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Kernersville’s Garland Gets the Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at High Rock Lake

Brian Carter

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April 14, 2025

Kernersville’s Garland Gets the Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at High Rock Lake

Boater winner Austin Garland of Kernersville, North Carolina, and co-angler winner Robert Green of Sedalia, North Carolina.

Welcher puts finishing touches on dominating victory at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound

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April 13, 2025

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Welcher puts finishing touches on dominating victory at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound

Alabama’s Kyle Welcher goes wire-to-wire to win the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound in Elizabeth City, N.C., with a weight of 118-12.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

April 13, 2025

Welcher puts finishing touches on dominating victory at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Kyle Welcher loves fishing rivers. After the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound, it is easy to see why.

With a stunning four-day total of 118 pounds, 12 ounces, Welcher claimed the first title of his Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series career, earning a coveted blue trophy and the $100,000 first-place prize. The 2023 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year opened the tournament with a bang, landing 30-11 to take the Day 1 lead, which he never relinquished.

He backed it up with 30-3 on Day 2 and 34-0 on Day 3, the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament, and capped off the week with a 23-14 limit, anchored by a 7-3 largemouth.

“I didn’t think I would get a Century Belt, for sure,” Welcher said. “When I heard we were coming here, I was excited. I feel comfortable in rivers and was really excited to go to one without a lot of history. But when I saw the forecast about 10 days away from practice, that kind of took the wind out of my sails. (I didn’t think) it was going to set up for the way I like to fish.

“It ended up falling right into my wheelhouse in a way I’m super comfortable fishing.”

It was a beatdown of historic proportion. Welcher’s winning margin of 45-7 over second-place Brandon Lester is the largest in Elite Series history, shattering the previous mark of 29-10 set by Patrick Walters at Lake Fork in 2020.

His winning weight is also the 13^th-largest four-day winning total in Elite Series history while the Pasquotank River becomes the 11th venue in Elite Series history to produce a Century Belt.

“I’m super thankful really. I kind of felt it building like that early on Day 2,” the 32-year-old said. “I’ve been fishing for a long time, and when stuff starts going your way, you have to get out of your own way and let it happen. There were a lot of signs pointing me to fish how I fished.”

Elite Series competitors were dealt a difficult hand this week in eastern North Carolina. A cold front pushed through the area during practice, sending temperatures from the high 70s down to the high 50s and low 60s. Strong winds made for choppy conditions in the Albemarle Sound throughout the week.

While many of his fellow competitors made lengthy one-way runs to the Roanoke, North and Chowan Rivers (to name a few) through those rough waters, Welcher stayed within a couple of miles of takeoff and maximized a mile-long stretch of the Pasquotank River.

After a terrible practice, he felt like it was his best option to salvage points. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

“For you to catch them like this, you have to have fish coming to you every single day,” Welcher said. “That window is super small. I didn’t find these bass until Day 1 of the tournament. They were fresh and there were more coming. It made all of the difference.”

That stretch was the only area that featured stumps and cypress trees, the types of cover Welcher believes they use to stage and spawn. He opened the tournament catching prespawn females, but as the tournament progressed, those females locked onto their beds to spawn.

Using his forward-facing sonar, Welcher was able to pick out stumps and cypress knees under the surface that the largemouth were using to spawn. Using a 7-foot-6 heavy Khaotic Kustom Rod paired with an 8:1:1 gear ratio reel spooled with 22-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon, he would pitch a black and blue Rapala CrushCity Bronco Bug to the piece of cover.

He rigged the Bronco Bug on a 4/0 Gamakatsu G-Power hook and a ¼-ounce tungsten weight, which he pegged with a bobber stop.

“I pegged my weight,” Welcher explained. “I was around a lot of stumps. When your bait is on top of the stump, a lot of times the weight can get away from the bait. I want my bait and weight to be together so that if I need to pitch into something, my bait is down there with the weight.”

Entering the day with a 33-14 lead on the field, Welcher was able to enjoy Championship Sunday.

“I did really enjoy it today,” Welcher said. “I went a little slower and thought a little more today. I wasn’t quite as intense. But I still moved around pretty good and fished hard.”

Within the first hour of fishing on Championship Sunday, Welcher eclipsed the 100-pound mark, landing a 4-pounder and a 7-pounder. He filled out his limit just after 10 a.m., but it was an overall slower day, as he only culled once in the afternoon hours. As the day wore down, Welcher realized his fourth-straight 30-pound day was becoming unlikely.

“I was disappointed about that about 2 o’clock,” Welcher said. “And then I remembered I had 23 pounds. I was like, ‘I need to chill out.’”

Fayetteville, Tenn., pro Brandon Lester finished in second with a four-day total of 72-1. Lester steadily made his way up the leaderboard with bags of 17-7, 18-14 and 24-11 before catching 10-8 on the final day.

“This has been one of the funnest events I’ve fished in a long time,” Lester said. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years and it’s not very often that we get to go to a new place that nobody really knows anything about. It is a clean slate.”

Lester used a two-pronged approach to notch his best finish of 2025. The nine-time Classic qualifier fished a LiveTarget Straight Tail Worm on a ⅛-ounce shaky head on a hard spot next to a bridge outside of takeoff before fishing docks and shallow cover with a Live Target Finesse Worm on a 3/16-ounce drop-shot rig in a creek towards the mouth of the Pasquotank.

Looking at the weather, Lester knew early on that making a long run to any other river would not be in the cards for him.

“Making a run was going to be really risky,” he said. “You are going to tear your boat up and your body up. If I could find something close and maximize my time, maybe it would work out. And it did. It was a blessed week. If someone is going to blow it out, it should be somebody like (Welcher).”

Carbondale, Ill., pro Trey McKinney finished third with a four-day total of 72-1. The 20-year-old opened the tournament in second place with 23-7 and followed that up with bags weighing 15-7, 21-7 and 11-1.

The 2024 Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year spent his tournament in the North River fishing shallow wood. A prototype jig with a twin-tail grub generated the most bites on Day 1, but as the tournament progressed, McKinney switched to a Neko rig with either a 6th Sense Bamboosa worm or a 6th Sense Divine Shaky Head Worm.

“Thank goodness I got a couple bites in that creek the last day of practice,” he said. “I found them as I went. Every day I found find a spot where I could get two or three good bites.”

Not only did Welcher win the $100,000 first-place prize, but he also earned several bonuses as well. He earned $2,000 for catching the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament with the 10-8 he landed on Day 3. That bass earned him another $1,000 for Big Bass of the Day on Day 3. Welcher also landed the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day on Championship Sunday with a 7-3, which was worth another $1,000.

Keith Combs and Greg Hackney earned $1,000 each for landing the Big Bass of the Day on Thursday and Friday respectively.

Fittingly, Welcher also claimed the $2,000 prize for Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament with his 34-0 Day 3 limit.

Welcher also took home an additional $3,000 for being the highest-placing entrant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, while Easton Fothergill earned $2,000 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

As part of the Yamaha Power Pay program, Fothergill earned an additional $2,500 while Combs claimed an additional $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.

Sylacauga, Ala., pro Will Davis Jr leads the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race through three events with 270 points. Union City, Tenn., sophomore John Garrett is second, also with 270 points, followed by Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat in third with 268 points, North Carolina’s Jake Whitaker in fourth with 262 points and Texas’s Lee Livesay in fifth with 258 points. Logan Parks, Shane LeHew, David Gaston, Chris Johnston and Bill Lowen round out the Top 10.

