Elite

Big bass of 2024 Elites

The Johnstons complete their Canadian incursion and Hamner lands heaviest bass caught on Bassmaster LIVE.

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Captions by
Mike Suchan
Oh Canada! Brothers Cory and Chris Johnston gave their country plenty to cheer about in 2024, the elder Cory winning two events while Chris became the first Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year from the Great White North. During the 2024 Elites, there was more international flair with two Japanese anglers winning their second Elite events, two triumphant rookies and two 50-year-olds who won their first. Also, the biggest fish ever caught on Bassmaster LIVE highlighted an event for the ages. Let’s look back at the big bass from 2024.
Big bass hit the scales from the get-go at season’s start on Feb. 22 at Toledo Bend Reservoir, including three topping 9 pounds. Luke Palmer’s 9-6 edged Koby Kreiger’s lunker by an ounce, but the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 1 went to Bryan New for this 9-8, which ended up as the biggest at the Bend.
Second-year pro Kyoya Fujita of Japan picked up where he left off in 2023, posting the first big bass on BassTrakk and piling on. Fujita, who won at Lake Champlain while taking second in the 2023 Rookie of the Year race, had an 8-8 in his 31-2 limit, the CrushCity Monster Bag of the event. (Check out all the Monster Bags of 2024)
Day 2 proved fruitful for Chris Johnston. He catapulted into the Top 10 with 26-8, bolstered by the day’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass of 9-3. Johnston rode that to a seventh-place finish, a great start to an AOY season that saw him post four Top 10 finishes.
Patrick Walters made a big move on Day 2, although nobody knew it until he reached the scales. The South Carolina pro, who lowballed for around 20 pounds on BassTrakk, weighed 30-5 to jump into fourth. The first angler to top 100 pounds in largemouth and smallmouth events was in the hunt for his sixth B.A.S.S. win, and potentially a fourth Century Club belt.
Pat Schlapper of Eleva, Wis., was a model of consistency, busting 27-4 then 28-5 for a two-day lead with 55-9, just 3 ounces ahead of Fujita. His bigs on Day 2 went 8-8 and 7-12, more than half his total.
On Day 3, Jay Przekurat of Stephens Point, Wis., brought in the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of 7-15 to finish 25th. Schlapper ended the day with 78-0 — 6 pounds up on Fujita and 8-9 ahead of rookie Robert Gee, who wound up fourth. However, Schlapper’s big bites didn’t materialize on Championship Sunday and he fell to third.
BassTrakk and Walters don’t jive, and even his cameraman was fooled on Sunday. Starting 11 pounds back, Walters caught an 8-4, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, and an 8-0 to weigh 29-0. His total of 95-15 wasn’t enough to overtake Fujita, who was also on a big-fish bender. In 2023 at the St. Lawrence River, Fujita earned a Century Club belt finishing behind Walters, and he needed 28-0 at Toledo Bend to duplicate Walters’ double-species belt slam.
Fujita started Day 4 with a 6-0 before a slow period, and another 6-0 at 12:19 p.m. gave him 99-4 on BassTrakk. Fujita’s 6-8 at 1:20 unofficially put him over 100 pounds, maybe. He finished with 29-12 on BassTrakk, a rare overestimation, as the scales showed 28-13 for a 100-13 total and his second Elite title. Fujita added Toledo Bend as the 10th fishery where Elites have belted it out of the ballpark.
The Lake Fork event was one for ages, a special tournament packed with storylines, as well as monster catches that rivaled the record-setting 2008 Falcon Elite. The crown jewel of Texas’ trophy fishing had the youngest winner, four double-digit fish, all Top 10 earning Century Club belts and four of the top 10 all-time weights in B.A.S.S. Wesley Gore had the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 1, a 10-9, helping the rookie from Clanton, Ala., total 32-2, only good for 12th on the day.
With a midmorning 10-5, Japanese pro Taku Ito rocketed up the leaderboard. In the catch, weigh and release format, Ito added bass weighing 7-12, 6-6 and 6-3, and an afternoon 8-6 had him scare a “Freaky 40.” He led with 39-1, the CrushCity Monster Bag of the event and the season, but his wild ride ended with Day 3’s 17-6, leaving him 21st.
There were six 9-pound bass caught on Day 2, and Matty Wong was excited for his 9-3. After 33-2 on Day 1, his second 30-pound limit moved the Hawaiian into second place, 3-11 back of Day 2 leader Trey McKinney. With 67-5, McKinney was on pace for 134-10 and the all-time record of 132-8 set at Falcon in 2008.
