By MLF Communications

BAY CITY, Mich. – The Bass Pro Tour is set to wrap up its 2025 regular season with a high-stakes showdown in Bay City, Mich., this week. The Toyota Stage 7 at Saginaw Bay Presented by Ranger Boats will take place Aug. 7-10, marking the final stop of the seven-event season.

Hosted by Go Great Lake Bay and the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, the four-day event will feature 66 of the top professional anglers in the world competing for a $150,000 top prize, a share of the $6.49 million season purse, and valuable AOY points in hopes of qualifying for the MLF Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026, the Bass Pro Tour championship.

The tournament will feature numerous fan favorites, including reigning and three-time Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler, back-to-back REDCREST 2024 and 2025 Champion Dustin Connell, Ott DeFoe, Skeet Reese – competing in the final regular-season tournament of his historic career – and Matt Becker, who won when the BPT last visited Saginaw Bay in 2023.

Although this marks just the second time the BPT has visited Saginaw Bay, the fishery already holds legendary status among MLF fans. In 2023, Becker delivered one of the most exciting finishes in BPT history, staging a dramatic final-day comeback to win both the tournament and the season-long Angler of the Year title. Becker landed the event’s biggest bag – a 22-pound, 11-ounce limit of smallmouth – and dialed in a pattern switching between largemouth and smallmouth near the Charity Islands.

“I’m excited to get back there, but this one’s going to fish way different than it did in 2023,” Becker said. “When we were here in 2023, we competed under the five-fish format. Now, with the format being every fish counts, I think we’re going to see a lot more largemouth bass in play. Just the sheer numbers of largemouth out there – they’re going to be a huge factor.”

Becker noted that while smallmouth remain a threat, especially near the Charity Islands and other offshore structure, the challenge of targeting them without forward-facing sonar during two of the three daily periods could limit their impact.

“Guys might be able to mix in some smallmouth early during the forward-facing sonar period,” he said. “But unless you’re close to largemouth water, it’s going to be tough to run back and forth and stay competitive. If someone can find both species in the same area, that’s going to be huge.”

In addition to the strategic challenges of species management and format adaptation, Becker pointed to weather as the ultimate wild card on the Great Lakes. Wind, waves and accessibility could significantly impact how and where the pros fish throughout the event.

“Anytime you go to the Great Lakes, the weather is the ultimate factor,” he said. “Wind can shut down areas completely. Where and how guys can fish will change fast, so being able to adjust on the fly is going to be really important.”

As for what baits fans can expect to see on deck, Becker said his rotation will include a frog, a swimjig, and a handful of flipping options like a Yamamoto Senko, Flappin’ Hog, and the new Yama Bug. For smallmouth, Becker said the Yamamoto Hinge Minnow will be key when the opportunity arises.

“I think we’re going to see quite a few guys catch 20 to 30 scorable bass a day,” Becker said. “It’s going to be exciting – a lot of fish-catching, and the potential for some serious fireworks.”

Anglers will arrive each morning at 5:15 a.m. ET to the Golson Boat Launch, located at 1598 N. Johnson St. in Bay City, Michigan. The Bass Pro Tour trailering policy has been enacted for this event, so anglers will depart the Golson Boat Launch each morning at 6:15 a.m. to one of nine optional launch ramps located around the fishery. Anglers will return to the Golson Boat Launch each evening, following the end of competition at 4 p.m.

On Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9-10, from 3-6 p.m. MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Wenonah Park at 103 Center Ave., in Bay City for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, enter to win hourly giveaways, listen to live music and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel each day. The event also includes a youth fishing derby and a casting contest.

The Toyota Stage 7 at Saginaw Bay Presented by Ranger Boats will feature anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.