ANDERSON, S.C.– Yamaha Pro Paul Marks won the fourth Bassmaster Elite Series of the season Sunday, April 27, on Lake Hartwell, leading the field with a four-day bass total of 68 pounds, 8 ounces. The victory marks the first blue trophy for the rookie from Cumming, Georgia.
Marks started strong with a third-place day one limit of 19 pounds, 7 ounces, then held the second-place spot for the next two days with weights of 17 pounds, 4 ounces and 16 pounds 5 ounces. Adding a Championship Sunday limit of 15 pounds 8 ounces, he tallied a tournament total of 68 pounds 8 ounces.
“I don’t know what to think; it’ll probably take a week to set in — maybe a month,” the 23-year-old said. “I think I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid.”
Marks jump-started his event with a day 1 bed-fishing effort that produced a 5-pound largemouth. After that, it was nearly all offshore fishing, as Marks committed himself to grinding through numbers of spotted bass and daily culling his way to competitive limits.
“I never let off the gas today; I ran so hard,” Marks said. “It was a long day for me. I really didn’t think I had enough. Somehow, it all worked out.”
Marks, who lives about 2 hours west of Hartwell, brought with him a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Edging fellow rookie Tucker Smith by 14 ounces, Marks collected the top prize of $100,000.
Yamaha pros took seven of the top 10 spots during the tournament. Luke Palmer took third place with a total of 66 pounds, 10 ounces. Drew Cook placed fourth overall with a total weight of 65 pounds, 7 ounces. Randy Howell finished sixth with a total weight of 62 pounds, 11 ounces. Easton Fothergill, the 2025 Bassmaster Classic® champion, placed seventh with a total weight of 61 pounds, 11 ounces. Wesley Gore finished eighth overall with a weight of 61 pounds, 3 ounces and Emil Wagner placed ninth with a total weight of 60 pounds, 13 ounces.
As part of the Yamaha Power Pay contingency program, which rewards anglers who own a Yamaha outboard purchased within the last 60 months, Marks earned an additional $4,000 while Palmer claimed an extra $1,500 for being the second-highest placing entrant.
Yamaha Power Pay supports over 600 bass, walleye, and saltwater tournaments and has paid out bonus money to anglers of all levels. For more information or to get registered today, follow this link: https://yamahapowerpay.com/.
Yamaha Marine products are marketed throughout the United States and around the world. Yamaha Marine Engine Systems, based in Kennesaw, Ga., supports its 2,000 U.S. dealers and boat builders with marketing, training and parts for Yamaha’s full line of products and strives to be the industry leader in reliability, technology and customer service. Yamaha Marine is the only outboard brand to have earned NMMA®’s C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. Visit www.yamahaoutboards.com.
