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28/02/2025

Walters Ready for the New Moon

While the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee has been a challenge for many anglers, the opportunities this fishery presents has both anglers and bass fishing fans on edge of their seat. The fish of a lifetime could always be around the corner but there’s a catch—you have to find the right corner. Yamaha Outboards pro Patrick Walters is aware of this and is committed to keeping a solid mindset going into the second day of the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament.

“Florida fisheries are so different than anywhere else, especially this time of year,” Walters said. “You’re not chasing bottom contours as you would throughout the rest of the country. Personally speaking, I’ve been looking for clean water and following the wind. Florida fishing is all about the wind to me and in my experience, if I can find clean water, I feel like I’m going to find the fish. This is a tough derby but I still have plenty of confidence.”

Another wrench in his plan has been the fluctuating water levels. Whether the water rises or drops, it drastically affects largemouth bass behavior. If the water is high, they tend to get into super-thick vegetation and as the water drops, they’ll often hang out on the outside edges and relate to small points and other irregularities. In this week’s case, the water has been dropping, and Walters is having to adjust his strategy accordingly.

“The water has been dropping like crazy throughout the week and it has made things a challenge,” Walters said. “I’m not worried about what baits they’ll bite or what type of presentations I need to make, to be totally honest. What I’m most concerned about is landing on them and figuring out where they are. This is why I’m so glad to have a Yamaha VMAX SHO 250 behind me, because I’m getting on pad in just over a foot of water. The low water isn’t hurting my ability to run around whatsoever. When it’s time to run to another spot to keep looking, I’m able to safely and efficiently navigate the fishery.”

As the New Moon approaches this week, anglers expect a steady wave of new spawners to appear in the shallows. There is potential for some monster limits of largemouth throughout the weekend and Walters isn’t shy to say he’s running around like a madman, constantly looking for new water.

“Swimming a jig, flipping and frogging are all going to be big players this weekend and I’m absolutely pumped up for it,” Walters said. “But I can’t overstate the importance of mobility and discovering new water. Like I said, it’s not about ‘what’ they’ll bite for me; it’s all about ‘where’ they’ll bite.”

Walters knows it’s going to take some mega weights to make his second consecutive Championship Sunday, but he’s up for the challenge. A solid first day has him in an excellent spot to make a major move up the leaderboard.

“We’re just going to go out there and maintain a positive attitude and be patient,” said the Yamaha pro. “It’s no hill for a climber and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the event. It’s all a matter of me landing on them and executing.”

As the warm sun rises on Okeechobee, a tangible sense of excitement begins to set in. You can catch nothing or experience the biggest limit of your life—that’s the beauty, and the beast, of Florida fishing. It’d be a tough lake for a gambling man because it can truly go either way at the drop of a hat.

But in the Land of Giants, anything and everything is possible.

27/02/2025

Palaniuk Touts Peace of Mind and Irregularities

The Florida swing is absolutely wild for Bassmaster Elite pros. With rapidly warming temperatures on the horizon and presumably a bunch of bass flocking to the shallows to spawn, pro Brandon Palaniuk is trying his best to take all three phases of the spawn into account this week on Lake Okeechobee.

One may think the bass would be on bed this time of year but according to Palaniuk, that may not be the case.

“This is not even close to bed fishing right now, in my mind,” Palaniuk said. “If you’re fishing in Florida in February, you have a mix of all three phases of the spawn and you need to be ready for all of them. If you land on the right group or wave of fish, you can right in a hurry. But I don’t think it’s going to turn out that way in this event.”

Largemouth bass in this part of the world do things very differently than bass located in other states. Normally, you’d expect to see bass moving into pockets and coves by following contour lines; it’s almost like a rest stop along the highway. But when it comes to giant Florida bass, they’ll use grass lines and edges almost as some sort of contour and travel route.

“The largemouth in Florida tend to get very particular about where they like to set up,” Palaniuk said. “It can be a tiny depth change or something of the sort, but they get really focused on very key areas. It can be depth changes, bottom composition or even the specific type of grass. This is a huge lake and finding these key areas and nuances is extremely important.”

While you’d expect for these largemouth to be fairly predictable in nature, Palaniuk warns against this line of thinking. Many anglers would think you could go through massive spawning flats with fast-moving baits, but he is a little hesitant about that strategy.

