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

April 25, 2025

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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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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