Louisiana pro advances directly to Championship Sunday with two-day total of 60 bass weighing 135-2, 2nd through 20th advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round

CONROE, Texas (Jan. 31, 2025) – When pro Nick LeBrun left Lake Conroe on Thursday after Day 1 at the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole , he wasn’t sure what to do next. The Bossier City, Louisiana native, who found himself atop the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard, had to decide whether to shoot for the Qualifying Round victory and the automatic berth to the Championship Round that comes with it or to ease off his fish, explore new water and use Friday to practice.

LeBrun ultimately opted to fish for the win. Mission accomplished.

Despite an early challenge from a few anglers who got on a hot morning bite and a late charge by pro Spencer Shuffield, LeBrun spent almost the entire day Friday atop SCORETRACKER, adding 22 scorable bass weighing 51 pounds, 12 ounces to his Day 1 weight. His two-day total of 135-2 topped Shuffield by nearly 11 pounds.

“I knew that there wasn’t no such thing as saving fish for this event,” LeBrun said. “If I would have stayed out of that creek and went looking for new stuff, there would have still been 20 boats back in there catching them. So, I thought, it might as well be me.”

As a result, LeBrun will take Saturday off before competing for the Stage 1 trophy during Sunday’s Championship Round. The rest of the Top 20 will take the water for the Knockout Round to duke it out for the other nine spots. The four-day event, hosted by Visit Conroe, showcases 66 of the top professional bass anglers in the world competing for a top prize of $150,000.

Despite catching more than 83 pounds on Day 1 and leading his nearest pursuer by nearly 9 pounds, LeBrun tinkered with his strategy on Day 2. Most of the field once again chose to use the one forward-facing sonar period allowed by the Bass Pro Tour’s new restrictions during Period 1, but LeBrun began the day where he ended Thursday – a hydrilla flat in the back of a creek – with his transducers turned off.

LeBrun made that call due to the heavy fishing pressure in the area. More than half the field has congregated in one creek, and this particular grass flat has been especially crowded when anglers aren’t using forward-facing sonar. With an early boat number Friday, LeBrun wanted to beat the crowd to the juice and catch as many fish as he could before they got too beat up.

“I knew that I was going to be fishing to win the round, and a lot of times, prespawn fish or fish that are wintering in a creek, they’ll bite right at daylight,” LeBrun explained. “So, I decided to go get in the mix in that grass with those other guys, because I knew I was boat No. 2, and I knew I could get in there and get whatever spot I wanted to get on.”

LeBrun is already seeing the effects of that fishing pressure. Still, he managed to boat seven bass for 16-15, which had him in second place at the end of the opening frame.

“I had a few fish that would absolutely just smoke the bait, but I’d set the hook, and I’d have them on a second or two and they’d come off,” he said. “Yesterday, you couldn’t beat one off with a hammer. So, I’m seeing the fish just react a little bit different. Some of them are kind of just swiping at it. So, yeah, the pressure is taking it’s toll. A lot of them have got holes in their mouth.”

LeBrun then opted to move offshore and use forward-facing sonar in Period 2. He had to battle some wind but added 10 bass for nearly 25 pounds to his total. That was enough to take a lead he wouldn’t relinquish.

LeBrun admitted he’s concerned about the mounting pressure on both his grass and offshore spots. However, he still feels like the event can be won from the creek where he’s done all his damage – if an angler finds something to make himself stand out.

“You’re going to have to find a few little key casts, a few key boat positions, and you’re going to have to get a little lucky with Mother Nature and have a few fresh fish move in there,” LeBrun said. “If you can get a few fresh fish coming to you and have a few key boat positions, I think that you could make it happen.”

LeBrun will use Saturday to fine tune his Championship Round strategy. He won’t be all business, though. His wife and children are planning to make the drive from Bossier City, Louisiana, to Conroe, and he’s excited to spend some time with them.

“I can’t wait to see them,” LeBrun said. “Just going to be taking it easy, and definitely going to sleep in tomorrow.”

The top 20 pros that now advance in competition on Lake Conroe are:

1st:        Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 60 bass, 135-2
2nd:       Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 51 bass, 124-3
3rd:       Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 51 bass, 120-13
4th:        Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 41 bass, 120-8
5th:        Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 42 bass, 101-3
6th:        Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 43 bass, 100-15
7th:        Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 41 bass, 99-9
8th:        Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 39 bass, 98-1
9th:        Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Illinois, 42 bass, 97-13
10th:     Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 41 bass, 95-6
11th:     Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 37 bass, 95-1
12th:     Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 43 bass, 92-8
13th:     Colby Miller, Elmer, La., 39 bass, 92-3
14th:     Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 40 bass, 89-15
15th:     Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 39 bass, 89-13
16th:     Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 37 bass, 82-10
17th:     Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 38 bass, 82-9
18th:     Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 38 bass, 81-1
19th:     Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 31 bass, 80-9
20th:     Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 36 bass, 80-6

For a full list of results visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 859 scorable bass weighing 2,014 pounds, 13 ounces caught by the 66 pros on Friday.

Friday’s Berkley Big Bass Award went to pro Marshall Hughes of Hemphill, Texas, who boated a chunky 7-pound, 11-ounce largemouth 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 Thursday and Friday. With the two-day Qualifying Round now complete, LeBrun advances directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. The anglers that finished 2nd through 20th advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the top nine anglers will join LeBrun 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.

Anglers will arrive each morning at 5:30 a.m. CT to the Outlets at Conroe, located at 1111 League Line Road in Conroe. The Bass Pro Tour trailering policy has been enacted for this event, so anglers will depart the Outlets each morning at 6:30 a.m. to one of five optional launch ramps located around the fishery. Anglers will return to the Outlets at Conroe each evening, following the end of competition 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 on each day of competition from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 1-2, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit the Outlets at Conroe 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 and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel each day. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies.

Also on Saturday, pros and staff from the Bass Pro Tour, along with volunteers from local college and high school fishing teams, will assemble and deploy artificial bass habitat into Lake Conroe. The Minn Kota Habitat Restoration Event at Lake Conroe is supported by Kubota and conducted in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the San Jacinto River Authority. Habitat will be constructed and deployed on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 9 to 11 a.m. CT at the San Jacinto River Authority Boat Ramp, located at 14340 TX-105 in Conroe.

The B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 at Lake Conroe Presented by Power-Pole features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce 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 General Tire Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship.

Television coverage of the B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 at Lake Conroe Presented by Power-Pole will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Aug. 30 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering the following Saturday on Sept. 6. 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, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine and Toyota.

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

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.