Berkley Introduces Riveter Skirted and Toad Buzzbaits

 Here comes the buzz—two purpose-built topwater options engineered to deliver the perfect sound profile for explosive strikes.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Oct. 9, 2025) – Berkley is expanding its core skirted bass bait lineup with the launch of the Berkley Riveter Buzzbait Series. Buzzbaits remain a go-to for covering water quickly and triggering reaction bites in shallow water, and Berkley’s new design combines a custom rivet and anodized blade with a proven wire form and upgraded componentry. The result: two versatile options—the Riveter Skirted and Riveter Toad—built from years of angler feedback and crafted with a premium, custom rivet that delivers the perfect squeak right out of the package. The Riveter Skirted model features a removable PowerBait skirt and an adjustable wire frame that allows anglers to customize the sound profile by bending the frame in for a more aggressive blade-to-head contact, or out for a squeak-only action. The Riveter Toad features a reinforced welded cross-wire frame, designed to eliminate flex and provide stability when skipping across the water, making it easier to achieve smooth, consistent skips. The design pairs perfectly with a soft plastic toad for optimal action. Key Features: • No break-in period needed: Custom serrated rivet and anodized blade that produces a loud, consistent squeak right out of the package. (Toad & Skirted) • Secured trailers: Flattened conical bait keepers lock trailers in place and resist roll-down, especially when skipping. (Toad & Skirted)

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Wishing all our valued Canadian viewers a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Billy Gilbert and Brad Brodnicki Win 2025 Canadian Tire Lake Erie Open!

Canadian Tire Lake Erie Open, Press Release

On Saturday October 11th 100 Teams comprised of 200 anglers blasted off from Chippawa, ON in search of the biggest 5 fish limit of bass they could find. Yet another day where forecasts were all over and conditions were very tough to predict. Lake Erie was left Open and anglers that went for it were met with waves that Lake Erie is known for and some rain mixed in. However, the rain forecasted seemed to just miss the area giving some reprieve from the waves.

Even though the lake was a bit “nasty” there are always teams that can locate and catch a big bag of bass, and this year was once again exceptional setting new records across the board!! A total of 305 were fish brough to the scales and the average bass weighed in was 3.89lbs. As the weigh in started it seemed that the weights would be down, with a number of teams pulling out early and not weighing in. However, this would not hold up long as at total of 31 bags over 20 lbs were brought in, and an incredible 11 bags over 23 lbs! Again, the anglers took good care of their fish, and we had only 3 dead fish (98.4% live release) and all others went back into the river healthy and ready to be caught again.

When the dust settled – The now TWO TIME CHAMPIONS Billy Gilbert and Brad Brodnicki topped the scales with a new tournament record bag of 28.96lbs! This mega bag, came with a total of $18,750 in cash and prizes – which consisted of $10,000 cash for first, $7100 cash for pay to play (side pot), $1000 Canadian Tire Gift Card, and the Tactical Fishing Big Bag award (2 Rods/Reels of 650 Value)!! Congratulations for HUGE win in a talented field of anglers setting the new weight and Money RECORDS! In second place (with a weight that would have won any other of the previous 11 tournaments) the team of Larry Mazur and Joe Fonzi had 27.63lbs and The Abu Garcia Big Bass #2 at 6.55lbs. They were rewarded with a total of $7050 in cash & prizes! Rounding out the top 3 – Tyler Manthey / Andrew Wengender had 25.69lbs for a total of $4150 in cash & prizes.

Top 20 Below

Best Freshwater Soft Lure award at ICAST 2025, the Z-Man® SWAG™ LT

 

Ladson, SC – The wait is over, folks – exhale, unclench your fists, and grab your favorite swimbait rod. After taking home the Best Freshwater Soft Lure award at ICAST 2025, the Z-Man® SWAG™ LT has swaggered its way in stock, ready to change the way anglers fish harnessed swimbaits. Z-Man's product development team and pro staff had a laundry list of lofty goals when setting out to design the SWAG LT: expand the retrieve speed window, maximize hookup and landing ratios, and boost overall durability and lifelike realism. “What we ended up with didn’t just meet those goals,” remarks Z-Man Product Manager Richard Dunham. “It exceeded them across the board.”

The motor driving the SWAG LT and enabling its remarkably consistent performance is its proprietary tail design. A hybrid of wedge tail and T-tail designs, the industry-first SWAG tail delivers consistent, wide-swinging swimming action whether burned or slow-rolled, and even on the fall.  “The first time we saw it in the water, we were blown away and knew we were onto something special,” says Dunham. “This tail design provides unmatched stability across a wide range of speeds, and the wide, natural swimming action is incredible.”

Rig It Your Way

At the core of the SWAG LT is Z-Man’s optimized Over/Under Line-Through Harness, which lets anglers choose between a dorsal-mounted sickle style single hook or a custom belly-mounted double hook, both designed for maximum hookset efficiency.  Rigged either way, when a fish strikes, the lure slides up the line, preventing it from being used as leverage to throw the hook.

Jacob Wheeler Joins Suzuki Marine USA Team

 

It's official, Jacob Wheeler and Suzuki Marine USA have joined forces. 

Laker Howell Wins 2025 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Wheeler Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Howell's double Classic qualification secures Classic spot for  Kyle Norsetter

David A. Brown, BASS PRESS Release

DECATUR, Ala. — For a guy who finished first, the number two came up a lot in Laker Howell’s victory story.