Alabama’s Tucker Smith leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year race with 191 points followed by Georgia’s Paul Marks in second with 180 points and Arkansas’s Beau Browning in third with 163 points.

2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River 4/10-4/13
Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound , Elizabeth City NC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 20 118-12 104 $106,000.00
Day 1: 5 30-11 Day 2: 5 30-03 Day 3: 5 34-00 Day 4: 5 23-14
2. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 20 73-05 103 $20,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 24-11 Day 4: 5 12-05
3. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 20 72-01 102 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 21-07 Day 4: 5 11-12
4. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 19 68-06 101 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 4 10-12 Day 3: 5 19-10 Day 4: 5 14-03
5. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 19 67-05 100 $12,750.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 18-15 Day 4: 4 17-04
6. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 20 67-02 99 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 20-10 Day 4: 5 17-04
7. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 19 66-02 98 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 22-09 Day 4: 4 06-00
8. Seth Feider Elko New Market, MN 20 65-06 97 $10,300.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 21-02 Day 4: 5 11-11
9. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 20 64-14 96 $10,200.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 17-13 Day 4: 5 13-14
10. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 20 62-04 95 $10,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 14-11 Day 4: 5 11-05
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 08-02 $1,000.00
2 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 08-04 $1,000.00
3 Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10-08 $1,000.00
4 Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 07-03 $1,000.00

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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10-08 $2,000.00
RAPALA CRUSHCITY MONSTER BAG

Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 34-00 $2,000.00

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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 71 437 1150-07
2 84 469 1285-00
3 39 223 676-02
4 8 48 139-08
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202 1177 3251-01

Photos From the Final Day 2025 Big Bass Tour on Smith Mountain Lake

Brian Carter

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April 13, 2025

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Photos From the Final Day 2025 Big Bass Tour on Smith Mountain Lake

Robby Halsey’s 9.13 Wins 2025 Big Bass Tour event on Smith Mountain Lake

Brian Carter

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April 13, 2025

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Robby Halsey’s 9.13 Wins 2025 Big Bass Tour event on Smith Mountain Lake

What a finish to the 2025 Big Bass Tourn event on Smith Mountain Lake! Sunday’s weigh-in was the slowest of the three-day event, with overall weights down—but one angler delivered the moment we’d all been waiting for. The morning bite was nearly non-existent, but everything changed between 10 – 11 a.m. when Robby brought a 9.13-pound giant to the scales. That fish sealed the deal and earned him a brand-new Nitro Boat. Congratulations to Robby and to all the anglers who cashed a check at this year’s event!

Welcher continues domination of the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound on Day 3

Brian Carter

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April 12, 2025

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Welcher continues domination of the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound on Day 3

Alabama’s Kyle Welcher leads Day 3 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound in Elizabeth City, N.C., with a weight of 94-14.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

April 12, 2025

Welcher continues domination of the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound on Day 3

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Kyle Welcher is utterly dominating the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound.

The Opelika, Ala., pro caught the biggest bag of the tournament on Semifinal Saturday, a 34-pound limit anchored by a whopping 10-8 largemouth. With bags of 30-11 and 30-3 the first two days of the event, Welcher carries a total of 94-14 into the final day of competition.

“I’ve never had one day of fishing like this,” Welcher said. “I hope there are a few more spawning because that’s the fun way to catch them.”

The 2023 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year is on pace to achieve several milestones on Championship Sunday. Not only will he likely claim his first Century Belt, Welcher also could break the record for largest margin of victory in Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series history set by Patrick Walters at Lake Fork in the fall of 2020, a 29-10 difference.

He currently leads second-place Brandon Lester by 33-14.

Welcher achieved several personal bests on Saturday as well, including catching his biggest tournament bag ever in his Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series career. The 10-8 that now leads the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors is now his personal best, unseating the 10-1 he landed at the St. Johns River in 2020.

All this success comes after experiencing one of the worst practices of his career.

“A week like this is only possible when you have a bad (practice),” he said. “When they are in a migration pattern like they are right now, you need them to be coming to you. The area I have, I fished down it Day 3 of practice and had one bite down that stretch.

“Day 1 I had four big ones down it, yesterday I caught five big ones and today I caught five big ones.”

Welcher has fished a mile stretch of the Pasquotank River each day of the tournament, focusing on bass that are either setting up to spawn or spawning on cypress trees and stumps.

“There’s not a lot of spawning habitat in the area, and the stretch (I’m fishing) provides the only habitat,” Welcher said. “I caught them shallower today, but the water was six inches lower.”

A Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug rigged on a ¼-ounce Texas rig has landed all his best bites this week. Welcher has focused his time on only bass he feels will be easy to catch, making his days more efficient. The females he has landed have had a male with them, but most times he can’t see them on his forward-facing sonar.

“(The Bronco Bug) has got big appendages that sit off the bottom,” he said. “It also has a hinge system that moves, so when I’m shaking it, I just visualize those legs flapping back and forth in the bed. For whatever reason the big females really like it.”

In similar fashion to Day 2, Welcher opened the morning by landing a 7-pounder, settling his nerves and ensuring he would likely fish with the lead the rest of the day.

“I knew then someone would have to catch 30 pounds to catch me with just that one fish,” Welcher said. “It got me to settle down and pick apart the area. It took me a little while after that to start generating more big bites, but around 11:30 every day I have caught a couple big ones. That same thing happened today.”

With a limit in the boat, Welcher landed a 5-pounder close to midday before coming across the 10-8. That bass ate his Bronco bug twice before Welcher was able to hook it for good and land it.

“That was unbelievable. I was trolling and I saw it. It spooked off really slow and came right back. The first cast I made to it, it bit. It swam to the boat, and I lost it. I fished for it for 10 more minutes and I hooked it for a long time then. I probably had it hooked for 10 or 15 seconds before it came off. So, I fished for it for 20 to 25 more minutes before eating it again. When I set the hook, it was like it was hooked to the back of a truck. I’ll never forget it.”

Lester, meanwhile, landed 24-11 on Day 3 and increased his three-day total to 61-0. The Tennessee pro opened the tournament in eighth with 17-7 before catching 18-14 on Day 2 to move into fifth.

“It was a really good day. I feel like it could fall apart at any moment,” the 2022 Pickwick Elite Series Champion said. “I’m fishing slow, methodical and confident. The worst I can finish now is 10th. So, it is all good.”

His Tennessee River roots were on full display during the morning hours of Day 3. Lester caught his limit fishing a shallow shellbar next to a bridge in the Pasquotank River. A 6 ½-inch LiveTarget Straight Tail Worm on a ⅛-ounce shaky head caught the majority of those bass while a ⅜-ounce jig produced a 5-pounder.

“That was the best start I’ve had, and it was totally unexpected,” Lester said. “I had a hunch on that spot. You need the north wind, because it gets the current moving out of here. That’s what happened this morning.”

Once the bite slowed on his bridge, he returned to a creek in the Pasquotank he had fished the two previous days. Late in the day, he landed a 6-12 on a 3/16-ounce drop shot with a LiveTarget Finesse Worm.

