Elite

Every winner from the 2025 Elite Series season

Take a look back at all all the winners from the 2025 Progressive Elite Series season. With records broken and dramatic endings, the 2025 season will definitely be one to remember!

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Photography by
Andy Crawford
Photography by
Dalton Tumblin
Photography by
Chase Sansom
West Virginia
Photography by
Shane Durrance
Photography by
Logan Crumley
Captions by
Solomon Glenn
Bill Lowen – St. Johns River
Bill Lowen started the 2025 season with a bang by winning his second Bassmaster Elite Series title. His first win came in 2021 on Pickwick Lake.
Lowen took the lead on Day 2 and never looked back. He primarily threw a swim jig and flipped on one creek north of Palatka.
Lowen caught bags of 21-5, 24-4, 18-1, and then came one short of his limit on Day 4 to bring in 10-4. While he stumbled on Day 4, his weight was enough to edge out Jay Przekurat by 4 ounces.
Brandon Palaniuk – Lake Okeechobee
Brandon Palaniuk won unconventionally for Lake Okeechobee, fishing up the Kissimmee River while playing bumper boats with three other Elite anglers.
Palaniuk’s mastery of fishing with big baits for big bass set him apart from the rest of the field and the three other anglers in the same area. He rotated several baits, including glidebaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, worms and punching rigs.
Palaniuk had a magical Day 2 where he boated 34-10 that included two 9-pound class fish. His four-day winning weight totaled 95-4 and gave him more than a 15-pound margin of victory.
Kyle Welcher – Pasquotank River
There were a ton of unknowns coming into the Pasquotank River, a place the Elite Series had never been. However, the massive playing field showed out in a major way and saw Kyle Welcher break the record for margin of victory.
This margin of victory came out to 45 pounds, 7 ounces as Welcher posted weights of 30-11, 30-3, 34-0 and 23-13 for a four-day total of 118-12.
Not only did Welcher break a record and claim a Century Club belt, he also caught a 10-pound, 8-ounce bass to cap off his monstrous 34-pound bag on Day 3.
Paul Marks – Lake Hartwell
It only took four events to see the first rookie win in 2025. Paul Marks is a master of herring fisheries due to growing up on the shores of Lake Lanier.
Consistency was key for Marks as he focused on offshore schooling spotted bass. A few bedding largemouth throughout the week helped bump up his bags, especially on Day 1.
Marks held positions of third, second and second on the first three days, respectively, and weighed 15-8 on the final day to edge out his roommate Tucker Smith by 14 ounces.
Tucker Smith – Lake Fork
Tucker Smith put on a master class of catching Lake Fork giants while mostly fishing offshore with a large jighead minnow setup. Smith also caught a few fish up shallow on a swim jig.
Smith was third going into Championship Sunday, trailing by 8 pounds to Kyoya Fujita. Fujita stumbled and only caught 21-3 while Smith brought in his biggest bag of the week at 34-14.
Smith flipped the script from the event before, and this time just beat out roommate Paul Marks for top honors by less than a pound. Smith’s bags went 25-4, 34-5, 33-1 and 34-14 to total 127 pounds, 8 ounces.
Pat Schlapper – Sabine River
Pat Schlapper went wire-to-wire on one of the toughest fisheries the Elites visit. A display of Schlapper’s shallow-water mastery was in full effect.
He made key adjustments each day to stay on fish as water fell and bites became tougher. Schlapper rotated from a custom-made jig to flipping baits and finesse worms, and finally a Brazalo Buzzbait on Day 4.
After a solid Day 1 bag of 12-2, Schlapper backed it up with 8-7, 8-9 and 9-10 to total 38-12 and take home his first blue trophy.
Wes Logan – Lake Tenkiller
While many expected Tenkiller to be a full-on scope fest, tons of rain and swiftly rising water conditions turned the tournament on its head. Shallow power fishing dominated and provided an exciting spectacle.
Wes Logan slowly climbed the leaderboard each day after his Day 1 weight put him in 11th. By the end of Day 3, Logan found himself in third but still 5 pounds behind leader Andrew Loberg.
The dramatic finish at Tenkiller is sure to be remembered as Logan posted his biggest bag of the week at 16-14 and edged out Loberg by a single ounce.
Trey McKinney – Lake St. Clair
The 20-year-old, second-year pro has had an incredible career in a very short time. He added another highlight by winning the 2025 Lake St. Clair event wire-to-wire.
Trey McKinney didn’t find some secret area either; he stayed in Anchor Bay with much of the field and simply out fished everyone else. He paid attention to every detail and approached each fish as a different challenge. He keyed in on one main stretch that had the perfect combination of sand and grass patches.
McKinney stayed consistent by posting weights of 24-11, 23-10, 23-15 and 23-13 to a total 96-1 and won by nearly 6 pounds. This win also brought him into a tie for the Bassmaster Angler of the Year lead going into the final event.
Pat Schlapper – Mississippi River
Pat Schlapper doubled down in 2025 and won his second Elite title on a place he is far more familiar with than the Sabine River. While many shied away, Schlapper locked into pool 7 each day to sack the majority of his weight.
Schlapper used three main tactics to catch his river bass. He started with a fluke-style bait over submerged grass flats and then rotated a frog and punch rig around thicker vegetation.
Schlapper never took the lead till the final weigh-in as fellow Wisconsin angler Caleb Kuphall was looking to go wire-to-wire. Schlapper’s final-day bag of 18-7 gave him a total of 66-5 and win over Kuphall by nearly 3 pounds.

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