24 stories we loved in ’24
Big bass, MLF firsts and other storylines that stood out from the year that was
It didn’t take long after the calendar flipped to 2024 for the big bass to show up on Major League Fishing weigh-in stages.
On Jan. 6, East Texas hammer Hayden Heck brought in a 9-pound, 14-ounce kicker, which anchored his limit of 29-3 at the season-opening Phoenix Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division event on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. That was enough to earn Heck’s fourth BFL win on Sam Rayburn in less than two years. Then, five days later, the Adrian College duo of Braylon Eggerding and Lucas Washburn weighed an 11-7 lunker en route to claiming the Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championship on Lake Toho (more on that shortly).
That set the tone for a season that continued to deliver plenty of massive fish (both in size and importance) and compelling events across all seven levels of MLF tournaments. The editorial team put our heads together to come up with our favorite storylines from the past year, listed here in chronological order.
1. 11-pound kicker helps Adrian win National Championship by 1 ounce (Jan. 10-11)
The first 2024 tournament livestreamed on MLFNOW!, the College Fishing National Championship set quite the high bar. Eggerding and Washburn started the second day of the weather-shortened event in 10th place, more than 8 1/2 pounds back of the leaders, but they made up that deficit in one swing of the rod when Eggerding caught their 11-7 kicker – the biggest bass ever weighed during the college national championship – on a lipless crankbait. That anchored a 23-7 limit, which brought their total to 42-4 – just enough to top the Campbellsville University duo of Carter Doren and Ryan Lachniet by a single ounce. The first ever national title for Adrian, it also earned Eggerding and Washburn trips to the Toyota Series Championship, where Eggerding punched his ticket to REDCREST 2025.
2. Big bass galore at Invitationals opener on Sam Rayburn (Feb. 9-11)
Heck’s near-10-pounder was a sign of things to come; as usual, Sam Rayburn kicked out some giant bass in 2024. During the first event of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals season, they showed up in bunches. That tournament saw three 11-pounders weighed during a single day, one each by Alec Morrison, Cole Breeden and Marshall Hughes. Hughes’ 11-12 kicker anchored a 38-7 monster bag, the fourth-biggest ever from Sam Rayburn in MLF competition. Oh, by the way – Morrison’s 11-pounder wasn’t even his biggest bass of the week. He caught a 13.82-pound ShareLunker during practice. Throw in the fact that the event marked Drew Gill’s first national win (more on Gill to come), and the event deserves a prominent place in Sam Rayburn Reservoir’s illustrious tournament lore.
3. Justin Lucas puts together epic Knockout Round at Santee Cooper (Feb. 24)
South Carolina’s Santee Cooper lakes are known for producing lunker bass, and they showed up during Stage Two of the Bass Pro Tour. While Jacob Wheeler ultimately won the event, no one dialed in the big-fish bite quite like Justin Lucas. During the Knockout Round, Lucas boated six bass weighing 42-6 – an astounding 7-1 average. His biggest five weighed a combined 37-3, which would have been the heaviest five-fish limit of his decorated career. He caught four bass of 7-plus pounds and two over 8, including the 8-15 that won Berkley Big Bass honors. While Lucas, who caught all those fish shaking a Berkley Flatnose Minnow over brushpiles, couldn’t replicate the bite during the Championship Round, he described the magical Knockout Round as “the best day of fishing I’ve ever had in my life.”
4. Dustin Connell wins REDCREST on home lake (March 14-17)
In hindsight, Dustin Connell’s REDCREST victory on Lay Lake felt inevitable. But he had to make several clutch adjustments to pull it off. Competing on one of the Coosa River impoundments he grew up fishing, Connell rallied during the second half of the Knockout Round to make the final-day field. Then, during the Championship Round, he pulled a 180. Instead of fishing beneath Logan Martin dam again, he decided to venture down the lake, where most of the Top 10 targeted suspended, schooling spotted bass. After a slow start, he ran to a pocket near Lacoosa Marina and landed on the mother lode. In a little more than two hours, Connell stacked 14 bass totaling 41-12 onto SCORETRACKER®, which gave him a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. His final tally of 83-0 was easily enough to make him the first repeat winner of MLF’s championship event.
5. Dale Hollow produces furious action in first national event (April 9-14)
Dale Hollow Lake has long held a reputation as a bucket-list destination – it produced the world-record smallmouth, after all. However, due to the lake’s smallmouth slot limit, top tournament trails have traditionally avoided the Tennessee fishery. The Bass Pro Tour’s catch-weigh-release format allowed the anglers to showcase the lake’s healthy bass population, and it didn’t disappoint. It took more than 70 pounds in both Groups A and B to qualify for the Knockout Round. Then, during the Championship Round, Wheeler rocketed out of the starting blocks at an unprecedented rate, boating 14 bass for 43-3 in the first hour and 23 for 70-6 during the opening period. While both Michael Neal and Gill also eclipsed the 80-pound mark on the day, they couldn’t catch Wheeler, who cruised to a 116-6 total – the highest winning weight of the year.
6. Banks Shaw dominates Chickamauga in record fashion (May 2-4)
Plenty of young anglers have impressed in recent years, but none can claim an accomplishment quite like University of North Alabama angler Banks Shaw. Shaw blew the field away during the Toyota Series event on Lake Chickamauga in early May, sacking up 82-12 across three days to win by 24-5. That broke Morrison’s record for the largest margin of victory in Toyota Series history. While most of the field found the postspawn conditions challenging, Shaw used his knowledge of Chick (his home lake) and his electronics prowess to target fish that were moving from spawning areas to their summer haunts. The 20-year-old dialed in his bite more each day, weighing 23-11 on Day 1 and 26-13 on Day 2 before adding an exclamation point with a 32-4 monster bag on Day 3.
7. Zack Birge breaks through on Eufaula (April 30-May 5)
Across four years competing on the FLW Tour and six on the Bass Pro Tour, Zack Birge established himself as one of the most consistent anglers in the world. His first national win, though, eluded him. Finally, after 11 Top 10s without a victory in BPT competition, Birge broke down the door at Stage Four on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula. With thunderstorms and tornadoes causing the lake level to spike and throwing much of the field for a loop, Birge leaned on his shallow-water, power fishing skills and Oklahoma roots. During the Championship Round, he used a bladed jig around flooded bank grass to jump out to an early lead, then a topwater frog to protect it – all within earshot of the launch ramp, where his family and friends cheered him on.
8. Jake Lawrence bounces back with Eufaula win (May 10-12)
Finishing 24th in a 150-boat field can rarely be labeled a disappointment; but that was the case for Jake Lawrence when the Invitationals visited Kentucky Lake in April. Lawrence entered the event as a heavy favorite thanks to a Toyota Series victory the month prior plus two wins on his home lake in 2023. Instead, Lawrence simply had to wait a few weeks for his first national win. At the following event, he took his Tennessee River ledge fishing skills south and rode them to victory at Alabama’s Lake Eufaula. Lawrence used a fairly unique presentation – a 3/4-ounce scrounger head with a soft-plastic jerkbait – to boat 21-0 on Day 1 and 22-6 on Day 2, then survived a tough Day 3 with 16-4. That proved just enough to hold off Paul Marks Jr. by 11 ounces.
9. Heavy Hitters turns into frog fest (May 18-23)
With several contenders using topwater frogs and heavy tackle to haul big bass out of thick grass on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, General Tire Heavy Hitters lived up to its name. A unique set of conditions – low water combined with hydrilla mats that were topped out enough to grow “cheese” but not too thick – made for an epic frog bite that Jordan Lee rode to victory. Lee and Brandon Coulter found the frog pattern early, both using Berkley Swamp Lords to lap the competition in their respective Qualifying Rounds. While the bite slowed as more anglers caught on, Lee still paced the field in both the Knockout and Championship Rounds, boating seven bass for 27-14 on the final day. He narrowly held off a hard-charging Keith Poche, who also wielded a Swamp Lord but in a totally different environment in a shallow canal.
10. KVD walks off with $100,000 bass (May 23)
As impressive as Lee’s Heavy Hitters victory was, he didn’t leave Florida with the biggest paycheck. That honor, as it has so often during his career, went to Kevin VanDam. VanDam earned $18,000 for finishing fourth plus a $100,000 bonus for catching the biggest bass of the Championship Round – a 7-12 lunker that ate a vibrating jig. Making the moment even more special was the fact that VanDam won the coveted big bass bonus on the final day of his final national-level event. VanDam announced his retirement following the 2023 campaign but qualified for REDCREST and Heavy Hitters in 2024. He fished his last event in true KVD fashion, burning a Strike King Thunder Cricket around offshore grass. The resulting $100,000 bass provided a fitting end to his unparalleled career.
11. Paul Marks Jr. dominates All-American (May 29-31)
While finishing just behind Lawrence on Eufaula surely stung, Paul Marks Jr., too, didn’t have to wait long for his breakthrough moment. The 23-year-old unlocked a tough bite on Tennessee’s Cherokee Lake and lapped the field during the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American. The Georgia native used his electronics to find sweet spots on rocky, windblown points, then used a finesse swimbait to catch the smallmouth living there. Marks surpassed 12 pounds all three days, finishing with a total of 38-6 and winning by 4-5. A lifelong tournament angler who’s had plenty of success at the local level, Marks could well be the next in a long line of winners to use the All-American to launch a successful national career.