With bags of 23-7, 15-7 and 21-7, Trey McKinney is third with a three-day total of 60-5. After a disappointing Day 2 performance, McKinney returned to the North River on Day 3. After a slow start, he was able to pick off better quality bass as the day progressed, including some 5-pounders.

“I don’t know about tomorrow. I feel like I’m either going to bomb or catch them (well),” he said. “I’ve seen the most cypress knees I’ve ever seen in my life. There is so much cover there that you can’t physically fish all of it. In 30 minutes you can go down a stretch and not catch anything, and come back 30 minutes later and one will move a little bit and you can catch it.”

McKinney has rotated between a prototype jig paired with a twin-tail grub-style bait and a Neko rig with either a 6th Sense Bamboosa Worm or 6th Sense Divine Shaky Head Worm. The shaky head worm generated more bites on Day 3.

“I think it moves a little more water and they are more aggressive to it,” McKinney said.

With his epic Day 3 performance, Welcher leads both the CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament and Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament honors. Minnesota’s Austin Felix earned the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency award for accurate reporting.

Sylacauga, Ala., pro Will Davis Jr and Union City, Tenn., pro John Garrett lead the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 270 points each. Plover, Wis., pro Jay Przekurat is third with 268 points followed by North Carolina’s Jake Whitaker in fourth with 262 points. Texas pro Lee Livesay is fifth with 258 points.

Alabama’s Tucker Smith leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year race with 191 points followed by Georgia’s Paul Marks in second with 180 points and Arkansas pro Beau Browning in third with 163 points.

The Top 10 anglers will launch from Waterfront Park in Elizabeth City beginning at 7 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in beginning at 3 p.m. Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River coverage will be broadcast on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.

Visit Elizabeth City is hosting the tournament.

2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River 4/10-4/13
Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound , Elizabeth City NC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 15 94-14 104 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 30-11 Day 2: 5 30-03 Day 3: 5 34-00
2. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 15 61-00 103
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 24-11
3. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 15 60-05 102
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 21-07
4. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 15 60-02 101
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 19-11 Day 3: 5 22-09
5. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 14 54-03 100
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 4 10-12 Day 3: 5 19-10
6. Seth Feider Elko New Market, MN 15 53-11 99
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 21-02
7. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 15 51-00 98
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-02 Day 3: 5 17-13
8. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 15 50-15 97
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 19-09 Day 3: 5 14-11
9. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 15 50-01 96 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 18-15
10. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 15 49-14 95
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 5 20-10
11. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 15 49-07 94 $7,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 22-09
12. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 15 47-07 93 $7,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 13-06 Day 3: 5 20-03
13. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 15 46-05 92 $7,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 17-10
14. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 15 45-09 91 $7,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 5 17-11
15. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 15 45-09 90 $7,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 14-12
16. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 15 45-07 89 $6,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 5 14-12
17. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 15 44-12 88 $6,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 17-08 Day 3: 5 16-00
18. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 15 44-06 87 $6,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 18-11 Day 3: 5 14-05
19. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 15 43-12 86 $6,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 14-03
20. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 15 43-08 85 $6,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 5 11-04
21. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 14 42-11 84 $6,000.00
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 5 24-05 Day 3: 5 11-06
22. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 15 42-05 83 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 10-03 Day 3: 5 15-15
23. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 13 42-04 82 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 3 11-11
24. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 15 41-13 81 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 20-04 Day 3: 5 09-00
25. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 12 41-13 80 $6,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 19-08 Day 3: 2 03-11
26. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 15 41-09 79 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 09-14
27. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 15 40-14 78 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 12-01 Day 3: 5 11-10
28. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 15 40-10 77 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 11-12
29. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 15 40-09 76 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 16-00
30. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 14 40-00 75 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 4 08-03 Day 3: 5 15-05
31. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 15 40-00 74 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 5 14-14
32. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 13 39-14 73 $5,500.00
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 16-02
33. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 15 39-11 72 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 09-10 Day 3: 5 13-12
34. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 15 39-00 71 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 13-14 Day 3: 5 11-12
35. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 14 38-10 70 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 4 08-03
36. Tucker Smith Birmingham, AL 15 37-03 69 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 12-12 Day 3: 5 08-11
37. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 15 36-01 68 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 10-08
38. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 13 36-00 67 $5,500.00
Day 1: 4 12-13 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 4 08-10
39. John Garrett Union City, TN 14 35-14 66 $5,500.00
Day 1: 4 09-07 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 5 10-03
40. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 11 35-12 65 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 1 02-00
41. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 15 35-12 64 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 10-07 Day 3: 5 11-06
42. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 14 35-07 63 $5,500.00
Day 1: 4 07-01 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 11-00
43. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 15 35-06 62 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-09 Day 3: 5 09-04
44. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 15 35-04 61 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 10-10
45. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 14 34-13 60 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 4 08-04
46. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 12 33-06 59 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 2 07-04
47. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 14 33-04 58 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 4 09-02
48. Blake Capps Muskogee, OK 13 31-05 57 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 3 07-10
49. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 9 30-12 56 $5,500.00
Day 1: 3 05-00 Day 2: 5 23-14 Day 3: 1 01-14
50. Chris Zaldain Boyd, TX 10 23-11 55 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 0 00-00
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 08-02 $1,000.00
2 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 08-04 $1,000.00
3 Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10-08 $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 71 437 1150-07
2 84 469 1285-00
3 39 223 676-02
———————————-
194 1129 3111-09

Marco Warner weighs in a 7.78 on day 2 of the Big Bass Tour on Smith Mountain Lake

Brian Carter

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April 12, 2025

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Marco Warner weighs in a 7.78 on day 2 of the Big Bass Tour on Smith Mountain Lake

Day two of the Big Bass Tour started where it finished, with it taking 4 plus pounds to cash the final check for most hours. Again, we saw some great-looking 7 lbs that weighed in as well. But the scare came in the 11-12 hours when Warner Mace went to the scales with this giant Bass. Will the current leader, Robin Lefler, 7.88, be knocked off tomorrow, or will the first female winner of a Big Bass Tournament event take home a brand new Nitro?

Browning slows down to win B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula

Brian Carter

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April 12, 2025

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Browning slows down to win B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula

Texas’ Paul Browning wins the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance in Eufaula, Okla., with a weight of 42-5.

Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.

April 11, 2025

Browning slows down to win B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Okla. — He had to slow down to figure out the deal, but once Paul Browning dialed in his pattern, he turned in a dominant performance to win the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance with a three-day total of 42 pounds, 5 ounces.

After a slow Day 1 yielded only two keepers for 7-13, the boater from Monahans, Texas, found himself in 29th place. The second round saw him make considerable headway, and although he fell one fish short of his five-bass limit, Browning’s 15-10 propelled him into seventh place.

On Championship Friday, Browning stepped on the gas and sacked up 18-14 — the tournament’s second-heaviest catch — and raced across the finish line by a margin of 2-9 over Day 2 leader Ian Leybas. Browning won the top prize of $12,899 and earned a spot in the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance, Oct. 22-25.

“It started off slow today and I lost two fish pretty quick,” Browning said. “I lost a 3-pounder and a 2, but then I caught a 7-4 that clued me in on a new stretch.”

Fishing the mid-lake region near the Belle Star Marina, Browning targeted spawning fish in buckbrush in 6 inches to 4 feet of water. He was flipping a 4-inch Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog in the tilapia color, rigged on a 4/0 Owner Jungle flipping hook with a 1/2-ounce Kovert Tungsten weight.

