0
Day 1: 5   12-09
38. RJ Ricci Jr            Cranston, RI             5  12-09    0
Day 1: 5   12-09
41. Tim Byers              Gasburg, VA              5  12-05    0
Day 1: 5   12-05
42. Kevin Postalwait       Ripley, WV               5  12-04    0
Day 1: 5   12-04
42. Jeremy Radford         Huntly, VA               5  12-04    0
Day 1: 5   12-04
42. Mike Shears            Powhatan, VA             5  12-04    0
Day 1: 5   12-04
45. John Engler            Vinton, IA               5  12-04    0
Day 1: 5   12-04
46. Matt Szczoczarz        Cumberland, RI           5  12-03    0
Day 1: 5   12-03
47. Lyle Atkins            Culloden, WV             5  12-00    0
Day 1: 5   12-00
47. Gary Pope Jr           Georgetown, SC           5  12-00    0
Day 1: 5   12-00
47. Jeremy Sadowski        Voluntown, CT            5  12-00    0
Day 1: 5   12-00
50. Tyler Conde            Chepachet, RI            5  11-15    0
Day 1: 5   11-15
51. Brian Brown            Sandusky, OH             5  11-14    0
Day 1: 5   11-14
51. Tyler Thompson         Easley, SC               5  11-14    0
Day 1: 5   11-14
53. Fred Serge             Lambertville, NJ         5  11-14    0
Day 1: 5   11-14
54. Mark Hogan             Milford, DE              5  11-13    0
Day 1: 5   11-13
54. Ryan West              Hartsville, SC           5  11-13    0
Day 1: 5   11-13
56. Fabian Rodriguez       Ocean City, MD           5  11-12    0
Day 1: 5   11-12
57. Michael Baldwin Jr     South Chesterfield, VA   5  11-10    0
Day 1: 5   11-10
57. Gregory Dick           Chesapeake, VA           5  11-10    0
Day 1: 5   11-10
59. Austin Moore           Washburn, IL             5  11-09    0
Day 1: 5   11-09
60. Thomas Hughes          Midlothian, NY           5  11-08    0
Day 1: 5   11-08
61. Bryan Finch            Belton, TX               5  11-07    0
Day 1: 5   11-07
61. Jeff Meade             Spotsylvania, VA         5  11-07    0
Day 1: 5   11-07
63. John Serge             Philadelphia, PA         5  11-04    0
Day 1: 5   11-04
64. Greg Alexander         Hebron, MD               5  11-04    0
Day 1: 5   11-04
65. Greg Scythes           Marysville, OH           5  11-03    0
Day 1: 5   11-03
66. Jeffrey Davis          Wendell, NC              5  11-00    0
Day 1: 5   11-00
66. Joe McClosky           Swanton, MD              5  11-00    0
Day 1: 5   11-00
68. Bryan Hulsey           Troy, MO                 5  10-13    0
Day 1: 5   10-13
68. Mark Moran             Weston, WV               5  10-13    0
Day 1: 5   10-13
70. KC Choosakul           Cameron, NC              5  10-12    0
Day 1: 5   10-12
70. John Christopher  II   Clarksburg, WV           5  10-12    0
Day 1: 5   10-12
72. Jacob Marcantonio      Moosup, CT               5  10-11    0
Day 1: 5   10-11
72. Christopher Napier     Virginia Beach, VA       5  10-11    0
Day 1: 5   10-11
74. Michael Shay           Cheshire, CT             5  10-10    0
Day 1: 5   10-10
75. Mark Burgess           Norton, MA               5  10-09    0
Day 1: 5   10-09
76. Andrew Sams            Easton, MD               5  10-08    0
Day 1: 5   10-08
77. Cavin Young Sr         Prince George, VA        5  10-06    0
Day 1: 5   10-06
78. Derek Jones            Chicago, IL              5  10-04    0
Day 1: 5   10-04
79. Jeff Salmon            Mechanicsville, VA       5  10-00    0
Day 1: 5   10-00
80. Brian Gunn             Savannah, GA             5  09-12    0
Day 1: 5   09-12
81. Chris Johnson          Farmington, AR           5  09-11    0
Day 1: 5   09-11
82. Matthew McCarthy       East Liberty, OH         5  09-06    0
Day 1: 5   09-06
83. John Erickson          Sicklerville, NJ         5  09-03    0
Day 1: 5   09-03
