Local pro LeBrun and Texas veteran Faircloth ignite Cypress Bayou with a record-setting 139-15 to advance to Friday’s Championship Round

SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, La. (Nov. 19, 2025) – Team B&W Trailer Hitches delivered a historic performance Wednesday on Louisiana’s Cypress Bayou, rewriting the Major League Fishing (MLF) record books with a jaw-dropping total of 139 pounds, 15 ounces to win Knockout Round Match 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni. Hometown favorite Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, and Jasper, Texas veteran Todd Faircloth erupted for one of the single most dominant periods in Fishing Clash Team Series history – boating a staggering 91-13 on 55 scorable bass in Period 1 alone.

Team B&W Trailer Hitches final total of 139-15 surpassed the previous one-day record of 114-4 in two-man Fishing Clash Team Series competition, cementing the duo’s place in the 2025 Summit Cup Championship Round.

“All I can say is, ‘Praise Jesus,’” LeBrun said in his post-match interview. “There’s nothing better than two friends, spot-locked down with the Lowrance Ghost, reeling in a fish on every cast. It’s been an amazing day.”

Working a pair of current-swept hard spots – rare gems amid Cypress Bayou’s typically soft bottom – LeBrun and Faircloth triggered schools of fired-up bass with a two-crankbait assault. LeBrun leaned heavily on a chartreuse-and-blue colored Bill Lewis MR-12 crankbait with Hayabusa TBL930 treble hooks, while Faircloth threw a Strike King 3XD crankbait to match the pace. When the school slowed, the duo seamlessly mixed in a Buckeye Mini Mop Jig, a Yamamoto Baits Shad Shape Swimmer and a Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Ocho to mop up stragglers.

“We caught a lot of fish today a lot of different ways, but that first-period crankfest was unbelievable,” LeBrun said.

As the day wound down, the pair shifted gears in Period 3, trading the blistering crankbait pace for a slower search around docks and nearby brush in hopes of connecting with a kicker.

“We spent some of the third period just fishing docks and a few little brush piles outside the docks. We weren’t catching a whole lot, but just spent some time hunting a big one,” LeBrun explained. “We’re super thankful for how the day went. It’s been very special getting to know Todd this week and growing our friendship – and it’s really easy to grow a friendship when you’re anchored down catching one on every cast.”

Faircloth echoed the sentiment, crediting LeBrun’s deep local knowledge for the runaway win.

“Nick pretty much called his shots today. He knows when those fish are going to fire, and he made it look easy,” Faircloth said. “It was just a fun, stress-free day. We don’t get many like this, and we’re excited to be moving on to the Championship Round.”

For the second straight day, Team Lucas Oil – Drew Gill and Marshall Robinson – relied on forward-facing sonar mastery and a commitment to the drop-shot rig to secure the final Championship Round berth. The pair finished second with 45 pounds even on 21 scorable bass, powered by exceptional quality.

Gill mixed his drop-shot presentation with the same new “fuzzy dice” rig he showcased earlier in the week, while Robinson delivered steady production with classic drop-shot setups and “netted” Gill’s catches. Their bag was loaded with 3- and 4-pounders, enough to stay well above the Lucas Oil Cut Line and comfortably earn their place in the Championship Round on Friday.

Team Star brite’s Bobby Lane and Jacob Wall came out hot, catching fish early around boat docks with a drop-shot before switching to the same crankbait pattern that carried them through Tuesday’s Elimination Round Match 3 on Caddo Lake. But, after midday, the bite collapsed. Despite several adjustments, the fish never re-fired, leaving Star brite with 16 bass for 22-11 and ending their Summit Cup run.

The top two teams from Knockout Round Match 1 at the Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni that now advance to Friday’s Championship Round are:

1st:         Team B&W Trailer Hitches, 77 bass, 139-15
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 33 bass, 55-10
Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 44 bass, 84-5
2nd:        Team Lucas Oil, 21 bass, 45-0
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 16 bass, 38-1
Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 6-15

Eliminated from competition are:

3rd:         Team Star brite, 16 bass, 22-11
Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., nine bass, 12-8
Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., seven bass, 10-3

Complete results from throughout the week can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 114 bass weighing 207 pounds, 10 ounces caught by the three teams Wednesday in Knockout Round Match 1 on Cypress Bayou. Team B&W Trailer Hitches pro Nick LeBrun and Lucas Oil pro Drew Gill tied for the Berkley Big Bass of the day with a pair of largemouth bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces.

The three teams that will compete Thursday in Knockout Round Match 2 at the Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni are:

Team Ferguson:
Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.

Team Fishing Clash:
Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla.
Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich.

Team Kubota:
Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio
Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn.

The Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and takes place over six days in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. The competition water for each day is top secret and is only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 9:15 a.m.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live every day of competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps, RFD-TV Now, Game & Fish TV and Rumble. The final period of every day of competition of the 2025 Fishing Clash Team Series is broadcast live on RFD-TV, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT.

The Summit Cup features 12 two-man teams divided into three groups as they entered the one-day Elimination Round matches. Each of the three Elimination Round matches featured four new teams, with the top two teams from each match of the Elimination Round advancing to the Knockout Round on Days 4 & 5. In the Knockout Rounds, three teams compete each day, with the top two teams from each Knockout Round match moving on to the Championship Round on Day 6. In Friday’s Day 6 Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine which team will win the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni.

The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops features four Cup events in 2025 – the Challenge, Heritage, Patriot, and Summit Cups – with 12 two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour anglers competing for a share of  $560,000 in prize money. Teams were formed through a selection process, where 48 team captains – based on Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) standings throughout the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season – selected a teammate. Teams will compete throughout the fall of 2025.

The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni will also air on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting May 9, 2026. The complete television schedule for the Fishing Clash Team Series on Outdoor Channel will be posted at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Proud sponsors of the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Boat Technologies, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Ferguson, Fishing Clash, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, NITRO Boats, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Smokey Mountain Caffeinated Pouches, Star brite, Toyota, YETI and Zenni.

For complete details and updated information on the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series, 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, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.