“The water was really clean; it had a brownish tint, but it was mostly clear, so the light breeze helped,” Browning said. “My mapping showed a deeper area in the middle, so I knew that would give the fish a place to go during the cooler nights.”

Looking back, Browning realized he started his morning by fishing too fast. The manner in which he caught his big fish caused him to alter his pace, and that helped him complete his winning limit.

“That 7-4 slowed me down, and I think that’s what did it for me,” Browning said. “I was flipping into the brush and slowly dragging the bait out. Some of them would bite it in the brush, but most of them bit when I drug it out.”

Reflecting on his win, Browning said: “It feels good. The last two years have been a struggle fishing the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens. Maybe this will help me get the wheels back on the wagon.”

Leybas, the local pro from McAlester, Okla., placed 13th on Day 1 with two bass that weighed 10-10. In the second round, he added the event’s biggest limit — 19-13 — and moved into the lead. His Day 3 catch of four fish for 9-5 gave him a second-place tournament total of 39-12.

Leybass, who attributed his big Day 2 comeback to more favorable wind conditions, returned to his main area in the mid- to south-lake region, where he targeted prespawn fish. He caught his fish on a 3/8-ounce white/chartreuse spinnerbait with double Colorado blades.

“You gotta keep perspective when you’re fishing,” Leybass said. “It was a tough practice; the fish were not set up right. They were in and out; the water level (was fluctuating).

“I was blessed for the day I had yesterday. Today was a lot tougher, but it’s been a good event and it exceeded my expectations.”

Day 1 leader Kelley Hudson finished third with 39-2. His daily weights were 14-11, 13-10 and 10-13.

Hudson did most of his work in the backs of small creeks where he targeted shallow staging areas. He caught most of his fish on a Texas-rigged green pumpkin Zoom Brush Hog with the tail dipped in chartreuse. He caught his biggest final-round fish on a spinnerbait.

“I had a great week and I’m proud of the way I fished,” Hudson said. “I’ve never been here before, so to come to a 200,000-acre lake and have a chance to win is absolutely fantastic.”

Browning tied Lane Edwards of Paden, Okla., for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. Both anglers caught bass weighing 7-4 and split the $500 prize.

Zach Oliver of Coal Hill, Ark., won the non-boater division with a three-day total of 29-13. Oliver turned in daily three-fish limits of 5-10, 11-7 and 12-12.

For his achievement, Oliver won $4,593.

Joe Conway of Colorado Springs, Colo., won the $250 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award among non-boaters with an 8-2.

The City of Eufaula hosted the tournament.

2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance 4/9-4/11
Lake Eufaula, Eufaula OK.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Paul Browning Monahans, TX 11 42-05 0 $12,899.00
Day 1: 2 07-13 Day 2: 4 15-10 Day 3: 5 18-14
2. Ian Leybas Mcalester, OK 11 39-12 0 $6,144.00
Day 1: 2 10-10 Day 2: 5 19-13 Day 3: 4 09-05
3. Kelley Hudson Graham, TX 13 39-02 0 $4,337.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 4 13-10 Day 3: 4 10-13
4. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 11 32-09 0 $3,614.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 4 13-04 Day 3: 2 06-02
5. Mick Pageler Tonto Basin, AZ 12 32-08 0 $3,144.00
Day 1: 4 10-01 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 3 08-03
6. Jared Knuth Wahoo, NE 12 31-15 0 $2,891.00
Day 1: 4 08-15 Day 2: 4 10-13 Day 3: 4 12-03
7. Jaret Rushing Hampton, AR 11 30-11 0 $2,711.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 2 05-12 Day 3: 4 10-13
8. Lane Edwards Paden, OK 10 30-10 0 $2,780.00
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 4 13-09 Day 3: 3 10-15
9. Travis Merritt Jr Iowa, LA 10 30-05 0 $1,988.00
Day 1: 2 07-08 Day 2: 3 08-09 Day 3: 5 14-04
10. Chad Warren Sand Springs, OK 12 29-11 0 $1,626.00
Day 1: 3 08-06 Day 2: 5 11-14 Day 3: 4 09-07
11. Robert Degraffenreid Oklahoma Cty, OK 10 27-06 0 $1,446.00
Day 1: 2 08-03 Day 2: 5 11-15 Day 3: 3 07-04
12. Wyatt Ryan Ada, OK 8 26-02 0 $994.00
Day 1: 2 07-01 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 1 02-07
13. Brian Jones Magnolia, TX 9 25-14 0 $994.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 4 12-13 Day 3: 0 00-00
14. James Niggemeyer Van, TX 7 25-07 0 $994.00
Day 1: 1 02-07 Day 2: 4 16-11 Day 3: 2 06-05
15. Chase Washburn Shawnee, OK 7 24-07 0 $994.00
Day 1: 3 10-08 Day 2: 2 07-05 Day 3: 2 06-10
16. Brandon Mosley Harrah, OK 8 24-02 0 $994.00
Day 1: 1 02-12 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 2 04-03
17. James Mcallister McAlester, OK 9 23-10 0 $994.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 1 01-14 Day 3: 3 07-12
18. Josh Cruse Pocahontas, AR 8 23-05 0 $994.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 1 04-04 Day 3: 2 04-09
19. Jeff Lugar Princeton, TX 8 20-15 0 $994.00
Day 1: 4 10-15 Day 2: 2 06-04 Day 3: 2 03-12
20. Brandon Soliz Robert Lee, TX 6 18-06 0 $994.00
Day 1: 3 07-05 Day 2: 2 09-00 Day 3: 1 02-01
———————————————————————–
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Lane Edwards Paden, OK 07-04 $0.00
Paul Browning Monahans, TX 07-04 $0.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 11 266 696-11
2 7 207 588-03
3 2 56 155-14
———————————-
20 529 1440-12