“You’d think that fast-moving reaction baits would be a big deal when it comes to locating fish but throughout all of my experience, that’s not usually the case,” Palaniuk said. “These Florida bass don’t always try to chase down a bait, especially during the spawn, so it can make for a challenging practice. While it makes sense efficiency-wise to throw moving baits during the practice period, sometimes you have to follow your gut and just pitch and flip around in order to locate the fish and get quality bites. I think that’s what makes Florida more challenging than other many other states and fisheries we visit.”

Irregularities in vegetation are a big part of Palaniuk’s bass-fishing plan. Just as bass might follow depth contours in other lakes, Okeechobee bass tend to follow small edge changes in vegetation.

“I’m looking for one type of grass that might be different than the others,” Palaniuk said. “So, if I’m in a pad field, I might look for eel grass or something different. If that vegetation line makes a turn, point or a pocket, I’m all about it. All of those characteristics make for an outstanding ambush point and a bass can suck itself in and ambush unsuspecting prey. They’re opportunistic feeders and want to use the least amount of energy possible to get their next meal.”

The correct mentality also proves to be a major aspect of Palaniuk’s game. He has long-been known as someone who’s a steadfast mental warrior. This doesn’t and has not changed with his approach to this tournament.

“When it comes to competing as this level, a giant difference can come in the form of your mental game and confidence,” Palaniuk said. “For me personally, I’m all about peace of mind and the fact that I’m towing my boat behind a Toyota Tundra, I’m absolutely positive that I won’t have any distractions throughout the season. Your boat needs to be right, your tow vehicle… everything has to be working perfectly. While I’m trying to catch these finicky Florida fish, I need as few distractions as possible.”

Will Palaniuk crack the Okeechobee code? We will see but one thing is for certain: He’ll be fishing irregularities in vegetation and trying his best to slow down and methodically fish for those big female Florida largemouth.

25/02/2025

Mosley Mines Toyota Bonus at St. Johns River

Brock Mosley left the FXR Pro Fish St. Johns River Bassmaster Elite with a 6th place finish and an extra $3,000 of Toyota Bonus Bucks thanks to being the highest finishing angler towing his boat with a Toyota tow vehicle. The Dakota Lithium pro currently drives a 2024 Tundra, which is the fifth tow vehicle he has purchased from the automotive company who has consistently backed bass fishing the past two decades.

“We are a Toyota family because I want to support the companies who support bass fishing,” Mosley said. “When you add in the Bonus Bucks program and the fact that I can make extra money by driving a Tundra, it’s even better. This 2024 is the fifth Tundra I’ve owned. It pulls my Phoenix boat super well and has plenty of power. I’ve been very happy with this truck and then I have an ’03 Tacoma at home and my wife drives a Highlander. They’re all great vehicles.”

This season marks Mosley’s tenth year on the Bassmaster Elite Series and it began on the very same fishery he started his Elite career on. Ten years ago, he left Palatka with a humbling 105th finish, but this year Mosley’s experience on this body of water helped him claim his first top ten on the famed St. Johns River.

The Mississippi native has often excelled in events that are dubbed “a grinder” and while you might not know it looking at the weights from the St. Johns, this fishery is extremely fickle and absolutely fits Mosley’s definition of a grind.

“This place can serve you up some humble pie so quick, I just feel blessed to have caught what I did and to get out of here with a strong finish,” Mosley explained. “Each day I was having to scrap my limit together with several baits in multiple different areas.

“I sight fished some, wound a Chatterbait around, and caught a few key fish flipping. Including my big bass on day three, which came from the same matted vegetation I caught a six pounder out of five years ago. That fish catch was meant to be, as the spot is way off the beaten path, and I literally hadn’t been in there since I caught that fish in like 2020.”

Fish catches like that make all the difference in springtime Florida tournaments where you might only get five or six keeper bites per day. Mosley bested fellow longtime Toyota Bonus Bucks member John Cox, who finished in 8th and will win an additional $2,000 for being the second highest finisher towing with a Tundra.

Both Mosley and Cox’s results highlight the fact that you don’t need to win a tournament to earn money through Bonus Bucks. You simply must drive an eligible Toyota tow vehicle and finish higher than the other registered anglers competing in one of the over 620 supported tournaments in 2025.

Toyota Bonus Bucks is available to tournament anglers of all levels, plus it’s completely free to sign-up. For a full list of payouts, supported events, or to learn more information about the program, follow this link: www.toyotabonusbucks.com. Or reach out to Kendell at [email protected] with any questions.

