Father-son Bakewell duo catch three-bass limit weighing 16-3 to take home ICAST Cup

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (July 15, 2025) – Representing Yo-Zuri America, the father-son duo of Bobby Bakewell and Robert Bakewell, both of Orlando, weighed in a three-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the 2025 ICAST Cup at Lake Toho Presented by Major League Fishing (MLF) Tuesday. The four-hour bass-fishing tournament, hosted by the Kissimmee Sports Commission , was one of the kick-off events to ICAST 2025. In its eleven-year history, the charity tournament has raised more than $95,800 to benefit the industry’s angler advocacy program, Keep America Fishing™.

Tuesday’s field totaled 33 boats, including a handful of MLF Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals and Toyota Series anglers, as well as outdoor media and industry representatives from popular tackle brands and non-profits. The tournament this year raised a total of $6,600 Keep America Fishing™.

The Yo-Zuri America team won by a 1-pound, 4-ounce margin over Team FishNFX, which was comprised of Michael Muenzner, Paul Shenep and Sheila Crowe.

Bobby Bakewell said his tournament morning on Lake Toho couldn’t have started much worse – but it couldn’t have ended much better.

“I dropped my Power-Poles when the boat was in the garage, and when I went to put them back up and pull it out, nothing happened,” Bakewell said. “The boat was completely dead.”

Thanks to a last-minute battery swap – courtesy of his dad’s flats boat – and a Power-Pole Charge system that transferred power where needed, the Bakewells managed to launch right at takeoff time and fish the entire day. The early stress was replaced by relief when they hit the right stretch of eelgrass and put all three of his keepers in the boat by around 9 a.m.

“It was one of those stretches you dream about,” Bakewell said. “I pulled up and got all three there – the same area, same grass line.”

Bobby said they leaned heavily on Bakewell Arkie jigs in a custom dark-bluegill-type color, crafted by dad Robert the night before. He paired it with a Bruiser Baits Game Changer trailer, using 25-pound Yo-Zuri T-7 fluorocarbon line. He also mixed in a minnow-style bait with Yo-Zuri’s Super Braid 9 and a 10-pound Yo-Zuri Super Fluoro leader to put one of the key fish in the boat.

Fishing was far from fast and furious – Bakewell said he caught fewer than 10 fish total – but quality was the difference.

“The bite wasn’t hot, but when they hit, they were the right ones,” he said. “I think the biggest factor today was perseverance. After the morning we had, it would’ve been easy to get spun out. But we kept our heads down and made good decisions.”

Bakewell credited his gear – Yo-Zuri, Bakewell Custom Jigs, and his Scenko Stix rods – along with his dad’s great net work for helping seal the win.

The top 10 teams finished the tournament in:

1st:      Yo-Zuri America – Bobby Bakewell and Robert Bakewell, three bass, 16-3
2nd:     FishNFX – Michael Muenzner, Paul Shenep and Sheila Crowe, three bass, 14-15
3rd:     Toho Marine – Grady Johnson, Tripp Berlinsky and Bryce DiMauro, three bass, 13-13
3rd:     Tightlines UV – Steve “Boogie” Brown, Terry Segraves and Cindy Joint, three bass, 13-13
5th:      Power-Pole, Dan Benson and Cal Lane, three bass, 13-0
6th:      Green Outdoors – Moses Oliver, Clayburn Reed and Gina Oliver, three bass, 12-13
7th:      CPF Lures – Jason George, Erik Tillson and Mac Hoover, three bass, 12-5
8th:      FishNFX – Chuck Smith, Tony Mayfield and Glen Cabezas, three bass, 11-13
9th:      Jason’s Fishing Adventures – Jason Haynes, Landon Haynes and Jonathan Semento, three bass, 11-2
10th:   Boogerman Lures – Donnie Feagle and Bryson O’Steen, three bass, 10-15

Complete results and photos from the tournament will be posted at ICASTCup.com.

Keep America Fishing™ is leading the fight to preserve our right to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways. As the voice of the American angler, Keep America Fishing works to keep our public resources – our oceans, lakes, rivers and streams – open, clean and abundant with fish. For more information, please visit KeepAmericaFishing.org.

For more ICAST 2025 coverage, details and tournament information 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, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network 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.