CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (May 4, 2025) – Jake Lawrence captured his first-ever Bass Pro Tour title at the 2025 MLF O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries, thanks to a last-cast buzzer-beater bass that secured the $150,000 top prize. In one of the most thrilling finishes in Major League Fishing history, Lawrence topped Jacob Wheeler with only seconds to spare.
Final Seconds Decide the Champion
The Championship Round on Nickajack Lake turned into a dramatic head-to-head duel between veteran angler Jacob Wheeler and rising star Jake Lawrence. Both anglers were well ahead of the rest of the field when the final period began. Wheeler focused on smallmouth near Chickamauga Dam, while Lawrence targeted largemouth bass roughly 40 miles down the lake.
With just 6 minutes left, Wheeler caught a bass that pushed him ahead on SCORETRACKER®. However, in the final 45 seconds, Lawrence made a cast with his Buckeye Buzzerk buzzbait. At 21 seconds before lines out, a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass struck, sealing the victory.
“The only thing I can say is, man, He wanted me to do it,” Lawrence said. “Wheeler jumped me there by a couple ounces, and I said out loud, ‘Lord, if you want me to do this, you’re going to make it happen.’ … And I chose to throw somewhere totally new, and it was the deal. Unbelievable.”
Nickajack Lake Presents New Challenges
Stage 4 featured an unusual format, with the Qualifying Rounds held on Lake Chickamauga and the Knockout and Championship Rounds on nearby Nickajack Lake — a Tennessee River reservoir never before used in MLF tour-level events.
Lawrence didn’t explore Nickajack until late in practice but picked up a critical clue: bass feeding on spawning bluegill. He focused on shallow areas, particularly around Mullins Creek, where clean, spring-fed water provided key opportunities while much of the lake turned muddy after storms.
Day 2 Surge Secures Championship Opportunity
After a slow start on Chickamauga left Lawrence in 21st, he exploded on Day 2 with a massive 91-11 bag, launching him to second and advancing him to the Knockout Round. That extra day of competition on Nickajack proved crucial.
“I actually caught a 2-pounder that was real close to a bluegill bed. I assumed that she was relating to it … And that’s really what I ran with,” Lawrence said.
Buzzbait Becomes Key on Championship Sunday
While the Yamamoto D Shad and Senko helped Lawrence in earlier rounds, he turned to a buzzbait on Championship Sunday to cover more water. It quickly produced results, including an 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth that earned him the Berkley Big Bass Award.
“It was just light enough that I could see the hole up there in probably 10 to 14 inches of water,” Lawrence said. “My first cast up there was that 8-pounder. And it just kind of materialized from there.”
Midday Adjustment with Forward-Facing Sonar
During Period 2, Lawrence shifted to deeper water using his one allotted hour with forward-facing sonar. He targeted suspended bass around submerged timber, adding another 33-3 to his total and widening the gap.
“That’s really how I fish,” he said. “I mean, I don’t generally like to do four or five different things, but I really try to stay very open-minded and keep my options open.”
Wheeler Rallies Late, Lawrence Answers
With just over an hour left, Wheeler caught 10-10 in 10 minutes, closing Lawrence’s 15-pound lead. Then, with 6 minutes to go, Wheeler took the lead by 6 ounces.
Lawrence returned to his shallow honey hole but cast to a new side of the point. The violent strike that followed brought in the 5-9 that clinched the title.
“She hit it with such force coming at me that it threw a bunch of slack in my line, and I honestly thought she missed it,” he said. “I started to go wind it in fast to make another cast, and when I started winding it down, she was there. I was like, ‘oh my goodness. There is no way this is happening.’”
Career Milestone for Rising Star
Lawrence’s win added to an already phenomenal start to his professional bass fishing career. Since going full-time, he’s achieved eight Top 10s and two wins in just 11 tour-level events, with over $430,000 in earnings.
He now has at least one win in every MLF level — Bass Fishing League, Toyota Series, Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, and Bass Pro Tour. In total, he has seven wins and 19 Top 10s in just 25 events since 2023.
Top 10 Finishers at Stage 4
- Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 27 bass, 83-2, $150,000
- Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 27 bass, 77-15, $45,000
- Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 17 bass, 48-14, $35,000
- Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 42-7, $30,000
- Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-14, $25,000
- Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 12 bass, 37-4, $23,000
- Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 12 bass, 29-9, $22,000
- Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 11 bass, 25-9, $21,000
- Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 7 bass, 21-12, $20,500
- Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 6 bass, 15-8, $20,000
Lawrence’s 8-3 bass also earned him $1,000 for the Berkley Big Bass of the day.
Looking Ahead: Television Coverage & Tour Info
Television coverage of MLF Stage 4 will air in two parts on Discovery Channel starting Saturday, Oct. 11, with the Championship Round airing Oct. 18. The 2025 Bass Pro Tour features 66 of the world’s top anglers battling in seven regular-season events, all chasing qualification for Heavy Hitters and REDCREST 2026.
Visit MajorLeagueFishing.com for complete results and more tournament coverage.
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
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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