Monster Bass of 2024: Biggest Catches from Top Pro Tournaments

Kurt Mazurek | 3 Hours Ago

The top level pros seem to connect with giant bass on a more regular basis than the average angler, but just seeing those beasts gives us all hope. / NPFL | B.A.S.S. | MLF

There’s something about big bass we can’t resist. Visions of big bass inspire new anglers to keep trying and motivate grizzled, bass pro, veterans to try harder.

Oversized examples of our favorite species are rare and often elusive. But the fact is they exist. They show themselves just often enough to keep them somewhere on every angler’s mind, every time they set the hook. That next bite could be the new lake record, and in some lakes, the new world record.

And while we’ve all heard the stories of someone who has never fished before catching an absolute giant, you certainly improve your odds of connecting with a trophy by constantly practicing and learning and refining your angling skills and techniques. With that in mind, I wondered how many times the highest-level, bass tournament professionals connect with truly big bass? The good news is these fish are very accurately measured and well documented—a ten-pounder was actually a ten-pounder.

Following are the results from the three, top-level, pro bass tours’ 2024 seasons--MLF Bass Pro Tour, Bassmaster Elites, and The National Professional Fishing League.

RESULTS FROM THE 2024 MLF BASS PRO TOUR EVENTS

Cliff Crochet started 2024 strong with this 11-1 he caught at Toledo Bend. / Cliff Crochet

WEIGHT	EVENT	DATE	ANGLER
11-1	Toledo Bend, LA	1/30/24-2/4-24	Cliff Crochet
9-11	Santee Cooper, SC	2/20/24-2/25/24	David Dudley
7-1	Lay Lake, AL (REDCREST)	3/14/24-3/17/24	Chris Lane
5-12	Dale Hollow, TN	4/9/24-4/24/24	Drew Gill
6-10	Lake Eufaula, OK	4/30/24-5/5/24	Martin Villa
7-12	Lake Toho, FL (HEAVY HITTERS)	5/18/24-5/23/24	Kevin VanDam
8-4	Chowan River, NC	6/4/24-6/9/24	Matt Becker
7-10	James River, VA	6/25/24-6/30/24	Keith Poche
6-7	St. Lawrence River, NY	8/6/24-8/11/24	Cliff Crochet

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Major League Fishing (@majorleaguefishingofficial)

RESULTS FROM THE 2024 BASSMASTER ELITE EVENTS

WEIGHT	EVENT	DATE	ANGLER
9-8	Toledo Bend, LA	2/22/24-2/25/24	Bryan New
11-7	Lake Fork, TX	2/29/24-3/3/24	Justin Hamner
6-12	Grand Lake, OK (CLASSIC)	3/22/24-3/24/24	Aaron Yavorsky
10-8	Harris Chain, FL	4/12/24-4/15/24	Jacob Powroznik
8-7	St. Johns River, FL	4/18/24-4/21/24	Brad Whatley
7-6	Lake Murray, SC	5/10/24-5/13/24	Cody Huff
7-9	Wheeler Lake, AL	6/27/24-6/30/24	Greg Hackney and Cliff Pace (2-way tie)
5-12	Smith Lake, AL	6/27/24-6/30/24	Takumi Ito
6-2	Lake Champlain, NY	8/8/24-8/12/24	Kyle Patrick
6-15	St. Lawrence River, NY	8/15/24-8/18/24	Joey Cifuentes

This is a story dominated by giant largemouth bass, but this big smallmouth is definitely worth a look. Joey Cifuentes with a 6-15 from the St. Lawrence River. / B.A.S.S.

RESULTS FROM THE 2024 NPFL EVENTS

So, close to being a 10 pound bass, but on a championship tournament day, Corey Casey can't complain about a Pickwick 9-10. / NPFL

WEIGHT	EVENT	DATE	ANGLER
6-11	Logan Martin Lake, AL	2/1/24-2/3/24	Richard Kee
10-9	Lake Amistad, TX (CHAMPIONSHIP)	3/7/24-3/9/24	Jesse Wise
6-10	Lake Hartwell, SC	5/16/24-5/18/24	Chris Kinley
9-10	Pickwick Lake, TN	7/10/24-7/12/24	Corey Casey
6-13	Saginaw Bay, MI	8/29/24-8/31/24	Kevin Martin
6-15	Lake of the Ozarks, MO	10/23/24-10/25/24	Trent Palmer

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by National Pro Fishing League (@thenationalpfl)

As I pour through the stats and gawk at the photos and videos, a few thoughts occur to me.

In the Bass Pro Tour (BPT), the “Cajun Baby”, Cliff Crochet started the season with the biggest bass of the whole year, an 11-1 Toledo Bend monster largemouth. And then he ended the year at the St. Lawrence River with the biggest bass of that event, a 6-7 smallmouth. He was the only angler in any of the tours to earn two big bass awards in 2024.

Also on the BPT, I loved seeing Kevin VanDam’s name in the record books one last time before he officially retired. His 7-12 in the Championship Round earned him another $100,000 and one more title on his incredible resume.

I know it's not a photo of a bass, but I'm already feeling a little nostalgic about KVD not competing next year, so lets enjoy his last tournament accomplishment. / MLF | P. Moore

In the Bassmaster Elites, Justin Hamner caught the biggest bass ever recorded during Bassmaster LIVE coverage and the biggest bass of all the tours in 2024, a Lake Fork, 11-7 beast. Then a couple weeks later, he won the Bassmaster Classic. March of ’24 was a good time to be Justin Hamner.

And, although it wasn’t one of the bigger fish on the list, the top fish of the 2024 Bassmaster Classic was a 6-12 caught by 18-year-old, Aaron Yavorsky, the youngest angler ever to compete in the Classic.

And for the National Professional Fishing League (NPFL), it’s worth calling out a bass that is technically closer to 11 pounds than 10 pounds, Jesse Wise’s, 10-pound, 9 ounce, Amistad freak. If you didn’t take a look at the video of that catch above, scroll back up and check it out.

And overall, each of the three top pro tours registered at least one bass over that magical, 10-pound mark during the 2024 season.

The pros certainly catch their share of big bass, but never forget—those fish don’t care who’s holding the rod. Skill and know-how can increase your odds, but a trophy bass can strike at any moment, on any angler’s line. So, let this parade of monster catches inspire your fishing dreams and fuel your goals for 2025. Those true giants are out there—not just rumors or exaggerations. Always remember: the next cast, the next bite, could be the biggest bass of your life.