A midday flurry lifted Bennett Bullard and Kei Blaylock of the Trader Bills Junior Club to victory at the 2025 Bassmaster Junior Series at Lake Tenkiller with a limit weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces.
“This feels really amazing,” Bullard said. “I thought this might be possible after practice.”
Captained by Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Stetson Blaylock, the Arkansas duo accomplished their goal of qualifying for the Bassmaster Junior National Championship at Clarks Hill Lake set for July 25th and 26th.
As an Elite Series champion, Stetson knows the value of hard work and he has watched Bullard and Kei get better each time out.
“These two boys have won before and they have a lot of wins ahead of them still,” Stetson said. “When you put in the time and hard work, you go out there with the intention of getting the job done. When it all comes together, it is a joy when it works the way you planned.”
While Stetson competed at Lake Tenkiller in a 2019 Elite Series event, neither Bullard (13) or Kei (12) had been to the reservoir in eastern Oklahoma. Kei was able to take some of what he knows from Greers Ferry Lake and apply it to Tenkiller.
“They both have smallmouth and largemouth,” Kei said.
After a promising practice, it took a few hours for the Benton Middle Schoolers to find their rhythm.
“It was slow to start the morning, but it picked up around lunchtime,” Bullard said. “We caught most of our fish around 11:30 and 12. It died down after that.”
Toward the end of that flurry, Bullard landed a 4-pounder that turned out to be their biggest bass of the day and lifted them over the 15-pound mark.
Points were the main target for Kei and Bullard. A jerkbait was a productive tool for catching smallmouth bass as well as a shaky head and a couple other tactics. Most of their final limit was caught in 15 feet of water or less.
“It was a mixed day,” Stetson said.
Conner White and Drake Highsmith from the Junior Keystone Bassmasters finished second with 14-2 followed by the Trader Bills Junior team of Easton Gray and Carter Shinn who also landed 14-2.
Heston Hoffman and Samuel Holland from the Topeka Junior Hawgs club caught the Big Bass of the Day, a 4-13.
The tournament was hosted by the Oklahoma Ozarks Tourism Association.