JT Thompkins, the 2023 Bassmaster Opens EQ Angler of the Year, caught a 9-13, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 2. However, it couldn’t be brought to weigh-in as it wasn’t over Fork’s slot of 24 inches. The 22-year-old rookie from Myrtle Beach, S.C., totaled 35-1 on the day, and despite a 9-1 on Semifinal Saturday, he missed the Top 10 in 13th.
With only 25-4 on Day 2, rookie Ben Milliken fell out of the Top 10. He was dropping further back before catching this 9-10, his last fish of the day, to skyrocket into the Top 10. Behind an 8-8 in his 30-0 limit, McKinney had 97-5, needing one more big bite for a three-day belt. Milliken needed 12-13 on Championship Sunday for a belt, and he hit the mark with a 3-15 at 10:15 a.m. before finishing eighth with 113-12.
Tyler Rivet buckled his belt at 10 a.m. and later holstered big bass with a personal best 10-12. The fish helped Rivet weigh 32-10 to accumulate 125-9, the eighth-best total in B.A.S.S. Of note, Justin Atkins celebrated his 34th birthday with a 9-3 and a belt with 117-12. Stetson Blaylock was an ounce back of him, and Gore had 115-9. Kyle Patrick totaled 111-14, one of four rookies to break 100 in the event. Cooper Gallant sweated his belt, hooking a 5-7 late in the day — “Please be a Century belt” — for 100-7.
Justin Hamner topped 100 with a 5-10 at 8:13 a.m., and five hours later caught an 11-7 — the biggest bass ever caught on Bassmaster LIVE – for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the event and the year. It helped the future Classic champ to the day’s second-best bag of 33-7 and a third-place finish with 124-10, which put him in the books with the ninth all-time best weight. Rookie Tyler Williams’ 124-9 made the all-time list at 10th.
McKinney just kept rolling. His five on Championship Sunday went 5-7, 6-7, 6-11, 7-4 and 7-13 for 33-10, making him the youngest ever Elite champ at 19 years, 1 week. His 130-15 total was just 1-9 from equaling Paul Elias’ record from Falcon and stands as the fourth-best of all-time. The other Falcon weights above McKinney are Terry Scroggins’ 132-4 and Byron Velvick’s 131-15. Fork surpassed Falcon with the most belts, 19 to 15.
Florida wasn’t the season starting point for the first time since 2018, but anglers were excited for a new and different April swing there. Despite most being in postspawn, big bass were caught on the Harris Chain, which was moved back a day for weather. Connecticut’s Paul Mueller tied for Phoenix Boats Big Bass on Day 1 with this 7-14, and he landed another 7-pounder on Day 2 to finish 22nd.
After two subpar finishes in his home state of Texas, Brad Whatley continued his Florida success with a pair of big bites. Whatley’s 7-14 morning catch tied Mueller for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, and his afternoon 7-12 put him third with a 22-0 limit. Whatley finished 10th and moved up from 94th in AOY to 73rd.
John Garrett of Union City, Tenn., went for it. Opting not to play it safe in Lake Griffin, he concentrated his efforts on a 75-yard stretch of shellbar in Lake Carlton. “Something told me to take a chance on this tournament,” he said. With a 7-6 and another close to it, Garrett led on Day 1 with 24-2, the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag. On Day 2, Garrett landed a 6-9 in a limit of 19-13 that extended his lead to 5-2.
Austin Felix was pleased with Day 2’s 8-7, which took the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass. Only 10-6 on Day 3 left him 19th, but he seemed more surprised and disappointment when told on stage by emcee Dave Mercer that his big fish had been beaten – twice.
Among the local favorites, John Cox started in second but had a sluggish Day 2 with only 7-7. He beat that with the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 3, a 9-3, which his daughter proudly displays.
Like Felix, Cox was disappointed when Jacob Powroznik won Phoenix Boats Big Bass for the week with this 10-8. It helped the veteran from North Prince George, Va., to 21-5 and climb to an 11th-place finish.
Garrett never lost the lead on Championship Monday, landing a 7-4, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, as he culled to the day’s biggest limit of 21-3. Garrett, who won wire-to-wire, totaled 84-5 and won by 10-9. Close several times but finally breaking through, Garrett was emotional on stage even before being joined by his grandfather and family. “I never thought that I would be on this stage, let alone win one of these trophies,” he said. “The Lord had His hand above me all this week.”
