2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River presented by SEVIIN Day 2: Goutremout Leads!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 4th, Erik Luzak 7th, Evan Kung 18th,  Adam Howell 21st & Matt Kelly 130th

By David A Brown

BASS Press Release

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Zach Goutremout knew he needed a bigger quality bite and following that hunch yielded just what he needed to claim a whisper-thin lead on Day 2 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River presented by SEVIIN.

After placing sixth on Day 1 with 24 pounds, 10 ounces, the pro from Chaumont, N.Y., added a second-round limit of 25 pounds for a two-day total of 49-10.

Goutremout heads into Championship Saturday with a 2-ounce lead over Day 1 leader Ryan Lachniet.

“I had four of the five I weighed in by 11 o’clock and then I caught my last kicker about 12:30,” Goutremout said. “I have one area where I feel confident in that 22- to 23-pound range and then I have another area where there’s a lot less fish, but when you get bit, it’s a good one.

“The last two days, I started in that first area and then I went to that big-fish area just to get a couple of kickers.”

2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River presented by SEVIIN Day 1: Lachniet Sack 7-Pound Smallmouth and Lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 7th, Evan Kung 8th, Luzak 36th & Matt Kelly 52th

By David A Brown

BASS Press Release

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Ryan Lachniet might have added a few grey hairs to his otherwise dark brown beard, but after enduring the stress storm that a 7-pound, 5-ounce smallmouth unleashed, the Gum Spring, Va., pro leads Day 1 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River presented by SEVIIN.

Sacking up an opening limit of 26-5, Lachniet leads South Carolina’s Kyle Austin by a pound and 2 ounces.

“When I got that (big fish) next to the boat, after fighting him for a couple of minutes, I tried to scoop him and he slipped out of my hand,” Lachniet recalled. “I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, come back. 

“He swam down and fought for another 30 seconds and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, please don’t get off.’ When I grabbed him, I was like, ‘Wow, this thing is huge!’ It was a great day.”

Justin Cooper Wins 2025 Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole on Lake Conroe

Cooper conquers Conroe, earns first win in Championship Round thriller

Mitchell Forde

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release

CONROE, Texas — For about 3 hours and 40 minutes Sunday afternoon, Justin Cooper sat atop SCORETRACKER® at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole. The Louisiana pro’s lead had been threatened repeatedly – including, at one point, Jacob Wall tying him in weight – but every time, he mustered an answer.

So, when Cooper boated a 1-pound, 10-ounce Lake Conroe largemouth with about a minute left before lines out, he thought he’d simply added a little insurance to his cushion. He didn’t realize the fish, one of the smallest of the 34 scorable bass he caught on the day, would be worth $150,000.

A few seconds earlier, Colby Miller – one of Cooper’s closest friends who’d been steadily gaining ground on him since the first period – landed a 2-10. That fish finally unseated Cooper, giving Miller a 9-ounce lead. All of 22 seconds later, Cooper’s 1-10 hit SCORETRACKER®. Another 68 seconds after that, time ran out on an epic first Championship Round of the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season. 

The final tallies: 78-5 for Cooper, 77-4 for Miller. Cooper had his first professional win.

“It’s indescribable,” Cooper said. “I never thought that I could win one. I’ve always been a bridesmaid and never a bride. I just never thought it was in the cards for me to win a big event like that. I thought I could have a good, solid career but always missed that part. So, to get that win and have my family here, it means everything.”

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

1. Justin Cooper – 78-5 (34)

2. Colby Miller – 77-4 (35)

3. Jacob Wall – 74-2 (32)

4. Alton Jones Jr. – 69-7 (26)

5. Jacob Wheeler – 63-11 (29)

6. Jake Lawrence – 60-10 (25)

7. Drew Gill – 58-9 (23)

8. Zack Birge – 46-15 (24)

9. Nick LeBrun – 40-3 (18)

10. Justin Lucas – 26-12 (12)

Justin Hamner Wins 2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors on Grand Lake!

Canadians Cory Johnston 6th, Gallant 12th & Chris Johnston 25th

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS Release

When most anglers win the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing, they at least pretend like it came as the biggest surprise of their lives.

But not Justin Hamner.

