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‘ youth movement ’ reflected in fishing clash angler of the year races
several first- and second-year pros have taken up residence near the top of the standings for both the Bass pro tour and tackle warehouse invitationals
By Mitchell Forde
It ’ s trophy season , with tournament trails of all levels wrapping up or soon scheduled to complete their seasons . By the time this issue arrives in readers ’ mailboxes , the winner of the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year award will have been crowned for the Bass Pro Tour . As of this writing , however , one event remains , and the top spot is still up for grabs .
We ’ ll have full coverage of the conclusion at MajorLeagueFishing . com . But that ’ s not the only AOY trophy that comes with cash from Fishing Clash . Rookie Alec Morrison took home $ 50,000 for the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals title , continuing a theme across both of MLF ’ s top tours of newcomers making their presence felt .
gill leads wave of budding bpt pros
On the Bass Pro Tour , it ’ s looking like there will be nothing new about the AOY winner . Jacob Wheeler needs only to make the Knockout Round at the St . Lawrence River — something he ’ s done in 12 of his past 13 BPT events — to claim his third points crown in four years .
However , if Wheeler surprises everyone and stumbles , rookie Drew Gill is one of the anglers who could be positioned to take advantage . Gill , who has enjoyed a stupendous season with wins on both the Bass Pro Tour and Invitationals trails , has become one of the faces of the youth revolution sweeping professional bass fishing . He ’ s already banked over $ 385,000 in winnings and heads to the St . Lawrence fourth in the AOY standings for the BPT , tops among a stout crop of rookies . Marshall Robinson ( 15th ) and Martin Villa ( 17th ) are also among the top 20 .
Drew Gill
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PHOTO BY PHOENIX MOORE
Add in second-year competitors and the numbers get more impressive . Nick LeBrun has enjoyed a breakout campaign during his sophomore season and sits fifth in the points . Reigning AOY winner Matt Becker is 10th , while Spencer Shuffield is 12th . In all , that ’ s six of the top 17 anglers who are in their first or second season on the top tour — proof that the future is bright .
Alec Morrison
rookies rule on the invitationals
Speaking of future stars , the top of the Invitationals standings were also stacked with youngsters . Thanks to his second-place finish at the season finale on the Detroit River , Morrison edged fellow rookie Jake Lawrence by 17 points to win both the Angler of the Year and Polaris Rookie of the Year titles .
Despite competing on only two of the six fisheries that comprised the 2024 slate before this year , the 25-year-old Morrison put together a nearly flawless campaign . He made all six final-day cuts and racked up four Top 10s , finishing fourth or better three times . Add in Lawrence and Marshall Hughes , who finished fifth in the points , and three of the five anglers who earned invitations to join the Bass Pro Tour in 2025 did so in their debut Invitationals campaign .
There appears to be plenty more young talent waiting in the wings , too . Each of the top nine anglers in the final standings were fishing either their first or second season on a national tour .
toyota series winners cash in
Fishing Clash has already handed out some AOY cash this year . The points title in each division of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats will come with an extra $ 5,000 . With three of the six divisions done with competition , here ’ s a look at who took the crown in each .
MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2024
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA