The Feb. 29-March 3 Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Fork Texas was one for the record books. In one of the most productive tournaments ever in terms of heavy sacks from a 103-angler field, 19-year-old Illinois pro Trey McKinney weighed a four-day total of 20 bass for 130 pounds, 15 ounces. Exactly one week after his 19th birthday, McKinney became the youngest winner in Elite Series history, and it was just the second Elite Series event he’s fished.
McKinney’s performance earned him $100,000, and he missed setting a new all-time total four-day weight by just 1 pound, 9 ounces. McKinney’s win gives him the fourth heaviest four-day total in Elite Series history, trailing Paul Elias and two other anglers who each caught more than 131 pounds of bass during a historic 2008 event at Texas’ Falcon Lake.
“This is crazy to even be up here, much less come that close to setting the all-time tournament record,” McKinney said. “To think, that one more fish and I could have had it. I lost a 7 1/2-pounder yesterday that would have given me 33 pounds and enough weight to break it.
“But I couldn’t be happier. This lake is just awesome. It was stressful and I had adrenaline. I was really spinning out today when I had 28 pounds and didn’t know if I had enough to win. I knew I had to have more.”
Elite Series tournaments allow anglers to weigh five fish each day of the event. In most tournaments on most lakes, a 30-pound bag of five fish is an incredible benchmark. To put that in perspective, a 30-pound sack equates to a 6-pound per fish average. McKinney caught 30-plus pounds each day at Lake Fork, which included sacks of 33-11, 33-10, 30-0, and 33-10 to clinch the win.
The top-10 anglers at the event all surpassed the “century mark,” which is 100 pounds over the four-day tournament. It’s only the second time that has ever happened in Elite Series history. Again, the 2008 Falcon Lake event is the only four days of fishing that have ever been better.
See full reporting from the event at bassmastermedia.com.