2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Eufaula presented by Lowrance 4/9-4/11
Lake Eufaula, Eufaula OK.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Zach Oliver Coal Hill, AR 9 29-13 0 $4,593.00
Day 1: 3 05-10 Day 2: 3 11-07 Day 3: 3 12-12
2. Joe Conway Colorado Springs, CO 7 25-02 0 $2,875.00
Day 1: 1 02-04 Day 2: 3 14-09 Day 3: 3 08-05
3. Randy Benham Sherwood, AR 8 24-11 0 $1,312.00
Day 1: 3 05-15 Day 2: 2 07-05 Day 3: 3 11-07
4. Gene Mitchell Stuart, OK 6 20-14 0 $1,215.00
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 3 13-03 Day 3: 3 07-11
5. Zack Holt Yukon, OK 7 19-11 0 $899.00
Day 1: 3 09-05 Day 2: 2 03-01 Day 3: 2 07-05
6. Eric Englebretson Chickasha, OK 6 19-00 0 $755.00
Day 1: 1 02-09 Day 2: 3 10-11 Day 3: 2 05-12
7. Bryan Schuster Oklahoma City, OK 7 17-01 0 $675.00
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 1 03-03 Day 3: 3 07-10
8. Trey Clement Thibodaux, LA 7 16-08 0 $630.00
Day 1: 3 07-11 Day 2: 2 04-02 Day 3: 2 04-11
9. Josh Thalman Saratoga Springs, UT 7 16-04 0 $591.00
Day 1: 2 05-05 Day 2: 3 05-11 Day 3: 2 05-04
10. Colten Hutson Edmond, OK 7 15-04 0 $525.00
Day 1: 3 06-06 Day 2: 3 06-00 Day 3: 1 02-14
11. Jeff Nolte Shawnee, KS 6 15-03 0 $525.00
Day 1: 3 05-06 Day 2: 2 07-06 Day 3: 1 02-07
12. Larry Green Splendora, TX 5 14-06 0 $459.00
Day 1: 2 05-12 Day 2: 2 06-06 Day 3: 1 02-04
13. Ernie Villa Midland, TX 5 13-04 0 $394.00
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 1 03-00 Day 3: 1 02-14
14. Aaron Baldridge Moore, OK 5 12-11 0 $394.00
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 1 05-02 Day 3: 1 01-12
15. Timothy Soli Warr Acres, OK 4 12-10 0 $328.00
Day 1: 1 03-03 Day 2: 3 09-07 Day 3: 0 00-00
16. Todd Tigar Osage Beach, MO 5 12-05 0 $328.00
Day 1: 2 05-03 Day 2: 2 03-07 Day 3: 1 03-11
17. David Zak San Angelo, TX 4 12-04 0 $328.00
Day 1: 3 10-08 Day 2: 1 01-12 Day 3: 0 00-00
18. Greg Dennis Pilot Point, TX 5 12-04 0 $328.00
Day 1: 3 08-03 Day 2: 1 01-15 Day 3: 1 02-02
19. Tom Parks Prescott Valley, AZ 3 09-05 0 $328.00
Day 1: 1 03-12 Day 2: 2 05-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
20. Ricky-Ray Martinez Jr Santa Fe, NM 3 09-00 0 $328.00
Day 1: 2 07-01 Day 2: 1 01-15 Day 3: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Joe Conway Colorado Springs, CO08-02 $0.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 11 74 180-14
2 8 80 228-01
3 5 30 88-13
———————————-
24 184 497-12

John Pearl Claims 2025 WON Bass Clear Lake Open with Three-Day Record 102.81 pounds

Brian Carter

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April 12, 2025

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John Pearl Claims 2025 WON Bass Clear Lake Open with Three-Day Record 102.81 pounds

Nathan Phillips grabs Second Place with 101.33 pounds

LAKEPORT, Calif. – April 11, 2025 –– Records have fallen at Clear Lake.

Pro angler John Pearl from Upper Lake, Calif., one of the most well-known guides on Clear Lake and one of the most dangerous competitive anglers in the region has claimed victory in the 2025 WON Bass Clear Lake Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury, with a WON Bass Record 102.81 pounds for a three-day weight. Pearl took over the lead on day-two of the event with a total weight of 67.31 pounds and added 35.50 pounds on the final day.

In winning, Pearl claims the champion’s prize that includes $17,000 cash, and the keys to the 2025 Ranger Boats Z518 with Mercury 150 ProXS outboard prize boat presented by Bass Pro Shops with Power-Pole Charge and Volta Power Lithium Power Batteries, a package valued at $55,000 – a total purse of more than $72,000.

From the stage in the moments after his victory, Pearl explained that he was full of emotion at having won the biggest event he could imagine on the lake. “I’m absolutely excited about this,” he said. “Today was a long, stressful day. I had 34 pounds in the livewell at about 3:00 and I told my AAA (Sherwin Williams) that we needed one more seven pounder; I caught a 6.85 moments later and culled up to this final weight – then I just took a slow ride to Library Park to protect my fish.”

Pearl reported catching his fish in the 25 to 30-foot depth range in the mid lake area around Konocti using his Forward Facing Sonar to locate the bait balls that the late winter / early prespawn fish were foraging on. To catch those fish He caught them using a Bass Union Jighead with two different Sakamata Shads, Golden Shiner and Reservoir Shad.

Most of his fish came deep, except for his two biggest on the final two days. “I caught my biggest one today blind casting the Sakamata Shad under a dock, and my biggest yesterday came on a GCJ Customs 13-inch glide bait” he said. “Those fish were crucial to my finish obviously, but I caught most of them on my deep stuff. I am thrilled to be standing here in front of my wife, family and friends with this trophy.”

Pearl’s main gear was a 6’10” Douglas Outdoors X Matrix 6103XF spinning rod matched with a 2500 size Shimano Sustain spinning reel filled with white 10-pound-test Power Pro Super Slick 8 braid and matching 8-pound-test Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon as the leader.

No stranger to the podium, Cobb, Calif. pro Nathan Phillips – who won the 2023 WON Bass Clear Lake Open, finished the event in second place with 101.33 pounds. Phillips started the day in second place with 65.12 pounds, then added a 36.21-pound limit to close out his Century Club finish. He earned $13,400 for his efforts.

Phillips attacked long stretches of docks in the Rattlesnake arm casting to fish that were sunning in preparation for the spawn on day one. However, on the final two days, when the cloud cover and wind made that difficult, he used a similar approach to Pearl, targeting deeper fish on bait balls. “I was fishing the Highway 20 side around Kona Tayee for suspended fish in 8 to 15 feet of water,” he said. “I threw a variety of jigheads in different sizes with a 5-inch ZMan Jerk Shad in the Electric Shad color.”

He tossed his offerings on Dobyns Champion XB 703 and 732 spinning rods matched with Shimano Stradic 2500 XH reels spooled with 10-pound-test Flash Green Seaguar Smackdown braid bonded to 8-pound-test Seaguar Tatsu as the leader material.

Mason McAbee from Bakersfield, Calif. finished third for the event with a three-day total of 93.57 pounds, claiming $11,400. He was followed in fourth place by Micah Jones of Kingman, Ariz. – the day-one leader with a total weight of 93.08 pounds, taking home $10,000 and Luke Lipanovich of Napa, Calif. rounded out the top five with a final weight of 83.73 pounds worth a $9,000 payday.

Kevin Gross claimed victory in the AAA Division, the Redding, Calif. angler weighed 86.56 pounds for the event and took home the AAA Champion’s prize of $6,800. Second place AAA went to Zac Ortiz from Kaysville, Utah with 82.07 pounds, claiming $5,500. Tim Skellett of Apache Junction, Ariz. finished the event in third place in the AAA Division with 79.92 pounds, earning $4,500. Todd Tobiasson of Las Vegas, Nev. finished fourth in the AAA field with 79.06 pounds collecting $3,800 and Dennis Saiki from Torrance, Calif. rounded out the top five finishers with 78.75 pounds, worth $2,000.

The Top 10 in each division are below, for complete standings go to: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/clear-lake-2024-pairings-results.

The daily livestream of the weigh-ins aired on the WON Bass Facebook page, located at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins occurred at Library park in Lakeport, Calif.

