Mark Daniels Jr. has bettered his finish each time he’s fished Heavy Hitters. Can No. 4 be his lucky number at Smith Mountain?
May 14, 2025
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – B&W Trailer Hitches Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops comes to Smith Mountain Lake, May 17-22. Thirty Bass Pro Tour anglers from the 2024 season qualified. One will walk away with the $100,000 top prize – and potentially double that with an additional $100,000 awarded to the angler who catches the heaviest bass in the Championship Round.
The qualification process for Heavy Hitters was simple. Each angler’s biggest bass from every event of the 2024 BPT season was added up for a total weight. The 30 anglers with the most combined weight made 2025 Heavy Hitters. At the top, Justin Lucas piled up 41 pounds, 15 ounces over seven events, followed closely by Jacob Wheeler at 41-9. Michael Neal (third in qualifying standings) was the only other angler to top 40 pounds with 41-7.
Heavy Hitters features a star-studded cast yet again this year, headlined by some of the biggest names in the sport – among them, Alton Jones Sr. and Jr., who may as well be called the King and Prince of Heavy Hitters at this point, having each won the title belt in 2021 and 2023, respectively. Junior, notably, has won more Heavy Hitters money than anyone with an additional $150,000 in big bass bonuses in 2022.
Smith Mountain Lake has never hosted a tour-level FLW/MLF event, and not many anglers in the field have a ton of experience at the clear, deep Virginia fishery, though Martin Villa (24th in qualifying) has fished some BFLs there. As much of a mystery as Smith Mountain will be to many in the field, one thing is certain – there are some big bass in the lake, and these guys are going to find them.
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