2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell Day 3: Drew Cooks Takes Lead with 55-08Lbs!

Canadians: Kung 29th, Chris Johnston 31st, Cory Johnston 37th, & Gallant 46th 

Georgia's Drew Cook maintains his lead on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C., with a weight of 55-8. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release 

ANDERSON, S.C. — Drew Cook struggled with a clarity issue today, but when his afternoon analysis told him he was clearly not where he needed to be, the pro from Cairo, Ga., stepped on the gas and secured the necessary upgrades to maintain the lead on Day 3 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

After catching 18 pounds, 12 ounces on Day 1, Cook found himself in a three-way tie for 6th place. Adding a second-round limit of 19-9, he took over the lead with a margin of 1-10 over rookie Paul Marks.

Semifinal Saturday saw Cook add 17-3, tally a three-day total of 55-8, and expand his lead to a 2 1/2-pound margin over Marks. Doing so required contending with visibility limitations.

“A lot of the area I’m fishing got dirty either because of the waves, or the pollen really moved in,” Cook said. “That’s kinda the reason I practiced there — the pollen was in there and you really couldn’t see, so I figured I’d have a lot of it to myself, because everybody wouldn’t look through it.”

Employing his uncanny sight-fishing abilities, Cook worked through the challenging conditions and even found encouraging signs that his area’s potential may be expanding.

“I did find a couple of new ones; this morning, I found a couple of new (bed fish),” Cook said. “I found like a 7-pounder, fished for it for a while and found six new ones this afternoon.

“We’re just looking for five big ones.”

Spending most of his day in one main creek, Cook sight fished with a Nories Front Flapper and a wacky-rigged prototype SPRO stick worm. The fish, he said, were scattered throughout his creek, but it seemed like small pockets off the main waters were more

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. 

Joey Cifuentes III Wins 2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole!

Cory Johnston 8th

Joey Cifuentes III of Clinton, Ark., has won the 2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole with a four-day total of 85 pounds, 2 ounces.(Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. — Despite enduring several painful losses, Arkansas rookie Joey Cifuentes III held on to sack up a final-round limit of 18 pounds, 7 ounces and win the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole with a four-day total of 85-2.

 

After placing sixth on Day 1 with 19-13, Cifuentes took over the top spot with a Day 2 limit of 26-1 — the tournament’s heaviest bag. He added 20-13 on Saturday and entered Championship Sunday with a lead of 4-1 over Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La.

 

In the final round, Cifuentes held off a serious charge by fellow rookie Kyoya Fujita of Minamitsuru, Yamanashi, Japan, who caught 19-15 on Championship Sunday and ultimately finished second with 76-6.

 

Along with his first blue trophy, Cifuentes collected the top prize of $100,000.

 

“I can’t believe this,” a visibly relieved Cifuentes said. “Today was so wild; you have to expect (pressure) when you have Tyler Rivet behind you.

 

“I knew I had a cushion, but I didn’t think it was going to take that much weight to do it.”

 

Cifuentes entered the final round with slightly more than a 4-pound advantage over the red-hot Rivet, who won last week's season opener at Lake Okeechobee.

2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole Day 3: Cifuentes Continues to Lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 5th, Chris Johnston 17th & Gallant 46th

Joey Cifuentes III of Clinton, Ark., is leading after Day 3 of the 2023 Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole with a three-day total of 66 pounds, 11 ounces. (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. — On Semifinal Saturday, Joey Cifuentes III stuck with his game plan, tallied a three-day total of 66 pounds, 11 ounces, and retained his lead in the Gamakatsu Bassmaster Elite at Lake Seminole.

 

The rookie from Clinton, Ark., placed sixth on Day 1 with 19-13 before taking the top spot with a Day 2 limit of 26-1 — the tournament’s heaviest bag. Cifuentes added 20-13 on Saturday and heads into Championship Sunday with a lead of 4-1 over Tyler Rivet of Raceland, La.