2025 WON Bass Clear Lake Open Final Pro Standings

	Name	Hometown	Fish	Penalty	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Total
1 John Pearl		Upper Lake CA	15-15		35.44	31.87	35.50	102.81
2 Nathan Phillips		Cobb CA	15-15		35.37	29.75	36.21	101.33
3 Mason McAbee		Bakersfield CA	15-15		33.06	28.85	31.66	93.57
4 Micah Jones		Kingman AZ	15-15		38.34	23.78	30.96	93.08
5 Luke Lipanovich		Napa CA	15-15		28.39	26.65	34.69	89.73
6 Ish Monroe		Oakdale CA	15-15		31.27	26.40	30.96	88.63
7 Joe Price		Discovery Bay CA	15-15		27.79	31.84	25.86	85.49
8 Alex Niapas		Altaville CA	15-14	0.50	36.42	22.73	26.07	85.22
9 Garrett Ellenson		Nine Mile Falls WA	15-15		25.10	31.45	28.06	84.61
10 J D Blackamore		Yorba Linda CA	15-15		25.98	28.30	29.15	83.43

2025 WON Bass Clear Lake Open Final AAA Standings

	Name	Hometown	Fish	Penalty	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Total
1 Kevin Gross		Redding CA	15-15		29.05	24.97	32.54	86.56
2 Zac Ortiz		Kaysville UT	15-15		35.44	17.12	29.51	82.07
3 Tim Skellett		Apache Junction AZ	15-15		35.37	24.80	19.75	79.92
4 Todd Tobiasson		Las Vegas NV	15-14	0.50	27.09	25.90	26.07	79.06
5 Dennis Saiki		Torrance CA	15-15		15.77	26.77	36.21	78.75
6 Cheng Xiong		Oroville CA	15-15		36.42	17.89	23.73	78.04
7 Sherwin Williams		Henderson NV	12-12		10.32	31.84	35.50	77.66
8 Chris Arnold		Santa Clarita CA	15-15		23.70	27.75	25.75	77.20
9 Ray Serrano		Pacifica CA	15-15		28.01	31.45	17.67	77.13
10 Greg Sallee		Discovery Bay CA	15-15		38.34	19.97	18.28	76.59

The 2025 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada, will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The five event dates are as follows:

Feb. 5 to 7, 2025 – Lake Shasta – Champion Joe Uribe

April 9 to 11, 2025 – Clear Lake – Champion John Pearl

May 7 to 9, 2025 – Lake Havasu

Sept. 10 to 12, 2025 – Lake Mead

Oct. 6 to 8, 2025 – U.S. Open at Lake Mohave

For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.

The 2025 WON Bass California Open at Clear Lake is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Volta Power Lithium, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Fenwick Rods, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine, Signature Gates, DD26 Fishing, Bad Ass Bearings, Cipher Fishing, Megaware Keelguard and GRatt.

Local presenting sponsors are the City of Lakeport and Clearlake Outdoors.

University of Montevallo Wins Abu Garcia College Fishing 2025 National Championship on Wheeler Lake

Brian Carter

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April 12, 2025

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University of Montevallo Wins Abu Garcia College Fishing 2025 National Championship on Wheeler Lake

DECATUR, Ala. (April 11, 2025) – It’s easy to throw around the word “powerhouse” in college sports, but in the case of the University of Montevallo Fishing Team, the superlative is starting to stick. On a blustery championship day on Wheeler Lake at the Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship Presented by Columbia PFG, Montevallo teammates Brody Robison and Peyton Sorrow methodically worked their way to a five-fish limit of 19 pounds, 14 ounces to lay claim to Montevallo’s second national championship trophy in three years.

Fellow Montevallo angler Nicholas Dumke (fishing solo), brought 19-4 to the scale to skate into second place, giving the Falcons a 1-2 sweep of the top two spots. The Montevallo team of Brent Godwin and Hunter Odom finished seventh for good measure.
Robison and Sorrow finished the three-day event with 64-15, outdistancing Dumke (59-0), the McKendree University duo of Ethan Fields and Jaxson Freeman (56-10) and the Carson-Newman University team of Nicholas Dellaporta and Drew Pitts (55-14)

LINK TO HD VIDEO: Fish-Catch Highlights of Championship Friday on Wheeler Lake
LINK TO AFTERNOON PHOTO GALLERY: Anglers bring their A-game to the College National Championship finale

It was far from easy for the eventual winners, though. Shifting springtime conditions, fluctuating currents and an unproductive practice caused Robison and Sorrow to develop their patterns daily throughout the three-day event. The final day also brought a cold front and west wind that blew against the current, making for even more challenging conditions.

“I stayed pretty optimistic, even when we weren’t catching much,” Robison said. “This is my comfort zone, this TVA-style fishing. I’m familiar with the bite windows, and we’ve been doing a lot of fishing on the TVA lately. Going into the final day with a lead, it wasn’t what I expected right out of the gate, but I had optimism that it was going to happen.”

Sorrow and Robinson entered Championship Friday buoyed by a tournament-best 23-9 on Day 2. They left Ingalls Harbor with a 2-7 lead over John Berry and Blake Bullock of Blue Mountain Christian University, and a 5-5 cushion on Dumke, ready to pick up where they had left off the day before. But, as was the case on Day 2 when they caught their fish late in the day, the Montevallo pair took awhile to warm up.

They went fishless through much of the morning, catching one 12-incher before finally connecting with a keeper around 10:30 a.m.

“If you would’ve asked me at 10 a.m. if we were going to catch a bass all day, I probably would’ve answered ‘No, we’re probably not going to catch a single bass’,” Sorrow joked.

At around 11:30, they caught the fish that clued them in for the rest of the day: a 3-pounder that they plucked off of a stump in deeper water, a discovery that encouraged the Montevallo pair to shift their focus from shell beds in 3 to 5 feet of water to structure in 5 to 12 feet. They spent the rest of their time plinking a 5-inch gizzard shad-style minnow on a Queen Tackle jighead, gradually culling up to their final 19-pound bag while their fellow Falcons followed them around the lake, cheering them on.

“We’ve had some awful practices lately, but we keep pulling something off in the tournaments,” Sorrow said. “We have such a great support system with (their Montevallo teammates), and they challenge us to be better. Iron sharpens iron. We have all of these hammers on this team, and it was so cool today – we were out there in some pretty rough water, and we had five boats on us all day, cheering for us. They stuck it out all day in that rough water, that meant a lot to us.”

The top 10 teams at the Abu Garcia College Fishing 2025 National Championship Presented by Columbia PFG on Wheeler Lake finished:

1st: University of Montevallo – Brody Robison, Dawson, Ala., and Peyton Sorrow, Abbeville, S.C., 15 bass, 64-15, Phoenix 518 Pro boat with 115-hp outboard + $10,000
2nd: University of Montevallo – Nicholas Dumke, Grand Rapids, Minn., 15 bass, 59-0, Phoenix 519 Pro with 115-hp outboard
3rd: McKendree University – Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill., and Jaxson Freeman, Loda, Ill., 15 bass, 56-10, $4,000
4th: Carson-Newman University – Szymon Piton, Orland Park, Ill., and Riley Faulkner, Jacksboro, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-14, $3,000
5th: University of North Alabama – Tripp Berlinsky, Florence, Ala., and Bryce DiMauro, Longwood, Fla., 15 bass, 55-6, $2,000
6th: University of Alabama – Cooper Gilroy, Middlebury, Ct., and Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 53-6, $1,000
7th: University of Montevallo – Brenton Godwin, Stapleton, Ala., and Hunter Odom, Chunchula, Ala., 15 bass, 53-5, $1,000
8th: Northwestern State University – Drake Wadsworth, Frierson, La., and Stone Smith, Shreveport, La., 15 bass, 53-1, $1,000
9th: Blue Mountain Christian University – John Berry, Mount Olive, Miss., and Blake Bullock, Seminary, Miss., 13 bass, 49-11, $1,000
10th: Carson-Newman University – Nicholas Dellaporta, Pequannock, N.J., and Drew Pitts, Lutz, Fla., 14 bass, 46-11, $1,000

Complete results for the entire event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 47 bass weighing 164 pounds, 7 ounces caught by the final 10 teams on Friday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.

