Pre-tournament views with one to look at: younger gun, Bryson O’Steen
COLUMBUS, MISS. (April 16, 2025) – The St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River Introduced by SEVIIN kicks off this morning with three days of scheduled competitors, concluding on Friday, April 18. A full subject of among the sport’s finest anglers are in Columbus, Mississippi, combating for a Bassmaster Open victory on the 234-mile man-made waterway connecting the Tennessee River with the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers. It’s the second of 4 Division 1 Open occasions of the 2025 season and the primary main B.A.S.S. occasion at this location since 2004. Every day takeoffs start at 6:15 a.m. CT, with weigh-ins set for 3:15 p.m., all from Columbus Marina. Solely the High 10 anglers will advance to fish on Day 3 of the event. One of many perfect issues in regards to the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Sequence is the caliber of anglers it attracts. Simply have a look at among the prime Bassmaster Elite anglers and names like Easton Fothergill, Justin Hamner, Trey McKinney, Jay Przekurat, Tyler Williams, and so many others. All lately earned their spot at bass fishing’s highest stage by competing and profitable within the Opens. Bryson O’Steen is a Division 1 Opens angler who ought to be on any BASS fan’s radar. The 24-year-old from Reside Oak, Florida has been fishing bass tournaments since age eight. He capped his four-year collegiate profession at Florida Gateway School with a fourth-place end ultimately 12 months’s Bassmaster School Nationwide Championship at Lake Hartwell. And the St. Croix professional’s report of consistency in different top-level tournaments proves him a harmful competitor.
O’Steen’s targets for this 12 months aren’t too totally different than anybody else fishing the ultra-competitive St. Croix Bassmaster Opens circuit. “I wish to end within the prime 50 of Division 1 to qualify for the EQs this fall and finally subsequent 12 months’s Bassmaster Elites,” he says. “After all, I’d additionally prefer to win one of many Opens and earn a spot in subsequent 12 months’s Basic. I’ve a need to win that drives me, and this one (Tombigbee River Open) units up nicely for me.” So, why does this occasion arrange nicely, and what are O’Steen’s strengths as an angler? “I grew up fishing on the Suwanee River, which – after a couple of days of follow – I can say is similar to what we’ve right here on the Tombigbee,” he says. “I like shallow-water fishing and have a superb understanding of what fish do across the spawn. I’ve by no means fished right here earlier than follow, however I like what I’m seeing, and all of it simply feels acquainted. The climate has been nice all week. It’s heat and getting hotter, and the fish are positively spawning. That stated, there’s not a ton of bass right here however there are positively good ones. Keepers listed here are 14 inches and I’ve been getting between 5 and 12 a day all through follow.”
O’Steen says issues can change, however he plans on leaning right into a buzzbait and a swim jig. “These are nice baits for shallow cowl… the grass and laydowns these fish are utilizing,” he says. “I’ll be fishing the buzzbait on a Legend Xtreme 70MHF. Folks consider it as a bottom-contact rod – and it’s probably the greatest for that – however I simply love how the size and that quick tip give me whole management and accuracy to place a buzzbait precisely the place I have to. And as soon as that prop begins turning you are feeling the whole lot. That’s necessary as a result of if there’s even a tiny piece of grass fouling the motion I can really feel it and rip it off. After which I’ll be pitching laydowns with a PHYSYX 73MHF. PHYSYX is unquestionably my favourite St. Croix sequence. Each mannequin is simply completely dialed in… light-weight, balanced and delicate.” As BASS followers know, predictions can exit the window quick when one angler finds one thing particular that no person else figures out, however O’Steen thinks weights on the prime of the Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River leaderboard will stay pretty constant over the three days of competitors. “I believe you’re going to see the anglers on the very prime averaging proper round 17 kilos a day and the winner may do some higher than that and find yourself with a complete round 53 kilos,” he predicts. “I don’t assume you’re going to see a complete lot of separation.” Comply with Bryson O’Steen’s progress and the remainder of the motion from the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River at bassmaster.com.
The High 50 anglers from each the Division 1 and Division 2 sequence of the Bassmaster Opens will qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers (EQ), which consists of three tournaments scheduled for this fall. The High 10 anglers within the EQ standings will earn invites into the vaunted Bassmaster Elite Sequence in 2026 the place they’ll fish towards 100 or so different world-class bass anglers.
In addition to greater than $300,000 in money going to prime rivals on the Tombigbee River, together with greater than $50,000 to the winner, the champ additionally will clinch a berth within the 2026 Bass Professional Outlets Bassmaster Basic introduced by Below Armour to be held March 13-15 on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tenn.
About St. Croix RodHeadquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Greatest Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with expert craftsmanship, St. Croix is the one main American producer to nonetheless construct premium rods fully from design via manufacturing. The corporate stays family-owned and owns and operates state-of-the-art manufacturing services in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With well-liked trademarked sequence similar to Legend®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all sorts of anglers from around the globe. The St. Croix Household of Manufacturers consists of St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.
