Reeling in 2025: Stars, Stories, and Standouts
Exclusive . Featured Stories . News & Press ReleasesThe 2025 fishing season delivered fireworks across every level of competition — from high school all the way to the biggest pro tours in the game. It’s time to celebrate the anglers who left their mark, hoisted trophies, and showed the world what happens when grit meets greatness.
Bassmaster Elite Series Standouts
The Bassmaster Elite Series gave us some unforgettable moments this season:
- Paul Marks brought the heat on Lake Hartwell, locking down a massive win.
- Pat Schlapper doubled down with two Elite Series victories — first on the Sabine River and then on the Mississippi River — showing he can handle any fishery.
- Trey McKinney owned Lake St. Clair, proving his time is now.
And let’s not forget Chris Johnston, who continued to dominate with Elite-level consistency while also claiming his second straight Angler of the Year (AOY) title. Back-to-back AOYs at this level is nothing short of legendary.
Bassmaster Opens – Road to the 2026 Classic
The St. Croix Bassmaster Opens produced a new wave of stars, each earning a coveted spot in the 2026 Bassmaster Classic — and doing it with Power-Pole performance on their side.
- Chase Clarke – Clarks Hill Reservoir Open Champion
- Chris Miller – Sam Rayburn Reservoir Open Champion
- Yui Aoki – Kentucky Lane Open Champion
- Casey Scanlon – Norfork Lake Open Champion
- Trey Schroeder – Tombigbee River Open Champion
- Cory Johnston (Team Power-Pole) – St. Lawrence River Open Champion
- Laker Howell – Leech Lake Open Champion
Each of these anglers now has a ticket punched for the 2026 Bassmaster Classic, where the spotlight burns brightest.
MLF Bass Pro Tour – Monsters of 2025
The MLF Bass Pro Tour once again delivered high-stakes drama, and these names made sure we’ll remember the 2025 season:
- Justin Cooper kicked things off with a Stage 1 win at Lake Conroe
- Bobby Lane struck next with the Stage 2 crown at the Harris Chain of Lakes
- Drew Gill took Stage 3 at Lake Murray, showing he’s the real deal
- Dustin Connell reminded everyone why he’s one of the best to ever do it, capturing REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville – his third REDCREST win in just six years. An absolute monster!
- Nick Hatfield flexed his strength at this years Heavy Hitters event on Smith Mountain Lake
- Jacob Wheeler stood tall as the only multi-stage winner of the year, taking down Stage 5 on Kentucky Lake and Stage 7 on the Saginaw Bay & River
MLF Fishing Clash Team Series
The 2025 MLF Fishing Clash Team Series delivered some nail-biting moments, none bigger than the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup on Tomahawk Lake. Jacob Wheeler & Mark Daniels Jr. of Team O’Reilly Auto Parts staged a dramatic comeback in the final minutes to clinch the trophy, showing once again why they’re two of the most dangerous names in competitive bass fishing. Their ability to stay calm under pressure and turn it on when it mattered most made this one of the season’s most exciting finishes.
Earlier in the year, it was the family duo of Alton Jones Sr. & Alton Jones Jr. representing Team 7Brew Coffee who came out on top at the B&W Trailer Hitches Challenge Cup in Port Huron. Their steady teamwork and shared instincts gave them the edge in a stacked field, proving once again that the Jones family remains a force to be reckoned with at every level of the sport.
MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals – New Blood Rising
The Tackle Warehouse Invitationals proved to be a launching pad for some, while reminding others that experience still matters in 2025:
- Mitchell Robinson – Stop 2, Lake Hartwell Champion
- David Kilgore – Stop 3, Lewis Smith Lake Champion
- Keith Poche – Stop 5, James River Champion
- Chris Johnston – Stop 6, St. Lawrence River Champion
MLF Toyota Series – Division Champions
The Toyota Series is where regional warriors turn into national threats, and the 2025 division champions proved they’re ready for the spotlight:
- Central Division: Carter Nutt (2nd), Dylan Nutt (3rd)
- Northern Division: Brody Campbell (1st), Hayden O’Barr (2nd)
- Plains Division: Drew Gill (2nd), Roger Fitzpatrick (3rd)
- Southern Division: Parker Knudsen (1st), Kyle Cortiana (2nd), Robert Bakewell (3rd)
- Southwestern Division: Dakota Ebare (1st), Brody Campbell (2nd), Wesley Baxley (3rd)
These anglers carved their names into the 2025 season and showed they’re ready for whatever comes next in the 2025-26 season ahead.