In addition to the boat package, both members of the winning Montevallo team and runner-up Nicholas Dumke now advance to the 2025 Toyota Series Championship, where they’ll compete as pros for a top prize of up to $235,000. In addition, the highest finishing team member between Robison and Sorrow at the Toyota Series Championship will advance to REDCREST 2026 to compete against the world’s best pros for the sport’s top prize of $300,000.

Both members of the third-place McKendree University team now advance to the 2025 Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers for a shot at winning a $33,500 Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard.

Hosted by Decatur Morgan County Tourism, the 16^th annual College Fishing National Championship featured 135 teams of the nation’s best collegiate anglers competing for a $43,500 prize package, including a new Phoenix 518 pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, an additional $10,000 and the opportunity to advance to the 2025 Toyota Series Championship and REDCREST 2026 – MLF’s most prestigious championship – to fish for top prizes of $235,000 and $300,000, respectively.

The MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI 2024 season featured college teams from across the country competing in nine regular-season tournaments. The top 12 percent of teams from each regular-season tournament qualified to compete in this event, the 2025 Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI National Championship

Welcher breaks away from the field with another ‘Dirty 30’ at the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound

Brian Carter

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April 11, 2025

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Welcher breaks away from the field with another ‘Dirty 30’ at the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound

Alabama’s Kyle Welcher leads Day 2 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound in Elizabeth City, N.C., with a weight of 60-14.

Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

April 11, 2025

Welcher breaks away from the field with another ‘Dirty 30’ at the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Kyle Welcher feels like the chosen one at the St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at the Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound. Not because he was expecting to do well after practice, but since the warm-up period ended everything has been almost perfect.

Welcher took a commanding lead over the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series field on Day 2 by adding 30 pounds, 3 ounces to his 30-11 limit from Day 1. His 60-14 two-day total is 22 pounds better than second place Trey McKinney.

“I don’t feel like I have any kind of a secret figured out or a special area figured out,” the Opelika, Ala., native said. “For whatever reason, I have caught big ones for the past two days. I feel like I’m getting lucky.”

Day 2 brought waves of rain and storms across the Albemarle Sound, but it was an overall calmer day for anglers making longer runs across the system. The bite seemingly improved as well, with 84 limits and 1,285 pounds of bass caught.

Growing up on the Chattahoochee River in Alabama, Welcher is a river fisherman at heart, and he has been able to show off his roots this week in eastern North Carolina.

“They set up the same places during the same time of year on every single river,” he said. “I love fishing rivers. I fish tons of rivers at home, and I feel really comfortable.”

Welcher returned to the same area he caught the bulk of his weight on Day 1, a mile-long stretch in a river close to takeoff. The 2023 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year winner has been targeting hard cover in 5 feet of water or less. On Day 1, Welcher felt he was catching prespawners, but on Friday he felt the big females he caught were guarding nests. The water also seemed cleaner without as much wind coming through.

A Texas-rigged Rapala CrushCity Bronco Bug with a ¼-ounce weight is the only bait Welcher has thrown thus far.

Forward-facing sonar has been a player for Welcher as well.

“I’m using it to find the areas the bass are using. I’ll throw at the fish I see, but I’m really just using it to see if it is a good area,” he said. “Today all five of them were spawning.

“Yesterday I did a little too much running around early on,” he added.

Welcher started Day 2 off with a bang by landing a 7-pounder within the first hour of fishing. While adrenaline pumped through him, it was exactly the bite he needed to settle down in his area.

“I didn’t feel settled down when I was fishing for it or fighting it,” Welcher explained. “I knew how big it was and how important that bass was going to be. I was shaking and nervous. To catch it and get it in the boat, that was a big momentum swing.”

He proceeded to land three more keeper bass before 9:15 and capped off his initial limit with another 7-pound largemouth.

“I settled down in one of my better areas,” Welcher said. “I picked them off. It wasn’t a flurry or anything, but I was getting consistent bites. I didn’t want to run around a lot because I had one zone that was a little better than the rest. I hunkered down and sort of stair-stepped my way up.”

From there, he added two more quality bass before noon and spent the rest of the afternoon searching for different areas to try the rest of the tournament. He didn’t find much during his practice time, but he feels there are still plenty of bass to be caught in his primary area.

“I am going to keep doing the exact same thing. I gotta finish strong,” he said. “Half of this tournament is left, so we need to catch them just as good for the next half.”

Hailing from Carbondale, Ill., McKinney sits in second with a two-day total of 38-14. After a 23-7 Day 1, he suffered a much tougher Day 2, only landing 15-7. He salvaged his day with a last-minute catch that gave him a 2-pound upgrade.

“That was huge. I pulled in a place I have never fished. I cast my jig to a seawall and caught a bass that culled me up 2 pounds,” McKinney said. “We lost a few big ones today, though.”

The 2024 Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year returned to his primary area in the North River on Day 2, but did not see the same amount of activity as he did on Day 1.

“I really don’t know why it was different,” he said. “I felt like conditions were alright. Maybe the sun makes them bite better? Maybe we are running out of fish.”

The bass he did find were not willing to eat a jig, either, and he had to switch to a Neko-rigged worm. With winds shifting to the northwest, McKinney isn’t sure how he is going to tackle Day 3. In a perfect world, McKinney would run to the Chowan River, but he isn’t sure the weather will allow him to do so.

“Tomorrow, I don’t know what I am going to do. In the grand scheme of things, I didn’t have enough bites today and didn’t see enough fish. I didn’t have a warm fuzzy feeling. It wasn’t a good 15 pounds.”

Meanwhile, Tennessee pro Jacob Foutz climbed into third place with a total of 38-2. The two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier opened the tournament in fifth with 18-10 before landing 19-2 on the second day of the tournament.

Foutz is one of the anglers making the long run to the Roanoke River on the southwest side of the Albemarle Sound. After a slow first two hours, Foutz was able to find a rhythm as the morning wore on.

“I lost a big one, and then after that they started biting,” he said. “I caught 19 pounds in about two hours. I didn’t get a bunch of bites, but they were the right size. I don’t know how many more fish I have in my area.”

Foutz has been fishing a Megabass Magdraft swimbait around shallow cover as well as a ChatterBait.

“When I get a bite on the swimbait, it is a good one,” he said. “I will probably lock it in my hands tomorrow and ride the horse that got me here.”

Gonzales, La., pro Greg Hackney landed an 8-4 largemouth on Day 2, which was the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day and overtook Keith Combs’ 8-2 bass from Day 1 as the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament.

Welcher continues to hold the CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament with his Day 1 catch of 30-11.

North Carolina’s Jake Whitaker and Tennessee’s John Garrett lead the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 270 points each. Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat is third with 267 points followed by Alabama’s Will Davis Jr in fourth with 261 points and Texas pro Lee Livesay in fifth with 256 points.