After three days of competition, the pro from Guntersville, Ala., tallied 65 pounds, 11 ounces and won the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Wheeler Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops.

“I feel like a weight has been lifted off my back, because this morning when I got up, I was so nervous, I literally woke up (nauseous),” Howell said. “The whole day, I was just a cat trying to catch a bass. But right now, I can’t even describe how incredible this is.”

By the numbers, Howell caught 21-6 on Day 1 and placed second to Matt Adams. In the second round, Howell caught 25-4 — the event’s heaviest bag — and moved ahead of Adams by 4 ounces. Championship Saturday saw the 6-foot-5 pro stood tall with a final limit of 19-1.

His winning margin — 2 ounces.

Continuing the numerical theme, Howell has won two of the last three tournaments he’s fished. In mid-August, he won the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN.

Finally, Howell’s family has claimed two wins at this Tennessee River impoundment. In 1998, Laker Howell’s father, Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series angler Randy Howell won his first major event at Wheeler Lake.

And if the story wasn’t already good enough, Randy Howell was 24 when he won his Wheeler Lake trophy. His son’s age — 24.

“That’s why this tournament is so special to me,” the younger Howell said. “I literally watched that video during practice with my roommate. I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be crazy if I won this tournament.’”

All week, Howell committed to a section of the Decatur Flats about 2 miles from takeoff. He focused on a saddle with shell bottom between two bars near the river channel.

Scott Hamrick Wins 2025 NPFL Championship on Lake Hartwell

Scott Hamrick rallies on the final day to take the Championship on Lake Hartwell.

Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons

The most consistent angler over three days at the 2025 NPFL Championship on Lake Hartwell, hosted by Visit Anderson, was Scott Hamrick. He opened with a 14‑10 bag on day one, followed by 15‑3 on day two, and closed strong with his biggest bag of the week on Showdown Sunday, weighing 15‑15, anchored by a 6‑1 largemouth.

His three-day total weight of 45‑12 secured the Championship victory, earning him a $100,000 payday, a berth into next year’s Championship event, and the coveted NPFL shield.

Rallying to second after day two with 16‑12, to go with his day one weight of 14‑4, Tennessee angler Michael Stout did enough on the final day, catching 14‑10 to finish the Championship in second place with a three-day total of 45‑10. In third, Georgia pro Will Harkins, a pre-tournament favorite, also finished with 45‑10.

Moving into fifth place, 2024 Progressive Angler of the Year winner Kyle Welcher caught the biggest bag, and biggest bass of the event, making up for a tough day two. His 6-11 lunker anchored his 19-14 rally bag, moving him several spots on the final day.

Hamrick Flips the Switch

Living in North Carolina, Scott Hamrick is a bit familiar with Lake Hartwell. When he arrived for practice this week, he had a hunch he would be fishing shallow and picking apart cover, but he did not know it would unfold the way it did.

“I knew what the plan was going to be before I got here,” he said. “I knew the weather was coming and that it would help the bite in the creeks, where I focused my time. I had a decent practice, but you’re not really fishing anything, so I was not sure what the potential was going to be.”

TOP 10 BELOW

Chad Poteat: First Honoree in NPFL- Circle of Honor

An extraordinary moment with an extraordinary man at the Championship Banquet.

Story by Ken Duke; photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons 

Occasionally, people are extraordinary.

Through grit, determination, perseverance, resilience, and sheer force of will, they find a way to prevail under circumstances that would crush most of us.

In 2025, NPFL professional angler Chad Poteat, 52, of Mount Airy, North Carolina showed the world that he is one of those extraordinary people. Early this year, Poteat was diagnosed with an aggressive form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS” or “Lou Gehrig’s disease”). It’s a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting neurons in the brain and spinal cord. These neurons control voluntary muscles, like the ones that enable us to walk, talk, swallow, and breathe. With ALS, they gradually weaken, atrophy, and lose their ability to function. Over time, paralysis develops, but cognitive abilities usually remain intact.

It’s a cruel, relentless disease that takes an inevitable toll. That toll has been magnified in the case of Chad Poteat in 2025. In August, his 21-year-old daughter passed away. His 96-year-old mother died less than a month later.

To withstand such loss—even in great health—is a challenge. To do it with a debilitating disease seems unthinkable.

Poteat and his wife Alaine did it.

MillerTech expands sponsorship of Major League Fishing, named presenting sponsor of Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit

Larger and Deeper Payouts for New Season

BENTON, Ky. – Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament fishing organization, announced today that MillerTech Energy has renewed its sponsorship agreement with the organization and expanded their agreement into a multi-year partnership that now encompasses all MLF circuits, including being named the presenting sponsor of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. The new multi-year deal strengthens MillerTech’s status as an Official Sponsor of MLF while continuing several high-profile assets across the league’s premier events and enhancing Pro Circuit payouts.

As part of the agreement, the Pro Circuit will now be titled the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech Energy. MillerTech’s presence will also extend across the MLF Bass Pro Tour, REDCREST, Heavy Hitters and Team Series, highlighted by the popular “MillerTech Time Clock” feature during live broadcasts. The company will also maintain its footprint at the annual REDCREST Outdoor Sports Expo and expand digital, broadcast and social media activations throughout the season.

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Major League Fishing and excited to expand into the presenting sponsorship of the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit,” said Lester Miller, owner of MillerTech Energy. “Our company was built on performance, reliability and customer service, and those values align perfectly with the passion and dedication of MLF anglers and fans.”