Shaw pulls off epic comeback to claim first Bass Pro Tour win at Grand Lake

Banks Shaw surged up from behind to win his first Bass Pro Tour trophy with 82 pounds, 15 ounces on 28 scorable bass. Photo by Phoenix Moore. 

By Mitchel Forde, Bass Pro Tour

Press Release

GROVE, Okla. — Virtually the entire Championship Round at Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota looked like a duel between Zack Birge and Dustin Connell, with Banks Shaw among the also-rans. Birge and Connell distanced themselves from the rest of the pack early and built an advantage of more than 20 pounds over the rest of their competition entering the third period. The two multi-time Bass Pro Tour winners swapped the top spot on SCORETRACKER® as they traded blows, with one of the two leading from the second minute after lines in until 16 minutes before lines out.

Then Shaw swooped in and stole the show, the Stage 6 trophy and the $125,000 paycheck that comes with it.

Putting together perhaps the best final period in Bass Pro Tour history, the 22-year-old phenom roared back from a nearly 30-pound deficit to claim his first BPT win going away. Shaw totaled 82 pounds, 15 ounces on 28 scorable bass to top Connell by 8-13. That earned the Tennessee pro his fourth MLF win of 2026 and the biggest triumph of his young career.

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Banks Shaw – 82-15 (28)

2. Dustin Connell – 74-2 (28)

3. Zack Birge – 64-5 (21)

4. Alton Jones Jr. – 55-5 (20)

5. Bobby Lane – 46-2 (18)

6. Jake Lawrence – 31-4 (11)

7. Spencer Shuffield – 28-1 (10)

8. Ron Nelson – 27-8 (10)

9. Keith Carson – 24-7 (8)

10. Brent Ehrler – 20-11 (8)

Full results

All-in approach pays off

Change was the theme throughout this rare summertime visit to Grand. Anglers

Zack Birge Wins 2026 Champion Teamwear Stage 3 Presented by MillerTech on Lake Waco!

Birge Score 30-Pound Victory of Evers!

By Mitchell Forde 

Bass Pro Tour Press Release

WACO, Texas — When he launched his boat onto Lake Waco for Saturday’s Knockout Round at Champion Teamwear Stage 3 Presented by MillerTech, Zack Birge knew next to nothing about the fishery. He’d never competed there before, and he spent all three days of official practice prior to the event on Lake Whitney, which hosted the two-day Qualifying Round.

All Birge knew was that he’d spotted a juicy-looking backwater pond on the north end of the lake on Google Earth. His game plan in a nutshell: head there and hope for the best.

“I didn’t even come over here in practice; I just looked at Google Earth and thought this looked good,” Birge said following Sunday’s Championship Round. “I literally told my official yesterday, I showed it to him on Google Earth, and I said, ‘Man, this pond back here looks good.’

“Little did I know. I know now, though.” 

Birge used the area not only to qualify for the Championship Round but to win it in dominant fashion. He spent all day Sunday in the spot known to locals as the “Atkinson Hole” and totaled 75 pounds, 1 ounce on 27 scorable bass. That topped runner-up Edwin Evers by more than 30 pounds and represented the biggest single-day total of the event by more than 20.

Birge’s second career Bass Pro Tour victory earned him $125,000. He also took over the lead in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. Four points behind him, four-time AOY winner Jacob Wheeler and Spencer Shuffield are tied for second.

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Zack Birge – 75-1 (27)

2. Edwin Evers – 44-12 (15)

3. Dustin Connell – 43-10 (10)

4. Spencer Shuffield – 31-3 (11)

5. Drew Gill – 27-13 (14)

6. Chris Lane – 23-12 (9)

7. Nick LeBrun – 22-4 (7)

8. Mark Davis – 20-13 (8)

9. Jesse Wiggins – 17-3 (6)

10. Justin Lucas – 12-3 (6)

Full results

Drew Gill Wins 2024 Bass Pro Tour U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters!

Mitchell Forde

BASS PRO TOUR

EDENTON, N.C. — Over the past two years, Drew Gill has rocketed up the tournament-fishing ranks about as rapidly as any angler in recent memory. Competing in his fifth Bass Pro Tour event at U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters, he made it to the mountaintop.

Gill put together an epic run during the second period of Sunday’s Championship Round on the Chowan River. In a little less than 2 hours, the 22-year-old rookie stacked 10 bass totaling 31 pounds, 12 ounces onto SCORETRACKER®. The best period logged by any angler during the event, it turned a nearly 9-pound deficit to Michael Neal into better than a 14-pound advantage. The rest of the way, Gill would add another 10 pounds and change, bringing his total to 58-14 — also the best day for any angler all week. That topped Neal by 14 pounds, earning Gill $100,000 and his first BPT trophy.