The fourth-year Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Northport, Ala., said openly that he “just had a feeling” coming into this year’s Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors that he was going to win — and in three days on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, he turned that feeling into a hard-core reality.

Hamner completed an assault on B.A.S.S. history with a Championship Sunday limit of five bass that weighed 15 pounds, 13 ounces, and pushed his three-day total to 58-3. He became only the 10th angler in the 54-year history of the event to lead all three days.

“I have no idea what’s been going on, but this past month has been pretty dang good,” said Hamner, who earned $300,000 and the coveted Ray Scott trophy. “I can’t explain it, but I really did feel like I had a good chance to win.”

That feeling wasn’t exactly reinforced during a tough practice when Hamner said the best bass he caught was a 3-pounder. But he started the tournament on the spot where he caught that fish and used a shad-colored, deep-diving jerkbait to put together a limit that weighed 22-6 and gave him the Day 1 lead.

He went back there for Day 2. But, just like in practice, he couldn’t replicate a pattern and was forced to redirect.

“The wind was blowing a ton of bait into the pocket I was fishing,” he said. “When all of that bait got in there, those fish were keyed in on the bait and they wouldn’t bite my jerkbait. I couldn’t make them bite it, and I still can’t really explain it.”

That’s when Hamner relocated again and started using Garmin LiveScope to target largemouth in brushpiles. He quickly caught two 5-pounders that pushed him to a 20-pound limit and helped him maintain the lead going into the final day.

Despite being in the most visible spot a professional angler can hold, Hamner said he never got nervous until around 1 p.m. on Championship Sunday. At that point, he said he lost four big bass, but he couldn’t say if nerves caused him to lose the fish or if losing the fish caused the nerves.

2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors on Grand Lake Day 2: Justin Hamner Widens Lead!

Canadians Gallant 6th, Cory Johnston 20th, Chris Johnston 22nd & Gustafson 31st

By Bryan Brasher

BASS PRESS Release

Since practice began last week, Alabama pro Justin Hamner says he hasn’t been able to duplicate two patterns from one day to the next.

That trend continued Saturday, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting him adversely.

Hamner caught yet another five-bass limit that weighed 20 pounds and increased his two-day total to 42 pounds, 6 ounces, to maintain the lead in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Jockey Outdoors on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.

Hamner, who has seemed strangely calm all week, said his only plan for Championship Sunday is to “win the Bassmaster Classic.” Beyond that, he isn’t sure what he’ll be doing once the tournament resumes.

“The dream is going pretty good so far, but we’ve still got one more day,” said Hamner, who is fishing only his second career Classic. “I had to do something totally different today than what I did on the first day of the tournament. The area I started in this morning had completely changed, and I left there around 10 or 10:30 (a.m.).

“In my new spot, I immediately caught three big ones and left there.”

Hamner had been hoping that increased winds would improve his bite. But on Saturday, he said it actually hurt him and forced him to change his plans.

“Yesterday, when I caught all of those fish in those creeks, there was zero bait,” he said. “Today, the wind actually blew directly into those creeks and the fish were more active. They were feeding on the bait, but I could not get those fish to bite.

“It was the weirdest thing and I have no explanation for it.”

The forecast for Championship Sunday calls for 20 to 30 mph winds with occasional gusts up to 40 mph. Hamner said he plans to start on the same brushpiles where he caught his best fish Saturday — and if that doesn’t work, he’ll redirect on the fly once again.

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.

Jordan Lee Wins 2023 General Tire Stage Six at Lake St. Clair Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles!

Lee grabs Stage Six trophy after his Canadian gamble pays off

Jordan Lee won every day he was on the water and ultimately was crowned Stage Six champion. Photo by Garrick Dixon.