Alabama’s Tucker Smith leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 199 points followed by Georgia’s Paul Marks in second with 180 points and Arkansas’ Beau Browning in third with 163 points

The Top 50 anglers will launch from Waterfront Park in Elizabeth City on Semifinal Saturday beginning at 7 a.m. ET and return for weigh at 3 p.m. The Top 10 anglers following the Day 3 weigh-in will compete on Championship Sunday for the top prize of $100,000.

2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River 4/10-4/13
Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound , Elizabeth City NC.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10 60-14 104
Day 1: 5 30-11 Day 2: 5 30-03
2. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 10 38-14 103
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 15-07
3. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 10 38-02 102
Day 1: 5 18-10 Day 2: 5 19-08
4. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 10 37-09 101
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 19-11
5. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 36-05 100
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 18-14
6. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 10 36-04 99
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 19-09
7. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 9 34-09 98
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 4 10-12
8. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 33-12 97
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 15-07
9. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 33-03 96
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 17-02
10. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 32-13 95
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 20-04
11. Seth Feider Elko New Market, MN 10 32-09 94
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 17-03
12. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 32-04 93
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 19-08
13. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 31-11 92
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 18-04
14. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 9 31-05 91
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 5 24-05
15. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 31-02 90 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 15-06
16. Jay Przekurat Plover, WI 10 30-13 89
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 16-04
17. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 30-11 88
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 15-08
18. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 10 30-09 87
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 11-13
19. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 30-07 86
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 17-01
20. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 30-01 85
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 18-11
21. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 29-09 84
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 12-11
22. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 29-04 83
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 12-01
23. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 29-04 82
Day 1: 5 16-06 Day 2: 5 12-14
24. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 8 28-14 81
Day 1: 3 05-00 Day 2: 5 23-14
25. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 28-14 80
Day 1: 5 15-00 Day 2: 5 13-14
26. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 10 28-12 79
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 17-08
27. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 10 28-11 78
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 16-05
28. Tucker Smith Birmingham, AL 10 28-08 77
Day 1: 5 15-12 Day 2: 5 12-12
29. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 10 27-14 76
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 11-15
30. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 9 27-06 75
Day 1: 4 12-13 Day 2: 5 14-09
31. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 10 27-04 74
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 13-14
31. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 10 27-04 74
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 13-06
33. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 10 26-14 72
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 11-01
34. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 26-09 71
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 14-01
35. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 26-06 70
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 10-03
36. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 26-02 69
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 10-14
37. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 10 26-02 68
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-09
38. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 10 25-15 67
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 09-10
39. John Garrett Union City, TN 9 25-11 66
Day 1: 4 09-07 Day 2: 5 16-04
40. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 25-09 65
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 14-03
41. Logan Latuso Gonzales, LA 10 25-02 64
Day 1: 5 09-13 Day 2: 5 15-05
42. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 9 24-11 63
Day 1: 5 16-08 Day 2: 4 08-03
43. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 24-10 62
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-07
44. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 24-09 61
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 10-00
45. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 9 24-07 60
Day 1: 4 07-01 Day 2: 5 17-06
46. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 24-06 59
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 10-07
47. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 10 24-02 58
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 14-00
48. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 8 23-12 57
Day 1: 3 05-13 Day 2: 5 17-15
49. Blake Capps Muskogee, OK 10 23-11 56
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 5 14-09
50. Chris Zaldain Boyd, TX 10 23-11 55
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 13-02
51. Dakota Ebare Brookeland, TX 10 23-10 54
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 11-10
52. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 23-02 53
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 11-03
53. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 6 23-00 52
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 1 06-03
54. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 10 22-12 51
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 10-03
55. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 9 22-08 50
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 5 14-08
56. Paul Marks Cumming, GA 7 22-04 49
Day 1: 2 03-06 Day 2: 5 18-14
57. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 9 22-04 48
Day 1: 4 13-03 Day 2: 5 09-01
58. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 7 22-03 47 $1,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-09 Day 2: 5 16-10
59. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 8 22-02 46
Day 1: 3 07-01 Day 2: 5 15-01
60. Emil Wagner Marietta, GA 10 22-02 45
Day 1: 5 09-07 Day 2: 5 12-11
61. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 7 22-01 44
Day 1: 2 02-12 Day 2: 5 19-05
62. John Cox Debary, FL 10 21-13 43
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 09-15
63. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 6 21-10 42
Day 1: 1 02-03 Day 2: 5 19-07
64. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 7 21-09 41
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 2 05-10
65. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 10 21-09 40
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 08-10
66. Cole Sands Johnson City, TN 9 21-08 39
Day 1: 4 08-07 Day 2: 5 13-01
67. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 10 21-08 38
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 11-00
68. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 21-05 37
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 08-04
69. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 21-02 36
Day 1: 5 11-11 Day 2: 5 09-07
70. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 7 20-11 35
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 5 16-08
71. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 10 20-05 34
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 08-13
72. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 9 20-04 33
Day 1: 4 11-07 Day 2: 5 08-13
73. Timothy Dube Nashua , NH 6 20-01 32
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 5 18-12
74. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10 20-01 31
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 10-02
75. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 10 19-12 30
Day 1: 5 07-11 Day 2: 5 12-01
76. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 19-12 29
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 09-13
77. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10 19-09 28
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 08-14
78. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 7 18-14 27
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 2 08-04
79. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 18-14 26
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 5 08-15
80. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 6 18-11 25
Day 1: 2 06-06 Day 2: 4 12-05
81. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 18-07 24
Day 1: 5 08-11 Day 2: 5 09-12
82. Beau Browning Hot Springs National Pa 9 17-10 23
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 4 06-15
83. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 8 17-10 22
Day 1: 3 07-03 Day 2: 5 10-07
84. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 17-08 21
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 5 08-10
85. Cliff Pace Ovett, MS 9 17-07 20
Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 4 06-07
86. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 9 17-00 19
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 4 07-07
87. Andrew Loberg Guntersville, AL 9 16-07 18
Day 1: 4 08-00 Day 2: 5 08-07
88. Bryan New Leesville, SC 7 16-03 17
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 5 11-13
89. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 16-00 16
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 16-00
90. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 9 15-15 15
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 4 05-09
91. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 15-14 14
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 15-14
92. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 7 15-01 13
Day 1: 2 06-12 Day 2: 5 08-05
93. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 8 14-11 12
Day 1: 5 08-09 Day 2: 3 06-02
94. Buddy Gross Chattanooga, TN 8 14-11 11
Day 1: 4 06-12 Day 2: 4 07-15
95. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 8 12-13 10
Day 1: 3 05-11 Day 2: 5 07-02
96. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 6 12-03 9
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 1 02-00
97. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 11-05 8
Day 1: 4 09-05 Day 2: 1 02-00
98. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 5 09-11 7
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 09-11
99. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 09-11 6
Day 1: 4 08-07 Day 2: 1 01-04
100. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 08-14 5
Day 1: 5 08-14 Day 2: 0 00-00
101. Ben Milliken Omaha, NE 6 08-13 4
Day 1: 2 02-14 Day 2: 4 05-15
102. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 3 07-01 3
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 2 04-12
———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Keith Combs Huntington, TX 08-02 $1,000.00
2 Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 08-04 $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 71 437 1150-07
2 84 469 1285-00
———————————-
155 906 2435-07

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2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River 4/10-4/13Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound , Elizabeth City NC.(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 4

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