FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – B&W Trailer Hitches Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops starts Saturday on Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake, and that means the spotlight will shine on big bass and Mercury Marine pro Alton Jones Jr.
Over the past few years, Jones has emerged as a consistent force on the Bass Pro Tour, finishing in the top five of the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings each of the past two seasons and currently residing fifth through four events in 2025. But he seems to have developed a special knack for Heavy Hitters, the annual all-star event that features hefty daily big-bass bonuses.
Jones has finished among the Top 10 at three straight Heavy Hitters tournaments and earned more money than anyone else (a cool $273,000) during that span. In 2022 on Lake Palestine, he cashed a combined $150,000 for catching the biggest bass of the Knockout and Championship Rounds. The next year, he blew the field away during the Championship Round on Bussey Brake, racking up 81-15 to win the title belt by nearly 60 pounds.
Jones will be the first to admit that there’s been some good fortune involved in his sustained Heavy Hitters success. With lots of bass on spawning beds, the 2022 and 2023 events both aligned with what he considers his top strength as an angler, his sight-fishing prowess (although his romp on Bussey Brake came by capitalizing on a shad-spawn bite with a spinnerbait).
“It’s kind of where some good decisions and a little bit of luck and skill all collide together,” the Mercury pro said. “I cannot take all the credit for it, especially when you’re talking about catching big bass of the day. Nobody can predict catching big bass of the day.”
Still, it’s obvious Jones has figured out how to play the unique game that is Heavy Hitters. Before arriving at Smith Mountain Lake, he shared a little bit of the strategy he plans to employ in hopes of adding to his Heavy Hitters earnings haul.
Survive and advance through the early rounds
Jones puts a premium on qualifying for Heavy Hitters and looks forward to the event each year, not just because of his impressive track record but because he feels less pressure than at a regular-season event. Heavy Hitters doesn’t require an entry fee and won’t impact the AOY standings, so it’s a risk-free opportunity to try and cash in on the big payouts available.
“It’s kind of nice coming into an event with no strings attached, and no matter how bad your day is going, your week is going – as long as you’re still competing, you have a chance at a big-money bite,” Jones said. “So, that’s comforting. It’s really, really a fun event. I don’t want to say it’s a no-stress event, because there’s a lot of money on the line, but at the end of the day, it’s a lot more enjoyable when there’s no points and season-long standings associated with that.”
That said, there’s probably more strategy that goes into preparing for Heavy Hitters than any other tournament. For one thing, the format is unique – among other wrinkles, there are only 30 anglers in the field (and no more than 16 boats on the water on any given day), and the variable minimum weight for a scorable bass will jump from 2 pounds in the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds to 3 pounds during the Championship Round.
Plus, the objective is two-fold. Yes, competitors want to win the title belt and $100,000 that comes with it. But it can be even more lucrative to win the daily big bass bonuses, which increase each round up to $100,000 in the Championship Round.
In Jones’ mind, the biggest key to giving himself a chance at both six-figure payouts is not to worry too much about targeting big fish early in the event. That might seem counterintuitive at an event that rewards them so handsomely, but his top priority during the Qualifying and Knockout Rounds will be making sure he stays above the elimination line.
“You can get paid great for big fish the first couple days of the event,” he said. “If I have an opportunity at a big fish, I’m definitely going to take it. But the big money lies that final day. That’s when you’ve got $100,000 on the line two different ways, and a 3-pound minimum, so the number of fish getting weighed is less. So, my plan this year is probably going to be to play it safe the first couple days – unless I get a good buffer from the cut line, then I’ll go swing for the fence.”
Jones – who, like many in the field this week, has never competed on Smith Mountain before – said he plans to target “numbers of bites” during the Qualifying Round. If he can find a group of 2-pounders, even better, as there’s no need to save those fish for the final day, when they wouldn’t add to his total.
“Really my whole goal this week is to make the Championship Round and then let the cards fall where they may,” he said.
Watch out for a Championship Round change-up
If he does advance to the final day for the fourth straight year, expect Jones to take a “completely different approach” than he did during the early rounds. At that point, he’s liable to spend hours searching specifically for a big bite or a magic spot where he can rack up weight in a hurry.
“That will be a lot more high risk, high reward; throw a big swimbait around or put my trolling motor down and try to find that one giant fish that could be worth $100,000,” Jones said.
Jones isn’t afraid to throw big baits in search of big bites. He caught a few nice fish on a glide bait on Lake Chickamauga during Stage 4. He’s also one of the best at utilizing forward-facing sonar to target individual fish.
If he has his druthers, though, there will still be a few big females on beds that he can sight-fish on the final day.
“Bed fishing is like my deer hunting,” he said. “My favorite thing to do is go find a big fish that’s hard to catch and catch it, at least in my free time. I like to find that fish that nobody can catch.”
Jones and the rest of the Heavy Hitters field will find out what Smith Mountain has in store for them soon. Someone is going to catch a $100,000 bass, and someone is going to win a $100,000 title. The only angler in the field to have accomplished both, don’t be surprised if Jones is right in the thick of both races come the Championship Round.