The father-son team of Alton Jones and Alton Jones, Jr. captured the win at the Major League Fishing Team Series Challenge Cup, held this week at Port Huron, Mich.
The Joneses overcame a furious charge from Dustin Connell and Adrian Avena, sealing the win with four scorable smallmouth in the final 30 minutes of competition to finish with 26 bass weighing 62-1. It's the first Team Series win for either Jones.
“My heart rate is through the roof. That was so intense,” Jones Jr. said immediately after the win. “We just got the win, and really all week, one bait is what we danced to. That Geecrack Bellows Shad in the new 2.8-inch version – in AJ’s Juice and electric shad – was the ticket. We caught 99% of our fish on it, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was the best bait for us to be using.”
For Jones Sr., the moment was both emotional and deeply personal. With his own father battling health challenges back home, he said the win carried special weight.
“It worked out well,” Jones Sr. said. “We had conversations the night before about withdrawing from the competition to go home to be with my dad, but my mom and dad both wanted us to be here at this event, and to win it with my son makes this one of the biggest moments of my career. I’m 62 years old. I don’t know how many more wins I’ve got left, but I know I got one today. And getting to do it alongside my son – this is something we’ll never forget.”
The Joneses relied heavily on drop-shots rigged with the Bellows Shad, targeting current seams and seawalls where smallmouth were stacked. According to Jones Jr., his father’s river knowledge was the difference-maker.
“All the credit goes to him this week,” Jones Jr. said. “I might have brought the bait from Japan that got the job done, but without his experience on this river, there’s no way we could have caught what we did. We always could’ve executed better, but that’s just part of the game – he kept us in it, and together we closed it out.”
The pair overcame adversity throughout the day, including missed opportunities and a tense stretch when Team YETI surged into the lead with six straight smallmouth. But the Joneses stayed patient, and their final rally secured the win by 2 pounds, 12 ounces.
“Neither of us have ever won a Cup before,” Jones Sr. said. “To finally do it here, under these circumstances, is big. This week goes to my dad, Jr’s granddad, and our whole family. It’s been emotional, but it’s also been a blessing. At my age, after 36 years in this sport, this one means everything.”
The Championship Round featured four powerhouse teams, but the third period came down to a two-horse race. Despite a six-bass surge in the third perdiod, Connell and Avena settled for second with 59-5 (26 bass). Ron Nelson and Martin Villa caught a mixed bag of both largemouth and smallmouth early before fading to third with 40-8 (23), while Gary Klein and Mark Davis capped off a strong week with a fourth-place showing, ending the day with a total of 14 bass for 26-13.