NPFL Highlights
The National Professional Fishing League is doing something different — keeping it simple, putting the anglers first, and focusing on what makes fishing great. 118 anglers, three days on the water, and the heaviest combined 3-day total weight wins. The stakes are high: a $100,000 winner’s check per event, a championship purse of $250,000, plus a Progressive Angler of the Year bonus.
Here’s how Power-Pole pros have done so far through 5 of 6 events this season, with the series championship coming up on Lake Hartwell, Oct 3-5, 2025:
- Jason Christie — Winner at Stop One on Santee Cooper Lakes
- Greg Hackney — Winner at Stop Two on Lake Norman
- Scott Canterbury — Winner at Stop Three on Douglas Lake
- Drew Cook — Winner at Stop Five on St. Lawrence River
These wins highlight the depth of talent in the NPFL — and once again show that Power-Pole runs strong across every pro circuit on the water.
Power-Pole National Redfish Tour
Redfish competition is alive and thriving on the Power-Pole National Redfish Tour, where the country’s top inshore anglers square off across some of the most challenging and diverse fisheries.
We’re proud to spotlight a few teams from the 2025 season:
- Patrick Marsonek and Ryan Rickard – Crowned the 2025 Team of the Year with 476 points, edging out Darren Frost and Tony Vercillo by the slimmest of margins. They carried that momentum into the Power-Pole National Redfish Tour National Championship in Delacroix, LA, where they finished an impressive 2nd place.
- Fred & Carter Myers – This father-son duo is a cornerstone of Team Power-Pole, showcasing skill, consistency, and the special bond that makes tournament fishing truly unique.
- Ben Alderman and Mikey Cogan – Another powerhouse team that consistently made waves throughout the season.
These teams are just a glimpse into the impact Power-Pole has on the redfish scene. In fact, a majority of the field runs at least one Power-Pole product — if not multiple — proving once again that performance on the water starts with Total Boat Control.
Florida Redfish Series
The Florida Redfish Series wrapped up its 2025 season with another thrilling championship finish, highlighting the strength and depth of inshore competition across the state.
- Team GameGuard Fishing (Danny Sheldon & Kyle Craven) – Clinched the 2025 Team of the Year title with 650 points across seven events, finishing a commanding 47 points ahead of 2nd place.
- Team Lillian’s Sports bar (Chris Chewning & Brian Clark) – Earned a strong runner-up finish in the Team of the Year race with 603 points total.
- Jeremy & Hunter Heimes and Fred & Carter Myers – Both Power-Pole father/son duos made their mark with solid results, despite only fishing a handful of events this season. Congrats fellas!
With established champions and hungry new contenders, the Florida Redfish Series delivered a season packed with drama and top-tier competition — and we can’t wait to see what the 2026 season brings.
Kayak Series Highlights
Fishing from a kayak demands finesse, grit, and the ability to do more with less — less gear, less stability, but so much more heart. In 2025, both Bassmaster Kayak Series and Kayak Bass Fishing Series delivered performances defined by tight margins, creative tactics, and moments that proved kayak anglers are some of the toughest in the game.
Bassmaster Kayak Series
The 2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series season is coming down to the wire, with the Angler of the Year (AOY) crown set to be decided at the final event on Toledo Bend Reservoir, Sept. 27-28, 2025. With only one tournament left, the stakes are high and the leaderboard is tighter than ever:
- Jake Angulas leads the AOY standings with 733 points.
- Ryan Nye sits just behind in 2nd with 722 points.
- Guillermo Gonzalez hold 3rd place at 706 points.
- Drew Gregory is 4th with 702 points.
- Abby Abbondanza round out the Top 5 with 700 points.
It all comes down to Toledo Bend — who will be crowned the 2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year? Every cast counts, and this finale promises to be a competitive showdown.
Kayak Bass Fishing Challenge Series (KBF)
The road to the 2025 Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship (Nov. 5-7, 2025) is heating up, and the Regional Challenge Series leaders are already staking their claims. Each region crowns its frontrunner by tallying the best five bass catches of the season. These are the Top 12 out of 583 registered competitors in the 2025 KBF Regional Challenge Series, a true testament to how tough the field is this season.
- Sunshine State Region: Dalton Albright leads the nation with an incredible 130.75″, while Anthony Buttvick (116.25″) and Robert Harris (116.00″) round out the region’s Top 3.
- Lone Star Region: Aaron Kelly (119.75″) and David Hill (117.75″) lead the pack.
- Southeast Region: Chris Platts (119.25″) and Steven Beck (118.50″) battle for the top spot, with Mack Toon close behind at 116.25″.
