We’re entering the fourth quarter of the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season, and what an incredible way to end it all on a fascinating fishery.
We’ve got a tie for the Progressive Bassmater Angler of the Year race and a tightened Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year battle.
The vast Mississippi River, with its abundant backwaters and abundance of largemouth and smallmouth, provides an intriguing playing field.
Since that playing field encompasses pools 7, 8 and 9, Chris Johnston and Trey McKinney — tied for AOY going into the event — will be challenged mentally and emotionally as they face big decisions.
Do you stay in the pool where takeoff and weigh-in are located, or do you gamble to lock through?
This much I know — their stomachs will be churning. I know; I dealt with it when I won in 1999 and so have most anglers who have won the title.
Some will say that winning the Bassmaster Classic is a bigger deal, and it is huge to one’s career.
Yet it’s a fair argument that the AOY title is the most respected because you were the most consistent angler in a grueling nine-tournament season. And this year, that season ran from Florida to Canada and Texas to the East Coast.
Trust me, I have won both titles and they are fairly equal in importance and impact on one’s career. When I appear at seminars or other fishing functions, I’m introduced as a Classic champion. But that AOY title definitely solidifies you as a well-respected pro angler among your peers.
The year before I won my AOY title, I considered myself a year-to-year angler trying to make it against the best fishermen in the world.
Previous winners and all-time greats Denny Brauer and Guido Hibdon told me winning that title would change your life, and they were right.
It becomes a badge of honor and puts you in a special group of Elite anglers.
Those thoughts were in my mind going into the last tournament of my AOY season. I knew winning the title would not only change direction of my career, but be a huge benefit for my family.
I had a pretty good lead going into that event at Neely Henry Lake. However, I had a tough start and was 73rd after the first day. I fell to third place in the AOY race, and my stomach was churning.
Fortunately, I caught them better as the tournament progressed. In fact, when I put 20 pounds plus in my livewell the last day of competition, I knew I had it wrapped up – if I got back to the weigh-in on time.
I was catching them 10 miles away but ran back an hour early to fish within 50 yards of check-in. I could have gone in sooner, but we had co-anglers that season. I wanted to give my partner a chance to catch more fish.
I was an emotional mess watching the minutes tick away. With 10 minutes to go, I was dry heaving over the side of the boat. Had I eaten anything, I would have tossed my cookies.
We made it past check-in on time, and the rest is history.
It’s possible that Trey and Chris have nerves of steel and can handle it better. But if they truly realize the impact that title will have on their careers, they’re going to be nervous.
The fact that they are tied before the fish hit the scales makes this season finale even more captivating. Both are deserving, yet it could come down to who doesn’t make a mistake when the pressure is on.
