WALKER, Minn. — The only thing longer than Laker Howell ’s 7-foot-9 swimbait rod was the reach of his performance as he claimed victory at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN.
At 6-foot-5, the Guntersville, Ala., pro leaned on his largemouth fishing expertise to tally a two-day total of 39 pounds, 13 ounces. Howell posted limits of 19-10 on Day 1 and 20-3 on Day 2, edging Texas angler Jace Lindsay by just one pound.
Weather Delay and High Stakes
Originally scheduled for Thursday, the tournament was postponed to Friday due to dangerous wind conditions, ultimately shortened to a two-day shootout with the full field competing both days.
Despite the condensed format, Howell kept his focus and channeled his strength in frog fishing shallow largemouth.
“I don’t even have the words; I gotta thank the Lord right now,” Howell said tearfully. “Everyone who does this for a living understands why I’m crying. There’s so much you put into it. All the emotion, all the hard work. The late nights, the early mornings, all the YouTube fishing videos you study.”
His efforts paid off with a $47,000 top prize and a coveted berth in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour on the Tennessee River.
Notably, Howell’s father, Bassmaster Elite pro Randy Howell, etched his own legacy by winning the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Guntersville.
Howell’s Winning Area and Technique
Howell committed to a football field–sized wild rice flat near Boy Bay, fishing in 2 1/2 to 5 feet of water. He keyed in on deeper pockets, clean bottom areas, and ambush points along turns in the rice edge.
“This area had the best looking rice with a mix of milfoil and a pad field zone,” Howell said. “All that mixing together with deep water turned into a good tournament.”
Returning to the same area where he placed 22nd in 2024, Howell leaned into a trusted bait and setup:
Daiwa Kage 150 Reel spooled with 70-pound Daiwa Samurai braid
This heavy-duty gear allowed Howell to reach untouched fish inside the rice fields, which are off-limits to recreational boats due to cultural significance for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
“The majority of the field was chasing smallmouth with forward-facing sonar,” Howell said. “I just fished my strength and went frogging, because that’s what I love to do. I made a check doing it in 2024, and I came up here just hoping to make another one — and I made a pretty good one.”
Early Day 2 Success and Redemption
Howell landed all of his final-day weight by 9:30 a.m., despite a near disaster early.
“This morning, I lost one that I really thought was going to cost me,” Howell said. “I set the hook, it started coming up, and then it came off. I thought, ‘This is gonna haunt me later.’ Two casts later, I caught a 5 1/4. I guess God said, ‘Now watch this. We’re gonna turn that around really quick.’”
Other Top Finishers at Leech Lake
Jace Lindsay (2nd, 38-13): Used a jighead minnow rig with a Deps Sakamata Shad and Z-Man Scented Jerk ShadZ, targeting boulders on subtle drops.
Sam Hanggi (3rd, 38-3): Rebounded from 57th on Day 1 (16-1) with the tournament’s biggest bag of 22-2 on Day 2, fishing a finesse jig and drop shot around isolated boulders in 10-15 feet.
Paul Marks (Big Bass Award): Claimed $750 Phoenix Boats Big Bass prize with a 5-14.
Points Standings Update
With this event complete, the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Division 2 presented by SEVIIN standings saw:
Pake South (751 points) leading, followed by
Fisher Anaya (749), Tanner Hadden (717), Howell (697), and Nic Rand (684).
The Top 50 anglers now qualify for the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Series (Sept–Nov 2025), where the top 10 earn invitations to the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series.
Event Host
This Bassmaster Open was hosted by the Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, showcasing one of Minnesota’s most storied fisheries on the national stage.
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: St. Croix
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: SEVIIN
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsors: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama
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About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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