- Mid-South Region: Thad Moody (119.25″) and Austin Hoover (117.00″) are vying for supremacy, with Terry Morgan at 116.25″ in 3rd.
- Southwest Region: Thomas Benavidez sits at the top with 118.25″.
One standout story belongs to Austin Hoover, who not only ranks among the Mid-South leaders (current Alabama State Series leader) but is also running the Power-Pole MOVE Kayak Kit — putting a 36″ MOVE PV trolling motor on the bow of his kayak to cover more water and haul in even more bass. Hoover’s season has shown how innovation and grit can give kayak anglers a serious edge.
Collegiate Champions
College bass fishing continues to crank out stars who are ready to dominate the pro scene. At the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship Presented by Columbia PFG on Wheeler Lake, it was the University of Montevallo that rose to the top.
- Brody Robison & Peyton Sorrow clinched the win with a three-day total of 64 lbs 15 oz.
- Teammate Nicholas Dumke, fishing solo, finished runner-up with 59-0.
- Brenton Godwin & Hunter Odom also finished strong in 7th place.
This powerhouse program not only grabbed the national title, but their anglers also punched tickets to the Toyota Series Championship (with a shot at $235,000) and a chance at the biggest stage of all: REDCREST 2026, where the sport’s top prize of $300,000 awaits.
But Montevallo wasn’t the only dynasty in 2025. Over in the Strike King Bassmaster College Bass Series, Lander University had a monumental season:
- Garrett Smith & Andrew Blanton won the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship at Cherokee Lake with 43 lbs, 3 oz.
- That win made them back-to-back national champions, having also claimed the title in 2024. They became the first team ever to win multiple national championships in the College Series.
Strike King Bassmaster High School Series
The 2025 Strike King Bassmaster High School Series was packed with talent and drama across four regular-season events. Dylan Quilatan & Tommy Rust of Club Florida High School Bassmasters set the tone by winning Event #1 at Harris Chain of Lakes. Jack Story & Roper Putnam of Clarks Hill High School followed with a strong showing at Smith Lake in Event #2 of the season. Event #3 saw Connor Gartman & Blake Starr of Arkansas Youth Anglers take the top spot at Lake Tenkiller, while Nolan Clark & Ayden Rigsbee of Triangle Bass Club closed the regular season with a victory at Buggs Island.
But the crown jewel came at Clarks Hill Lake, where Rex Reagan and Max Moody of Pickett County High School Fishing etched their names in history by becoming back-to-back National Champions at the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship. The sophomore duo sealed the deal with a three-day total of 36 pounds, 11 ounces, proving last year’s win was no fluke and solidifying themselves as the team to beat.
MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Series
The 2025 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Series kicked off strong, with standout wins across the first three events. Carsen Adcock & Colton Arnold of Haughton Fishing Team took top honors at Event #1 on Lake Seminole. At Event #2 on Grand Lake, it was Maddox Dickson & Alex Hurst of Tecumseh Senior High School who secured the victory. Rounding out the early season, Levi Simms & Karson Stone of Muhlenberg County High School claimed the win at Event #3 on Kentucky-Barkley Lake.
The season came to a thrilling finish at Grand Lake in Grove, OK, where Carson Holbert & Cooper Moon of Cartersville High School went wire-to-wire to capture the 2025 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship. With a three-day total of 44 pounds, 1 ounce, they held the lead from start to finish, showcasing patience, precision, and the ability to adapt under pressure. Their dominant performance not only earned them the championship trophy but also college scholarships — firmly cementing themselves as names to watch in the years to come.
High School Combine Skills Challenge
At the 2025 Skeeter Boats Bassmaster High School Combine in Decatur, Alabama, nearly 100 young anglers tested their precision, power, and technical skill in three categories — Casting Accuracy, Long Distance Casting, and Technical — with bonus points toward the overall crown.
- Peyton Mixon took home the Casting Accuracy Challenge, showing off laser-focus and dialed mechanics.
- Will Heath crushed the Long Distance Casting Challenge, sending casts far enough to make a statement.
- Logan Brown dominated the Technical Challenge, and after tying for the top overall score with Charlie Sojourner (354 points each), won the Overall Skills Challenge via a tiebreaker that tested both accuracy and distance.
The Season of Champions
From high school standouts to pro tour champions, from kayak trailblazers to collegiate dynasties, 2025 has delivered a season packed with talent, grit, and unforgettable moments on the water. With Power-Pole on deck, these competitors pushed the sport forward and showed what true dominance looks like. We can’t wait to see who will rise to the top in 2026.
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