24/02/2025

Congratulations to Yamaha Outboards pro Bill Lowen (and family) who came out on top of an incredible tournament to start the Bassmaster Elite season.

Lowen has fished all twenty years of Elite Series competition and is truly one of the good guys of the sport. “Dolla Bill” employed old school bassin’ staples - a swim jig and flipping jig - to capture the second blue trophy of his illustrious career.

23/02/2025

Yamaha Power Pay One-Two Punch

Yamaha Outboards pros Bill Lowen and John Garrett Outdoors headed out in first and second place on Championship Sunday of the FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at the St. Johns River. Lowen, the twenty-year Elite Series veteran, has led days two and three and is holding on to a sizable five-plus-pound lead over Garrett. But while “dollar Bill” Lowen is at peace with the way he is fishing, he is anything but comfortable with his lead over Garrett and the rest of the top ten field.

After all, this is the St. Johns River. Where the potential for double-digit bass is there on any given cast and, as Garrett proved on Saturday, where thirty-pound stringers are a very real possibility. Garrett dropped a bag of fish weighing over 31-pounds on the scales yesterday which was the biggest of the tournament and the largest limit of the 29-year-olds life.

On top of competing for their second Elite Series trophy, Lowen and Garrett are battling for the Yamaha Power Pay top spot today, along with Shane Lehew and Patrick Walters. A favorite among amateur and pro anglers alike, Power Pay rewards the highest finishing registered angler in supported tournaments with bonus payouts.

Fortunately for the pros on the St. Johns today, Power Pay honors the top two highest finishers in Elite Series competition. Lowen and Garrett are employing completely different tactics this week to find success, and they are both fishing “their way.”

“I’m fishing the way I like to fish and for the first time in my career, I’m not really nervous at all,” Lowen said. “I’m power fishing shallow cover, fishing what’s in front of me, and while each day has been different it has been a very special week. I’m not making a real long run, but even so having that Yamaha 250 V MAX SHO behind me is super comforting. Yamaha has had my back my entire career and it just gives me all the confidence in the world out on the water.”

To contrast Lowen’s old-school braided line swim jig beat down is Garrett, who caught his day three monster bag on a deep crankbait targeting a special offshore spot he found during the event on Saturday.

“I caught the biggest bag of fish of my life yesterday on the same Strike King 5XD I won the Harris Chain Elite with last year,” Garrett said. “Offshore cranking is my favorite way to fish and yesterday was just really special. I started the day in 38th place pretty much zero expectations. The worst I could fall to was 50th place, so I changed things up and went out to try and find a fresh group of fish.

“Well, I found a group and there was a whole lot of fish there (on Saturday). I caught my weight in less than an hour before making the long run, almost an hour and a half, back to Palatka. I have no idea if they’ll be there on Sunday, but if they are, they’re big and willing to bite. I’m fired up to get back down there.”

The St. Johns River has been the site for a lot of Bassmaster magic over the years and it showed out once again this week. No lead is safe here, no matter how large, but just the same, no deficit is insurmountable either. No matter how Sunday shakes out, both Lowen and Garrett find comfort via the way they are catching their fish and the outboard motor they have behind them.

21/02/2025

St Johns River Questions and Insights

The first event of the Elite Series season conjures a unique, nervous excitement amongst the entire field of pro anglers. Even for established veterans, who have competed in most, if not all, of the twenty seasons of Bassmaster's premier level of competition; the first day of a new season brings certain questions that only a full day of fishing can answer.

Such was the case on day one at the 2025 FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at the St Johns River. To compound the first day mental debates anglers were dealing with prior to blast-off at the Palatka City Boat Dock & Ramp, they had to factor in how Wednesday’s off-day would affect what they found in practice, as well what a volatile forecast featuring a significant cold front might do to these Florida bass.

As fans we expect professional fishermen to have all the answers, but the reality is most top finishes require real-time adjustments and adapting with the fish as each day progresses. Make no mistake, how they approach an event mentality, and their decision-making process is every bit as important as the lures or equipment they employ.

With day one behind them, Elite Series pros now have the insights of yesterday to lean on. Peek inside this process with pros Mike Iaconelli and Matt Arey. What questions did they have coming into day one, what did they learn, and what new riddles do they hope to answer on the water today?

- Mike Iaconelli: 16-lbs 7-ounces, 20th place after day one. -

Longtime fan favorite Mike Iaconelli is fishing his 30th season as a full-time pro in 2025, but a few weeks ago he started dealing with a right arm injury that jeopardized his season. The Yamaha Outboards pro is making due, fishing through obvious pain and wearing a brace on his arm to hopefully thwart his elbow from getting worse.

