The 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series season is right around the corner. That means 10 new rookies will embark on their first season on the Bassmaster Elite Series. While Cody Meyer and Dakota Ebare might not qualify as a rookie for the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year title, we’ll include them in the discussion anyways.
There’s no debating the fact that each class of rookies who make it to the Elite Series continues to get stronger. So there’s no reason to believe the 2025 class won’t have an impact on the upcoming season — much like the 2024 class.
With that said, which tournaments set up the best for each angler?
Based on what we know about each angler’s strengths and history, Ronnie Moore, Christopher Decker (Bassmaster writer and content contributor) and I will try to predict which tournament will be their highest finish of the year.
Who knows, maybe this can help you make your Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing and Falcon Rods Drain the Lake picks heading into the season!
Blake Capps
Kyle Jessie: Lake Tenkiller – As an Oklahoma native, it’s easy to say that Blake Capps will have an advantage on the sole Oklahoma lake on the schedule. I think the time of the year will play into his hands as well. Going to a lake like Tenkiller in the postpawn when the fish should be offshore could bode well for Capps’s knowledge of the body of water.
Ronnie Moore: Sabine River – The first thought many would have would be Lake Tenkiller, but for a rookie to win on a lake in his state where he has history, would be so difficult given the pressure. Give me the Sabine River, the tournament prior to his home-state showdown and probably one that would get overlooked by Capps.
Christopher Decker: Lake Tenkiller – It’s hard to imagine Capps won’t be in the mix on Day 4 in his home state. His BFL track record in Oklahoma includes five top 10s along with a Toyota Series victory on Grand Lake and the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance victory last season. The 2024 Nation Champion no doubt will be studying up on Tenkiller if he doesn’t have a wealth of experience already.
Beau Browning
Kyle Jessie: Sabine River – I feel like I should have a pretty good idea on this one. However, it was harder to pick than I thought. Browning is a river rat at heart, much like his father Stephen, so a grinder event at the Sabine River should be right up his alley.
Ronnie Moore: St. Johns River – Watch me be totally wrong, but I completely believe Browning will be the Rookie of the Year leader after the first event of the 2025 Elite Season. His father, Stephen, is always proud of him, but a great finish at any of the three tidal rivers on the schedule would make him smile from ear to ear given the Browning name and reputation on tough rivers.
Christopher Decker: Upper Mississippi River – This might be a little bit of recency bias, but Browning notched a 20th-place finish in La Crosse at the end of the 2024 Opens season, a catalyst for punching his ticket to the big show. And while most of the College Series tournaments he fished were on lakes, he performed well in the ones that were on rivers. As a member of the University of Montevallo squad, he placed 10th at the James River in 2023 followed by a respectable 41st-place finish at a particularly challenging Red River.
Cody Meyer
Kyle Jessie: Mississippi River – Cody Meyer is an extremely versatile angler. He’s proven that throughout his entire career. Considering he’s known to be one of the best with finesse tactics, my mind wants to go with Lake St. Clair, but his history of success at the Mississippi River is hard to ignore.
Ronnie Moore: Lake Tenkiller – I mentioned above that nothing surprises me from Meyer, regarding his skill. He can chameleon into whatever angler he needs to be based on what the lake is throwing him. I think a midsummer heater at Tenkiller will prove to be tough for some, and others, like Meyer, will bounce around and have a stellar week, just like he did at Lake Eufaula in the 2024 Opens.
Christopher Decker: Albemarle Sound – Cody Meyer is good on so many fisheries, and his best finish could easily be Lake Hartwell considering how well he fishes spotted bass lakes. But Meyer is also a spectacular river angler, and outside of an abysmal 2022 showing at the Open at the Upper Chesapeake Bay, that river success extends to tidal fisheries too like the Potomac River, the James River and the California Delta in his home state. While the Albemarle Sound and Pasquotank River are a new destination for the Elite anglers, Meyer has the experience and knowledge to find those Top 10 bass.
Dakota Ebare
Kyle Jessie: Lake Hartwell – As a native Texan, Lake Fork seems like the obvious choice for Dakota Ebare, but my gut is telling me Lake Hartwell. Ebare’s springtime win at Clarks Hill Reservoir just a couple of years ago is stuck in my head, so I’m going with Hartwell.
Ronnie Moore: Pasquotank River – He’s had success on eastern-seaboard tidal fisheries like the James River and the Potomac. I expect a well-executed practice plan that keeps Ebare in good water throughout and in contention to win the third stop of the season.
Christopher Decker: Lake Fork – This is another angler who could tear up the entire schedule. Ebare is an east Texas resident, and while most of his tournament success is on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Lake Fork will surely set up for his strengths as well. He also finished second at Fork during an early season BPT event in 2022. All signs point to a great finish for Strike King pro here.
Emil Wagner
Kyle Jessie: Lake Hartwell – It took Emil Wagner just one try at the Opens before qualifying for the Elites, so we don’t have a ton of tournament results to ponder. However, Wagner is one of the best anglers on his home body of water of Lake Lanier, so it seems foolish to not pick Lake Hartwell.
Ronnie Moore: Lake St. Clair – It will be hard for the 2025 class to not be drawn to Anchor Bay, but I could say that about the last year the Elites fished St. Clair. It’s been the hot zone in our recent events here, but I think Wagner has the patience and temperament to stay calm in a crowd.
