Category Archives: Tournament Fishing

B.A.S.S. Announces 2025 Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Schedule

B.A.S.S. Announces 2025 Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Schedule

  • By The Fishing Wire

Birmingham, AL — B.A.S.S. has announced the schedule for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series, and the slate offers up three of the hottest fisheries in the country for anglers to compete for the opportunity to walk across bass fishing’s biggest stage.

For the 2025 season, the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN evolved into an eight-event season comprised of two divisions, each featuring four tournaments. Anglers placing in the Top 50 in each division’s Angler of the Year race will advance to the newly installed Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series. This stand-alone series will feature three events, spanning from September through November, to qualify anglers for the Bassmaster Elite Series.

“This schedule is strong and will be a challenge for the group moving from the Opens to the EQs,” said Executive Director of Tournaments Hank Weldon. “It’s a diverse schedule, and I think we’re catching each of those fisheries at a really good time for anglers and fans alike. I’m looking forward to seeing how the new EQs shake out this year.”

The first EQ event is scheduled for Sept. 18-20 at Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Champlain checked in at No. 6 in the Northeastern Division ofBassmaster Magazine’s 2024 100 Best Bass Lakes list. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are abundant in this lake that features everything from shallow grass to deep, rocky structure.

Next up is Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tenn., Oct. 2-4. Giant largemouth, smallmouth and spots can fill a bag on this body of water which ranked ninth in the Southeastern Division of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list, and bags of more than 25 pounds are the norm.

The third and final EQ stop on the slate will be Nov. 13-15 at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. Okeechobee is known for giant largemouth — just ask Bassmaster Elite Series pro Scott Martin who, in the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN season-opener at Lake Okeechobee set an Opens record for the heaviest one-day bag with the massive 33-pound, 2-ounce limit he weighed in on Day 1 of the event. Martin went on to set another Opens’ record at the same event for heaviest winning catch with a three-day total of 90 pounds, 6 ounces.

In addition to the 100 anglers qualifying from both divisions of the Opens, all current Bassmaster Elite Series anglers will be eligible to compete in the Elite Qualifiers, as well as the second- and third-place finishers from the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance.

B.A.S.S. remains committed to the “win and you’re in” concept for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. Anglers who fish every event in a division of the Opens will receive a berth to the Classic if they win an event. The same applies to the three-event EQ series, taking the total to 11 berths to the Classic, which is an increase of two berths from years past. 

Also new for 2025, the number of anglers who will qualify for the Elite Series has been increased to 10 (nine qualified in each of the past two years). Additionally, the EQ series rules will mirror those of the Elite Series, meaning the “no-info rule” is currently in effect and soliciting information for these bodies of waters is now prohibited.

EQ entry fees will be $3,500 per event. For full details please visit Bassmaster.com.

2025 Elite Qualifiers

Sept. 18-20, Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Oct 2-4, Pickwick Lake, Counce, Tenn.

Nov. 13-15, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla.

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN

2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC

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 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, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, 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.

In Bass Fishing, What A Difference A Day Can Make

Last weekend produced two very different results at Jackson Lake for me.  Although the weather was very similar, cloudy and cool with little wind both days, a lucky guess made a big difference for me on Sunday.

    On Saturday 20 members of the Potato Creek Bassmasters fished our final 2022 tournament at Jackson. After fishing from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM we landed 42 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 58 pounds.  Three people had five fish limits and six did not weigh in a bass.

Mike Cox made it two wins in row with five weighing 8.76 pounds and his 3.02 pounder was big fish. Buddy Laster had five at 6.88 pounds for second, Lee Hancock placed third with five weighing 6.49 pound and Kenny Delay came in fourth with five at 6.27 pounds.

On Sunday 13 members of the Flint River Bass Club and the Spalding County Sportsman Club fished our last tournament of the year at Jackson in a two-club tournament. We fished from 7:30 to 3:30 PM and landed 34 keeper bass weighing about 40 pounds.  There were two limits and two zeros.

My five weighing 8.97 pounds won and I had a 2.84 pound largemouth for big fish. Raymond English had a limit weighing 5.66 pounds for second, Jay Gerson was third with five at 4.08 pounds and Zane Fleck came in fourth with three at 3.64 pounds.

Last Friday I went to Jackson after lunch to look around a little. I wanted to see how much the heavy rain on Wednesday had affected the lake.

I was surprised to find clear water in coves at the dam but the river was stained, and got very muddy going up past the mouth of Tussahaw Creek.  Tussahaw Creek was clear as it usually is and the Alcovy River upstream of the mouth of the South River was clear at least up to Rock Creek.

