Dylan Akins enjoyed his best day yet at Tims Ford Lake, landing 16 pounds, 7 ounces — the heaviest bag of the tournament so far — on Day 3 of the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s.

Knowing a full day of fishing was ahead, Emmanuel University’s Dylan Akins knew he would have to take advantage of every quality bite he received on Day 2 of the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s to advance.

Aaron Jagdfeld fell just short of qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic earlier this year, but this week he is trying to make the most of a second chance.

B.A.S.S. officials today announced the 2025 schedule for the Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series and Junior Series tournament circuits, and the slate features some of the best competition bass lakes in the country for young anglers to showcase their talent.

“Tournament fishing at the student level is continuing to boom in popularity,” said Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. tournament manager for the College, High School and Junior Series. “From the college level to the junior level, B.A.S.S. continues to provide even more opportunities for young anglers to compete on some of the best bodies of water in the country.

“Today’s anglers are honing their skills at an early age,” Cale went on to say. “This schedule will be a fun one for the up-and-coming anglers and their families. We will visit some of the most popular fisheries in the United States. Some of these anglers will revisit them many times during their tournament career.”

The Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops features a two-division format with three tour stops each — the Legends Trail and the Lunkers Trail.

The Legends Trail kicks off the season Jan. 22-23 at Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Fla., travels to Smith Lake in Cullman, Ala., Feb. 26-27 and makes a final stop at Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Okla., April 2-3.

The Lunkers Trail begins competition at Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., Jan. 29-30, then Buggs Island in Mecklenburg County, N.C., April 30-May 1, before ending the regular season at Chickamauga Lake in Dayton, Tenn., May 30-31.

College anglers will be competing for points in the Bassmaster College Team of the Year standings to qualify for both the Strike King Bassmaster College National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops and the Bassmaster College Classic Bracket presented by Lew’s which will result in a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic berth for one lucky angler.

Second grade through 12th grade anglers will compete in four regular-season events held in conjunction with several of the college events. Those young anglers will gain valuable tournament-fishing experience on some of the country’s best bass waters. The one-day High School and Junior tournaments will kick off Jan. 26 at Harris Chain of Lakes, followed by stops at Smith Lake on March 2, Lake Tenkiller on March 30 and Buggs Island on May 4.

The College Series and High School Series events will be capped at 250 boats. Each high school event will also include a field of up to 50 boats for competitors ranging from second to eighth grade as part of the Bassmaster Junior Series.

Online registration for the College Series' Legends Trail will open Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. CT, followed by the Lunkers Trail registration which will open Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. Single-event entry will open Nov. 5 at 3 p.m.

Registration for the High School Series will open online Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. and Junior Series registration will open Dec. 10 at 3 p.m.

For more information visit Bassmaster.com.

2025 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops Schedule

Legends Trail

January 22-23, Harris Chain of Lakes, Leesburg, Fla. February 26-27, Smith Lake, Cullman, Ala. April 2-3, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, Okla.

Lunkers Trail

January 29-30, Lake Okeechobee, Clewiston, Fla. April 30- May 1, Buggs Island, Mecklenburg County, Va. May 30-31, Chickamauga Lake, Dayton, Tenn.

2025 Strike King Bassmaster High School and Junior Series Schedule

January 26, Harris Chain of Lakes, Leesburg, Fla. March 2, Smith Lake, Cullman Ala. March 30, Lake Tenkiller, Cookson, Okla. May 4, Buggs Island, Mecklenburg County, Va.

B.A.S.S. tournament officials today announced former Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic champions Randy Howell and Cliff Pace will rejoin the ranks of Elite anglers in 2025 via Legends invitations. Two Legends spots opened with the retirement of Rick Clunn and the fact that all current Elite anglers with Legends eligibility requalified via Elite Series requalification criteria.

The popularity of the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN and Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers series has surged over the past two years. Today, B.A.S.S. announced enhancements to both properties that will inspire even more anglers to compete for the opportunity to walk across bass fishing’s biggest stage.

B.A.S.S., the world’s largest fishing organization, today announced the promotion of Executive Vice President Phillip Johnson to Chief Operating Officer. For the past two years, Johnson has steered the organization’s content strategy, advertising, events, marketing and communications. Now, he will also assume management responsibilities of the Bassmaster Tournament operations as well as focus on new processes to improve and expand total business operations.

Following a 2024 season of record viewership and increased interest in Bassmaster LIVE programming, B.A.S.S., FOX and FS1 have announced plans to expand Bassmaster’s live coverage in 2025. The new agreement sets the stage for a monumental surge in viewership for 2025.

Opportunities are endless when you gather 97 talented high school anglers from across the country along with 26 of the top collegiate fishing programs in the U.S. That’s exactly what happened at the fourth annual Skeeter Bassmaster High School Combine. Over the course of three days, Combine participants had the opportunity to meet one on one with college fishing coaches and anglers in addition to competing in three skills competitions and three bonus points challenges.

At Thursday’s tournament commencement, Cody Stahl was one of 213 pros in the hunt. Two days prior, a completely different hunt gave him the clues he needed to amass a three-day total of 53 pounds, 1 ounce and win the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Mississippi River presented by SEVIIN.

Chris Hellebuyck knows what works, but he also knows what works a little better. Trusting his instincts, the White Lake, Mich., angler tallied 34 pounds, 6 ounces and leads Day 2 at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Mississippi River presented by SEVIIN.