2025 Season Recap

And just like that, another season has come to a conclusion. The 2025 Classic Bass Champions
Tour, Presented by Skeeter Boats, once again delivered another thrilling chapter to the Upper
Midwest competitive bass-fishing scene. With new ownership at the helm, bold venue moves,
emerging talent, and amplified competition with the announcement of the field being cut at the
season conclusion; it was a season of evolution and excitement.
A season that as it ended would put a stamp on the history of the Champions Tour, with Tommy
Parker bringing home a NEW Skeeter ZX200, and Evan Blakley bringing home the coveted
Champions Tour Angler of the Year title.
A season that will be able to be looked back on in history, as the start of the “New Age”.
One of the biggest off-lake stories heading into 2025 was the transition in leadership; longtime
Champions Tour founder Scott Bonnema officially handed over ownership of Classic Bass and
the Champions Tour to angler, and entrepreneur, Dane Vocelka. Vocelka’s future vision centered
around growing the Tour’s reach, strengthening grassroots links to the youth in the region,
elevating media presence via social channels and YouTube production; to ultimately increase
payouts and elevate the already established premier tour of the region.
This would mark a “New Age” of ownership and leadership of the Champions Tour.
2025 saw a strong returning core of Tour veterans, with a promising crop of rookies. Excitement
for the season was at an all-time high as we headed up to Lake Vermilion. A mass migration like
we’ve never seen before greeted our field, as smallmouth and largemouth rushed to the banks,
creating the biggest record breaking event the Champions Tour has ever seen, with Hunter
Wendt bringing home his 2nd Champions Tour win and setting a new all-time record with 282lb
5oz.
As the Champions Tour ventured south to the infamous Mississippi River in La Crosse, a
first-time stop for the Champions Tour, they were greeted with adverse conditions. Rising water
levels, raging current, and a new venue for the field made for an incredible event. A very stingy
and slow first half would lead to an epic showdown in the afternoon, with Walker Krampitz
bringing home his 3rd Champions Tour win, with 60lb 1oz. Surviving a surge in the blackout
period from Rookie Kevin Ruh.
We then traveled out to Alexandria, MN to a notorious stop for the Champions Tour, the Le
Homme Dieu Chain. And it always seems to be that when we think we know how a venue or
event is going to play out, the Chain can always shake things up, and Charlie Wright was able to
unlock a suspended largemouth FFS bite that would ultimately carry him to his 1st Champions
Tour win, weighing in 95lb 7oz. Barely outlasting one of the craziest last hour feeding frenzies
we’ve ever seen from Evan Blakley.
And as we headed to Green Lake for the Championship, Charlie Wright and Evan Blakley would
be 1 point apart, setting the stage for an epic Angler of the Year shootout. And a shootout we

had. Green Lake showed an incredible resurgence to the major tournament scene, showcasing
incredible schools of 2 1⁄2 - 3 1⁄2 lb largemouth bass that lit the Reel LiveWell App up immediately.
Other anglers like Wright and Blakley would lean on the impressive smallmouth population, not
catching as many fish, but the average size would be even bigger. And as we headed to the 2nd
Half, Tommy Parker was able to surpass Ron Mehr for the lead, and would never look back. As
much as Blakley would try to catch him, Parker was on a torrid pace, and would ride that
momentum to his 2nd Champions Tour win, weighing in 148lb 2oz.
But, Blakley’s second, 2nd Place finish in a row would bring him home the Angler of the Year
title, barely edging out Charlie Wright.
Wendt, Krampitz, Wright, and Parker. Four Champions Tour Winners. Four Anglers under the
age of 25. Between these four Anglers, they have now accounted for 8 Champions Tour wins in
the past 4 years. For those of you doing math at home, that’s an impressive 50%.
As we look at the 2025 Season in review, we see a transition, and a change occurring
throughout the field. A youth movement that has been happening all across the United States in
the bass fishing industry, was firmly stamped this season on the Champions Tour. Quite simply,
the “New Age” is here, and they’re not going anywhere it seems.
The 2025 Champions Tour season was a statement year for the circuit. It reaffirmed the Tour’s
position as the premier bass circuit in the Upper Midwest. The transition in leadership under
Dane Vocelka brings fresh energy, and direction to the regional tournament scene. The
continued linkage with youth anglers and boat officials has proven to be successful year in, and
year out. And ultimately the schedule showed out, with an incredibly versatile angler in Evan
Blakley bringing home the Angler of the Year title.
This was an incredible season, and we cannot wait for 2026.

Author - Adam Bartusek