SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, La. – On a day when every bite felt earned, local favorite Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, and veteran hammer Todd Faircloth of Jasper, Texas, leaned on heavy punching gear and steady teamwork to power Team B&W Trailer Hitches to the top of SCORETRACKER® in Elimination Round Match 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni at Caddo Lake.
The duo caught 15 scorable bass for 27 pounds, 5 ounces, securing the win and a spot in Knockout Round Match 1 on Wednesday.
Right behind them – and riding a heroic solo performance – Team Kubota grabbed the second advancing position with 24 pounds, 13 ounces, all caught by Ohio pro Cole Floyd, who carried his squad into Thursday’s Knockout Round Match 2.
In total, the four teams combined for 38 bass weighing 80 pounds, 5 ounces on a tough Caddo Lake that made every presentation matter.
Link to Hi-Res Photo of Summit Cup Elimination Round Match 1 Winner Team B&W Trailer Hitches
Link to HD Video Clip of Summit Cup Elimination Round Match 1 Highlights
Link to Morning Photo Gallery: Team Series action resumes with Summit Cup on Caddo Lake
Link to Afternoon Photo Gallery: Summit Cup anglers unlock Caddo Lake
For LeBrun, the win carried emotional weight. Fishing his home lake, LeBrun said the day felt significant from the moment he made his first run.
“I got pretty emotional this morning running across the lake and passing the island where my dad and I used to wade fish,” LeBrun said. “I miss my dad a lot, and it was special to be back on this lake, fishing a major event with Todd. Today was a really good day.”
LeBrun set the pace with 10 of the team’s 15 scorable bass – the most of any angler in the field – contributing 18-11 of B&W Trailer Hitches’ winning total. Faircloth added five bass for 8-10, and the pair protected their lead throughout the final period.
The key for Team B&W Trailer Hitches was an early commitment to punching matted vegetation. LeBrun and Faircloth identified the pattern before any other team and leaned on it all day, rotating targets and angles to stay efficient.
Faircloth relied on a 7-foot, 6-inch Lew’s Signature Series rod paired with an 8:1 gear ratio Lew’s skipping and pitching reel, a 1 1/4-ounce Strike King tungsten weight and 50-pound Sunlinebraid. He focused on probing deeper sections of the thick mats while LeBrun targeted the outer edges.
“The key for our team was keeping fresh water in front of us and staying efficient with every pitch,” Faircloth said. “Nick set us up perfectly, and I just needed to settle in, fish clean and keep the momentum going.”
He credited the team dynamic for their success.
“Nick and I communicate extremely well, and that’s what makes this format so much fun,” Faircloth said. “We trust each other’s instincts, and when you get in sync like that, these results happen.”
LeBrun used a similar setup, anchored by a TFO Resolve 7-foot, 2-inch, heavy-action rod, a 4/0 Hayabusa FPP Straight hook and Elite Tungsten weights – both 1 and 1 1/4 ounces. Both anglers flipped compact creature-style plastics designed to slip through the dense vegetation.
LeBrun also gave a lot of credit to the Lowrance Ghost trolling motor, as the team maneuvered through heavy cover for most of the day.
“We were in the sticks all day long, and that Ghost was quiet and reliable,” LeBrun said. “I put it through the test.”
It was a little bit of a different story for Team Kubota. While Nick Hatfield went scoreless, Cole Floyd delivered a dominant solo effort for Team Kubota, boating all eight of the team’s fish for 24-13 – the highest individual weight of the round.
Floyd also earned the Berkley Big Bass of the Day with a 5-pound, 13-ounce largemouth caught on a frog – more than 2 pounds heavier than the next-largest fish. He added multiple bass over 3 pounds and briefly put Team Kubota in the lead before B&W Trailer Hitches pulled away late.
Team Knighten Industries – Matt Becker and Spencer Shuffield – made things interesting in the final period, cutting the deficit to just over five pounds with less than two minutes remaining. Shuffield’s 1-9 late catch gave the team hope, but the run stalled and they finished the day in third with 19-4.
Team 7Brew Coffee’s Zack Birge and Keith Poche struggled to generate consistent bites and ended the day fourth with 8-15.
The top two teams from Elimination Round Match 1 at Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni that now advance to the Knockout Round are:
1st: Team B&W Trailer Hitches, 15 bass, 27-5
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, five bass, 8-10
Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 18-11
2nd: Team Kubota, eight bass, 24-13
Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, eight bass, 24-13
Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., zero bass, 0-0
Eliminated from competition are:
3rd: Team Knighten Industries, 10 bass, 19-4
Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., four bass, 7-6
Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., six bass, 11-14
4th: Team 7Brew Coffee, five bass, 8-15
Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., four bass, 7-14
Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., one bass, 1-1
Complete results from throughout the week can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 38 bass weighing 80 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the four teams Sunday in Elimination Round Match 1 on Caddo Lake. Team Kubota pro Cole Floyd caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a 5-pound, 13-ounce largemouth bass.
The four teams that will compete Monday in Elimination Round Match 2 at the Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni are:
Team BUBBA:
Brent Chapman, Lake Quivira, Kan.
Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn.
Team Ferguson:
Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif.
Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.
Team Lucas Oil:
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill.
Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C.
Team Smokey Mountain:
Britt Myers, Lake Wylie, S.C.
Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
The Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission and takes place over six days in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. The competition water for each day is top secret and is only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 9:15 a.m.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live every day of competition from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF and MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) apps, RFD-TV Now, Game & Fish TV and Rumble. The final period of every day of competition of the 2025 Fishing Clash Team Series is broadcast live on RFD-TV, from 1:30-4 p.m. CT.
The Summit Cup features 12 two-man teams divided into three groups as they enter the one-day Elimination Round matches. Each of the three Elimination Round matches will feature four new teams, with the top two teams from each match of the Elimination Round advancing to the Knockout Round on Days 4 and 5. In the Knockout Rounds, three teams compete each day, with the top two teams from each Knockout Round match moving on to the Championship Round on Day 6. In Friday’s Day 6 Championship Round, the final four teams will compete in a one-day shootout to determine which team will win the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops features four Cup events in 2025 – the Challenge, Heritage, Patriot, and Summit Cups – with 12 two-man teams of Bass Pro Tour anglers competing for a share of $560,000 in prize money. Teams were formed through a selection process, where 48 team captains – based on Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) standings throughout the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season – selected a teammate. Teams will compete throughout the fall of 2025.
The MLF Fishing Clash Team Series Bass Pro Shops Summit Cup Presented by Zenni will also air on Outdoor Channel as six two-hour original episodes each Saturday afternoon starting May 9, 2026. The complete television schedule for the Fishing Clash Team Series on Outdoor Channel will be posted at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Proud sponsors of the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Boat Technologies, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Ferguson, Fishing Clash, Knighten Industries, Kubota, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, NITRO Boats, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Smokey Mountain Caffeinated Pouches, Star brite, Toyota, YETI and Zenni.
For complete details and updated information on the MLF Fishing Clash Team Series, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.