“ But not only did he make history as the first two-time REDCREST winner , he joined an elite group in tournament angling annals .”
REDCREST 2024 champion Dustin Connell shows off one of the 28 spotted bass that solidified his emphatic win on Lay Lake .
Alabama native claimed sixth Bass Pro Tour trophy , became first repeat REDCREST champion
With this triumphant hoist of the REDCREST trophy , Dustin Connell became the first angler to win the Bass Pro Tour Championship twice .
PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
By Mitchell Forde
BIRMINGHAM , Ala . — As he waited for the final few minutes to tick by before his crowning moment officially arrived , Dustin Connell ’ s mind drifted more than 20 years but just a few miles away . Twelve or 13 years old , Connell and his brother , James , launched their aluminum boat at Flatlands ramp on the lower end of Lay Lake and tied it to a piling with the number 5 on it ( yes , he still remembers the number .) The two cast walking topwaters to schooling spotted bass , awed by the ferocious blow-ups .
For more than a week , Connell had tried to stifle such thoughts , to avoid dwelling on the memories that greeted him as traversed the Coosa River impoundment during Bass Pro Shops REDCREST Powered by OPTIMA Lithium from March 14-17 . But by the last 10 minutes of the Championship Round , even Connell acknowledged that the 30-pluspound lead he ’ d amassed over his nearest competitor was insurmountable . Tears flowed as he absorbed the moment , appreciating his journey from the kid in the aluminum boat to the first ever two-time winner of Major League Fishing ’ s championship event .
“ That lake is very sentimental to me — the whole Coosa River system ,” he said . “ I grew up fishing that way , fishing those lakes and catching those big spotted bass , and it just meant a lot to win it .”
“ But not only did he make history as the first two-time REDCREST winner , he joined an elite group in tournament angling annals .”
Connell ’ s final day on Lay was one for the ages — 28 spotted bass for 83 pounds even , 30-14 clear of runner-up Alton Jones Jr . and more than 40 pounds ahead of third place . Prior to that , no angler had eclipsed 55 pounds in a day . He pulled it off largely by ignoring his previous success on the fishery , by incorporating the open-minded approach that has made him one of the most accomplished anglers on the Bass Pro Tour .
APRIL-MAY 2024 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 31