“Everything I’ve wanted for the last few years was to just make it to this field and get to compete against these guys,” Gill said. “To make it to this field and get to compete against them and get a win in my rookie season, the feeling is absolutely unquantifiable.” 

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Drew Gill — 58-14 (22)

2. Michael Neal — 44-14 (18)

3. Dustin Connell — 41-14 (20)

4. Jacob Wheeler — 36-1 (12)

5. Justin Lucas — 31-4 (12)

6. Alton Jones Jr. — 31-0 (13)

7. Matt Becker — 25-10 (7)

8. Zack Birge — 11-8 (5)

9. Ott DeFoe — 11-8 (6)

10. Fred Roumbanis — 9-15 (3)

Complete results

An inevitable win Gill didn’t see coming

On one hand, it might seem like Gill, who started fishing tournaments in 2021 and was competing at the Abu Garcia College Fishing level as recently as this January, came out of nowhere to reach this point. On the other, the victory almost feels like a long time coming.

2024 U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters on Chowan River Group B: Wheeler Blasting Again!

Jacob Wheeler leads Group B by a margin of more than 16 pounds over second place with 18 bass weighing 47-5. Photo by Phoenix Moore. Angler: Jacob Wheeler.

By Tyler Brinks 

BASS PRO TOUR

EDENTON, N.C. — It was more of the same for Group B on the Chowan River at U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters, with plenty of bass caught and beautiful scenery to enjoy. Also the same, Jacob Wheeler took a commanding lead after one day of fishing with 18 bass for 47 pounds, 5 ounces.

Wheeler, who’s already won twice this season, has proved he doesn’t have a specific type of fishery on which he shines; in reality, it’s anywhere bass swim. He’s a threat to win any tournament, any time. The Chowan River was a mystery to nearly everyone in the field before this week, and Wheeler appears to have figured it out fairly quickly.

He was in command most of the day and has a lead of more than 16 pounds over Matt Becker, who tallied 13 bass for 30-14, including a 6-7 catch in the second period. That stood as the Berkley Big Bass until Marshall Robinson’s 7-5 midway through the third period.

2024 Bass Pro Shops REDCREST Powered by OPTIMA Lithium on Lay Lake Day 3: Cornell Leaps into Lead!

Dustin Connell won the Knockout Round with 18 bass weighing 52 pounds, 14 ounces. Photo by Garrick Dixon.

Mitchell Forde

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Knockout Round at Bass Pro Shops REDCREST Powered by OPTIMA Lithium turned into a no-holds-barred melee. It didn’t matter whether anglers were chasing spotted bass with forward-facing sonar, beating the bank or dissecting current, the bite caught fire across Lay Lake, with the top spot on SCORETRACKER® and the weight needed to qualify for Sunday’s Championship Round fluctuating all day as a result.

Ultimately, Dustin Connell wound up atop the leaderboard with 18 scorable bass for 52 pounds, 15 ounces. Connell, who lives in nearby Clanton, Alabama, bailed on the main-lake area where he caught most of his fish during the Qualifying Round, instead opting to run up the river and fish beneath the Logan Martin dam. He started slow, spending the first two periods below the cut line, before making an adjustment and boating 10 spotted bass for 29 pounds even in the final period. He finished just 1 ounce ahead of Gerald Spohrer

Meanwhile, after 39-1 across two days proved enough to qualify for the Knockout Round, it took nearly as much Saturday alone to earn a spot in the Top 10 and a shot at the $300,000 first-place paycheck. Nick Hatfield claimed the 10th and final spot with 38-14, 1-8 ahead of BFL All-American champion Emil Wagner. University of Montevallo angler Dalton Head narrowly missed extending his dream event another day as well, finishing 12th.

With weights once again zeroing overnight, all 10 qualifiers in the stacked Championship Round field will have a chance to win the single-day sprint for the trophy. MLFNOW! will provide live coverage of all the action starting at 7:15 a.m. CT. 

Full results can be found here.

Connell committed to old-school current fishing

Connell has emerged as a vocal proponent of forward-facing sonar, and for good reason. The technology played a role in each of his five previous Bass Pro Tour wins, including Stage One on Toledo Bend.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Shuffield Blasts Knockout Round!

Shuffield breaks 100-pound mark, leads charge into Championship Round

Even after a successful Knockout Round, Spender Shuffield says he has more tricks up his sleeve for tomorrow's Championship Round. Photo by Rob Matsuura. 