“Yesterday I was asking questions I’ve never asked myself in my entire career,” Iaconelli admitted. “I was wondering if I was really going to be able to compete with my injury. Can I make the casts I need to make? Is my elbow going to hold up to the hooksets? Normally, the questions I’m looking to answer revolve around fish patterns but yesterday was all about physical capabilities. Which is wild to say. My elbow felt OK during practice, but practice is half speed compared to a tournament day.”

Ike had a strong day one, catching over 16-lbs including a six-pound St. Johns River special.

“Yesterday I learned I can compete, and that adrenaline is a good pain reliever,” Iaconelli said with a laugh. “My arm hurt at times, but my mindset is… I’m fishing, I’m happy. A few days before I came here, I didn’t know if I’d get to fish my “dirty thirty” season or not. It’s all good! Today, my mindset has shifted and the questions I’m facing revolve around how this cold front is going to affect the fish in my area.

“I am making a long run and fishing an area I don’t think the fish are going to completely vacate. They aren’t going to swim several miles out of there, so I just have to see what their mood is and what adjustments I need to make to put together another solid day.”

- Matt Arey: 10-lbs 15-ounces, 65th place after day one. -

Arey ended day one on the wrong side of the top 50 cut and while he’ll tell you he didn’t find definitive answers to his internal questions yesterday, he did eliminate some things. Which is all part of the problem-solving process for Arey, who’s proven to be one of the most consistent anglers on tour.

“Coming into day one I was battling the typical Florida questions of how these fish, that really would like to move up to spawn, will be affected by this cold front,” Arey explained. “Florida bass do not like the cold, so my main goal for yesterday was figuring out what adjustments I needed to make to capitalize on the few good bites I’ll get this week. I only had seven keeper bites yesterday. I salvaged day one, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for.

“Honestly, I don’t feel like I got answers to those main questions (on day one). I got a puzzle piece or two figured out, but the whole picture isn’t clear yet. I have more work to do today, and I’m hoping to answer the cold-front conundrum I came into day one chewing on. I have a longer day today (Friday), so I’m thinking I’ll make a long run and try to keep putting the puzzle pieces together.”

19/02/2025

Toyota Adds Brandon Palaniuk to Star Studded Team Toyota Roster

PLANO, TX – Fifteen years after purchasing a used 2008 Tundra in his home state of Idaho, Brandon Palaniuk's journey with Toyota comes full circle with his addition to Toyota’s team of professional anglers. Texas-based Toyota Motor North America is proud to welcome Palaniuk to Team Toyota.

“We are proud to welcome Brandon to Team Toyota,” said Dedra DeLilli, Vice President of Marketing, Toyota Motor North America. “As a dedicated husband, father, and champion, Brandon embodies the values we admire. Having owned and towed with multiple Tundras, he truly understands the strength and reliability of our vehicles.”

Long before Palaniuk became a household name in tournament bass fishing, he was a young man from Idaho with what seemed like a farfetched dream of fishing for a living. In 2010 he was climbing the ranks of Bassmaster competition in hopes of one day qualifying for the Elite Series. It was then he made a pivotal decision to purchase a used Toyota Tundra, which proved to be the beginning of this new partnership.

“A big reason I bought that first Tundra was Toyota’s involvement in the sport and because I aspired to be one of the guys on Team Toyota,” Palaniuk recalled. “I wanted to be Kevin VanDam, Swindle /, Iaconelli or "Big Show". I was trying to emulate what they had. Fast forward over a decade, it’s incredibly humbling to be mentioned in the same conversation and on the same team as the anglers I idolized at the start of my career. It’s an honor that I don’t take for granted.”

Palaniuk has been a long-time member and proponent of the Toyota Bonus Bucks program. Toyota’s popular contingency program was another major factor in establishing his loyalty to the brand and tow vehicle in the early stages of his competitive fishing pursuits.

“I credit the money I made through Bonus Bucks with helping launch my professional career,” Palaniuk said. “I didn’t have sponsorship money coming in back in those days. I was working for a timber company in between tournaments to support my fishing, running heavy equipment building logging roads in the mountains, pretty much living paycheck to paycheck. The extra cash from Bonus Bucks checks here and there was a difference maker for me in being able to fund my first year on tour.”

