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Photos: 2025 Opens schedule

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The stage is set for 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN season as anglers will compete in a new two-division format. The wide variety of playing fields will be a test for all competitors.
Clarks Hill Reservoir, Jan. 23-25 – Evans, Ga.
The opener for the season visits Clarks Hill Reservoir in Evans, GA., Jan. 23-25. Last year the Strike King Bassmaster College Series finished with a two-day total of 43-15 by Lander University’s Anderson Jones to take the victory.
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Feb. 13-15 – Jasper, Texas
The second stop takes Opens anglers west to the legendary Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Sam Rayburn will undoubtedly produce many large stringers and a number of trophy largemouth. The 114,000 acres will provide anglers with plenty of areas to explore.
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley, March 6-8 – Paris, Tenn.
Kentucky Lake has been on the back burner for some time since the invasion of Asian carp. However, the historic fishery is making a strong return and is producing quality bags once again. Smallmouth will be a much bigger player than they were a decade ago.
Norfork Lake, April 3-5 Mountain Home, Ark.
Mountain Home, Ark., is the destination for the fourth stop of the 2025 Opens season. While Norfork Lake is less known for large bass as some previously mentioned, the first week of April will provide excellent potential to see Norfork’s largest bags of the year. Recent Elite Series qualifier Beau Browning won the College Series event in 2022 with a two-day total of 30-3.
Tombigbee River, April 16-18 – Columbus, Miss.
The Tombigbee River in Columbus, Miss., will most likely be the biggest unknown for the majority of Opens anglers. B.A.S.S. has never been to this part of the river. The combination of backwater sloughs and main river structure will give competitors plenty to look at when putting the puzzle pieces together.
Upper Chesapeake Bay, July 23-25 – North East, Md.
Opens anglers will get a tidal fishery in the Upper Chesapeake Bay for the 2025 season. When the Opens visited the bay in 2022, JT Tompkins took the win with a three-day total of 39-12. Shallow power fishing could prove to be a major player in the July event.
St. Lawrence River, July 31-Aug. 2 – Waddington, N.Y.
Coveted as the best smallmouth fishery in the world, the St. Lawrence River continues to produce unbelievable weights. The Elite Series has shown just how good St. Lawrence is in terms of 20-plus pound bags and Century Club belts. In the 2024 Elite Series stop, Cory Johnston took the win with a four-day total of 102 pounds. The 2023 stop produced four Century Club belts through the four days of competition.
Leech Lake, Aug. 14-16 – Walker, Minn.
The final stop of the Opens will return to Minnesota and Leech lake for the second year in a row. Leech is a diverse fishery with plentiful opportunities to target both largemouth and smallmouth. Last year proved to be smallmouth dominated as Easton Fothergill weighed 49-13 pounds carried by the biggest bag of the tournament on Day 1 of 26-10.

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