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. — Spencer Shuffield joined an exclusive club of Bass Pro Tour anglers by stacking more than 100 pounds of bass on SCORETRACKER® in a single day. Shuffield won the Knockout Round at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole on Saturday with 30 Toledo Bend bass that weighed a combined 101 pounds, 14 ounces.

A handful of anglers have put up 100-pound days during the first six Bass Pro Tour seasons, but Shuffield is the first to do so with all largemouth. Perhaps even more impressive than hitting the century mark is that he did so while keeping some fish in reserve for Sunday’s Championship Round. While weights will zero when the Top 10 anglers return to the water, Shuffield is optimistic that he can put up even bigger numbers and claim his first career BPT win.

“Tomorrow it’s all going to get left out there on the table, so I’m looking forward to it,” Shuffield said. “I haven’t been able to truly lean on these fish yet this week. Tomorrow, we get to – and, man, it would be sweet to break 200 pounds, because it’s definitely possible.”

Shuffield finished the Knockout Round 21-14 ahead of Dustin Connell, who racked up more than 45 pounds in the first period before switching to practice mode. Jacob Wheeler finished third with 72-12. Those three have looked to be the most in tune with Toledo Bend’s bass all week, but the race for the first trophy of the 2024 season will be wide open. All the action will be streamed live on MLFNOW! on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.

The 10 anglers who advanced to the Championship Round are listed below. Complete results can be found here.

1. Spencer Shuffield — 101-14 (30)
2. Dustin Connell — 80-1 (30)
3. Jacob Wheeler — 72-12 (22)
4. Zack Birge — 65-13 (20)
5. Drew Gill — 60-13 (18)
6. Matt Becker — 55-12 (18)
7. Justin Cooper — 52-7 (20)
8. Alton Jones Jr. — 50-13 (17)
9. Martin Villa — 43-0 (14)
10.  Jesse Wiggins — 38-15 (14)

Shuffield eyeing even bigger encore

Shuffield had never fished Toledo Bend prior to December, when he spent a few days on the massive reservoir to pre-practice for Stage One. Ever since that visit, he’s had his sights set on taking home the first trophy of the year.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Connell Secures Lead in B!

 

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. — Dustin Connell and the other anglers leading the pack in Group B got their work done early during their second day of qualifying at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole. Connell boated 13 bass for 39 pounds, 9 ounces Friday — 31-12 of that coming before noon — to bring his two-day total to 121-7. That easily led the group, 21-6 ahead of Matt Becker.

Yet despite the likes of Connell, Becker and Alton Jones Jr. devoting much of the day to exploring new water, SCORETRACKER® lit up early and often with quality Toledo Bend bass, foreshadowing a no-holds-barred slugfest when the Top 10 finishers in Group B meet the 10 best from Group A in Saturday’s Knockout Round. Meanwhile, a tightly bunched battle around the elimination line delivered drama throughout the third period, with Jesse Wiggins ultimately claiming the final spot thanks to a pair of catches in the final minutes.

Complete results can be found here.

For Connell, Friday was less about how much weight he could add to his total and more about how much of Toledo Bend’s massive surface area he could explore. He burned 30 gallons of gas running new water, focusing on areas that might not have produced during practice but could now hold baitfish and bass based on changing water clarity and wind direction.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Cornnell Grabs Lead of Group B

Connell cruises to Group B lead with 81-14 on Toledo Bend

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. – As if Dustin Connell didn’t have enough motivation when he took to the water for Group B’s first day of competition at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole on Toledo Bend — wanting to start the 2024 season strong, to get back in the Championship Round after making just one Top 10 last year — all he had to do was look at SCORETRACKER®.

Jacob Wheeler, who has roomed with Connell throughout their Bass Pro Tour careers, rocketed to the Day 1 lead in Group A when he landed 28 bass for 91 pounds on Tuesday. Though they wouldn’t compete head-to-head until the Knockout Round, Connell wanted to one-up his close friend.

He nearly pulled it off. Connell reeled in 27 bass totaling 81-14 on Wednesday, easily leading the 40 anglers in Group B. 

“I always try to beat Jacob,” Connell said. “It’s very hard to do. He’s on another level, and he motivates me to become better every day. It’s just cool to see me and him on top.”

Connell headlines a strong leaderboard after Group B’s first day of the Qualifying Round. He’s nearly 20 pounds clear of reigning Fishing Clash Angler of the Year Matt Becker, who sits in second. Two-time Bass Pro Tour winner Alton Jones Jr. lurks in third with 54-2, 7-10 behind Becker.

The full standings can be found here.