I found fish with my electronics in a couple of places in Tussahaw Creek and the Alcovy. One group was on a sandbar point with a creek channel running by it and another on a creek mouth point. Another school was on bluff river wall where the rocks dropped almost straight off into 30 feet of water.

Saturday my partner, Robert Howell, and I started on a shallow seawall and he quickly caught a keeper on a shaky head worm.  A few minutes later a keeper spot hit my wacky rigged Senko on rocks about a foot deep.

I moved out to the creek mouth point and could see suspended fish that I though might be bass about ten feet deep over 30 feet of water, with more on the bottom under them. I cast a Carolina rig and as it sank it took off. A keeper spot hit the worm on the way down.

At 9:00 we ran to the dam and I caught another keeper on the wacky rigged worm on shallow rocks. That made three on that pattern so we though we had something going. As I fished to another shallow seawall, a keeper hit my DT 6 crankbait right at the boat.  I had four in the boat before 10:00 so I felt pretty good.

After fishing a couple more shallow seawalls near the dam we ran up to the bluff wall and fish were everywhere on my electronics. I missed one bite on a shaky head but it was the only bite I got. 

We fished hard the rest of the day but never caught another fish. My four weighing 4.36 gave me 8th place in the tournament.

Sunday I ran straight to the bluff bank since there were so many fish there.  I quickly caught a keeper on the crankbait but could not get another bite.

I decided to try for shallow fish and caught the big largemouth at 9:00 on a jig back in a small creek. For the next two hours I tried that pattern but never got another bite. At 11:00 as I fish a main lake point coming out of a small creek I caught my third keeper, on a shaky head.

I tried several things for the next four hours with out catching anything else.  At 3:00 I decided to hit one more rocky point near the weigh-in site.  I caught my fourth keeper at 3:10 and my fifth one at 3:15 on a shaky head.

With five minutes left to fish I got my shaky head hung and broke it off. Rather that re-tie I picked up a Carolina rig and caught a two-pound keeper that culled my smallest fish!

That last fish would have helped me a lot more on Saturday than it did on Sunday, but that’s fishing.

Kyle Welcher Crushes Two AOYs on Two Tours in Two Years

Wins 2024 NPFL title with four top tens in six events and won the BASS AOY last year

Alabama bass pro Kyle Welcher, fresh off a dominant 2023 Angler of the Year campaign on the Bassmaster Elite Series, likewise ruled the roost at the National Professional Fishing League in 2024. His second AOY effort included four top-ten results in six events, and he never finished below 18th.

“It felt very similar to 2023,” he said. “I was able to fish intuitively. I’d show up on Day One of practice and quickly get a good sense of what was going on. It was another one of those amazing seasons when I was able to get in a flow state, using my instinct to make things happen. The most important thing was to just get out of my own way and let my brain tell me what was going on. It was important not to overthink it.”

AOY Is Always the Goal

During Welcher’s AOY season at BASS, he ripped off three top 20 finishes to start the year – 13th at Okeechobee, 15th at Seminole and 18th at Murray. This time around, he upped the ante. In the 2024 NPFL season opener, he finished 7th. Then at Hartwell, he was 3rd, followed by 5th at Pickwick. He closed out the season with a 4th at Murray. In between, he finished 19th at Saginaw Bay and 11th at Lake of the Ozarks. The former could have been better had he not suffered mechanical issues. 

From his days of playing poker for a living, Welcher understands the mathematical realities of life on tour.

“My goal every single time is Angler of the Year,” he said. “And I know that there are a finite number of points in play, so I try to get as many as I can every day. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first day of the season or the final day of the final Elite, they all count the same.”

Indeed, in addition to being a strong starter, he’s proven himself a closer, too. This year he finished 4th in the last derby to claim the NPFL title. Last year he came in 5th at the St. Lawrence to do the same on the Elites.

Better Tools Produce Better Results

Welcher held off fellow Elite Series pro, Drew Cook, by a slim 8 points in the NPFL AOY race, and as he thought back over his exceptional season, he was buoyed by the good finishes, and also by the times when he maximized his points.

The tour visited Lake of the Ozarks at “probably the worst time we could be there, so you had to grind each day.” On Days Two and Three he fell one fish short of a limit and felt that an additional keeper on one or both days could’ve provided valuable points. That’s how razor-thin the margins were. But there’s also the flip side of that – having the right tools to catch four a day, instead of three or two or fewer, allowed him to salvage a hard-earned 11th-place result.

Knowing that he had the best lures for tough situations provided him with the confidence to charge forward.

