Tucker Smith Wins 2025 Toyota Series at Lake Champlain

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 28, 2025) – High winds and dangerous waves forced the cancelation of Day 3 of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division opener on Lake Champlain. Sustained southern winds exceeding 20 mph created unsafe conditions, making it one of the roughest potential tournament days ever recorded on the lake.

Despite the early end, the event delivered intense action. Heading into the canceled final day, the top seven professional anglers were separated by less than one pound, with postspawn smallmouth bass being landed in impressive numbers.

Leading after the first two days, Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Alabama, secured the victory by just 3 ounces over Ethan Fields of Breese, Illinois, with a 10-bass total weighing 40 pounds, 4 ounces.

Smith’s First MLF Win and Championship Qualification

The win marks Smith’s first-ever victory with Major League Fishing (MLF). He took home a $40,000 prize and earned a spot in the Toyota Series Championship at Grand Lake. Smith’s strong performance further solidifies his status among MLF’s rising stars.

Though new to Lake Champlain, Smith’s strategic fishing approach paid off quickly.

“I tried to stick to certain areas and just figure out that area,” said Smith. “I started off going into the Inland Sea when I first got to practice, and I caught some fish…”

After scouting various locations, Smith found greater success in the midsection of the lake, where he encountered postspawn smallmouth already moving off the bank and actively chasing bait.

Pattern and Presentation Were Key

Modern electronics helped Smith efficiently locate roaming smallmouth bass across different depths—from 50 feet to shallow flats. Spotting active fish allowed him to make precise casts and maximize his catch.

“There were smallmouths in all depths,” Smith explained. “There were some swimming as deep as 50 feet coming up onto the flat…”

Smith fished with a Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm (5-inch) on ¼- and 3/16-ounce Picasso heads, and a Yamamoto Ned Senko on a Picasso Rhino Ned Head. His gear included a 3000-sized Shimano Vanquish spinning reel paired with a 6-10 medium-light G. Loomis NRX+ spinning rod.

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Final Results – Pro Division Top 10

1. Tucker Smith, Birmingham, Ala. – 10 bass, 40-4, $40,250

2. Ethan Fields, Breese, Ill. – 10 bass, 40-1, $15,500

3. Emil Wagner, Marietta, Ga. – 10 bass, 40-0, $13,000

4. Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio – 10 bass, 40-0, $10,000

5. Dylan Quilatan, Windermere, Fla. – 10 bass, 39-7, $9,000

6. Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del. – 10 bass, 39-6, $8,000

7. Kyle Patrick, Cooperstown, N.Y. – 10 bass, 39-5, $7,000

8. Riley Harris, Orange, Texas – 10 bass, 38-15, $6,000

9. Ethan Carr, Massena, N.Y. – 10 bass, 38-11, $5,000

10. Tripp Berlinsky, Florence, Ala. – 10 bass, 38-9, $4,000

Big Bass Winners

• David Kranz, Woodstock, Ill. – Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass (5 lbs., 4 oz.)

• Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md. – Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass (5 lbs., 8 oz.)

Co-Angler Division: Jarvis Ellis Takes Top Spot

Jarvis Ellis of Leesburg, Georgia, won the co-angler division with 31 pounds, 8 ounces across two days. His prize included a Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard, valued at $33,500.

Co-Angler Top 10

1. Jarvis Ellis, Leesburg, Ga. – 10 bass, 31-8

2. Christopher Dam, Staatsburg, N.Y. – 10 bass, 31-3, $5,100

3. Hunter Tibbetts, Centreville, Va. – 10 bass, 31-0, $4,100

4. Glenn Hall, Wellsville, N.Y. – 10 bass, 30-15, $3,500

5. Michael Luckey, Lynchburg, Va. – 10 bass, 30-2, $3,000

6. Jakob Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt. – 10 bass, 30-1, $2,500

7. Allen Haigh, Prospect Hill, N.C. – 10 bass, 29-10, $2,000

8. David Archibald, Somerset, Mass. – 10 bass, 29-9, $1,750

9. Robert Bruguiere, Roseland, Va. – 10 bass, 29-4, $1,500

10. Haydan Marshall, Quitman, Texas – 10 bass, 29-3, $1,250

Co-Angler Big Bass Awards

• Braxton Clements, Donalsonville, Ga. – Thursday (5 lbs., 4 oz.), $150

• David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va. – Friday (5 lbs., 5 oz.), $150

Next Northern Division Stop: St. Lawrence River

The Toyota Series Northern Division continues with its next event August 14–16, 2025, on the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York, presented by Suzuki Marine. Full schedule and updates can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Championship Opportunity Awaits

The 2025 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats includes five regional divisions—Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, and Southwestern—plus International and Wild Card divisions. The top 25 anglers in each division qualify for the Toyota Series Championship, Nov. 6–8 at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma, with a chance to win up to $235,000 and a berth to REDCREST 2026.

Proud sponsors of the 2025 MLF Toyota Series include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Deep Dive App, E3 Sport Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Humminbird, Lew’s, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mossy Oak, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and  YouTube.

About Major League Fishing

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.

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