 

“I’m not going to say I can do 20 again tomorrow, but I feel like it’s there,” Cifuentes said. “I saw some really good fish today.”

 

Cifuentes committed his time Saturday to Spring Creek, where he fished standing timber in about 20 to 22 feet. Targeting groups of trees and large cypress stumps proved the most productive.

 

When his Day 2 bite slowed around noon, Cifuentes moved shallow to flip vegetation before finishing his day in the offshore timber. Today, it was all about the wood.

 

“I stayed in my area and my goal was to get 20 pounds; I got it and I left,” Cifuentes said. “I kinda weaseled back close and ended up catching a couple good bass, then I left around 10:30.

 

“I found another spot where I saw some good fish swimming around the bottom. I may hit it up tomorrow, but I’m going to start on my primary area and I’m going to try and get another 20 pounds.”

 

Describing his main spot and the new area, Cifuentes said he’s targeting deep timber on the edge of a spawning flat. Using his forward-facing sonar to watch for specific fish, he’s making short pitches with a drop shot.

 

Cifuentes is using a 1/4-ounce weight and a 6-inch hand-poured finesse worm. For snag avoidance amid the timber, he’s Texas rigging his worm on a 1/0 hook.

 

“I like that little hook because it’s less visible,” Cifuentes said. “I think that’s helping me get bites. I didn’t lose any fish today, I fished clean.”

 

Cifuentes said he feels confident his spots hold the potential winning fish. He specifically chose Spring Creek because it had the right mix of clear water, timber and spawning habitat.

 

He’s hopeful that his chosen spots will allow him to continue intercepting bass on their way to and from the spawning grounds.

 

“Today, all my fish were postspawn; yesterday, they were all prespawn,” Cifuentes said. “I think I have fish coming to me also. I learned that today, so that’s exciting.”

 

Rivet is in second place with 62-10. His daily weights were 17-4, 19-11 and 25-11.

 

Coming off his first Elite win at last week’s event at Lake Okeechobee, Rivet spent his day in the Flint River where he caught bass on a popping frog and an Xcite Baits Xtreme Stix (stickbait), which he fished Texas rigged and wacky style.

 

“I caught one fish on the frog — on my third cast,” Rivet said. “I threw the frog for a while, but it has to be the right scenario. It has to be a little dirty and shallow. The one I caught was on a bed, so she came out and ate it.”

 

Rivet said all of his bass were on beds. Turbid water prevented him from actually sight fishing, but reading the clues guided his presentations.

 

“I know they’re there by the way they’re acting; I can see them swirling around and chasing stuff,” he said. “It’s all about throwing in there at the right time. If you see one swell, you've got to put your bait in that swell.

 

“When they’re trying to eat something and (the bait) is in their face, they eat it.”

 

Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., is in third with 61-9. After an opening limit of 14-5 put him in 44th place, Hackney caught the second-heaviest bag of Day 2 — 24-7 — and rose to third place. Adding 22-13 on Saturday, he’ll start Championship Sunday in the third-place position.

 

“I fished totally different today from yesterday — I had to fish a lot slower,” Hackney said. “I power fished yesterday and today I finesse fished. Yesterday, I caught them winding, today I was grinding.

 

“Same area, but totally different. They wouldn’t chase. I don’t know why; it was perfect weather. They never got aggressive like they did yesterday.”

 

Hackney caught his fish on a Texas-rigged Strike King Rage Bug in green pumpkin. He said he’s eager to take one more shot at Seminole.

 

“I look forward to going out there again,” he said. “It’s been fun the last couple of days. I really struggled the first day of the tournament; one got off. Other than that, I fished really clean the last couple of days.”

 

Kyoya Fujita of Minamitsuru, Yamanashi, Japan, earned the $1,000 daily bonus for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day with an 8-6 largemouth. That fish also leads the race for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the tournament, which is good for a $2,000 bonus.