Since those humble beginnings, which sometimes included sleeping in his “Tundra Suites” in the back of his tow vehicle, Palaniuk has gone on to live up to his nickname of “the prodigy”. His resume includes a B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, two Bassmaster Angler of the Year titles, and five Bassmaster Elite Series trophies in his 15-years as a full-time pro angler.

More than his impressive accolades, Palaniuk is a leader both on and off the water. He’s looked up to by fans and his peers alike for his positive outlook and supportive nature. Palaniuk works just as hard at being the best dad, husband, business partner and person as he does at being the top bass angler on tour.

Toyota’s partnership with Palaniuk is a testament to the brand’s on-going support of bass fishing. Sponsoring numerous top-level tournament trails, a team of pro anglers, the BassmastHER movement, and amateur anglers of all levels through Toyota Bonus Bucks.

18/02/2025

At the Junction of Youth and Humility

Life tried to land a right-hook on Toyota Bonus Bucks pro Easton Fothergill a few years ago. Not only did he dodge it; he landed an even stronger counterpunch showcasing his elite mental fortitude.

Imagine being a college-aged angler and having the world at your proverbial fingertips. You’re in your early 20s, you’ve earned a college scholarship to fish bass tournaments and you’re looking forward to graduating with your hard-earned 3.6 GPA in Marketing from the University of Montevallo

Life is good.

Heck, life is better than good. The 2023 College BassClassic Bracket is in a few weeks and you’re feeling optimistic about your chances. You’re currently practicing for an upcoming derby on famed Pickwick Lake, enjoying a beautiful day in nature. What more could someone want?

As you make a cast, however, your focus is quickly interrupted when you notice a twinge of pain in your head. Maybe you didn’t drink enough water, or you might have skipped breakfast, so no big deal. You’re a young buck and you can handle it.

A few casts later, the pain returns. It goes away for a bit so hopefully it’s a one-off thing and you’re in the clear. But then it happens again. This time, it doesn’t go away. This time, the intense headache causes you to pass out in your boat.

Toyota Bonus Bucks pro Easton Fothergill will never forget that pivotal day on the water. Just three weeks before the biggest college tournament of his life, his world was turned upside down in a matter of hours.

“I was determined to fish this Pickwick tournament and somehow I got through it by taking Ibuprofen,” Fothergill said. “I felt terrible, but I was able to finish the event. Four days later, about three weeks before the 2023 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket, I couldn’t take the pain any longer and ended up at an urgent care clinic to get checked out. A few hours later, I was having brain surgery.”

The doctors found a tangerine-sized mass on Fothergill’s brain. The doctors said it was an infectious mass initially caused by a small sore in his mouth from brushing his teeth. The infection got into his bloodstream and came to rest in the young man’s brain. The doctors told him this only happens to four in one million people.

Thankfully, the surgery went well, and Fothergill was totally pain free from the moment the surgery was finished. After being prescribed 20 weeks of strong antibiotics, both his youth and impressive mental fortitude shined through.

“I had the biggest college tournament of my life in three weeks,” he said. “They gave me a recovery time of four weeks, but I had work to do. I didn’t have any intention of missing the tournament. That was absolutely not an option.”

He’s a man of his word because not only did he fish the tournament while recovering from emergency brain surgery… he won it against the best college anglers in the country.

“I was catching them on a small finesse jig and a spinnerbait,” Fothergill said. “I’ll never forget that tournament for so many reasons. As you can imagine, it was such a wide range of emotions. I had a hot starting spot each tournament day, so I’d catch some key fish first thing but after that, it was super tough and it took a lot of discipline for me to remain confident and focused.”

This impressive victory gave the Minnesota native an opportunity to fish the 2024 Bassmaster Classic while driving a 2024 Toyota Tundra. His win also earned him paid entry fees into the 2024 Bassmaster Open EQs. Fothergill ended up winning two of them—one on his home lake of Leech Lake and the other on Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma. The 22-year-old also earned the 2024 Bassmaster EQ Opens Angler of the Year honors for his efforts which qualified him for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series.

That’s quite the run (and mouthful), wouldn’t you say?

While he’s always been a talented angler from a very young age, Fothergill credits his calmness and level head for his unprecedented success.

“I’ve never been the kind of person to get too up or down,” he said. “But that whole brain surgery issue put things into a unique perspective for me. I don’t take a single day on the water for granted whatsoever. There is always someone having a worse day than you so whether a fish jumps off or you have a bad tournament, it’s important to get over it quickly and accept it. Negativity doesn’t fix anything, and you can’t go back and change mishaps, so there’s no need to let it mess with your head.”