Florida’s fickle finger of fishing reared its head at the St. Johns River. Good days followed bad, and vice versa. Caleb Sumrall fished beds in Salt Springs to great success on Day 1. With 28-8, the New Iberia, La., pro put in a bid for the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag. Only one fish on Day 2 dumped Sumrall’s tournament title hopes, and he went on to place 26th.
Behind this 7-15, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 1, Jake Whitaker had one of eight 20-pound or better limits. The Hendersonville, N.C., pro stayed in the Top 10 with 15-1, but he encountered finicky fish on Day 3, with four for 5-6 knocking him down to 33rd.
Again a favorite, John Cox of nearby Debary, Fla., made a Day 2 move. Behind the Phoenix Boats Big Bass, an 8-0, Cox weighed 20-15 to climb 41 spots to ninth. A slower Day 3 dropped him to 22nd.
It was a gloomy Day 1 for Brad Whatley, whose two fish put him 95th. An even 20 pounds jumped him to 36th, and the sun shone even brighter on Day 3. With a pair of lunkers, including an 8-7, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the event, Whatley weighed 31-4 to also take the CrushCity Monster Bag bonus. Whatley finished second with 72-4 and, combined with his 10th at the Harris Chain, vaulted 61 spots in Florida to 33rd in AOY.
Only Cory Johnston managed four productive rounds, giving him a runaway victory. Fishing for bedding bass in Salt Springs, the Canadian was second after Day 1 with 23-3, and a 7-10 bolstered Day 2’s best bag of 27-8 to give him an 11-9 lead and  on pace for a belt. After 23-2, he had 73-13 and, in the end, didn’t need to catch another fish to win. His bite was stingier on Day 4, prompting some moves, but his 7-12 Phoenix Boats Big Bass helped him to 19-9 and a total of 93-6. The 21-2 margin of victory stands second in the Elites, and Cory Johnston’s first Elite title served to silence his chirping brother and their friends.
Whooooo! Patrick Walters didn’t get the note that weights should be considerably lower at Lake Murray from last year. The sixth-year Elite from Eutaville, S.C., weighed the two biggest bags in another runaway victory for his third Elite title. Walters started with 25-8 for the lead, had only one day under 20 pounds, and went in Championship Monday leading by 8-4.
Joseph Webster of Hamilton, Ala., took the Phoenix Boats Big Bass on Day 1 with this 6-6, more than a third of his 15-9. That had him 61st, but 14-12 saw him slip inside the 50 cut before finishing 48th.
The Johnstons’ AOY hopes took hits on Day 1, but both fought to salvage points on Day 2. With the day’s best 21-0, Cory Johnston jumped 49 spots to 11th while Chris rallied for 22 points. Chris left Murray 55 points off Trey McKinney’s AOY pace and Cory was 63 back.
Bryan Schmitt was fighting to get into Classic contention, berths given to the top 40 in AOY points. The pro from Deale, Md., was aided by Day 2’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass, a 6-3, helping him finish 19th and crawl up to 39th in points.
Oklahoma’s Luke Palmer eked into the Top 50 after two 15-pound days, then brought in a 7-4 kicker for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 3. It helped him weigh 19-1 and finish 26th, which also put him in the Classic hunt at 44th in points.
Missouri’s Cody Huff went into Championship Monday in seventh place, 11-2 off the lead. Behind a 7-6, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the event, he weighed 25-3, the third largest bag at Murray. The runner-up finish was Huff’s eighth consecutive Elite cut, pushing him to fifth in points.
With a big lead, Walters targeted 17 pounds to take his sixth Bassmaster title, yet he landed big bass almost everywhere. A 6-7 topped off his Championship Monday, when he blew away the field with 26-12, the event’s CrushCity Monster Bag. Walters totaled 93-15 to win by 12-11, way behind his record 29-10 margin of victory at Lake Fork in 2020.
Steamy days didn’t cool the bite too badly at Wheeler Lake, where 54-year-old Cliff Prince averaged 20 pounds a day to win his first B.A.S.S. tournament in his 145th entry. On Day 1, Greg Hackney topped Tyler Rivet and John Cox, each with a 6-12, for the Phoenix Boats Big Bass with this 7-9.
Wesley Gore, who caught a 5-15 on Day 1, was back on the big bite, his 5-13 taking Phoenix Boats Big Bass on Day 2. Gore matched his seventh-place finish at Fork and stood eighth in the AOY race.
Prince said he had an open mind coming to Wheeler and settled on two spots in popular Decatur Flats, which others said wasn’t producing. Prince produced. He started fourth with 19-4 and busted out on Day 3 after wondering if his area had any fish left. Prince caught 15 pounds in the first half hour of Semifinal Saturday, and he culled and culled before a “Gift from God,” a 7-9 to tie Hackney for the event’s big bass. That fished helped  Prince come in with the CrushCity Monster Bag at 26-2.