“During every single tournament I weighed in some or most of my bass on CrushCity™ or Rapala® Lures,”  he said. “At Logan Martin, I caught fish on a #5 Shad Rap® and then on a Pigstick™ on shallow wood cover. On Hartwell, I started off with a 6-pounder and a 3-¾ pounder on a 3” Mayor. At Lake of the Ozarks, I caught them on a Freeloader® and a new prototype CrushCity™ bait. At Saginaw Bay, I used the Ned BLT® and the Mooch Minnow™. And then at Murray, I caught over half of my fish on the Mooch.”

He’s not giving up the goods when he talks about how many top pros are using both The Mayor® and the Mooch Minnow™. The results speak for themselves. Nevertheless, he’s fully aware of why he can depend on them when times are tough.

“Ever since COVID, there’s been a ton of pressure on our fisheries,” he explained. “More realistic lures make a big difference. The Mayor® has a lot of things going for it when bites are tough. It doesn’t have a lot of tail action, but it has a subtle tail kick and a good body roll. The Mooch Minnow has a subtle corkscrew small tail kick. On forward-facing sonar, you’ll see a lot of fish swim up to your lures and they don’t get it. With the Mooch Minnow™, you can get those followers to bite.”

He doesn’t think it’s coincidental that the peak period of his career so far has coincided with his partnership with Rapala® and CrushCity™.

“I’m proud to be associated with the most prominent name in hard baits,” he stated. “You always want to be aligned with quality products that have a good reputation. CrushCity™ has been riding a wave for the past couple of years. I get so many questions about them and it just makes everything more fun because of the hype they’ve been generating.”

Two Tours Make Him Better

The drawn-out nature of the NPFL season meant that Welcher was “in contention for 11 months.” Oftentimes, an otherwise competitive angler has his AOY dreams squashed by one bad tournament. Welcher never had that. He was able to bite off each one as it came, allowing him to focus on the task at hand.

The spread-out nature of their schedule also allowed him to compete on two tours without burning the candle at both ends. He said he still feels like he’s at “the learning stage” of his career, and each additional event on a major tournament fishery allows him to hone his skills better and refine the instincts that have carried him this far.

The 31-year-old champ is thrilled to add more hardware to his mantel, but in some respects, he’s also relieved: “I have a ton of respect for all of my competitors. After two titles I feel like I proved that the first one wasn’t a fluke.”

“Overall the goal is to win more trophies,” he concluded. “But I also know that I’m still learning every time I go out. I feel like I need to get better, to make better decisions, and to be more efficient.”

MOOCH MINNOW

THE MAYOR

PIGSTICK

NED BLT

SHAD RAP

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B.A.S.S. Announces Elite Angler Advisory Board and More

  • Tournaments

B.A.S.S. Announces Elite Angler Advisory Board, Modifications To Payouts, Enhanced Angler Services

  • By The Fishing Wire

Birmingham, AL — In an effort to facilitate better communication and collaboration with Elite Series anglers, the Bassmaster Elite Angler Board of Professionals (ABP) has been created, B.A.S.S. announced today. The Advisory Board consists of six Elite anglers who were voted on by their peers and who will speak on behalf of the entire field in communicating with B.A.S.S. in order to provide a more direct and efficient way of discussing any current challenges and future opportunities.

The ABP was assembled to include competitors who represent every career phase within the Elite Series ranks: rookies, sophomores, multi-year competitors and veterans. The 2025 Advisory Board roster is comprised of Ben Milliken, Alex Wetherell, Lee Livesay, John Crews, Drew Benton and Mark Menendez. See the Bassmaster Elite Angler Board of Professionals photo gallery here.

B.A.S.S. and the anglers who compete in the Elite Series recognize the importance of effective communication between the organization and the competitors in order to advance and promote the sport and better serve the fishing community. Challenges during the 2024 season revealed an opportunity to improve those communication channels, which led to the formation of the ABP.

“B.A.S.S. is the unquestionable leader in professional bass fishing and has been that way for over 50 years,” said veteran Elite angler John Crews. “The professional bass angler has long been the tireless, passionate competitor that simply wants to catch the biggest bass possible. In the past, the competitors and the league have not found a lasting structure to work together to help each other. Until now. The formation of the ABP, Angler Board of Professionals, is an organically created group of Elite Series anglers trying to help B.A.S.S. and the anglers stay in consistent, productive, positive communication. After numerous roles as an angler representative over the years, I am very excited about being selected as the leader of this inaugural group. It’s a truly humbling honor that I do not take lightly.” 

