Team BUBBA (DeFoe/Montgomery) catches 38 scorable bass totaling 56-1 to win Elimination Round Match 2, top two teams move on to Knockout Round
MINOCQUA, Wis. (Sept. 15, 2025) – The defending champions were at it again as Day 2 of the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies continued on Monday . Team BUBBA – Bass Pro Tour standouts Ott DeFoe and Andy Montgomery – looked every bit like the duo that hoisted the Heritage Cup trophy in Neenah, Wisconsin last season, cruising through Elimination Match 2 to end the competition day with 56 pounds, 1 ounce of scorable bass. Their steady performance on Minocqua Lake not only secured the win but also sent a clear message that they remain the team to beat at the second event of the 2025 Major League Fishing (MLF) Fishing Clash Team Series.
Link to HD Video Clip of Heritage Cup Elimination Round Match 2 Highlights
Link to Morning Photo Gallery: Second fleet of teams embark on Minocqua Lake for Heritage Cup
Link to Afternoon Photo Gallery: Minocqua heats up during Elimination Match 2
“That’s got to be the least stressful day of fishing I’ve ever had on the Team Series,” DeFoe said. “We got in a good area right away, caught them on the docks, and really just settled in. After that, we spent most of the last period practicing and looking for more water, which is always important in this format.”
Montgomery echoed the comfort of fishing to their strengths.
“We only caught one scorable bass after we left that first stretch, but it didn’t matter,” Montgomery said. “That spot was everything. If we had to pick one thing to do when we came up here, it was exactly this – fishing boat docks with a wacky worm and a jig.
“Ott’s throwing his Bass Pro Shops Wacky Stik-O, and I’m skipping a Strike King jig with a Strike King Rage Bug. It’s a one-two punch that works.”
DeFoe leaned into the details of the winning setup.
“That’s just a deadly combination for us,” he said. “I can skip that Wacky Stik-O way up under a dock, and Andy can hit every angle with his jig. Between the two of us, we’re efficient and we cover water. When you get in the right area and they’re biting, it just works.”
While Team BUBBA left little doubt about their advancement, the real drama came down to the wire between Team Star Tron and Team Knighten Industries. Marshall Robinson carried the load in the final period for Star Tron, boating seven scorable bass for 14 pounds to push their total to 41-7 and edge out Knighten by just 2 pounds, 4 ounces.
Drew Gill’s consistency and Robinson’s late surge gave Team Star Tron the second advancing spot, while Team Knighten Industries – last year’s Challenge Cup winners Matt Becker and Spencer Shuffield – fell just short despite a furious comeback in the third period.
The Knighten Industries duo found a productive offshore milfoil stretch and caught four bass in the final seven minutes but ultimately ran out of time.
“We got on them late, and we almost pulled it off,” Shuffield said. “That’s the way this format goes – every ounce matters. We just needed one more bite.”
For Team Kubota’s Nick Hatfield and Cole Floyd, the day never quite came together. After an early attempt in the grass fizzled, they shifted to docks but struggled to generate consistent bites, finishing in fourth and heading home.
In the end, the day belonged to the veterans from Team BUBBA, who combined for 38 scorable bass and showed the same chemistry that carried them to victory in Wisconsin last year.
“We complement each other really well and together we can keep them biting,” Montgomery said.
“We’ve won with this formula before, and it gives us confidence moving forward,” DeFoe added. “Now it’s about finding the next good stretch and keeping the momentum rolling.”
The top two teams from Elimination Round Match 2 at the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies that now advance to the Knockout Round are:
1st: Team BUBBA, 38 bass, 56-1
Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 22 bass, 31-9
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 16 bass, 24-8
2nd: Team Star Tron, 23 bass, 41-7
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 12 bass, 19-11
Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 11 bass, 21-12
Eliminated from competition are:
3rd: Team Knighten Industries, 26 bass, 39-3
Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 14 bass, 19-13
Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 12 bass, 19-6
4th: Team Kubota, 15 bass, 20-11
Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 6-10
Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 14-1
Complete results from throughout the week can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 102 bass weighing 157 pounds, 6 ounces caught by the four teams in Elimination Round Match 2 on Lake Minocqua. Team BUBBA pro Andy Montgomery caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a largemouth weighing 3 pounds, 2 ounces.
The four teams that will compete Tuesday in Elimination Round Match 3 at the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies are:
Team 7Brew Coffee:
Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala.
Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas
Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga.
Team O’Reilly Auto Parts:
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala.
Team Smokey Mountain:
Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
The Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies is hosted by the Minocqua Area Visitors Bureau and takes place over six days in Minocqua, Wisconsin . The competition water for each day is top-secret and is only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 8:45 a.m.
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live every day of competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® is live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps, RFD-TV Now, Game & Fish TV and Rumble. The final period of every day of competition of the 2025 Fishing Clash Team Series is broadcast live on RFD-TV, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT.
The Heritage Cup features 12 two-man teams divided into three groups as they enter the one-day Elimination Round matches. Each of the three Elimination Round matches will feature four new teams, with the top two teams from each match of the Elimination Round advancing to the Knockout Round on Days 4 & 5. In the Knockout Rounds, three teams compete each day, with the top two teams from each Knockout Round match moving on to the Championship Round on Day 6. In Friday’s Day 6 Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine which team will win the 2025 Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops will feature four Cup events in 2025 – the Challenge, Heritage, Patriot, and Summit Cups – with 12 two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour anglers competing for a share of $560,000 in prize money. Teams were formed through a selection process, where 48 team captains – based on Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) standings throughout the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season – selected a teammate. Teams will compete throughout the fall of 2025.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies will also air on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting Feb. 14, 2026. The complete television schedule for the Fishing Clash Team Series on Outdoor Channel will be posted at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