84. Sidney Ryan            Bracey, VA               5  09-02    0
Day 1: 5   09-02
85. Colton Sowers          Bentleyville, PA         5  09-01    0
Day 1: 5   09-01
85. Mike Toney             Blacksburg, VA           5  09-01    0
Day 1: 5   09-01
87. Ben Dalton             Bracey, VA               5  08-12    0
Day 1: 5   08-12
87. Craig Townsend         Westampton, NJ           5  08-12    0
Day 1: 5   08-12
89. Josh Ashley            Lovingston, VA           5  08-11    0
Day 1: 5   08-11
90. Ray Tweedy             Appomattox, VA           5  08-10    0
Day 1: 5   08-10
91. Tim Davis              Mascot, TN               5  08-07    0
Day 1: 5   08-07
91. Tanner Visco           Antioch, IL              5  08-07    0
Day 1: 5   08-07
93. Paul Smith Jr          Spotsylvania, VA         4  08-06    0
Day 1: 4   08-06
94. Greg Del Russo         Hopatcong, NJ            5  08-03    0
Day 1: 5   08-03
95. Kevin Barnosky         Watertown, CT            5  08-00    0
Day 1: 5   08-00
95. Dana Brown             Buckhannon, WV           5  08-00    0
Day 1: 5   08-00
97. Randy Elliott          Severn, MD               5  07-14    0
Day 1: 5   07-14
98. Jason Carpenter        Castle Pines, CO         5  07-09    0
Day 1: 5   07-09
98. Trevor Sharrett        Boiling Springs, SC      5  07-09    0
Day 1: 5   07-09
100. Randy Gillespie        Sanford, NC              5  07-08    0
Day 1: 5   07-08
101. Neal Wisinski          Stevens Point, WI        5  07-05    0
Day 1: 5   07-05
102. Don Gregg Jr           Powhatan, VA             5  07-02    0
Day 1: 5   07-02
103. Tim Mitchem            Smithfield, VA           5  06-15    0
Day 1: 5   06-15
104. Jared Leicht           Millville, NJ            5  06-12    0
Day 1: 5   06-12
105. Nick Mandes            North Stonington, CT     5  06-12    0
Day 1: 5   06-12
106. Tony Keller            Charleston, WV           5  06-10    0
Day 1: 5   06-10
107. Paul Tabisz            Clarkston, MI            3  06-06    0
Day 1: 3   06-06
108. Troy Coney             Owego, NY                4  06-03    0
Day 1: 4   06-03
109. Alex Legg              Milford, DE              3  05-07    0
Day 1: 3   05-07
110. Tom Hill               Nicholasville, KY        3  05-05    0
Day 1: 3   05-05
110. Mark Ochkie            California, PA           3  05-05    0
Day 1: 3   05-05
112. Richard Hartman        Bracey, VA               3  04-15    0
Day 1: 3   04-15
113. Greg Miller            Gaffney, SC              3  04-10    0
Day 1: 3   04-10
114. Kevin Collins          Morristown, NJ           2  03-06    0
Day 1: 2   03-06
114. Andrew Hunter          Williamston, SC          2  03-06    0
Day 1: 2   03-06
116. Jim Sampson            Emporia, VA              3  03-01    0
Day 1: 3   03-01
117. Eric Whaley II         Pittsgrove, NJ           2  02-15    0
Day 1: 2   02-15
118. Bob Akin               Carver, MA               2  02-14    0
Day 1: 2   02-14
119. Jon Jezierski          Clinton Twsp, MI         2  02-11    0
Day 1: 2   02-11
120. Jon Mitchell           Wendell, NC              2  02-10    0
Day 1: 2   02-10
121. Jim Fields             Camden, DE               1  02-10    0
Day 1: 1   02-10
122. Chris Donavant         Yorktown, VA             0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
122. Ethan Stant            Dover, DE                0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
122. Chris Washinger        Chambersburg, PA         0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
122. Larry Witt             Evington, VA             0  00-00    0
Day 1: 0   00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1       105       567      1306-02
----------------------------------
105       567      1306-02