The Advisory Board representatives and B.A.S.S. believe the formation of the ABP will ensure that anglers and the league can understand important topics from each other’s point of view, which will help to restore a foundation of respect and trust. The Advisory Board recently had its first meeting with B.A.S.S. to primarily discuss the recently announced payout structure for the 2025 Elite Series. B.A.S.S. and the ABP agreed on multiple options to be presented to the full field of Elite anglers to vote on, which included boosting the payouts through an angler-determined contribution.

After constructive discussion and multiple rounds of voting, the payout for 2025 (which already included an additional investment of $200,000 from B.A.S.S.), was restructured to better meet the current preference of a majority of Elite anglers. For 2025, the pros decided to make an angler contribution of $10,000 for the season, which will be applied entirely to the Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic payouts. Moving forward, B.A.S.S. and the ABP will discuss if an angler contribution continues to be the preference of the majority of the Elite angler field.  

See the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series and AOY payout structure and 2026 Bassmaster Classic payout structure.

B.A.S.S. also announced the creation of a new Angler Services program to assist Elite Series pros with marketing, improvement of pitches to sponsors and professional development off the water. Former Elite Series pro and Classic champion Davy Hite has been named angler liaison lead to ensure that communication channels remain open between all Elite anglers and the league. B.A.S.S. Director of Marketing Will Flowers will spearhead the Angler Business Services program designed to provide angler marketing and brand support.

“We are excited to be working with the ABP to ensure consistent and clear communication between B.A.S.S. and the Elite anglers,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “There have been challenges trying to communicate with 103 anglers who, understandably, have 103 different priorities when running their individual businesses. We consider the formation of the ABP an opportunity to build a more constructive relationship with anglers as we work together to advance and grow the sport of bass fishing. We remain committed to being the leader in the sport of bass fishing and believe that working with the ABP will strengthen our leadership position and better prepare us for the future.”

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 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, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, 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.

PrevPreviousTATULA Spins Another Web

Fishing Is Inconsistent At Lake Guntersville

    Lake Guntersville is special. On the Tennessee River in north Alabama, it is a grass filled bass factory. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society ranks it in the top ten bass lakes in the nation most years.

    When big tournaments are held there it is common for five bass limits weighing more than 20 pounds to come to the scales, and catches of five weighing 30 pounds are weighed in most years.

    But there are two sides to this story. Bass clubs in Alabama send in tournament results and the state compiles it in their BAIT report. That report shows Guntersville has a lower percent of anglers catching a keeper bass in tournaments than all but three other Alabama lakes.

    Fishing can be great there but the whole lake looks “fishy.”  When you stop on a point or in a cove and see hydrilla, water willow and eel grass everywhere it is hard to decide where to cast. It looks like a bass could be anywhere, or everywhere.

    The Sportsman Club fished there last weekend and our results are more like the BAIT results than the results of pro tournaments or tournaments fished by local fishermen that know the lake well.

    After fishing from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM Saturday and 6:30 AM to 1:30 PM Sunday in very hot weather, we brought 21 keeper bass weighing about 45 pounds to the scales.  Nobody weighed in a five fish limit and three of the nine fishermen didn’t have a keeper.

    Guntersville has largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. The length limit on smallmouth and largemouth is 15 inches and in our tournament a spot had to be 12 inches long.  About 14 of our bass were largemouth, six were spots and one a smallmouth.

    Raymond English had bad/good luck and won and had big fish. His boat motor would not go into gear so he had to fish around the ramp both days, but caught six keepers, four largemouth and two spots, weighing 15.14 pounds for first and his 5.40 pound largemouth was big fish.

    My six, three largemouth, two spots and one mean mouth, weighing 8.80 pounds was second, Zane Fleck had three largemouth weighing 7.97  pounds for third and Billy Roberts had three largemouth weighing 6.13 pounds for fourth.

    I went up on Wednesday and camped at Guntersville State Park, a beautiful facility with good shower houses.  As usual I was shocked at the number of huge motor homes and fifth wheel trailers that came into the campground, were set up and the folks went inside. 

I seldom saw anyone else outside except midmorning when some came out to cook breakfast and then came back out late in the afternoon to cook dinner.  I guess it was just too hot to leave the air conditioning in their home away from home, but I don’t understand driving to campground on a beautiful lake and staying inside almost the whole time.

I spent Thursday and Friday riding around looking for deep fish on ledges on my electronics. Guntersville is famous for its deep ledges as well as its grass beds. I found many schools of fish but could not get them to bite. One local guide told me they were inactive and would not feed unless current was moving from power generation, and there was no current the whole time I was there.

Saturday morning I started on a grassbed a guide had suggested, and caught two short bass and one barely 15 inch long keeper.  At about noon I was fishing down a bluff bank, mainly keeping my boat in the shade, and caught a keeper spot. Then a little later on another bluff bank a good keeper largemouth it my small jig in a treetop. Those three put me in third the first day.

Sunday the grassbed produced only one short fish so I headed to my shady bank early.  I caught an unusual looking fish, it looked olive green, not green like a largemouth and not brown like a smallmouth.  I looked it up and it was a cross between a spot and a smallmouth, called a “meanmouth.”  It had a patch of “teeth” on its tongue like a spot and, according to what I found on the internet on my phone and a text to a local guide, it was considered a spot for size limits so I could weigh it in.

I stayed on that shady bank the rest of the day and lost a keeper spot and caught two short spots. Then, with ten minutes left to fish, I caught a keeper spot.  At 1:17 I thought to myself I could make two more cast before running in. That cast produced a hit on my small jig and I landed a barely keeper largemouth, giving me second place. 

I didn’t have time left to make my last cast!

Tanner Hadden Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional

Georgia’s Hadden Wins Phoenix Bass Fishing League Regional on Watts Bar Lake Presented by recteq
Boater winner Tanner Hadden of Appling, Georgia, and Strike-King co-angler winner Corey Smith of Hazard, Kentucky.
Kentucky’s Smith Tops Strike King Co-Angler Division

SPRING CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 21, 2024) – Boater Tanner Hadden of Appling, Georgia, caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds even to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine Regional on Watts Bar Lake Presented by recteq . The tournament, which was hosted by the Rhea County Department of Tourism – Fish Spring City, concluded Saturday. For his win, Hadden earned a prize package valued at $65,805, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, $10,000 and the lucrative $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus.

The Watts Bar event served as Regional championship for BFL Region 5. Originally scheduled for Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia, the event moved due to the impacts of the recent hurricanes. The field included the top 45 boaters and co-anglers based on point standings, plus each of the tournament winners, from the 2024 Choo Choo, Music City, Piedmont and Volunteer divisions. The top six boaters and co-anglers have qualified for the 2025 BFL All-American, which will be held on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 29-31.

Hadden is a senior business management major at the University of South Carolina-Union. He actually signed up to fish the entire Choo Choo Division for the first time this year just for a shot at making this Regional, since it was originally scheduled for nearby Clarks Hill. Obviously, the storms changed the plans, but that didn’t slow down Hadden.

“It all worked out in the end,” he said.

Getting the W started with adapting to conditions.

“From all the flooding, a lot of the lake was blown out,” he said about Watts Bar. “There were only a few areas of the lake that were clean. One of them was by the boat ramp, so I pretty much figured I’d stick around in that area.”

In addition to the muddy water, anglers had to deal with a cold front – a tough combo anywhere, anytime of year. The cold, muddy conditions pushed the fish off the bank. Hadden relocated them about 50 feet out suspended on the edge of some grass over about 15 feet of water. Schools of bait were suspended in these areas, too.

“I fished two half-mile banks for three days pretty much,” he said. “That was it. And they were in the same pocket. I pretty much fished one creek arm all week.”

Hadden used Garmin LiveScope to find and target his fish with a white jerkbait and a Greenfish Tackle Bad Little Dude (BLD) Jig.

The mornings were slow all week. In fact, most days the fish didn’t turn on until after 11. On day two, it was closer to 1 p.m. The most interesting part was how defined the bite window was each day. Hadden saw fish on his sonar all day long, but they just wouldn’t bite until after the sun got up and something triggered them to get active. Each day, he experienced a similar flurry of activity.

“At 11 the first day I went through one stretch and caught three 4-pounders within like 30 minutes to an hour,” he said. “And then the second day, I struggled until 1. They didn’t start biting until 1 because it got colder the second day. At 1 o’clock, I caught two 3 1/2-pounders back to back off that same stretch.

“The third day it was like 11 o’clock when I got on one stretch and just started catching them. I caught pretty much everything I caught in like 15 minutes. It was a timing deal.”

Hadden’s limits included a mix of species. Day one, he weighed four largemouths and a 4 1/4-pound smallmouth as part of his 18-pound, 11-ounce limit. Day two, his three biggest keepers were three different species – largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. Hadden weighed 14-11. The final day, he weighed in a 13-10 limit of five largies to move into first place for the win and his shot at the 2025 All-American.