12. Deanna Moreno, Rachel Uribe finish 1-2 on Delta (June 5-7)
It’s rare that a co-angler competition upstages the boaters, but that will happen when MLF history is made. During the final Toyota Series Western Division event of the year on the California Delta, Deanna Moreno topped the Strike King co-angler standings with 40-15, becoming the third woman ever to win a Toyota Series event and the first since 2001. Making her victory even more notable was the fact that she beat out Rachel Uribe, who totaled 36-10, marking the first time ever that two women have finished first and second at an MLF/FLW event. Both Moreno and Uribe used the resulting spotlight to encourage other female anglers to get involved in tournament competition.
13. Chowan River shows out in debut (June 4-9)
While just about everyone had heard of Dale Hollow before the BPT’s debut event on the fishery, North Carolina’s Chowan River represented a complete mystery to much of the field. The tidal river delivered, producing big bass and a lot of them at Stage Five. During each of the six competition days, the Berkley Big Bass weighed at least 6-15, and three 8-pounders hit the scales. Both picking apart the plentiful shallow cover and targeting submerged wood offshore produced solid days, none better than Gill’s Championship Round performance. Gill used a drop-shot in tandem with forward-facing sonar to catch 10 bass for nearly 32 pounds during the second period. His 58-14 total earned his first BPT victory.
14. Skeet Reese claims first BPT win (June 25-30)
Skeet Reese has achieved just about all there is to accomplish during his professional career, as evidenced by his recent induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame. Until June, however, he’d yet to hoist a Bass Pro Tour trophy. Reese ended that drought on the James River, where he held off Jeff Sprague by 3-11 in a thriller. Like most of the field, Reese started the event fishing in the Chickahominy River but called a clutch audible during the Knockout and Championship Rounds, starting near the mouth of the Appomattox River and running the tide from there. He used his wizardry with a shallow crankbait to pick apart man-made cover and amass a big lead on the final morning, then held off a hard late charge from Sprague to earn an emotional celebration.
15. Keith Carson wins a smallmouth ‘Scope event (July 26-28)
Keith Carson is probably best known for two things: his shallow-water prowess and his friendship with John Cox. So, the Florida native wasn’t exactly on the short list of favorites during the Invitationals season finale on the Detroit River. However, Carson proved that he could use forward-facing sonar to catch offshore smallmouth with the best of them. Fishing Anchor Bay in Lake St. Clair but avoiding the crowd by targeting single fish, Carson didn’t get many bites, but he got the right ones. He took the Day 1 lead with 22-15, then followed it up with 21-15 and 22-8 to edge Alec Morrison by 10 ounces. Not bad for a Florida boy.
16. Alec Morrison wins thrilling AOY race (July 28)
The top Tackle Warehouse Invitationals performers set a breakneck pace and never really slowed down, making for a captivating Fishing Clash Angler of the Year battle. In the end, Alec Morrison edged Jake Lawrence by 16 points to earn both the AOY and Rookie of the Year titles. Morrison made all six Day 3 cuts, including four Top-10 finishes and three in the top five. His average finish of 8.67 was the best by any angler on the Invitationals/Pro Circuit since Bryan Thrift in 2010. Lawrence, who made every cut, held the lead for much of the season; but Morrison’s exceptional northern swing, which saw him finish third at Lake Champlain and second at the Detroit River, netted him $50,000 and a new Polaris.
17. Jacob Wheeler returns to AOY throne (Aug. 11)
A year after narrowly missing out on an AOY three-peat, Wheeler returned to the top spot in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. The world’s No. 1 angler started the season with a fourth-place finish on Toledo Bend, then knocked out back-to-back wins at Santee Cooper and Dale Hollow. Despite a tough first day, he avoided a bomb at Lake Eufaula, finishing 17th – which he’s identified as perhaps the key moment in his AOY conquest. He went on to finish fourth at the Chowan River, 11th at the James River and 14th at the St. Lawrence River to clinch the crown. As a result, Wheeler became the 10th angler ever to win three national-tour AOY titles – and at age 34, it seems reasonable to expect he has plenty left in the tank.
18. Colby Miller breaks out in a big way (January-August)
Colby Miller started the new year strong, finishing ninth in the season-opening BFL on Sam Rayburn then notching his first career win on Lake of the Pines in the second Cowboy Division event. He kept the momentum rolling from there. Miller would go on to add a Toyota Series win on Sam Rayburn, which saw him romp to victory by nearly 15 pounds. He logged three top-five finishes during the Invitationals season and finished third in the Angler of the Year race, earning an invitation to join the Bass Pro Tour. He concluded his stellar campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Toyota Series event on the St. Lawrence River. Throw in Miller’s victory in the Brandon Belt Grand Slam, which earned him and teammate Cole Moore $150,000 each, and he cleared $300,000 in earnings on the year.
