The wait for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season is almost over. Major League Fishing’s top tournament circuit will kick off its seventh season at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Power-Pole on Lake Conroe starting this Thursday, Jan. 30.
Bass Pro Tour events will look a little bit different this year. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about MLF’s new forward-facing sonar restrictions, which will go into effect in 2025. Additionally, instead of six-day events with anglers split into Groups A and B for the Qualifying Rounds, events in 2025 will last four days with all 66 anglers in the field taking the water at the same time during the first two days, which will allow every day of competition to be streamed live on MLFNOW!.
Here are all the details you need to know about the upcoming season.
Win and you’re in, plus a bigger payout
Just in case pros needed any extra incentive to chase a Bass Pro Tour trophy, the winner of each regular-season event will now receive a boosted payout of $150,000, up from $100,000 during the first six BPT seasons.
The path to the winner’s circle will look slightly different than years past. The “win and you’re in” provision is back in 2025, meaning the angler who catches the most weight during the two-day Qualifying Round will earn an automatic berth to the Championship Round. That should incentivize those anglers who get off to a hot start to keep the pedal to the metal.
The anglers who finish second through 20th in the Qualifying Round will advance to the Knockout Round, where weights will zero. The top nine finishers there will join the Qualifying Round winner in the Championship Round. With weights zeroing once again, the top performer on the final day will earn the victory. MLF’s signature every-fish-counts scoring format (above a variable minimum weight) will be back in 2025.
Forward-facing sonar limited
Over the past few years, forward-facing sonar has drastically altered the complexion of tournament bass fishing. With its new restrictions this season, the Bass Pro Tour will allow anglers to utilize the technology while also compelling them to mix in some more traditional methods.
Under the new rules (the ins and outs of which are explained here), anglers will only be allowed to utilize forward-facing or 360-degree sonar for one of the three periods that comprise each competition day. Each angler must state his intent to use that technology prior to the start of his chosen period. An icon on SCORETRACKER® will indicate to viewers which anglers are using live sonar, who has already done so that day and who has not.
Given the extent to which forward-facing sonar has dominated lately, the tactics and strategy employed by BPT anglers should look quite a bit different in 2025. Shortly after the new rules were announced last fall, Drew Gill, Alton Jones Jr. and Jesse Wiggins predicted viewers will see a shift in tactics, with anglers spending more time covering water with baits like crankbaits and bladed jigs. While each event will likely be different, Gill thinks competitors might be able to make a Championship Round with just one strong pattern. To win, though, he thinks an angler is going to need both an effective forward-facing approach and a way to keep up the pace during the other two periods.
“I did the math — every single Knockout Round that I made this year, I could have made on five hours in the Qualifying Round, two and a half hours a day,” Gill said. “And I could have made all but one Championship Round on just two and a half hours. But the difference is going to be in the Championship Round. The people that win the tournament are going to be the people with the best secondary strategy.”
As for which period anglers typically choose to use their sonar arsenal, how strategies and catch rates are impacted and which anglers benefit the most from the new rules, stay tuned – we’ll be closely monitoring and covering those storylines throughout the 2025 campaign.
Another race to requalify
Following the 2024 season, the Bass Pro Tour trimmed its roster from 80 anglers to 66. After this season, another round of cuts will bring it to 50 anglers, which will represent the field size moving forward.
The formula used to determine who earns a spot in next year’s field will be similar to 2024. The top 35 anglers in average career BPT Angler of the Year finish will all earn invitations to return in 2026, as will the next 10 best finishers from the 2025 Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. The final invitations will be extended to the top five finishers in the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals points standings.
A smaller roster also means a more exclusive field for REDCREST 2026. The top 29 finishers in the 2025 Bass Pro Tour points standings will earn spots in the championship field, where $300,000 will be on the line for the winner. The 2025 REDCREST champion and five winners from the MLF5 ranks will round out the field. If any of those anglers double-qualifies, the next-highest finisher in the 2025 BPT AOY standings will then receive an invite.