The top six boaters who qualified for the 2025 All-American finished:

1st:        Tanner Hadden, Appling, Ga., 15 bass, 47-0, $65,805 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd:       Dustin Dyer, Johnson City, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-3, $9,805
3rd:       Jeremy York, Conyers, Ga., 14 bass, 45-1, $5,829
4th:        Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., 15 bass ,45-0, $3,642
5th:        Dillon Falardeau, Hixson, Tenn., 12 bass, 44-14, $1,761
6th:        Parker Batts, Dandridge, Tenn., 13 bass ,44-8, $1,585

The rest of the top 12 finished:

7th:        Jonathan Dagley, Wartburg, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-5, $1,409
8th:        Vince Botts, Bluff City, Tenn., 15 bass, 43-0, $1,233
9th:        Josh Womack, Gallatin, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-10, $1,057
10th:     Jake Gardner, Lenoir City, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-8, $969
11th:     Hunter Bouldin, McMinnville, Tenn., 15 bass, 42-6, $881
12th:     Riley Faulkner, Jacksboro, Tenn., 14 bass, 37-14, $881

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The top-finishing boater from each division (not including the winner) earned a $1,000 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:

Music City:       Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., 4th Place, $1,000
Choo Choo:      Jeremy York, Conyers, Ga., 3rd Place, $1,000
Piedmont:        John Wiese, Charlotte, N.C., 24th Place, $1,000
Volunteer:       Dustin Dyer, Johnson City, Tenn., 2nd Place $1,000

Matt VanMeter of Grant, Alabama, won the Berkley Big Bass boater award and earned the $1,000 prize.

Corey Smith of Hazard, Kentucky, won the Strike King co-angler division Saturday after bringing a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 39 pounds, 1 ounce, to the scale. His $50,000 prize package included a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

The top six Strike King co-anglers who qualified for the 2025 All-American finished:

1st:        Corey Smith, Hazard, Ky., 13 bass, 39-1, $50,000
2nd:       Ernest Stephens, Orrum, N.C., 12 bass, 38-13, $4,946
3rd:       Dewayne Drummonds, Gray, Ky., 11 bass, 30-2, $2,719
4th:        Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., 11 bass, 30-0, $1,984
5th:        Brad Sampson, Knoxville, Tenn., 11 bass, 29-8, $889
6th:        Cy Matlock, Crump, Tenn., nine bass, 27-11, $1,300

The rest of the top 12 finished:

7th:        Wayne Crouch, Jamestown, Tenn., 10 bass, 26-14, $811
8th:        Konnor Sweet, Abingdon, Va., 11 bass, 26-13, $622
9th:        Kenny Botts, Alvaton, Ky., 10 bass, 23-15, $533
10th:     Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., six bass, 23-11, $489
11th:     Justin Stephenson, Jasper, Ala., eight bass, 23-10, $945
12th:     Joshua Green, Cartersville, Ga., seven bass, 19-14, $445

The top-finishing co-angler from each division (not including the winner) earned a $500 bonus for placing highest in the event. Those anglers included:

Music City:       Luke Shrader, Monticello, Ky., 4th Place, $500
Choo Choo:      Cy Matlock, Crump, Tenn., 6th Place, $500
Piedmont:        Corey Smith, Hazard, Ky., 2nd Place, $500
Volunteer:       Dewayne Drummonds, Gray, Ky., 3rd Place $500

Justin Stephenson of Jasper, Alabama, won the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award and earned the $500 bonus.

The 2024 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Bass Fishing League updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, 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 17 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.
 

Is Forward Facing Sonar Unfair?

A meme on social media shows a fisherman with his head hinged opened and his brain on the floor. The caption reads “I don’t need you anymore, I have Forward Facing Sonar (FFS).”

    Every time something new comes out many fishermen condemn it as something that gives the fisherman an unfair advantage. Of course they mean it gives “other” fisherman an unfair advantage.  It’s fine when they learn to use it.

    Forward facing sonar is amazing. It will show you everything within its range under the water, much like having a video camera under the water. It is directional, sending out a “wedge” of sonar blips covering about one foot wide for every three feet of distance, so at 30 feet the wedge is about 10 feet wide.

It takes a little time and effort to learn what the sonar returns look like on the screen.  The screen looks much like an ultrasound screen at the doctors office.  Fish look like little dots moving around but you can see the limbs of a tree or brush pile and even individual fish in a school of crappie.

A muskie tournament trail has banned FFS in their tournaments and some other tournament trails like BASS are actually discussing what to do. It does give an angler that studies and learns how to use it an advantage, but it does not make the fish bite.  I have had one for three years and it has helped me catch some fish, but many more times I have wasted too much time watching fish follow my bait and not hit it.