Christopher Decker: Lake Hartwell – This was one of the easier picks for me. Wagner is a Georgia native, and while he spends much of his time on Lake Lanier, he visits its sister lake quite often as well. In fact, Lake Hartwell was where he won the BFL All-American in 2023, setting up his Bassmaster Opens run last year. With so much experience on blueback herring fisheries at all times of the year, Wagner has a legitimate chance at hoisting the blue trophy here.
Evan Kung
Kyle Jessie: Lake St. Clair – If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that Canadian anglers know how to catch smallmouth. Kung didn’t have a great event at St. Clair in the Opens in 2024, but I’ll take my chances.
Ronnie Moore: Mississippi River – Second time is the charm for Kung. He learned so much his second year in the EQs to qualify for the Elites. Our lone Canadian newcomer will get the opportunity to learn some more at the Mississippi River the second time around, and balancing both species will be something he may consider.
Christopher Decker: St. Johns River – It could be St. Clair. It could be Lake Hartwell. But, there is something about the St. Johns River the collection of current Elite Series anglers from Ontario, Canada seem to really grasp, notably Chris and Cory Johnston. Kung should be no different. Going back through some of the Opens coverage from last year, he mentioned learning how to bass fish in grassy, largemouth areas. He could easily do well at Okeechobee the next time out too, but I wouldn’t be super surprised to see him come out of the gates hot.
Easton Fothergill
Kyle Jessie: Mississippi River – Winning the Tackle Warehouse Elite Qualifier AOY obviously proves that you’re a versatile angler, so take your pick here. I’m going with the Mississippi River based on his 12th-place finish there a year ago along with the fact that I think he’ll have a lot riding on this event.
Ronnie Moore: Lake Ray Roberts (not an Elite) – This is a slam dunk since he is the only first-year Elite also fishing in the Bassmaster Classic. All jokes aside, even though I don’t think Ray Roberts lines up as well as Grand Lake did for Easton, this kid continues to impress me, and I wouldn’t be shocked with another quality finish from Fothergill on the Classic stage.
Christopher Decker: Lake Tenkiller – Don’t pigeonhole Fothergill as just an angler who excels up north. Don’t get me wrong, the Minnesota native is plenty good above the Mason-Dixon Line too, but he has proved in many instances he can do just as well down south and anywhere in between. In fact, two of his most important victories were what Mark Zona would call “grimy tournaments.” The 2023 College Classic Bracket at Milford Lake in Kansas was an early fall struggle, and the 2024 Lake Eufaula Oklahoma Open wasn’t exactly easy. With that said, I think Lake Tenkiller could be one of those grimy tournaments and Fothergill, who regards his mental toughness as his greatest strength, can excel yet again in the Sooner State. There will also be an opportunity to catch largemouth and smallmouth.
Andrew Loberg
Kyle Jessie: Lake Fork – Why Lake Fork you might ask? Because why not. Loberg is originally from California before he made the move to Guntersville, Ala., so you know he’s familiar with catching big ones. His big bait and big bass familiarity should suit him well at this big bass factory.
Ronnie Moore: Lake Okeechobee – The Cali-born angler will go to the opposite end of the country and log a great finish to wrap up the Florida Swing. Loberg, like Meyer, could get a great finish on all of these fisheries. I have very high expectations from Loberg, who was relatively under the radar all season on the Opens in 2024.
Christopher Decker: Albemarle Sound – I honestly had some trouble deciding where he would be best this season. Like Meyer, Loberg is a west coaster, and he has had plenty of success at the California Delta between the Toyota Series and college events. He also has a Top 10 at a Tackle Warehouse Invitational on the Potomac River. With much of the Elite field on a level playing field as far as experience goes in eastern North Carolina, Loberg can use his past tidal experiences to his advantage and power fish his way to a top finish.
Paul Marks
Kyle Jessie: Lake St. Clair – Much like Emil Wagner, Paul Marks is a Lake Lanier hammer who is as good with his electronics as anyone in the class. Combine that with an 11th-place finish at St. Clair in 2024 and it seems like a no-brainer.
Ronnie Moore: Lake Hartwell – This is the lake where I could see three to five first-year Elites in the Top 10, but to spare redundancy I’ll give you my highest finisher from that bunch. Marks has experience every month of the year at Hartwell and has quality finishes as well. Off the bank should still factor for some anglers in late April, but there will be plenty on shoals and the bank.
Christopher Decker: Lake St. Clair – It would be easy to pick Lake Hartwell for Marks, who lives close to Lake Lanier and knows the offshore spotted bass game very well. But Marks also excelled on Lake St. Clair in the Opens last year too, finishing in 11th place and barely missing the cut with 45-14. His forward-facing, finesse approach matches the style it takes to catch the better quality smallmouth on St. Clair.
Tucker Smith
Kyle Jessie: Lake Okeechobee – Tucker Smith has proven to be one of the best young anglers through his journey in high school and college fishing. I believe that Smith has something figured out at Lake Okeechobee that could serve him well.
Ronnie Moore: Lake Fork – I’m tempted to put two or three lakes here, but I think the first true postspawn tournament of the Elite season will give us a high finish for Smith. Is this the event Smith finally gets a victory instead of a runner-up finish?
Christopher Decker: Lake Hartwell – During his freshman year at Auburn, Smith landed what was thought to be the lake record spotted bass, a nearly 6-pound butter ball. He also notched a 23rd-place finish in the 2022 Bassmaster Open in the Upstate. Generally, Lake Hartwell sets up well for the youngster, who grew up fishing for Coosa River spots and also fishes Lake Martin plenty. Where the bass, and herring, are in their spawning cycle will determine a lot in this tournament, but at any rate Smith should be able to piece something together for a top finish.