With plans to lean heavily on those traits, the Toyota Bonus Bucks angler is full of excitement and admittedly a few nerves as the 2025 Elite Series season approaches. A large part of his excitement comes from his new ride. He had never owned his own vehicle before, so Fothergill was able to purchase the 2023 Toyota Tundra he won the rights to use after his Bassmaster College Classic Bracket victory.

“I knew after about two months that I wanted to buy it,” Fothergill said. “I put about 55,000 miles on it last year and I’ve only had it in the shop for oil changes. At least I know I’m going to get to and from tournaments and to and from boat ramps towing my Skeeter/Yamaha with no problems this year. That might sound silly but having confidence in my equipment, especially my truck, boat, and outboard are huge. It lets me totally focus on my job.”

Both the fishing industry and fans are in for a treat as they watch this young man embark on his dream career. Whether it’s a shallow, dirty-water tournament on the Sabine River or a northern smallmouth event, everyone will quickly learn just how well-rounded his skillset is.

“I’ve spent the time necessary with forward-facing sonar because I have to stay with the times,” Fothergill said. “Just like I had to learn about side imaging technology when I was a kid, I owe it to my career to stay updated on technology. But I love a good junk-fishing tournament when I don’t even have to look down at my units. I’ll fish any and everything with a smile on my face and a positive attitude. I don’t ever want to be a one-trick pony.”

At the junction of youth and humility, you’ll find very few young men who have what it takes to make it in this game full of trials, difficult decisions and heartbreak. But whether it’s shrugging off emergency brain surgery, fishing old school or staying up to date with the new, Easton Fothergill has what it takes to become a household name in the fishing world.
Written by Walker Smith

17/02/2025

Lawrence Loads up on Bonus Bucks at Lake Conroe

It took Jake Lawrence Fishing exactly one endeavor in Bass Pro Tour competition before he notched a top ten finish in the dynamic format that often throws even the most seasoned pros a curveball. This comes as no surprise to fishing fans who have been following the career of this young fishing phenom who calls Paris, Tennessee home. The Major League Fishing BPT rookie left Lake Conroe with a sixth-place finish and strong momentum to start the 2025 season.

Lawrence backed up his Stage One finish with an impressive second-place result in the slugfest that was the Toyota Series on Pickwick Lake. These finishes allowed Lawrence to load up $4,500 of Toyota Bonus Bucks earnings ($3,000 for Lake Conroe, $1,500 on Pickwick), as he was the highest placing angler hauling his boat with a 2021 or newer Toyota tow vehicle in both events.

“This is the third Tundra I have owned, and I absolutely love this thing,” Lawrence said. “More than the added incentive of Bonus Bucks, I believe Toyota makes the safest and most comfortable vehicle on the road. I have two young children, so the safety factor means more to me than anything.”

Before becoming a full-time pro, Lawrence actually competed in the amateur-only Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament in 2023 on Pickwick Lake and won the event in dominating fashion. It was plain to see then that he was a special angler, and it nearly seemed par for the course when he continued his impressive campaign on the MLF5 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals last year en route to qualifying for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour.

“Tournament anglers are crazy if they overlook the opportunities with Toyota Bonus Bucks,” Lawrence said. “My wife and I were talking, and I think we paid all but two or three truck payments with Bonus Bucks winnings last year. It’s a great vehicle that literally pays you to fish.”

Well known as a wizard with forward facing sonar, Lawrence caught most of his weight on Lake Conroe employing either a 3-inch or 4-inch Yamamota Scope Shad during the one-period he was allowed to use FFS each day. The other two-thirds of each competition day, Lawrence targeted hydrilla and eelgrass secondary points with a vibrating jig or ¼-ounce Rat-L’Trap.

Much of the BPT field employed a similar one-two punch on Lake Conroe, but Lawrence and the rest of the top ten caught scoreable bass at such a blistering rate it was hard for the field to keep up. Thankfully, you don’t have to out fish Jake Lawrence to reap the rewards of Toyota’s popular fishing contingency program.

Bonus Bucks is paying out on over 620 supported tournaments in 2025, rewarding anglers of all levels for towing their boat with an eligible Toyota tow vehicle. For more information or to get signed up today, visit https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ or shoot an email to [email protected].