Ray Hanselman of Del Rio, Texas, also experienced flurries and stood second to Prince after Day 3. Down but not out, Hanselman rallied with two 5-pounders in the first hour of Championship Sunday while Prince’s fish shrunk. Hanselman pulled within 3 pounds of Prince on BassTrakk, turning what looked like another sure blowout into a one-bite difference. With his 5-3 taking Day 4’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass, Hanselman weighed 23-5 for 77-0.
Although things slowed, Prince his hopes afloat, catching a 4-0 around 1 p.m. that produced fist pumps. Needing 12-4, Prince got his first win when his five tipped the scales to 15-2. Prince’s 80-15 total was 3-15 better than Hanselman. It was a popular victory for the well-liked Prince, who had come close several times. With wife, Kelley, and children, Gracie and Syler Lane, Prince celebrates his long-awaited title.
Compared to the first six events, the bass weren’t so big at Alabama’s Smith Lake, making the above-average fish go a long way. The first-time Elite venue offered plenty of explosions, and an implosion. A late monster catch helped Japanese pro Takumi Ito leave the stage with a bang. Hunter Shryock bucked the deeper forward-facing bite to land Day 1’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass, a 4-7 that helped him lead with 15-15. However, his bite waned and he dropped to 48th.
Caleb Kuphall matched Shryock’s 4-7 to take Day 2’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass, which propelled him from 54th to 28th. Four fish on Day 3 dropped him to 46th. In the steamy event, several anglers suffered dead-fish penalties, including Day 2 leader Cody Huff.
Huff’s penalties were inconsequential compared to rookie Trey McKinney. McKinney was having a great Day 2, with the biggest bass (4-8) and best five (16-4), however, he misremembered his check-in time and was seven minutes late to check-in. The subsequent revelation that he received a phone call disqualified his day’s weight, giving him a zero and slamming him to 93rd. The AOY race he had led after the past five tournaments turned into a 24-point deficit to Hamner with two events left.
Japanese pro Kyoya Fujita, suffering a bit of sophomore slump, was 54th in points coming into Smith and narrowly made the cut at 48th. This 4-9, the Phoenix Boat Big Bass of Day 3, helped him to the day’s biggest bag of 14-10 and to finish 13th, moving up at last man into the Classic at 40th.
Trading leads, Ito, Gee and Przekurat were within ounces most of Championship Sunday. Ito held a slim lead when a pop-up storm rolled through his area, igniting his bite. After losing a 3-pounder, Ito had a big finale when he landed this “6-pounder.” Game over.
At the scales, the huge spotted bass weighed 5-12, giving Ito the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day and event. It also helped him cull to the Rapala CrushCity Monster bag of 16-9. Ito’s total of 58-0 gave him a 4-1 win over Gee and his second Elite trophy. The 103 points also got him healthy in AOY, climbing 21 places to 39th.
Smallmouth had dominated the past few visits to Lake Champlain, but signs showed largemouth might play more. They did. Back on tour after missing two events, Ed Loughran III had big bass of both denominations in winning his first Elite, which was delayed a day by weather. At home in New York, rookie Kyle Patrick (above) caught a 6-2 largemouth, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 1 that held throughout the event.
Caleb Sumrall, Greg Hackney and Loughran tied for Day 2’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass with 5-7 bass. Sumrall’s helped him finish 13th place at Champlain to move inside Classic contention at 38th. Hackney, who was also riding the Classic bubble, rebounded from his 81st-place start to weigh 20-5 and catapult to 40th. He took 33rd and sat 41st in AOY, needing to hold on to make his 19th Classic.
Entering Champlain as new AOY leader, Classic champ Justin Hamner had hopes of becoming just the third pro to win both titles in the same year. Hamner finished 28th and his 24-point lead dwindled. He most feared the Johnstons. Chris Johnston, who started 39 points back, totaled 80-11, just 2 ounces from winning his second Elite, to cut his AOY deficit to 13. Jacob Foutz took eighth to stand third, 19 points back of Hamner. JT Thompkins headed to the St. Lawrence River in fourth, one point ahead of Trey McKinney.
Alabama’s Matt Herren found success at Champlain, starting 10th with 21-0 before a tougher second day knocked him down to 34th. Behind a 5-15, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 3, Herren weighed 19-11 to finish 19th. Deep in the point standings, his most realistic chance for an 11th Classic bid was the win-and-in provision at the St. Lawrence River.