Connell Goes Back-to-Back on Mille Lacs, Clinches Third Win in 2022

By Mason Prince 

Bass Pro Tour Press Release 

ONAMIA, Minn. – It was a week of back-to-backs at the Bally Bet Stage Seven Presented by Minn Kota. First, it was Jacob Wheeler winning his second-straight AOY title on Tuesday. Today, it was his good friend Dustin Connell winning his second-straight event and his third of the year to round out the 2022 season in dramatic fashion.

Connell Holds off Walker for the Win

The win on Thursday was Connell’s fourth of his Bass Pro Tour career, counting REDCREST in 2021 on Lake Eufaula. Connell caught 20 bass for 82-9, narrowly escaping a surging David Walker by just 4 ounces.

Connell’s Championship Round didn’t start off too hot, however. Through his first two-and-a-half hours of fishing, he was only able to muster three scorable bass for 13-6. Although one of those three was a 6-pounder, Connell knew his first period wasn’t what it needed to be to win.

“I started out this morning really slow,” Connell said. “I felt like I couldn’t find a bass. Then I had 4-foot waves rolling into my boat, so that wasn’t great. Finally, I found my zone and I settled in during the second period.”

Connell exploded in the second period, catching eight bass for 30-15, shooting him right below Michael Neal into second place. That second period was made possible thanks to a waypoint Connell marked during his Knockout Round on Wednesday with time winding down in the day.

Dustin Connell Wins Stage Three on Lewis Smith Lake MLF Bass Pro Tour !

MLF Press Release 

CULLMAN, Ala. – For the second time in two years, Alabama is “home sweet home” for MLF pro angler and 2021 REDCREST Champion Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, who caught a total of 33 bass weighing 71 pounds, 2 ounces during Monday’s Championship Round to take home the big, red trophy and $100,000 at the Favorite Fishing Stage Three on Lewis Smith Lake Presented by Mercury in Cullman, Alabama. This was Connell’s second major national win in his home state, the first being REDCREST 2021 on Lake Eufaula, in Eufaula, Alabama. 

Monday marked the seventh time Connell has qualified for the Championship Round on the MLF Bass Pro Tour. The MLF NOW! broadcast team coined the Alabama pro “Connell the Conqueror” – a moniker that just may stick after battling it out with a star-studded field of fierce competitors and a headliner list of some of the best in the business.

Connell said he felt blessed to be able to find his honey-hole on Lewis Smith Lake and that everything lined up the way it did on the final day. 

“I rolled in here during the afternoon of the Knockout Round. When I saw the fish and the opportunity in here my adrenaline started rushing and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness – this is the winning spot’,” Connell said. “I knew if I could make it into the Championship Round, it could happen. I woke up this morning and told my wife and my camera guy Brett, ‘It could happen today.’

TOP 10 BELOW

2019 Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Championship Sunday!

Tp 10 Anglers Advance to Garcia of the Win!

BPT PRESS RELEASE

Dustin Connell's 9-pounder lead him to a Knockout Round win.
(Photo: BPT)

Major championships are usually played on championship venues. For the first-ever Championship Round of the MLF Bass Pro Tour, that's exactly what the Top 10 will get Sunday when action shifts away from the Kissimmee Chain and onto Ansin Garcia Reservoir.

 

The B & W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented By Power-Pole moves an hour southeast of Kissimmee on Sunday to Garcia, a 3,100-acre flooded former farm site located in Blue Cypress Management Area near the town of Fellsmere. It's a fishery that MLF fans will recognize: Garcia served as competition waters for the Shotgun Rounds of the 2018 General Tire World Championship won by Greg Hackney.

 

And while Hackney won't be participating in the Bass Pro Tour's first Championship Sunday, two of the 10 anglers vying for the championship trophy and $100,000 payday will be: Takahiro Omori, who finished third in the Knockout Round with 40-9, and Edwin Evers, who finished eighth with 31-9.

 

Whether that previous experience on Garcia gives Omori and Evers an advantage over the rest of the Championship 10 - Dustin Connell, Jeff Sprague, Randy Howell, Alton Jones, Jr., Jordan Lee, Anthony Gagliardi, Jared Lintner and Michael Neal - remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: all 10 anglers fishing on Sunday are hoping that the move further south and closer to the ocean will put them on a fishery that's farther along in the pre-spawn than the Kissimmee Chain.

 

According to MLF NOW! analyst JT Kenney, who lives 45 minutes away from Garcia in Palm Bay, there's a good chance that'll happen.

 

"It's only an hour away, but the climate (at Garcia) is significantly different - the lows at night are maybe 10 degrees warmer than Kissimmee," Kenney said. "The water temperature at Garcia should be in the mid-60s, and everything should be further along than Toho and Kissimmee. I wouldn't be surprised if we hit it right. If we do, you'll see some Florida studs: there are some big fish in that lake."