Dominant third-period surge sends Lucas Oil to Knockout Round, 7Brew Coffee rallies to claim second advancing spot
OXFORD, Ala. (Oct. 23, 2025) – Team Lucas Oil’s Luke Clausen and Michael Neal delivered a clinic in consistency and adjustment Thursday, racking up 32 scorable bass weighing 44 pounds, 4 ounces to win Elimination Match 2 of the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
Despite flat-calm, sunny conditions to start the morning, the veteran duo quickly deciphered the bite – then shifted gears perfectly when the fish changed. They posted eight scorable bass in Period 1, nine in Period 2, and 15 in the final frame to pull away and secure a “stress-free” qualification into Saturday’s Knockout Round.
Link to HD Video Clip of Patriot Cup Elimination Round Match 2 Highlights
Link to Afternoon Photo Gallery: Anglers dial it in on Lake Wedowee during Day 2 of the Patriot Cup
“It’s been a pretty good day,” Neal said. “We only lost the lead for a brief time in the second period, so it was nice to stay pretty comfortably above that cutline. This format is all about the cut line, and we were above it the whole time. Today was fairly stress-free, which is very rare in this format.”
Early on, Clausen and Neal discovered that fish were sticking unusually tight to the bottom despite the calm, bright conditions. The duo then adjusted again later in the day when the wind picked up and pushed the baitfish higher in the water column.
“Really it was a one-two punch for us,” Neal continued. “We started off this morning kind of lost, but we found a point and got a few bites quick on a shaky head and drop-shot. Later in the day, that fizzled, so I moved toward some standing timber and stopped short – next thing I know, we’re catching them suspended. That’s what this format is all about, just figuring it out as you go.”
Clausen did much of his early damage with a finesse setup before joining Neal on the suspended bite later in the day.
“That shaky head was really good this morning,” Clausen said. “I was throwing a 3/16-ounce head with a green pumpkin worm on a Phenix 7-foot, 1-inch medium rod with 10-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line – pretty simple, but hard to beat almost anywhere in the country. Later, when they lifted up in the water column, that minnow on a ¼-ounce head was the deal. It was just a fun day making adjustments as we went.”
Beyond the tackle talk, the victory carried personal meaning for both anglers – longtime friends who hadn’t shared a boat in more than a decade.
“We don’t get to fish together much,” Clausen said. “I think the last time we fished together was in 2012 – right after (Paul) Elias won at Lake Guntersville on the Alabama Rig. I’ve known Michael since he was in high school, and it’s just fun to get out there with someone you’ve known that long and see how they fish. Especially when we’re kicking everybody else’s butt like we did today.”
“I told Luke he’s buying dinner tonight – this has been a guide trip,” Neal added with a laugh. “But this is the first two-man Team Series event where I’ve actually made it through the first round, so I’m excited. We’ve got a chance to make some more money and hopefully keep things rolling.”
Team 7Brew Coffee’s Edwin Evers and Jesse Wiggins rallied midway through the second period to briefly take the lead, finishing with 19 bass for 27-3 to secure the second Knockout Round spot. Team B&W Trailer Hitches (15-0) and Team Kubota (3-3) were eliminated from competition.
The top two teams from Elimination Round Match 2 at the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches that now advance to the Knockout Round are:
1st: Team Lucas Oil, 32 bass, 44-4
Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 20 bass, 26-14
Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 12 bass, 17-6
2nd: Team 7Brew Coffee, 19 bass, 27-3
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., six bass, 8-13
Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 13 bass, 18-6
Eliminated from competition are:
3rd: Team B&W Trailer Hitches, 10 bass, 15-0
James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., four bass, 5-5
Alton Jones Sr., Lorena, Texas, six bass, 9-11
4th: Team Kubota, two bass, 3-3
Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., one bass, 1-6
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., one bass, 1-13
Complete results from throughout the week can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 63 bass weighing 89 pounds, 10 ounces caught by the four teams in Elimination Match 2 on Lake Wedowee. Team Lucas Oil pro Michael Neal caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a 2-pound, 6-ounce largemouth bass.
The four teams that will compete Friday in Elimination Match 3 at the Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches are:
Team Ferguson:
Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan
Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Team Knighten:
Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn.
Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas
Team Smokey Mountain:
Brandon Coulter, Knoxville, Tenn.
John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky.
Team YETI:
Colby Miller, Elmer, La.
Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C.
The Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches is hosted by the City of Oxford and takes place over six days in Oxford, Alabama. 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 9:15 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 livestreamed 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 Patriot 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 Monday’s Day 6 Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine which team will win the 2025 Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops features 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 Folds of Honor Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches will also air on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting March 28, 2026. The complete television schedule for the Fishing Clash Team Series on Outdoor Channel will be posted at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
For complete details and updated information on the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.