CLEWISTON, Fla. — Last September, Caleb Hudson didn’t know what direction he wanted to take in life. He came just short of winning the College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s, what he assumed would be his best chance at qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic, at least in the foreseeable future.
But with the support of his family and a few good sponsors, the USC-Union grad decided to fish Division I of the 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN and it was the best decision he ever made.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world right now,” he said.
With a three-day total of 52 pounds, 6 ounces, Hudson claimed the victory at the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier presented by Bass Pro Shops. The win not only sends him to the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, but it also vaults him into the Top 10 in Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier presented by Bass Pro Shops points.
Opening the tournament in 25th with 10-9, Hudson brought 25-7 to the scales on Day 2 before landing 16-6, which was enough to outlast Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Robert Gee, who finished with 51-12.
“This was never in my 2025 bingo card. It is the best kind of blindside. This is the last event on the schedule I would have ever thought I would win,” Hudson said. “God is the reason for this. Day 2 I was blessed, and it carried me the rest of the way. This is exactly what needed to happen to get me into the Elite Series. I sent it and it worked out.”
Despite warming temperatures, the final day proved to be just as difficult as the previous two. Only one 20-pound bag hit the scales on Saturday, while five limits under 10 pounds were brought in.
Hudson spent his week fishing the Rim Canal on the southwest side of Lake Okeechobee targeting largemouth he saw on his Garmin LiveScope. While he didn’t know there was winning potential in the area after practice, Hudson knew he could achieve a solid finish if he could get the bass to commit.
Two different stretches of the canal produced all of his bites. The water in that area was dirtier than other areas of Okeechobee, which is usually a recipe for disaster in Florida, but a key ingredient for Hudson.
Most of the bass he caught were just under the surface, and because of the dirty water, he could get the largemouth to bite close to his boat. The first two tournament days, Hudson didn’t notice any baitfish in the area, but the final day he noticed much more activity.
A Spro McDart jerkbait and a jighead minnow were his two best presentations the first two days of the tournament, but with calmer conditions on the final day, only the minnow played. To keep the minnow in the strike zone, he used 1/16-ounce, 3/16-ounce or a 1/8-ounce jighead.
Hudson’s final day started with a bang, landing three bass in the opening hours, including a 4-pounder and a 5-pounder. The bite dissipated quickly after that, and he spent most the day trying to fill out his limit. Around midday, he caught two 1-pounders, which turned out to be the winning catches.
“Those two fish saved the day and put me over the top,” he said.
Gee, meanwhile, came up just short of qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic in his hometown of Knoxville. The Elite Series pro weighed in bags of 14-11, 19-9 and 17-8 to notch his third second place finish as a B.A.S.S. angler.
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