Reigning Angler of the Year adds 17 bass totaling 57 pounds, 4 ounces, Thursday to lead 10 anglers advancing to Knockout Round Saturday, Group B to wrap Qualifying Round Friday

MASSENA, N.Y. (Aug. 8, 2024) – When he returned to the water Thursday for Group A’s second day of qualifying at Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird, pro Matt Becker of Ten Mile, Tennessee, never visited a single one of the spots that produced his 100-plus pounds of smallmouth bass on Day 1, instead running all new water on the St. Lawrence River.

The result was more of the same. Becker stacked another 17 scorable bass for 57 pounds, 4 ounces onto SCORETRACKER® — despite making a clear effort not to catch too many fish from any one spot. That brought his two-day total to 163-11 and kept him atop the leaderboard, 18-14 ahead of Greeneville, Tennessee, pro Nick Hatfield.

“I definitely feel like I narrowed down the section (of the river) that I want to be in,” Becker said. “I probably added 12, 15 spots to my rotation now, and then eliminated some water as well. So, it was a very productive day.”

It’s no surprise to see Becker’s name atop the standings at an event on northern smallmouth waters. Almost exactly one year ago, he closed his rookie season on the Bass Pro Tour with a win and came from behind to claim the Angler of the Year title on Saginaw Bay. He’s won before on the St. Lawrence, too.

But Becker admitted he’s surprised himself a bit through two days on the water with how he’s catching his bass.

Becker has caught all his smallmouth on casting gear and 15-pound fluorocarbon, primarily wielding a couple of different types of jerkbaits. That’s a stark departure from the norm on clear-water smallmouth fisheries, where spinning gear and light leaders typically dominate.

“I did not see that coming when this tournament was announced,” Becker said.

While Becker didn’t anticipate running the pattern that produced his Qualifying Round win, he did note that he was hoping to utilize heavier line. Doing so allows him to spend less time fighting fish and make more casts throughout the day, which is important in the BPT’s every-fish-counts format.

“I really wanted to catch them on heavier line, whether it was spinning gear with 10- or 12-pound line or baitcasting gear with heavier equipment that I could really fight them a lot harder than with 6- or 8-pound line – you waste a lot of time fighting fish,” Becker explained. “So, I definitely looked for that in practice and kind of came with the game plan of trying to find them on a technique that I could use that heavier line. But I really didn’t expect it to be as good as it is.”

Becker wasn’t shy about saying that, if his bite holds up, he thinks he’s on the fish to win. The problem is that change feels inevitable.

For one thing, smallmouth are known for moving from one day to the next. Plus, with rain from Hurricane Debby arriving Thursday afternoon and forecast to continue through Friday, Becker knows different conditions are likely to greet him when he returns to the water on Saturday.

“There’s no telling what could happen,” Becker said. “Surely it’s going to change things. I hope I have enough experience on the river, and in those sections, I have a lot of other things if that pattern goes away. I feel like I know where the fish would go in those areas. But you just never know.”

That’s part of why Becker believes it was important to add to his repertoire of spots on Thursday. He described himself as “cautiously optimistic” entering the weekend.

“I know that I’m on the deal to win it as of today, but I don’t know if that will change going into the weekend,” he said. “I’ve got no shortage of areas to fish, that’s for sure. But again, you just never know with smallmouth. They could very easily totally change everything by Saturday.”

The top 10 pros in Group A that now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round on the St. Lawrence River are:

1st:        Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 47 bass, 163-11
2nd:      Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 49 bass, 144-13
3rd:       Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 42 bass, 132-10
4th:        Jason Vance, Battle Ground, Ind., 41 bass, 123-14
5th:        Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 42 bass, 122-3
6th:        Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 36 bass, 121-3
7th:        Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 36 bass, 120-14
8th:        Jonathon VanDam, Kalamazoo, Mich., 40 bass, 117-1
9th:        Marty Robinson, Lyman, S.C., 35 bass, 115-1
10th:     John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 36 bass, 113-1

Eliminated from competition are:

11th:     James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 33 bass, 107-6
12th:     Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 34 bass, 104-15
13th:     Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 32 bass, 101-11
14th:     Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 35 bass, 101-4
15th:     Cliff Crochet, Pierre Part, La., 36 bass, 99-9
16th:     Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 31 bass, 97-0
17th:     Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 34 bass, 93-1
18th:     Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 33 bass, 91-14
19th:     Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 31 bass, 87-8
20th:     Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan, 27 bass, 82-4
21st:      Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 27 bass, 80-11
22nd:    Matthew Stefan, Junction City, Wis., 29 bass, 80-4
23rd:     Kelly Jordon, Flint, Texas, 26 bass, 74-2
24th:     Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 22 bass, 70-10
25th:     David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 24 bass, 69-3
26th:     Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., 21 bass, 66-8
27th:     Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 21 bass, 64-0
28th:     Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 19 bass, 63-4
29th:     Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 16 bass, 62-1
30th:     Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 21 bass, 60-3
31st:      Boyd Duckett, Guntersville, Ala., 19 bass, 59-2
32nd:    Grae Buck, Green Lane, Pa., 19 bass, 58-2
33rd:     Stephen Browning, Hot Springs, Ark., 21 bass, 58-2
34th:     Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 18 bass, 52-13
35th:     Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C., 18 bass, 52-4
36th:     Gary Klein, Mingus, Texas, 16 bass, 50-9
37th:     Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 18 bass, 49-15
38th:     Scott Suggs, Alexander, Ark., 13 bass, 35-9
39th:     Fred Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., eight bass, 22-8

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 528 scorable bass weighing 1,607 pounds, 12 ounces caught by the 39 pros on Thursday.

Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award went to Pierre Part, Louisiana, pro Cliff Crochet, who weighed in a 6-pound, 7-ounce largemouth bass – the biggest bass of the week so far – that caught in Period 2. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day, and another $3,000 bonus to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass of the tournament.

In all likelihood, the season-long race to claim the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year crown will come to a close Friday. With both pros Alton Jones Jr. and Dustin Connell failing to make the Knockout Round in Group A, all Jacob Wheeler has to do in order to claim his third title in the past four years is finish among the top 22 anglers in Group B. He sits third after one day. Should Wheeler prevail Friday, he would not only receive the $100,000 prize but join an elite group of anglers who have won three AOY titles on national tours.

The six-day tournament, hosted by the Town of Massena, showcases 78 of the best professional anglers in the world competing for a purse of more than $805,000, with a top prize of $100,000 going to the winner.

The 39 Anglers in Group A competed in their two-day Qualifying Round on Tuesday and Thursday – the 39 anglers in Group B on Wednesday and Friday. After each two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the anglers that finish first through 10^th from both groups advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining 20 anglers compete to finish in the top 10 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 $100,000.

Anglers will depart at 6:45 a.m. ET each day from the Massena Intake Boat Launch, located at 1415 State Highway 131 in Massena. Anglers are allowed to trailer to any ramp of their choosing within the fishing boundaries, and competition will begin on the water at 7:30 a.m. Each day’s General Tire Takeout will be held at Massena Intake Boat Launch, beginning at 4 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 starting Thursday morning from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. MLFNOW!® will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

On Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 10-11, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit the Massena Intake Boat Launch for the MLF Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. Live music will begin each day at 4 p.m. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel from Pure Fishing each day. The final 10 Championship Round Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand at the trophy celebration on Championship Sunday to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

The Minn Kota Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Humminbird 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 2024 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 78 of the top professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country, for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2025, the Bass Pro Tour championship, set for April 3-6, 2025, on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

Fishing Clash, an interactive 3D fishing simulation game that’s played by more than 80 million people worldwide, is the official AOY sponsor of the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Toyota Series and Phoenix Bass Fishing League. You can download Fishing Clash for free in the App Store and on Google Play or log on to www.fishingclash.game for more information.

Television coverage of the Minn Kota Stage Seven at the St. Lawrence River Presented by Humminbird will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Nov. 16 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Garmin, General Tire, Humminbird, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak Fishing, NITRO, Onyx, Plano, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, Rapala, REDCON1, Star brite, Suzuki, Toyota, WIX Filters and U.S. Air Force.

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

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 17 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.