I can only hope every fisherman I compete with that has FFS quits using their brain.

A Good Example Of Why I Have Problems With High School Tournaments

I was told “90 percent of our boat captains are safe.” In a 200 boat tournament that means that diretor knows there are about 20 dangerous boats out there!!

At Lanier the second weekend in November, on Saturday when a clerk at Hammonds told me there was an 80-boat high school tournament the next day I instantly wondered what dangerous, stupid and inconsiderate actions I would witness.


On Sunday I didn’t see many boats, I guess most stayed up the river due to the cold wind.

BUT – I had gone back to Balus Creek to finish up the day. I was fishing the bluff bank past the ramp at 1:00, about 3/4 way out to the point. I had been fishing there for about 15 minutes, slowly working out toward the point fishing a jig.

A bass boat came out of the cove on the other side of the ramp with one kid riding illegally in the butt seat up on the front deck and the other illegally in the chair on the back deck.

The “captain” was at that speed where the front of the boat stays way up, half on plane and making the biggest possible wake. And no way he could see ahead of the boat with the kid up there, too.

If I had been tournament director, they would have been disqualified for illegal and dangerous boating.

They came by me about 100 feet away, rode past me halfway into the cove, made a U turn without slowing down, passed me a second time and stopped on the point ahead of me and started casting. I guess I was fishing where they wanted to fish.

I had to hang on to the butt seat to not get thrown out of my boat from their wake.

I don’t know what they caught, but when I got to the point where they stopped and started casting ahead of me, I caught my third keeper and two 13.5-inch throwbacks.

    I try to support youth and high school fishing teams, but things like this are all too common and make it difficult.  I don’t blame the kids, the adult boat captains drive the boat and make the decisions where to fish so safety and courtesy are up to them. But too many of them are teaching the kids bad habits.

I fear it is “when” not “if” there is a serious problem.

Pursuing The American Dream With Japanese Angler Masayuki Matsushita

Japanese Angler Masayuki Matsushita

from the Fishing Wire

Masayuki Matsushita just finished up his second year on the Bassmaster Elite Series where he qualified through the Bassmaster Opens in 2021. He also won the 2020 Bassmaster Central Open at Sam Rayburn Reservoir which qualified him for the 2021 Bassmaster Classic. These are great accomplishments, but they take a lot of sacrificing as a Japanese angler. During the tournament season, he resides in a self-built home in the bed of his Toyota Tundra. There are lots of unique features he added such as air conditioning, a microwave, a mini fridge, storage shelving, and hydraulics that lift the camper shell for extra room.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0VAs615Qg%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Matsushita was taught how to fish by one of his junior high school classmates and he fell in love with it ever since. Influenced by fishing magazines, he developed a deep longing to visit America, the birthplace of bass fishing. He quit high school at 19 years old and went to Dallas where he visited Bass Pro Shops every day for a week straight and never got tired of it. This excitement that he experienced fanned the flame of his burning passion to move to America. After returning to Japan, Matsushita became a bass fishing guide on Lake Biwa and purchased his first bass boat at 21 years old. He claims that he almost gave up on his dream many times as it was hard to make a living as a guide and was even doubted by people around him that told him he could never make it to America, but then he was inspired by anglers like Ken Iyobe and Morizo Shimizu.

Masa Vlog
Pursuing The American Dream With Japanese Angler Masayuki Matsushita 1

Matsushita’s life in America is not easy as he is away from his family for most of the year. He returns to Japan twice during the tournament season and once during the off-season to spend time with family. During the season, he stays in campgrounds where the average price is about $25 per night. For food, he usually buys “SUSHI” rice at Walmart and cooks it with vegetables and meat. During tournaments, he likes to get up at 4:30 am to make onigiri (rice balls). Living in America has allowed Matsushita to develop long-lasting friendships like with his friend Calvin whom he met while competing in the Bassmaster Opens. Matsushita states, “We went to a few more tournaments together, developing a strong friendship that extended to include his family. I’ve known his children since they were babies, so they’ve become like a second family to me. They are a big part of my success in America”.

One of the most challenging experiences that Matsushita has had on the Elite Series was shortly after his 3rd place finish to start off his rookie season. After that event on the St. Johns River, he was in a hurry to head straight to the next event on the Harris Chain. Without fully locking his pop-up camper, he headed down the road. About 10 minutes later, a tremendous wind blew the camper top off the bed of his truck into the middle of the road. A passerby who had heard Matsushita’s speech on stage in the previous tournament was kind enough to bring a trailer to load up the roof for him so that he could compete at the Harris Chain. There are other challenges that occur like break downs with the truck or boat, and Matsushita says that it can be extremely stressful since he can’t speak fluent English to ask for help. However, he knows that he must adjust his mindset and stay positive to be successful. A good thing about Japan is that you can easily call a nearby friend for help, but America is too big for that as he travels all over the country. On a positive note, however, he claims that many Americans have been willing to lend a helping hand when he is in trouble.