MLF Set to Wrap Toyota Series Southwestern Division Next Week with Tournament at Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Okla. (April 22, 2025) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats is set to visit Eufaula, Oklahoma, next week May 1-3, for the third and final regular-season event of the 2025 season in the Toyota Series Southwestern division – the Toyota Series at Lake Eufaula.

The three-day bass tournament, hosted by Vision Eufaula, 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.

With recent heavy rains flooding the system, anglers can expect a much different Lake Eufaula than in years past. For pro Eli Brumnett of Wagoner, Oklahoma – last year’s runner-up at this event – next week is all about redemption.

“We’ve had eight inches of rain this past week and we’re getting more next week,” Brumnett said. “The lake’s already four and a half feet up, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it hit five and a half or six by the time the tournament starts.”

With water in the bushes across the lake and spawning activity still underway, Brumnett expects a strong flipping bite to take center stage.

“Some of the fish are still on beds, but a lot of those big pre-spawners are hanging around that original bank line,” he explained. “That’s where a flipping pattern or even a spinnerbait could really shine. It’s gonna fish totally different than last year.”

In 2024, the lake was two feet lower, limiting the productive shallow areas.

“Last year, you really had to hunt for water in the bushes. This time, you’ll find it just about everywhere.”

Brumnett’s go-to baits for the event include a black and blue creature bait for flipping, a 6th Sense Divine Spinnerbait, and possibly a 6th Sense Crush squarebill if fish are positioned just outside of shallow cover.

“If the water levels stay consistent and don’t fluctuate too much, I think we’ll see some really solid weights,” he predicted. “You might see a couple 20-pound bags, but I think 16 to 18 pounds a day could win, and you’ll probably need at least 13 pounds a day to make the cut.”

Anglers will begin each day at 6:30 a.m. CT, launching from the Nichols Point Boat Ramp, located at 400 Lakeshore Drive in Eufaula. Weigh-ins will take place at the boat ramp, starting at 2:30 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. 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. Co-anglers compete 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 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 FacebookInstagram 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.


Plenty of opportunities will be available at Buggs Island College Series event

April 22, 2025

CollegeSeries_StrikeKing_BPSjm_4C.png

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. —  Teams competing in the Lunkers Trail of the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops will visit Buggs Island, a new venue to the College Series, at one of the best times of the year according to St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN angler Jack Dice.

“It is an amazing tournament lake,” Dice said. “It doesn’t have the giants other places have, but there is the opportunity for anglers to fish their strengths and the opportunity for anglers to figure out something in practice and run with it. It is a very dynamic time of year. The bass will be doing a little bit of everything.”

Tournament days are scheduled for April 30 and May 1 with daily takeoffs and weigh-ins set to take place at Occoneechee State Park in Clarksville, Va. The top 10% of the field will clinch a spot in the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops, and all teams will earn points toward the Team of the Year race.

The Strike King Bassmaster High School Series and Bassmaster Junior Series will compete on Buggs Island on May 4.

Straddling the border of North Carolina and Virginia, Buggs Island is the second of four reservoirs in the Roanoke River system and is the largest lake in the state of Virginia. B.A.S.S. returned to Buggs Island in 2023 for the first time in many years at an Open in early May that was won by Powell Kemp.

That Open could potentially resemble what the college anglers will face during this event, and it all has to do with water level. In 2023, a massive storm system came through the area just before the event, dumping enough rain to raise the lake levels well above full pool. As a result, plenty of wood cover became accessible to the bass, and anglers found themselves catching quality bass around the bank.

There may not be a major flood this year, but even just a little rise in the water levels will bring the bush bite into play, Dice said.

“Buggs Island is famous for bush flipping when the water gets right,” Dice explained. “You’re going to have plenty of fish still wanting to spawn, and the postspawn bass will be guarding fry in those bushes too. And that is all dependent on the water level.”

Dice anticipates much of the lake will be in play for this tournament, from where the Dan and Roanoke rivers converge on the northeast side down to the dam and Nutbush Creek. Nutbush Creek, Dice said, acts as almost a different lake than the rest of Buggs Island.

Largemouth will be the species in play for this event, and those bass will be in the middle of their spawning cycle. Some will be prespawn, some will be spawning and some will be postspawn, Dice said. The beginning of May is also the time of year the shad spawn starts to ramp up.

“If I was an angler going into it, the biggest thing would be watching the temperature trends,” Dice said. “When we had the Open, there was a shad spawn happening and I took advantage of that.”

There is also a solid offshore bite on Buggs Island, and teams should be able to use their graphs to find stumps and fish points.

A Yamamoto Senko would be a top choice for Dice if he were fishing the tournament. Flipping baits like a Yamamoto Flappin’ Hog and a beaver-style bait will also be key for anglers focusing on the bushes. Spinnerbaits will also factor if the shad start spawning.

Mecklenburg County, Virginia, is hosting the tournament.

 

2025 Bassmaster College Series Title Sponsor: Strike King

2025 Bassmaster College Series Presenting Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops

2025 Bassmaster College Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster College Series Premier Sponsors: Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster College Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew's, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

2025 Bassmaster College 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 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 Progressive 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, 256-313-0945, cgay@bassmaster.com