Buzzer beater! Lane claims dramatic victory in final minute on Kissimmee Chain

Florida pro's last-minute 5-5 earns him 9-ounce win over Mark Davis

Chris Lane had no idea he was the winner of Stage One when it was time for lines out. Photo by Garrick Dixon.

Mason Prince

BASS PRO TOUR 

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – “You’re kidding me?” Chris Lane asked his official in disbelief.

“No sir, I’m not,” his official confirmed.

In one of the most memorable finishes in Bass Pro Tour history, Lane was able to leapfrog Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Mark Davis in the final minute of B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Grundéns. Lane needed a bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces or more to cull and catch Davis. With less than 2 minutes remaining, Lane hooked into a 5-5 largemouth, landed it with less than a minute left and was able to edge Davis by 9 ounces.

In what should have been a moment of celebration, Lane had no idea he had actually just won his first Bass Pro Tour event. Lane believed he needed more than a 7-pounder to catch Davis and thought the 5-5 was going to leave him shy. It wasn’t until time expired that Lane’s official informed him that he had, in fact, just won the event.

Of course, there was a signature ‘POW’ expressed by Lane, maybe with a little more spunk and emotion than usual. For Lane to win this event on a lake where he holds so many fond memories, it’s easy to see why the massive moment in his career moved him to tears.

Joshua Weaver Wins 2023 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals on Lake Okeechobee!

By EriK Gaffron

MLF PRESS RELEASE

CLEWISTON, Fla. – Weighing over 31 pounds on Day 2 and 26 pounds, 4 ounces on Day 3, Joshua Weaver surged to the win in the inaugural Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event with a 72-9 total. For his efforts, Weaver takes home a long-sought trophy and $117,500 in prize and contingency money. Additionally, Weaver’s win qualified him for REDCREST V in March 2024.

Finishing second in Power-Pole Stop 1 Presented by Phoenix Boats, Colby Schrumpf racked up 63-12. In third, Brett Hite tallied 63-1 on the week.

“Man, I’m on cloud nine,” Weaver said. “It definitely hasn’t hit me yet.”

Weaver has been close to victory in MLF events several times since his professional career began in 2016, boasting eight Top-10 finishes in that span. Finally, the Macon, Georgia, pro can add the title of “Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Champion” to the list of accomplishments he’s amassed over the last seven seasons.

“Words can’t describe this feeling,” he said. “I’ve wanted this for so long. I’ve been doing this professionally since 2016 and have come close a lot of times. The last two days have been nothing short of amazing. I was always the guy who lost the one to win or lost them on a day I should have caught them – which I thought I did the first day – but no, we got it done.”

Christian Creico Wins 2022 Tackle Warehouse Tour Stop 2 on the Harris Chain of Lakes!

By Kyle Wood

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Press Release 

LEESBURG, Fla. – Success in tournament bass fishing is a mix of having a solid game plan, trusting your instincts and maybe a bit of luck, and when they all come together special things can happen.

Case in point, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Fuel Me rookie Christian Greico at Bass Boat Technologies Stop 2 on the Harris Chain of Lakes Presented by Frogg Toggs. The Tampa, Florida, pro knew exactly what he wanted to do when he saw the Harris Chain on the schedule and he executed it flawlessly.

“I liked the timeframe of this event a lot because I knew it gave those fish an opportunity to move to some postspawn areas that maybe some of the other guys wouldn’t really know about or key in on,” Greico said. “So in practice, I hit a few shell bars and saw they were out there, then I knew a lot could happen and I could have a really good shot (at winning).”

Greico spent the first three days of the event running around Lake Harris fishing shell bars with mixed results. Though he caught 15 pounds, 11 ounces and 22-5 over the first two days, the young pro quickly realized his shell bite was fading.

“The first three days I really leaned on those shell bars,” said the 23-year-old pro. “I caught a 5-pounder the second day flipping a Kissimmee grass line, but primarily I was just on those shell bars.