When Matsushita was in his 20s, some older people told him that his dream to live as a bass pro was over. Now he is in his 40s, and although it has taken some time, he believes that anything is possible if you truly have a dream. Matsushita states, “If you keep challenging yourself at your own timing and pace you will make it happen. You don’t need reasons why you can’t do it, but you can think of reasons why you can do it and will do it. In doing this, your dream will become true one day”. He strongly recommends that Japanese anglers see America at least once, but he also feels that it is important to be successful in Japan before expanding. Despite his struggles, Masayuki Matsushita is in love with America. He explains, “I have experienced many things in America that I couldn’t in Japan. There was no mistake in my decision to come to America, and I want to continue it for the rest of my life. There are many struggles, and each moment is tough, but overall, I find joy in it. America, which I have dreamed of for 20 years, is where I truly belong”.

KVD ANNOUNCES HIS FINAL SEASON AS A TOURING PRO

MAYBE THE GREATEST BASS TOURNAMENT FISHERMAN OF ALL TIME, KVD ANNOUNCES HIS FINAL SEASON AS A TOURING PRO

KVD Announces His Final Season as a Touring Pro

Columbia, S.C. – All good things must come to an end. Kevin VanDam’s last season as a professional touring pro will end after this year’s 2023 Bass Pro Tour season. Arguably the greatest tournament angler ever, has decided this years Bass Pro Tour season will be his last as a tournament angler. “This being my 33rd season as a touring pro, at the age and my place in life and career, I have decided I can be more impactful in the industry I love very much,” Kevin said. “I still have a lot to give back to the sport I am so passionate about.” Kevin is the most decorated tournament angler of all time with records that may never be broken. Seven BASS AOY Titles and an FLW AOY title; 4 Bassmaster Classic wins; 25 total BASS wins and 4 MLF wins. What’s more, KVD has competed in over 320 BASS events and owns 121 top-10 finishes (183 top-20’s). Amazingly, he has scored a top 10 in 35-percent of the BASS events he has ever entered.

Kevin is known as a loyal and committed partner to his sponsors. “I have a long history with the brands as a competitive angler. Brands like Strike King and Quantum have been with me since the beginning and Lew’s, along with Strike King and Quantum, have been invaluable partners that helped get me to where I am. The people at these brands are like family, and I look forward to being a better ambassador in the future and being even more involved,” Kevin proclaimed. Rather Outdoors CEO Ken Eubanks reminisces on the impact Kevin has had throughout the years. “Kevin’s impact on this business has been profound, and among those who contribute to the success of Strike King and Lew’s, he is simply without peer. Yet, when Kevin walks through the shop at Strike King, or sits at the table with the Lew’s team, we don’t see him as a business collaborator, or a pro we sponsor; we see him as family,” shares Eubanks.

Major League Fishing President and CEO Boyd Duckett noted, “Today is both a sad day and a time for celebration in our sport. Kevin VanDam, the greatest professional angler of all time, announced that he is retiring at the end of the season. Kevin has been an integral part of Major League Fishing from our very beginning and has been a pioneer in helping develop this league. There has never been a more unselfish angler when it comes to helping grow the sport of bass fishing, for the anglers or the fans.” Dave Mercer, long time emcee of the Bassmaster Elites Series, said, “Kevin VanDam is without a doubt, the greatest professional angler in history. Not only does his list of accomplishments dominate almost every single category of the record books, he changed & reinvented all aspects of the sport – both on and off the water. One of the most over used quotes in the world today is ‘The GOAT,’ but Kevin VanDam truly is the Greatest of All Time. Thank You Kevin!”

We at Rather Outdoors congratulate Kevin on his retirement from competitive tournaments and look forward to continued collaborations in the future.

 About Rather Outdoors

Rather Outdoors is a global outdoors corporation uniting some of the most recognizable brands in the fishing space. With historic and iconic brands such as Lew’s, Strike King, Quantum, Zebco, Fox, Matrix, Salmo and Fox Rage, Rather Outdoors provides a wide assortment of fishing products worldwide in an effort to enhance angler’s success and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. To learn more about the Rather Outdoors brands, visit www.ratheroutdoors.com.