When Bill Lowen caught a 7-pound , 7-ounce bass at around 11:30 this morning at the FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River, it was like déjà vu all over again. The catch was eerily reminiscent of the 8-5 that he caught on “Championship Tuesday” when he won at Pickwick a few years back. That giant proved crucial that week as he outlasted runner-up Brock Mosley by 2-10.
But today – in a tournament that ended up far closer than we initially thought it might be –Lowen struggled to complete a limit. His four bass eventually pushed him over the top this time around. He beat runner-up Jay Przekurat by 4 ounces, and 3rd place finisher Shane LeHew by 5.
So which fish made the difference today? Was it the giant that went into the livewell third, or was it the 12-incher that made it a quartet a bit later? In an Elite Series season, all the pieces matter. The first day and the first tournament count just as much as the last day of the last tournament.
Lowen is a grinder. He was once seemingly a steel trap lock to qualify for the Classic every year, but recent years have not been so kind to him. He hasn’t fished the big dance since 2021, so you can be sure that he now realizes the value of every 12 inch bass that comes to the scales. He’s not taking anything for granted.
Now that he has another trophy, it might herald a revival of the Turtle’s career, or it may just show that he never went away. How can it be that he just turned 50 and still has the same black and blue jigs in his hand? The sport didn’t pass him by – he was just lying in wait to exert his will upon it again.
As we wait for Team Scream’s cheers to stop ringing, here’s what I saw, thought and heard on a Day 4 that turned out to be pretty darn tough for all but a few remaining pros:
What’s In a Nickname? – For years we’ve been told that Lowen’s Ohio River background makes him the consummate “River Rat,” but it took until his 200th Bassmaster event to get his signature river victory. It’s not that he hasn’t been close before – Lowen has finished 10th on the Potomac, 10th in a Red River Classic, fifth on the Sabine, second on the Upper Chesapeake (a conglomeration of rivers), and fourth on the Potomac. I just figured that when he finally grabbed the blue trophy, it would be from a muddy gar hole, someplace where it took 30 or 40 pounds to win and the best anglers in the world left the scene of the crime wondering what just happened. Instead, his two victories have taken catches of 83-15 and 73-14, respectively.
Still Low(en) – While Lowen’s 73-14 winning weight was solid, it was still the second-lowest winning weight in Elite Series history on the St. Johns. The lowest came in 2020, when Paul Mueller claimed victory with 47-6 in a weather-shortened event. The next lowest weights came from Alton Jones, who won with 75-9 in 2012 and John Crews, who won with 75-4 in 2022.
Swindle Comes Alive – This week’s seventh place finish marks the best start to a season in Gerald Swindle’s lengthy Elite Series career, barely beating out an 11th place finish at next week’s stop, Okeechobee, in 2023. That’s a good sign for the two-time AOY, coming off the worst season of his Elite career, which started with 69th- and 93rd-place finishes. He now has a full slate of tournaments to keep this momentum going, starting at the Big O. The last time Swindle had two Elite Top 10s in a season was 2022, when he finished third at Lake Fork and eighth at La Crosse, Wis. The last time he had consecutive Elite Top 10s was 2016. He actually notched three in a row that season – third at Texoma, then 10th at Cayuga and 10th at the Potomac.
Not Much Movement – Gerald Swindle moved up three spots today, from 10th to seventh. No one else in the Top 10 moved more than two places up or down.
Turnaround – Lowen, Swindle and Jake Whitaker (10th, 57-14) all finished in the eighties in the AOY race last year, with a combined zero top ten Elite finishes among them. This was the start they needed.
The Old Switcheroo – There’s an old football saying: “He can take yours and beat his.” I’ve alternatively heard it as, “He can take his’n and beat your’n and then he can turn around and take your’n and beat his’n.” It’s not clear where the precise phrase originated, but I’ve heard the latter attributed to Bum Phillips talking about Bear Bryant. I thought of that this week as we watched the field attack the St. Johns, with Bill Lowen approaching the fishery like it was a tidal version of the Ohio River and John Garrett (fourth, 71-0) occasionally pulling out the TVA toolbox to get the job done. With increased coverage and early career knowledge, techniques have often become homogenized, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still regional styles or advantages. Watching those two impose their will, and their strengths, upon a Florida waterway makes their performances meaningful…and perhaps an anachronism.
Best So Far – This week’s third-place finish for Shane LeHew marks his best Elite result to date. He previously finished fourth at Fork in 2020.
Home State Advantage – John Cox (eighth, 59-4) was the top-finishing Floridian this week. Lakeland’s Chris Lane was the only home-state angler to win here. He won here in 2014, the Elites’ second visit to the St. Johns, with 90-13.
Highs and Lows – Lowen, Mosley, Cox, Patrick Walters and Whitaker all had their smallest bags of the tournament today. LeHew was the only angler in the Top 10 who produced his best catch today.
Don’t Let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good – Lowen was one of two anglers in the Top 10 who didn’t have a limit all four days (the other was John Garrett, who had three fish today), but in the end it didn’t matter, as he still came out on top. Garrett, meanwhile, coming off yesterday’s 31-6 bag, fell two spots.
Gerald Swindle – “I thought about throwing a Hail Mary, the old Boise State.”
It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint – Ronnie Moore is already losing his voice. Pace yourself, grasshopper.
Lowen’s Lament – “I lost my fifth fish. I think I lost him three times.” In the end, it didn’t matter, but I’m sure he relived those moments time and time again on the ride back in.
Product Intro of the Week – The Berkley MaxScent Stank-Bug paid big dividends for LeHew and Cox.
Jay Przekurat – “I’m livin’ right.” He has six Top 10 finishes in his last nine BASS events, including four in the last six Elites he’s fished.
Streakers – With his fifth place finish this week, Cory Johnston has finished no lower than fifth in his last four Elite Series events. With his ninth place finish this week, Patrick Walters has three straight Top 10 Elite finishes.
Brock Mosley on Cory Johnston – “Even though he played hockey, he still has all his teeth so he shouldn’t be that good.” The two tied with 68-6 and almost had to go mano a mano for the Yeti Hot Seat.
Mr. Consistency – Brock Mosley had the smallest gap between his largest catch (18-3) this week and his smallest (16-0) – a mere 2-03. Likewise, Shane LeHew and Gerald Swindle were also incredibly consistent, with high/low differences of 3-1 and 3-5, respectively. Meanwhile, Day 3 phenom Garrett experienced the greatest Delta. His 31-6 bag yesterday dwarfed his catch of 12-10 today by almost 19 pounds.
John Garrett on What Might Be and What Could Have Been – “I’m on the winning spot…I truly believe there are like 40 pounds of bass right there in front of me.”
The Mighty Have Fallen – Total number of limits under 10 pounds for the Top 10 anglers over the first three days: Zero. Number of catches under 10 pounds from those anglers today: Three.
Early AOY Candidates – If I were a bettor, I’d lean hard on the possibility that Cory Johnston, Patrick Walters, John Garrett or Robert Gee will be the 2025 Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