“After yesterday, that bite was just deteriorating on me. I wasn’t getting near as many bites as I had been the past few days.”

To pluck fish schooled up on shell bars in 10 to 12 feet of water, Greico relied solely on a Carolina rig. His setup was a 7-foot, 6-inch, heavy-power 13 Fishing Muse Black rod with an 8.3:1 gear ratio 13 Fishing Concept C2 reel spooled with 20-pound-test fluorocarbon. On the business end, a ¾-ounce weight pulled around either a Googan Baits Slim Shake or a Googan Baits Dart. But after scraping together just 11-4 on Day 3 to barely slide into the Top 10, Greico knew he had to make a change.

TOP 10 BELOW

Lester Notches First Bassmaster Win At Southern Open On Kissimmee Chain

Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., has won the 2022 St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open at Kissimmee Chain with a three-day total of 51 pounds, 2 ounces.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Steady productivity paved the path to success for Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brandon Lester, who tallied a three-day total of 51 pounds, 2 ounces to win the St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open on Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.

Recording his first Bassmaster victory, the pro from Fayetteville, Tenn., placed 13th on Day 1 with 14-13, added a second-round limit of 18-1 and earned his Championship Saturday berth in second place. With a final-round limit of 18-4, Lester edged Joey Cifuentes of Clinton, Ark. (48-12), who led the first two days.

 

Lester won $52,500 and earned a berth in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk, to be held in Knoxville, Tenn., March 24-26.

 

“There were 225 hammers fishing this event — I feel like this is harder to win than an Elite Series tournament,” said Lester, who was fishing his 114th major tournament with B.A.S.S. “I’ve been close; I’ve finished second here, I’ve finished third here, I have I don’t know how many Top 10s in the Opens. I love fishing these events and it feels really good to finally pull one off.

 

“Now the Classic qualification is off my mind the rest of the year. I couldn’t be happier because it was just announced that the (2023) Classic will be in my home state of Tennessee.”

 

All three days, Lester locked down to the lower Kissimmee Chain waters and split his time between Lake Kissimmee and Cypress Lake. The latter yielded most of his weight and dominated his final-round productivity.

 

“Cypress had a ton of hydrilla; this is the first year with this much grass in it,” said Lester, who now has 22 Top 10 finishes with B.A.S.S. “When I went in there in practice, I noticed right off the bat that I was seeing empty beds everywhere. That was the whole key to me winning this tournament, there’s no doubt.

 

“I knew they were bass beds and I knew that with that many beds around and a warming trend coming, those fish would be coming in — and they did.”

Rookie Bryan New Wins 2021 AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River with 79-07 lbs.

Canadians Cory Johnston 17th, Gustafson 24th & Chris Johnston 34th

By David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

New's first Elite event come with a win.
(Photo: BASS)

Bryan New launched his rookie season in blockbuster form by topping a stout field of well-established finalists and winning the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River with a four-day total of 79 pounds, 7 ounces.

Starting Championship Sunday in sixth place, New trailed Day 3 leader and rising star Patrick Walters by 5-7. Saving his best for last, New posted the event’s second-heaviest bag, 26-4, and edged Elite veteran Greg Hackney by a margin of 9-9. For his efforts, New earned $101,000. 

New caught most of his fish out of lily pads, but he found a few keepers over main-river shellbars about halfway between Palatka and Dunn’s Creek, which connects to Crescent Lake. Targeting bars in about 5 to 7 feet, he fished a Berkley Warpig lipless crankbait in the bleeding shiner color with a slow yo-yoing technique. 

“That wasn’t a winning-fish deal, but without those fish, I don’t win this tournament,” New said.

The pads that produced the bulk of his weight were located at the lower end of Lake George. Fishing 5-inch black and blue Zoom Zlinky worms Texas-rigged on a 5/0 Berkley Fusion hook with a 1/8- and 1/4-ounce weights, New said he focused on isolated pads. 

