Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships: Photos: MLF

It’s not often you hear about a beaver dam playing a role in a top-level bass fishing tournament win in 2025, but according to five-time Bass Pro Tour champion Ott DeFoe, that’s part of the story enroute to his victory at Zenni Stage Six presented by Athletic Brewing Company on the Potomac River.

While Ott can catch bass with the best of them employing any technique, the east Tennessee native is well-known for his shallow water prowess. DeFoe grew up exploring little creeks and backwaters, using his eyes and instincts to find and catch fish. After a decent practice, Ott believed the area he found had potential and knew he was going to be able to fish his strengths on the Potomac.

“I was able to fish the way I enjoy… I didn’t have a depth finder turned on, but I don’t think I caught a bass much deeper than 24-inches in four days of competition,” DeFoe said with a smile.

Except for day two, DeFoe caught most of his weight in the backwaters of Neabsco Creek. Using a 3/8-ounce compact flipping and a wacky-rigged Bass Pro Shops Stik-O Worm, DeFoe methodically fished visible cover and sight-fished scoreable bass he could see cruising in the clear, cooler flows of water coming into Neabsco Creek.

It was in the furthest reaches of a little creek flowing into Neabsco where a single beaver dam played a big role in Ott’s triumph. On day one of competition, Ott fished up a creek feeding the Neabsco all the way to a beaver dam that blocked his passage.

DeFoe was surprised he didn’t catch anything below the dam, but he did catch two quality fish above the dam: literally having to drag those fish across the dry beaver dam to put them in the boat. Four-wheel drive bass fishing.

Ott finished day one in second place behind Keith Poche, with intentions to head back to the same area on day two. A later boat draw and increased fishing pressure from competitor boats ended up keeping Ott out of Neabsco on the second day, which almost cost Ott the tournament.

“I really struggled on day two and honestly it was a blessing just to make the Knockout Round,” DeFoe said. “On day three I knew I had to head back to my primary area. I started catching them as soon as I got there on Saturday, which helped me take my time and fish thoroughly. Eventually I fished my way back up to that beaver dam and much to my surprise, the beaver dam was gone.

“We had big rains the night before and a super high tide. To the best of my knowledge, all the water must have washed that dam out. I was pleasantly surprised and pushed past that dam a few hundred yards. I only caught a couple of fish above the dam on the third day before my bites dried up. But I had caught enough to make the Championship Round, so it was a success. I turned around and thought I had caught what lived above that beaver hut.”

On Championship Sunday, DeFoe learned there were a whole lot more fish to be caught in the skinny creek above the beaver dam. Living up to his “River Otter” nickname, Ott pushed up past the now washed-away beaver dam and caught the bulk of his weight for the day, which was 32-bass totaling over 78-pounds. Enough to handily outpace the field on the final day.

“I wish I could say I knew that was going to be the winning area or I had those fish saved for the final day but that’s just not true,” DeFoe admitted. “I fished what was in front of me and took it as it came every single day. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands on a BPT trophy and to do it fishing the way I love makes it even sweeter.”

Along with his fifth BPT title, DeFoe cashed in an additional $3,000 from Toyota Bonus Bucks for being the highest finishing angler towing his boat with a 2021 or newer Toyota tow vehicle. Ott’s owned several Tundras and has been a longtime Bonus Bucks participant.  He has put around 50,000 miles on his 2022 Tundra, and nearly every one of those miles has been towing.

“That truck is a pulling machine,” DeFoe said. “When I put my truck in tow-mode and it gets those turbos working it really pulls whatever you are hauling smooth as butter. The V6 engine has a lot of torque and doesn’t downshift on you. It’s been a great truck and Toyota pays anglers of all levels to fish through Bonus Bucks. How can you beat that?”

Toyota Bonus Bucks pays out on over 620 events, including college and team tournament trails. For a full list of supported tournaments, for more information or to get signed up today follow this link: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/