Bass Pro Tour requalification rally underway, Hall of Famer Reese is set for 2025

As evidenced by his upcoming induction into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Mercury pro Skeet Reese has won just about everything there is to win in tournament bass fishing. Still, he knew right away that his first Bass Pro Tour victory carried special significance last month at General Tire Stage Six Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on the James River. 

“I wanted to make sure, for myself, personally, that I was able to compete against the best group of anglers in the world and still win,” Reese said shortly before hoisting the trophy. “It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve got lots of trophies, but I’ve been seeing how many guys have been winning the Bass Pro Tour trophies, and I said, ‘I want one of those.’” 

Not only did Reese prove to himself that he can contend with the BPT’s best, but his win cemented his spot competing on Major League Fishing’s top tour for at least another year. 

Reese’s James River triumph capped a rally that has seen him vault from 78th among 80 pros in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings after the second event of the 2024 season all the way to 25th with one event left. Reese is now assured of a spot on the 65-angler Bass Pro Tour roster in 2025 regardless of his finish at Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird on the St. Lawrence River and well positioned to qualify for REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville. In the few weeks since the victory, that’s the aspect he’s appreciated most. 

“To be able to get a win and know that I just kind of kept my career alive, it makes it that much more rewarding,” Reese said. 

Slow start to a stressful season

Like many Bass Pro Tour pros, requalification has been front of mind for Reese since MLF announced that the BPT roster would be trimmed to 65 anglers in 2025 then 50 anglers for the 2026 season and beyond. Even though he’s in favor of a reduced field, Reese said the looming cuts made for some sleepless nights. 

“It’s a very scary topic for guys, but I also truly believe it’s what is best for the anglers and the league,” Reese said. “I think it’s just going to get better and better for both parties. Unfortunately, the process we have to go through to get there sucks. But I also look at, hey, every field — it doesn’t matter what job, what career path — there’s people that lose their jobs every year, every day, every week.” 

With average BPT Angler of the Year finish serving as the primary metric used to determine requalification, Reese entered the season right around the cut line. Complicating matters was the fact that he had to spend about a month off the water after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee last November. 

Still, Reese did everything he could to prepare for the season, devoting extra time to map study and other preparations. He even made a special trip to pre-practice for Stage Five on North Carolina’s Chowan River — a whopping 3,000 miles away from his home in Auburn, California — because he had never been to the fishery before and knew he would miss most of official practice to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. While he didn’t feel ready to end his decorated career, Reese told himself that, as long as he did everything in his power to put together a strong season, he could live with the result, whatever it may be. 

“I don’t want to finish with regret,” he said. “So, do my due diligence, work my ass off, and if I do all that and I still don’t qualify, I’ll know that I gave it my best and I’ve done all that I can possibly do to put myself in a position. So, then I would have been OK with it.” 

A rough start to the season tested that resolve. Reese entered the year particularly excited about each of the first two fisheries on the BPT schedule – Toledo Bend and Santee Cooper. He called Toledo Bend one of his favorite lakes in the country and knew Santee Cooper would suit his shallow, power-fishing style; plus, he’d logged Top-10 finishes on both fisheries in the past. 

Reese admits he wasn’t prepared for just how dominant forward-facing sonar would be at Toledo Bend, where he tied for 67th. At Santee Cooper, he reported a great practice before falling water levels caused the fish he’d found to vacate the area. He caught just five scorable bass across two days and finished tied for 75th. Now facing an even steeper climb to keep his career alive, he admitted it was hard not to get discouraged.

“I was pretty down and out,” Reese said. “Like, alright, this might be it. If I fish like this, I’m not going to qualify.” 

Renewed confidence keyed comeback

On paper, Reese’s season turned around during Stage Four on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula, when he logged his first BPT Top 10 since the 2021 season, finishing third. However, he actually points to Stage Three on Dale Hollow as the event when he started to feel his momentum shift. 

Having witnessed the power of forward-facing sonar at Toledo Bend and knowing Dale Hollow’s reputation as a popular playground for the technology, he spent most of his practice trying to target suspended schools of bass. He could never get comfortable with the pattern. Instead, he pivoted to shallow largemouth and sat 29th in Group A after one day of qualifying. On Day 2, he made an area adjustment and stacked 11 scorable bass for 32-3 onto SCORETRACKER®, climbing to 19th place in his group and earning his first check of the season.  

Seeing an adjustment pay off did wonders for Reese’s confidence, which further ballooned with his strong showing on Eufaula — an event that required constant change due to rapidly rising and then falling water levels. He pointed to confidence in his decision-making as the biggest difference between the angler that struggled early in the season and the one that has knocked out two top-three finishes in the past three events. 

“It goes back to just the confidence in your decision-making and not being scared to abandon something,” he explained. “Even though you don’t know what the bite is and where you’re going next, you know what you’re doing isn’t working, so why keep doing it? So, not having fear stop me from going and trying something else or a new area. That’s how my career has been, so just got back into that process of not letting fear stop me from making a decision that can change the outcome.” 

Mid-tournament decision-making played a pivotal role in Reese’s win on the James River. After spending the two Qualifying Round days in the Chickahominy River (along with most of the field), he decided to start the Knockout and Championship Rounds farther up the James. Fishing around the mouth of the Appomattox River to start Championship Sunday, he built a big lead during the opening period then hung on for the win. 

As a result, Reese now currently sits among the top 45 anglers in career average, all of whom will receive invitations to return in 2025. Even if he were to fall out of that group, he’s amassed enough points that he is assured of finishing among the 15 best of the rest in the 2024 AOY standings, meaning his spot for next year is secure.

That’s allowed Reese to sleep a bit better in advance of the season finale. However, he knows he can’t completely relax, as finishing the season strong would further bolster his career average and improve his chances of qualifying for the 2026 roster. The good news is, not only is momentum on his side thanks to his recent run, but Reese has logged three top-five finishes on the St. Lawrence River during his career. 

“I’m not like taking all worries and stresses off myself,” Reese said. “I’m still looking at myself that I need a good finish here, because even though it looks like I’m in good shape to qualify for 2025, in ‘26, there’s another cut.” 

Reese noted with a chuckle that, since his win on the James River, his retirement timeline seems to be a hot topic. Clearly, he’s not ready to hang up his rods yet. He’s given it some thought and started to position himself for a post-competitive career with the launch of his brand, Reese Fishing. But as long as his internal fire continues to burn and he has a spot on the BPT roster, Reese has no plans to call it quits. 

“I want to be part of that final group of 50 that kind of reshapes what we’re doing,” Reese said. “I realize how competitive I still am and how much I want to win and how pissed off I get when I don’t catch them. I still really care about what I’m doing. So, at this point and time, the fire is in me to still compete, and I think as long as I still have that fire and the endorsement world is in my favor and I can continue to grow the business, then I don’t see a reason why I would stop.”