Skeet Reese Wins 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Lake Okeechobee with 82-14lbs.

Canadians Luzak 46th & Sim 147th 

By Tyler Brink

Major League Press Release

Skeet adjusts to bladed jigs as wind and clouds make for 
for gigantic last day limit. (Photo: MLF) 

Smashing 27 pounds, 9 ounces on the final day of the 13 Fishing Stop 1 of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers, Skeet Reese tore past the other leaders for his first major win since 2015. Totaling up 82-14, Reese takes home $100,000 for his second career win in Florida to push his career earnings to over $3.5 million.  

After beginning the tournament in 16th place, Reese got right in the hunt on day two and stayed there throughout the week. He brought in a 21 pound, nine-ounce stringer on the second day to vault into second place. On the third day, he dropped off one spot with a 16-pound limit but did enough to keep him within striking distance.

Today, he simply took over and came home with the win and trophy that comes with it. When the last fish was weighed and Reese was crowned the champion, he was visibly emotional after securing the victory.

As is often the case in Florida, several huge fish were key to Reese’s win.

“This feels really good,” says Reese. “I’ve had some tough fishing the last few years and to be able to come back and win; it is the recognition that my new mindset and hard work paid off. Everybody who fishes tournaments does it to win and to be able to do it against this level of competition, with this big of a field, it’s priceless.”

Reese milked one primary area in South Bay for the entire event. He mixed up his approach each day and alternated between two key lures for the win – a 6″ Berkley PowerBait The General and a green pumpkin vibrating jig with a Berkley PowerBait The Deal in the Skeet’s green money serving as the trailer.

“The first day, I was focusing on the isolated clumps of reeds that were a little deeper,” says Reese. “I started targeting water that was 4-feet deep because all of the shallower stuff was getting so much pressure. I stayed out a little further from the bank on the isolated pencil reeds and caught a few good ones the second day by pitching The General on a 5/0 hook with a ¼-ounce weight on 25-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon.”

2020 FLW Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournaments Lake Chickamauga Day 2: Reyes Leads with 49-14lbs!

Canadians Luzek 137th & Sim 195th

by Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Reyes wacks Chick monsters to grab lead.
(Photo: FLW) 

Now this is the Lake Chickamauga we all came to see.

By its own standards, Chickamauga had an off day yesterday, with only five anglers cracking 20 pounds and no one going over 25. Day two of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament was a much different story, as 11 anglers got into the 20s and two cracked 25 pounds (with one of those bags being one lost fish away from being a mega bag over 30).

The big girls were chewing almost all day, as reports of 7- and 8-pounders were constant. Jason Reyes, who now leads after two days, kicked off the parade with a 7-pounder right off the bat. He never let up after that. Reyes’ 27-4 bag was the biggest of the tournament so far and pushed his two-day total to 49-14.

“I caught that 7-pounder early, and then it got crazy towards the end,” says Reyes. “I don’t know what all lives in [my area], but there are definitely some good ones. I’m going to just go back out, keep plinking around and see what happens.”

Coming into the event, conventional wisdom said it was going to be an offshore deal, and it was obvious the vast majority of the 200-plus-angler field bought into that convention. Reyes was among them, at least at first. 

With only three small keepers come 11 a.m. Tuesday, he opted to try up shallow, and the results have spoken for themselves.

“I have three stretches of grass,” says Reyes. “Pepper grass, not hydrilla. In practice, I got bit in there, but I never dreamed ‘that’ was in there. I shook a few off, but that was no big deal. But after the last two days … the winners are there.  It’s just a matter of getting enough of them to bite. And I’m not just plowing them. I have to stay patient, stay slow, trust what I’m doing, and then all of a sudden I’ll catch one that is the right one and it changes the whole day.”

