Inside Elite Boats: Wesley Gore

Bassmaster Elite Series pro Wesley Gore may have been a 2024 rookie by name, but he is far from a rookie in ability.

The Clanton, Ala., native cut his teeth fishing the Coosa River, and his experience landed him in third for Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year and 10th for Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year.

Gore made all but one Top 50 cut in his rookie debut including making two Top 10s.

We got the chance to catch up with Gore and take a look inside his Blazer 625 Pro Elite.

Starting at the front, Gore relies on a Minn Kota Ultrex Quest to pull him around while he fishes.

Gore runs three graphs on his bow. A Garmin 8616 for LiveScope, and two Humminbird Apex 13s. One is for mapping, and one is for MEGA 360.

He relies on Bass Boat Technologies mounts to keep his graphs secure on the front deck.

Another look at the Bass Boat Technologies mount.

Blazers come with a strip of SeaDek for an easy step when entering the boat.

The 625 Pro Elite has a fairly standard deck layout with plenty of space for tackle, rods and accessories.

Gore stores all his Hammer Rods in the port side rod locker.

Gore caught his fish at Lake Champlain on a variety of minnow-style baits.

He is a big fan of the 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy Hammer for throwing minnow-style baits.

Getting into some boxes, Gore keeps the majority of his soft plastics and hard baits front and center.

Behind that is a smaller box where Gore keeps more plastics. Here he keeps the plastics he is more likely to use during each tournament.

Here are a couple of baits Gore was throwing at Lake Champlain.

This is a prototype minnow-style bait from Xcite baits.

It has a unique full split through the whole belly of the bait.

He uses the starboard side rod locker for accessories. Life jackets, rope and GoPro equipment all go here.

The day box on Gore’s Blazer serves as a catchall. He keeps his food for the day in here as well.

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A tool tray holds his pliers and scissors.

He keeps his drinks iced down in the cooler. Mtn Dews are added fresh every morning.

At the console, Gore has two more Humminbird Apex 13s. One is used for LakeMaster mapping and the other for MEGA Side and Down Imaging.

A nice feature of his Blazer is the manual switches for all his accessories. If he has a switch go out, he can easily replace the fuse and be back in business.

He added an additional switch for an oxygen stone in his liivewell.

Blazer also keeps another little day box by the driver’s seat. Gore keeps everyday items like his phone, keys and sunscreen here.

He uses this box as his trash can.

Bass go here.

Here is a closer look at the oxygen stones Gore installed in his livewell.

Behind the passenger seat, he keeps a spare prop.

More tackle and another life jacket go behind the driver’s seat.

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Finally, it’s the battery compartment.

He relies on Impulse Lithium batteries to power his rig. Gore has two 36-volt 60 AH for trolling and two 12-volt 160 AH batteries for his electronics and accessories.