Meet the incoming class of Bass Pro Tour rookies
This season, being a newcomer to the Bass Pro Tour looks like an extreme challenge with the field size set to dip again for 2026 and forward-facing sonar being limited in 2025. Then again, there’s been no shortage of young anglers who have found immediate success on MLF’s top tour in recent years. This year’s incoming class from the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals appears primed to continue that trend, as all of the up-and-coming young guns are nearly unimpeachable anglers. The top five in the standings qualified for advancement, and most of them accepted their invitations – here’s what to expect from the new anglers on tour.
Finally big time for Lawrence
At 33 years old, Mercury pro Jake Lawrence was on the scene for Bethel University in the early days of collegiate fishing, and he won his first Toyota Series event in 2018, back when Humminbird 360 was the offshore sonar of choice. A duck guide and fishing guide, Lawrence started to lean into full-time tournament fishing the last few years, and so far it’s been very good to him.
After battling with Alec Morrison for Fishing Clash Angler of the Year in 2024, Lawrence ended up just short thanks to a pair of 24th-place finishes on his home waters of Kentucky Lake and in the smallmouth-dominated finale at St. Clair. Still, he wrapped up his season with AOY in the Toyota Series Plains Division, so he’s not lacking momentum.
This year, the schedule really looks good for Lawrence. Raised on the Tennessee River, he’ll have a few cracks at familiar water, including the chance to fish a BPT event on his home lake. The best fisherman on Kentucky Lake over the last few years, Lawrence has won three Toyota Series events there and figures to be a very tough out in Stage Five.
One shining moment
With six MLF wins in the last two seasons, Lawrence is heavy on highlights. The most memorable from the past year has to be his Invitationals win on Lake Eufaula. After stumbling at home on Kentucky Lake, Lawrence rebounded with a big win at one of the signature ledge lakes of the south. Tallying almost 20 pounds a day, he beat out some of the hottest pros and best locals in the game to bank $115,000.
Miller hits his stride in ’24
A crappie guide on Toledo Bend when he’s not casting for cash, Colby Miller started out as a pro in 2020, fishing on the then Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at only 20 years old. Since then, Miller has shown flashes of his potential almost every year and finished 2023 strong with a Top 10 in the Toyota Series Championship on Table Rock. Miller absolutely blasted them in 2024, starting with a Phoenix Bass Fishing League win in January then winning a Toyota Series event in February and putting up three top-five finishes on the Invitationals. Plus, he and team partner Cole Moore took down $150,000 in the Brandon Belt Fishing Grand Slam on Rayburn.
A shallow-water angler before he started out fishing nationally, Miller is as diverse as someone so young can be, having seen success in the dirt and over the abyss plenty of times. There isn’t a slam-dunk home-field advantage for Miller on the schedule, but in 2024, he showed that there’s really nowhere he can’t contend for a win.
One shining moment
Miller could point to any number of highlights from the past year, but the best was probably his Toyota Series victory on Sam Rayburn. He smashed nearly 80 pounds over three days of fantastic prespawn fishing and bested second place by nearly 15 pounds to earn a big win on one of the most historic venues in bass fishing.
The next East Texas hammer to go national
From the hotbed of fishing that is East Texas, Marshall Hughes helps skew the average rookie age up a little bit at the ripe old age of 31. Well versed in everything Texas, Hughes fished for Tarleton State-Stephenville in college. He’s since shown he’s pretty capable outside the Lone Star State as well. If there’s a weakness in his game, it’s probably northern smallmouth, but even that went well on the Invitationals (he finished 19th at Lake Champlain), and he shouldn’t need that skillset too much in his debut season on the BPT.
Looking ahead, Hughes figures to be in the conversation at Conroe – it’s less than 3 hours from home in Hemphill. Then, you’ve got to figure the June event on Kentucky Lake will let him show off his offshore skills with a worm and a plug.
One shining moment
For Hughes, the highlight of 2024 was for sure his Day 2 at the season-opener on Sam Rayburn. After a so-so Day 1, Hughes blasted 38-7 to move into the lead. Though he ended up dropping the tournament to Drew Gill, Hughes showed why he’s always dangerous at home and set the tone for the season to come.