Mason Prince

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – He got the Lake St. Clair monkey off his back. Jordan Lee is the General Tire Stage Six Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles Champion after totaling 47 pounds, 13 ounces. Lee proved to be the man to beat all week long and put on another impressive smallmouth performance on Thursday, catching a limit worth 23-4.
Three for Lee, but this one is special
Lee bested second-place Alton Jones Jr. by 1-3 to get the win, his third Bass Pro Tour win of his career and his first since 2020. Here is how the Championship Round ended on St. Clair:
1. Jordan Lee – 47-13 (10)
2. Alton Jones Jr. – 46-10 (10)
3. Jacob Wheeler – 43-12 (10)
4. Jesse Wiggins – 43-4 (10)
5. Terry Scroggins – 42-14 (10)
6. Mark Daniels Jr. – 42-8 (10)
7. Mark Rose – 42-2 (10)
8. Gary Klein – 41-1 (10)
9. John Hunter – 39-9 (10)
10. Josh Bertrand – 37-11 (10)

Lee knew he was going to have to do something drastic if he wanted to win on St. Clair. He saw a win slip away on this lake back in 2017 after taking the lead into the final day. He had no intentions of repeating that painful history on Thursday.
Lee caught every one of his five keepers in the first period, quickly building his lead and adding cushion. By the time the first period came to an end, Lee had all but locked up the win leaving too much room for Jones and the rest of the field to close.

Adrian Avena Wins 2023 Bass Pro Tour Presented by ATG by Wrangler on Cayuga Lake!

New Jersey pro claims his first major tour-level win after two-day smallmouth clinic

By Tyler Brinks, BASS PRO TOUR 

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – Going into the final two days at Favorite Fishing Stage Five Presented ATG by Wrangler on New York’s Cayuga Lake, the question about the lake’s smallmouth fishery was “how much will it take to win this uniquely timed derby?” After two days of Knockout and Championship Round competition, the answer is clearly “a lot.”

New Jersey pro Adrian Avena finished up a two-day big-smallmouth-catching clinic Saturday with 28 pounds 10 ounces, just 24 hours after bagging a massive five-fish limit of 29-6. Avena’s two-day haul of smallmouth rang up to 58-0 – 2 pounds better than Bass Pro Tour rookie Spencer Shuffield and more then enough to secure Avena’s first-ever Bass Pro Tour win.

Avena was all-in on smallmouth

Avena committed to fishing spawning smallmouth all week on Cayuga’s southern end. It was the same tactic that all of the Top 10 committed to in both the Knockout and Championship Rounds – Avena just did it better. The Berkley pro’s biggest difference-maker was a handful of 6-pounders that he weighed the final two days – three in the Knockout Round, two on the final day – while the rest of the field was catching 4s and 5s.

Avena’s last two bags were the best weights each day, and his four-day aggregate was an impressive 105 pounds. With all 10 of the Championship Round pros running the same pattern, Avena searched for less-pressured fish. That translated into fishing deeper water and employing a flogger to see bedding smallmouth that others missed.

“I was fishing a little deeper than everyone else and finding fish the other guys didn’t see,” Avena said. “This $150 ‘traffic cone’ was the difference and won me $100,000.”

Avena used various finesse presentations to catch his fish, but the drop-shot was his primary tool.

“I was using a Berkley Gulp! Minnow in chartreuse shad,” he said. “The chartreuse back was a big player, especially when the water got stirred up so I could see it better. I was fishing it with a short leader, trying to imitate a perch attacking the beds.”

Avena travels with Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell, and Mark Daniels Jr., a group that has accounted for more than its fair share of Bass Pro Tour trophies in the five years since the tour started. For Avena to add one of his own was a huge relief. This win also marks Avena’s first tour-level victory in his 11-year professional career.

“I travel with three of the best in the world, and I wouldn’t say I was tired of them winning so much, but it was taking a toll on me,” he admitted. “I didn’t know if it would ever happen for me. You have no idea what this win means to me, but we got it done.”

Avena’s last victory was also his first major event as a professional, a Toyota Series triumph when he was just 20 years old. That was another June event in this part of the country, on Lake Champlain. To win one after a long drought was a great feeling for Avena.

“I haven’t won since then. I’ve been close so many times,” he said. “This lake is chock full of 5- to 7-pounders, so I didn’t think what I caught would be enough. This is so awesome, and I have so many people to thank, because so many people believed in me.”

Notes from Cayuga

The event started with a relatively even mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass making it onto SCORETRACKER®, but smallmouth became the focus more and more as the event wore on. Largemouth were nearly non-existent in the final tally. Although several green fish were landed, only one largemouth bass made the best-five for anyone in the Top 10 during the Championship Round, with David Dudley’s 5-4 being the only one to make the cut.

With his third-place finish this week, Dakota Ebare will move into second place in the Bally Bet Angler of the Year race. He finished 20 spots ahead of Ott DeFoe on Cayuga and is just 28 points behind him unofficially. With two events to go, Ebare appears to be the only one with a realistic shot to overtake DeFoe for the title. With his second straight Top 10, Bass Pro Tour rookie Matt Becker will move into third.

What’s next

The Bass Pro Tour continues the northern swing with General Tire Stage Six Presented by John Deere Utility Vehicles on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair, in less than two weeks on June 24-29. After that, the 80 anglers will have a month-long break before closing the season in Michigan on Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River on Aug. 1-6.

Ebare Wins 2023 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals at Clark Hill Lake!

Sean Ostruszka

MLF Press Release

APPLING, Ga. – A little more than a month ago, Dakota Ebare’s story was how close he’d been to winning so many times and how it seemed like it was only a matter of time before he finally hoisted a trophy.

Now, it’s how many times he might lift a trophy this year, thanks to two wins in five weeks.

After finally getting the monkey off his back by winning the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats event at the end of January on his home waters of Sam Rayburn, Ebare once again hoisted a MLF trophy this week. And, he did it in dominant-yet-dramatic fashion, going wire-to-wire to win the Toyota Stop 2 Presented by Lowrance event on Clarks Hill Lake. 

2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Mississippi River Day 2: Chris Johnston Score 1 Ounce Lead!

Canadians Gustafson 13th & Cory Johnston 52th.

Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a two-day total of 31 pounds, 14 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS) 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Chris Johnston owns a well-documented reputation for smallmouth savvy, but drawing on his largemouth bass roots helped the pro from Otonabee, Ontario, take over the lead on Day 2 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a total weight of 31 pounds, 14 ounces.

 

Johnston caught 16-4 on Day 1 and tied fellow Canadian Jeff Gustafson for fourth place. Then, despite an hour storm delay and dim, rainy conditions, Johnston added 15-10 today. He heads into Semifinal Sunday with a 1-ounce margin over Day 1 leader Bryan Schmitt and a 2-ounce lead over Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas.

 

Johnston, who won the 2020 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River, said the Upper Mississippi River’s shallow, weedy habitat presented very familiar scenarios. This week’s success has come through applying the engrained techniques of his Canadian youth.

 

“Believe it or not, I grew up fishing largemouth; flipping reeds and milfoil and frogging,” Johnston said. “For the first 20 years of my life, it was all largemouth fishing. The smallmouth didn’t take off in our area until I was about 17 to 18 years old.

 

“I love this style of fishing; putting on 65-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and just going and having fun. I did mix in a few smallmouth. They’ve been good to me lately, so I couldn’t ignore them.”

 

Jesse Wiggins Wins Stage 4 on Lake of the Ozarks!

Jesse Wiggins Wins Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four Presented by Bass Cat. (Photo: MLF) 

MLF PRESS RELEASE

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – All week long, Addison, Alabama, pro Jesse Wiggins said that when he closed his eyes, Lake of the Ozarks felt exactly like his home fishery – Lewis Smith Lake in North Alabama. That hometown “feel” was just what Wiggins needed this week. The 32-year-old Alabama angler caught 11 scorable bass Thursday weighing 27 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Bass Pro Tour Bass Boat Technologies Stage Four on Lake of the Ozarks Presented by Bass Cat in Osage Beach, Missouri, and take home the top prize of $100,000.

Link to Photo of Stage Four Winner Jesse Wiggins

Link to Photo Gallery of Best Shots from Championship Day

Link to Video of Fish Catch Highlights from Day 6

“Oh my gosh,” said an emotional Wiggins as time expired. “I’m shaking, my videographers shaking, my official is shaking – we’re freaking tore up. I’m just a redneck from Alabama that likes to fish and loves to throw a shaky-head.

“I get here, and the banks look identical to Smith Lake. I mean, identical. And the fish set up identical. It seemed like I could call my shot, all week long.”

Wiggins spent the tournament targeting boat docks with a homemade shaky-head rig. After winning the Group A Qualifying Round, he advanced directly into Thursday’s Championship Round.