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work . With an influx of water rolling through Guntersville , he said the key was fishing clean-water areas away from the main current , which he located thanks to the thousands of hours he ’ s spent on the lake . Including a $ 35,000 Phoenix bonus , Marbut pocketed $ 100,00 for the win .
5 . BASS PRO TOUR SUZUKI STAGE TWO PRESENTED BY FENWICK Santee Cooper Lakes Feb . 20 – 25
While much of the field went shallow in search of Santee Cooper ’ s big bass , Jacob Wheeler avoided the crowd by running offshore brushpiles and stumps . The decision , which allowed him to better manage his fish , paid off in the form of his seventh Bass Pro Tour trophy .
Relying mainly on a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader , Wheeler got off to a fast start on Day 1 with 53
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pounds , 8 ounces , allowing him to spend almost all of Day 2 scanning new water . He did just enough to survive the Knockout Round . Then , during a tough Championship Round , he outdueled Dean Rojas , catching five fish for 14-2 in the final period to bring his final-day total to 47-4 and beat Rojas by 5-0 .
6 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY PHOENIX BOATS SOUTHWESTERN DIVISION
Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Feb . 21 – 23
Colby Miller took his 2024 heater to a new level with a dominant performance on Sam Rayburn . The Louisiana native , who had already notched a win and a ninth-place finish in BFL competition during the young year , sacked up 77 pounds , 7 ounces across three days , which gave him a nearly 15-pound victory over second place .
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Miller mixed up techniques , starting on a grass depression each morning with a bladed jig and a Strike King Hybrid Hunter before hitting staging spots with an Alabama rig and deepdiving crankbait . The victory added more than $ 72,000 to his rapidly ballooning 2024 earnings total .
7 . TACKLE WAREHOUSE INVITATIONALS STOP 2 PRESENTED BY SUZUKI
West Point Lake
March 1 – 3
Finding and triggering big largemouth proved key all tournament at West Point Lake . No one did it better than Tyler Stewart , who landed his first professional win and a trip to REDCREST 2025 as a result .
Like much of the field , Stewart reported a tough practice on the mysterious fishery . However , he got one big bite skipping marina docks , so he committed to that strategy ,
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with a ChatterBait as his lure of choice . It paid off to the tune of 21-5 on Day 1 , the biggest bag of the event . Stewart stumbled with 9-10 on Day 2 , and the standings tightened , remaining close throughout the final day — until Stewart made a clutch cull with about 10 minutes left . That 3 1 / 2-pounder brought his three-day total to 45-3 , enough to clear Todd Walters by 7 ounces .
8 . TOYOTA SERIES PRESENTED BY PHOENIX BOATS WESTERN DIVISION
Clear Lake
March 6 – 8
Long considered one of the best out west , Ken Mah finally broke through for his first Toyota Series win . Mah started a bit slow with 21 pounds on Day 1 , but as the weather warmed up , so did his flipping bite . Mah sacked up 29-12 on Day 2 , then
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