Cory Johnston, who had a disastrous 88th at Wheeler to drop to ninth in AOY, had three solid days to reach Championship Monday in ninth. With 18-13, including the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of 5-5, he took fifth and pulled 41 points behind Hamner. Both he and Chris had said they just wanted to head to their home waters with a shot at AOY.
Loughran, who took a medical leave for kidney stones, fished south, hoping to not impact the AOY competitors. Behind 22-15, he jumped to second place on Day 2 and took over the lead with 21-14 on Day 3, aided by a 5-12. Loughran had his smallest bag on Day 4, 16-14, but it was enough for his first Elite, just a week before his 54th birthday. Coincidentally, Loughran fished all three of the Championship Mondays in the season.
With Champlain ending on Monday, practice for St. Lawrence was shortened to two days, just like the previous year. Joey Cifuentes, suffering a miserable season after two wins and the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year title in 2023, started hot with a 6-15 in his 24-1 limit. Only 10-8 saw him plummet to 86th, his only consolation $3,000 in bonuses for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day and event.
Taku Ito, who won at St. Lawrence in 2021, took the Day 1 lead with 26-2 behind a 6-0. Winds closed his smallmouth Disneyland ride and he dropped to 36th, but he finished 34th in AOY to qualify for his fifth consecutive Classic. Three events earlier, Ito was 60th in points. Fellow countryman Kyoya Fujita followed suit, moving from 56th in AOY to finish 36th.
The AOY race jumbled after Day 1, with Tennessee pro Jacob Foutz taking over the lead. With Hamner placing 29th and Chris Johnston 16th, Foutz, with a big of 5-6, Foutz stood seventh with 24-7. He moved two points ahead of Chris Johnston and three up on Hamner. Hamner would fall out by finishing 61st, while Foutz’s edge on Johnston grew to 16 points after two rounds.
Shane LeHew also climbed into Classic qualification. His 6-12 took Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 2. He stood third after 24-13 and 25-12 but couldn’t afford to fall as 30th or worse would have spelled doom. Reaching Championship Sunday, the North Carolina pro landed a 5-8 in his 21-14 limit, his sixth-place finish moving him up nine AOY spots to 38th.
Although not well-versed on northern fisheries, McKinney showed he learns quickly. On Day 3, he caught 24-2 to stand third and wrap up the 2024 Dakota Lithium Rookie of the Year title, its youngest. Starting 5 pounds back of leader Robert Gee on Championship Sunday, McKinney reeled in the Phoenix Boat Big Bass of 5-9 to help him weigh the day’s best of 25-3. He finished third with 98-9, and wound up third in AOY, 24 points back of the winner.
Chris Johnston, who stumbled to 31st on Day 2 with 20-11, rallied for a hyper jump on Semifinal Saturday. Fishing on a community hole within close proximity to Gee and others, Chris caught a 6-7, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day. He had  another close building a limit weighing 29-5, the CrushCity Monster Bag. It equaled Bryan Smith’s Bassmaster record bag of smallmouth caught here last year, and catapulted Chris from 31st to fourth. Chris’ 27-point improvement along with Foutz’s fall from ninth to 35th determined AOY. With 758 points, Chris Johnston became the first Canadian to win Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year. The Johnstons’ parents and families joined on stage to celebrate the historical feat. McKinney was second in the AOY race with 734 points, and Cory ended third with 733.
With Chris’ title in hand, Cory Johnston still had a derby to win. He trailed the uber-consistent Gee by a mere 13 ounces. While never topping Gee on BassTrakk, Cory’s actual weight of 24-11 gave him 102-0, earning his second Century Club belt on his home water. Gee weighed 22-5, his worst of the week by more than 3 pounds, to earn a belt with 100-7. Gee did make a name for himself – and the nickname Happy Ewok – by closing his rookie season with two seconds and a third and his joyful belly patting of his bass.
The last of the original Canadian Elites to win an Elite title — Cory won the 2021 1000 Islands Open — Cory Johnston won two in one season. He also gained some personal redemption on the St. Lawrence, where mechanical failures prevented a potential win and AOY title in 2019.  
The Johnston families again parade onto the stage to celebrate Chris’ AOY and Cory’s St. Lawrence Elite title. The brothers  crossed the border with $258,000 (minus taxes), about one-fifth of the event and AOY purses. Both brothers eclipsed Walters (77 events) by joining the Bassmaster millionaire’s club in the fewest events, Chris in 65 and Cory in 66, and their heated brotherly debate continues.

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