When Reyes says “slow,” he means it. Often, he’s almost dead-sticking a Texas-rigged Yamamoto Senko in bare patches in the grass. No twitching. Not dragging. Just letting it lay there until one “walks off with it.” The way he’s fishing, he says, reminds him of the way many fish in Florida. 

“The bare spots, the outer clumps – it’s exactly like how you would fish at Toho or Okeechobee,” explains Reyes.

2020 FLW Pro Circuit Lake Martin Day 3: Jason Abram Continue Lead with 41-06 lbs!

Shallow largemouth key for top anglers 
By Sean Ostruszka

FLW PRESS RELEASE

Shallow bite and skinny dipper key to larger bites for Abram
(Photo: FLW)

About 2 1/2 pounds separate Kerry Milner in 10th place and Ron Nelson in second. That’s the same amount separating tournament leader Jason Abram from Nelson going into the final day.

In what has been a remarkably tight Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on Lake Martin, Abram did something very important today: Despite losing a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder, he still found a way to separate himself from the pack. His 12-6 limit was the third largest of the day, and it pushed him to 41-6 total.

As was showcased on day one, Lake Martin does have some kickers swimming around in it, and just one from any pro in the top 10 tomorrow could make a close tournament all that much closer. In talking with many of the guys chasing Abram, it sounds like they’ll be swinging for kickers tomorrow to try and catch him.

That makes the 5-pounder Abram lost today (and the 5-pounder he lost yesterday) all that much more important, especially since his pattern seems to be dying both because of a lack of sun and falling water.

“It [the falling water] definitely has been a problem for me,” says Abram. “The fish I’ve been catching have been dirt shallow; like in 10 inches of water.”

Despite the deteriorating conditions, he’s still getting the right bites. 

Just as he did the previous two days, Abram started out burning the bank in the mid-lake region in search of a quick limit of spotted bass.

“They’re just random banks I’m paralleling with a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper,” says Abram. “I think the spots [spotted bass] are just pushing bait up against the bank, because I’ll go a while and then catch three or four quick. It’s like a pod swam up and I’ll catch them.”

That gave him a “confidence-booster” limit by 9 a.m. today, and once the sun peeked out just a bit around 10:30, he immediately switched to his largemouth pattern, with instant results.

“The first bite I got was that big one I lost,” says Abram. “Then I caught two more after that within 30 minutes.”

Paul Mueller Wins 2020 BASS Elite St. Johns River!

Final day 6 pounder seals deal
By David A. Brown
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Final day adjustments after key area fizzle proved correct.
This is Mueller's second Elite win.
(Photo: BASS)

Paul Mueller’s crucial decision delivered a key fish on Championship Monday that propelled the Connecticut angler to a three-day total of 47 pounds, 6 ounces and what he described as a most unlikely victory at the AFTCO Bassmaster Elite at Florida’s St. Johns River.

After grinding most of the day in Trout Creek, about 25 miles downriver from Palatka, Mueller called an audible and relocated to nearby 6-Mile Creek where he had found a key stretch of pads with 25 feet of water.  

Punching this thick vegetation with a craw bait rigged on a 4/0 Strike King Hack Attack hook with a 1-ounce weight yielded a 6-11 bass — the day’s largest — that dramatically changed his outcome. 

“That was the horse that brought me here, no doubt about it,” said Mueller, who earned $101,000 for his second career Elite Series victory. “A big bite is the best thing you can have on the final day. I knew I was leading, but I got off to such a bad start, throughout the entire day, I didn’t think I had enough.

“All day long, I never felt like I had a shot. It wasn’t easy today, but when it’s God’s will, everything works out.”

Mueller kept himself in contention throughout the event by remaining consistent. He placed second on Day 1 with 20-8 and took over the lead a day later by adding 16-2.

During Monday’s final round, Mueller fell short of a limit by one fish, but four bass that weighed 10-12 were enough to deliver the win by a 3-2 margin.