By Jason Duran
The Alabama Bass Trail highlighted the top anglers competing on the renowned Lake Eufaula, famously known as the Bass Capital of the World. The event was highly competitive, with teams fishing both shallow and deep waters. Many bass had already entered their post-spawn patterns and had moved out to deeper waters. Anglers also capitalized on the brim bed bite, which contributed to their catches of bigger fish. Charlie Williams and Michael Smith emerged as the champions, boasting an impressive total weight of 24.17 pounds.
Charlie Williams and Michal Smith are familiar faces in the ABT winners' circle. They previously won over $57,000 at Lake Martin during the ABT Championship in 2020, noting that winning that event felt like winning five of these competitions. However, since then, they have kept a lower profile due to the intense competition in these events, making it difficult to secure another win. One of their key baits was a homemade Hair Jig, which helped them catch one of their larger fish. They reported fishing in water depths of 10-13 feet and used Garmin LiveScope to target these fish, although getting them to bite proved to be a challenge. The other fish they weighed in came from using a Crush City Freeloader paired with a VMC Jig Head. Early on, they caught numerous 3-pound fish with a football jig and a Zoom Z Craw Jr. as a trailer. The team emphasized that they really had to present the bait right in front of the fish to entice them to bite. They expressed their gratitude for being back on the ABT stage and proudly holding their trophies once more, celebrating a substantial payday of $17,500, which included the Phoenix Bonus Money.
Frank Bradfield and Tyler Morgan finished in second place with a weight of 22.48 pounds, earning a payout of $7,500. "We spent last weekend practicing for a few hours upriver and discovered some key areas that seemed to hold fish. We decided to stick with that plan today. Our first intended stop already had a team on it, so we fished around the area until they left, at which point we moved in and quickly caught a limit. We found the spot to be grass mats along the riverbank, with a little shad spawn occurring in the area. We continued upriver, targeting similar areas along the riverbank featuring channel swings. The cloud cover helped keep the fish tight to the cover, which made for a tough bite, but those were the better bites we managed to get. We used an Untamed Tackle Apex Swim Jig in the Pepper Shad color, with a City Clean Up Craw trailer. We also used a Spro Killer Gill Popping Frog, which accounted for several of the bigger fish. Later in the day, we switched to the Crush City Bronco Bug to flip closer to the cover. A significant story from this event is about Waylon Thomas Morgan, who was born Immediately after the Cooters Pond Event weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces—bigger than any fish he das has ever caught before. The ABT has nicknamed Waylon "Cooter" because his dad had to rush off the stage to meet his wife at the hospital, and he barely made it in time. The ABT team is grateful he did, as we would certainly hear about it from his wife otherwise. "Cooter" and his mom made an appearance on stage at the Eufaula event, where he will soon be holding up fish of his own once he learns to walk.
Greg Bearden and AJ McGee finished in third place with a weight of 22.27 pounds, earning a check for $6,000. “We came down on Wednesday to practice, and AJ immediately caught a 6-pounder. We felt that was an area where we could really find success. We were fishing near brim beds. Today, we started in that same area. We positioned ourselves far enough back and fished where the fish approached us around the causeway. We used a Magdraft in pearl color, which helped us land four fish over four pounds within just 20 minutes this morning. However, we couldn’t get that big fifth fish, so we ended up with just one smaller one. There was some pressure in the area from a couple of other teams, so we had to protect our spot while continuing to fish. We also used a chartreuse and white Chatterbait. It’s been a tough year for us; we've lost fish throughout the season, so we are really thankful for this finish today.”
The top ten standings are below. For a complete list of standings, please visit:
www.alabamabasstrail.org
The Angler of the Year Race has just one tournament left for anglers to compete for the title of best of the best in 2025. Many teams made significant moves during the event, while some teams that are usually at the top slipped down the leaderboard. Here’s a look at the top four teams still in the running:
They made their move and advanced from second to first place in this event. Before this competition, they were just one point behind the team of John Brown and Trey Sorrells. Now, they have established a solid lead in the Angler of the Year standings going into the final event.
They put a lot of effort into this event, which is evident from their impressive jump from 7th to 2nd place. They are definitely aiming for the Angler of the Year (AOY) title. However, they still face a significant challenge, as they need to make up 53 points to catch up with Zeke and Ethan. It's worth noting that Noah and Cole are the only team to have won two events in the same season. One of those victories was at Lay Lake, where the final event will be held. So, don’t count them out just yet.
Their second-place finish in this event propelled them into the Angler of the Year (AOY) race, a position they were not even close to before this event, as they were outside the top 11. While they are still in contention, they will need another strong performance and reliance on the top two teams to falter, which is uncommon in major events. However, they do have a solid chance to qualify for the BASS Team Championship with another strong finish.
They moved up four spots after Eufaula, surpassing former AOY champions on the list. While they are likely considered a long shot to win AOY, Eufaula significantly changed the standings. If they win at Lay Lake and the top three teams falter, Bryan and Ryan could find themselves in a strong position for the AOY trophy.
The stage is set for an exciting conclusion to the 2025 ABT South Division season at Lay Lake, a favorite destination for teams aiming to catch Coosa River spotted bass. While all teams are eager to win the event, the Angler of the Year (AOY) teams are particularly focused on maintaining their points and climbing the leaderboard. The outcome will be determined on June 21 at Lay Lake.
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for "Alabama Bass Trail Podcast." The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday.
For Live coverage of this event and others visit https://www.youtube.com/@alabamabasstrailtv
The 2025 Alabama Bass Trail Sponsors Include: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Landers – McLarty Chevrolet, McGraw – Webb Chevrolet, Rapala, VMC, Crush City, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Lew’s, Strike King,Southern Protection Agency, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, TH Marine Supplies, Power-Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, American Trailer Rental, Yamaha, Anheuser-Busch, American Baitworks, E3 Sports Apparel, FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama, and Alabama Mountain Lakes
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
©2025 Alabama Bass Trail | All Rights Reserved | Site by McComm