19. St. Lawrence River continues to show out (Aug. 6-24)
The St. Lawrence River’s seemingly endless supply of big smallmouth is no secret. Yet despite heavy fishing pressure that increases annually, the New York river continued to kick out massive weights in 2024. First, two pros notched 100-pound days during the Bass Pro Tour season finale, which Michael Neal ultimately won with 88-14 in the Championship Round. Then, when the Toyota Series visited the river, three anglers eclipsed the 70-pound mark over three days, led by Casey Smith, whose 26-4 final-day limit boosted his total to 72-1. That marked the second-heaviest winning weight across 11 three-day Toyota Series events on the river and the heaviest with Lake Ontario off-limits. By the way, the angler who finished third in that Toyota Series event, Dante Piraino, broke the New York state record a few weeks later when he caught a 9-pound smallmouth from the river.
20. Becker, Shuffield dominate first two-man Team Series event (Aug. 25-30)
The first event of MLF’s revamped General Tire Team Series, which featured pairs of pros competing from the same boat, proved to be a smash hit. The Challenge Cup in Erie, Pennsylvania, included several 100-pound days, angler shenanigans and even an on-the-water extraction of a hook from a hand. By the end of the six-day competition, Matt Becker and Spencer Shuffield had left no doubt about their dominance. The Team B&W Trailer Hitches duo (who dubbed themselves the “Brownie Boys”) got on a sweet topwater bite early during their Knockout Round win on Chautauqua Lake. Then, they found a school of largemouth chasing bait amid offshore grass in Presque Isle Bay and stacked up 113-5 on 64 bass during the Championship Round, cruising to the win by nearly 35 pounds as their significant others cheered them on from a nearby boat.
21. Chris Brummett honors late friend with incredible run (April-September)
You’d be hard-pressed to find an angler who had a better season at the local level than Chris Brummett – or one who had a better source of motivation. The Virginia native racked up three wins and seven Top 10s across 10 events in the BFL Piedmont and Shenandoah Divisions, claiming Angler of the Year honors in each. His victories came on three different fisheries: Smith Mountain Lake in April, the James River in August and a two-day Super Tournament win on Kerr Lake in September. Brummett dedicated his season to honoring his friend Rick Tilley, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in February, and he attributed some of his success to emulating Tilley’s fish-for-the-win mindset. Safe to say Tilley would be proud.
22. Best buddies edge father/son in Heritage Cup thriller (Sept. 20)
While the weights weren’t quite as gaudy during the second Team Series event, the fisheries around Neenah, Wisconsin, delivered several dramatic days. That culminated in a neck-and-neck race down the stretch of the Championship Round, with Ott DeFoe and Andy Montgomery fending off Alton Jones and Alton Jones Jr. Representing Team REDCON1, DeFoe and Montgomery used their shallow-water skills to pick apart the docks lining Green Lake and led for most of the day. The father-son duo found the same bite a bit later and got hot, closing their deficit to as little as 2-3 in the final minutes. But DeFoe and Montgomery – best friends who have long roomed together on the road – made a few clutch catches late to edge the Joneses by 5-7, prompting an emotional celebration.
23. Hayden Marbut bookends breakout season with wins (February-November)
There was no shortage of early-20s anglers who made waves in 2024. Hayden Marbut deserves a spot on the short list. The Auburn University standout started the year by notching his first solo win in the Toyota Series event on Lake Guntersville in February. Nine months later and just a few miles down the Tennessee River, Marbut delivered an encore by winning the Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake. The 21-year-old used his aptitude with forward-facing sonar and a jighead minnow to grab the Day 1 lead with 21-6. He followed it up with 19-10 on Day 2, then sacked 16-12 on a tough Day 3 to pass Keith Poche. The victory not only brought Marbut’s 2024 Toyota Series winnings to a ridiculous $345,555 but made him the youngest-ever winner of the championship plus earned him a spot in REDCREST 2025 on Guntersville, where he should be a legitimate threat.
24. Drew Gill soars to new heights (January-November)
It would be easy to make the case that no angler across all MLF circuits had a better 2024 than Gill. After bursting onto the scene in 2023, when he finished ninth in the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals points standings and earned a Bass Pro Tour invite, the 22-year-old took his game to a new level this year. Gill finished third in his debut BPT event on Toledo Bend, then earned his first national win on Sam Rayburn a week later. He would go on to notch four more top fives on the BPT (including his win on the Chowan) en route to a runner-up Angler of the Year finish, as well as three more Invitationals Top 10s. Finally, he added an exclamation point by routing a field that contained several Florida hammers in the Championship Round of the Summit Cup alongside partner Marshall Robinson. All told, Gill finished among the Top 10 in nine of 12 tour-level events, racking up well over $400,000 in the process.