PROFILE :
ALTON
JONES JR .
LORENA , TEXAS
To say that Texas pro Alton Jones Jr . has been on a hot streak is a bit of an understatement . Arriving on the major tournament circuits in 2017 as an Elite Series rookie and joining the Bass Pro Tour in its inaugural year in 2019 , Jones took to the highest level of tournament competition like a duck to water .
He earned his first BPT AOY Top 20 in 2020 ( 13th ) and hasn ’ t finished outside the Top 20 since , finishing third in 2023 and fourth in the most recent AOY race after hotly pursuing Jacob Wheeler throughout the 2024 season . Along the way , Jones won his first major tour event in 2022 ( Bass Pro Tour Stage Two on Lake Fork ), racked up $ 150,000 in big-fish bonuses at Heavy Hitters just a few months later and then won Heavy Hitters by a whopping 59-pound margin in 2023 .
Tournament success is in Jones ’ blood – his dad , Alton Sr ., is a former Bassmaster Classic champion and has racked up nearly $ 3.5 million in winnings in his 33-year career . But “ Junior ” ( or “ AJ ” to many ) can attribute his success to more than just good genes . We caught up with him as he prepared for a Team Series event for a quick round of Q & A . Here ’ s what Junior had to say .
QA &
You ’ ve been on a hot streak of major accomplishments for the last few years : Heavy Hitters paydays , consistent AOY Top 5s , etc . Can you attribute that hot streak to anything in particular , or is it a mix of things ?
I think there ’ s a handful of things , definitely . Confidence and momentum are a massive part of it and can ’ t be understated . This career is a roller coaster , and just being able to have confidence every time you go out to find the fish you need is a big part of it . Everyone starts out trying to survive , whether that ’ s financially or sponsorwise , but then you go through that and become a check-casher . Then when you get comfortable there , you try to ramp it up to the Top 10 level and work your way into the mindset of winning and getting into the position to win .
By Matt Naber
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
72 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024