By B.A.S.S. Communications
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Pat Schlapper was surprised by his first Bassmaster Elite trophy, but not his second.
The latter, which came at the season-ending Upper Mississippi River Elite Series, fulfilled the Eleva, Wis., pro’s honest expectation with a winning total of 66 pounds, 5 ounces.
“This one’s so sweet, it means a lot to me,” said Schlapper, who also won in mid-May at the Sabine River. “The people that I get to fish with down here, it’s for them. We put in a ton of work down here (prior to the off-limits period a month prior to the event) and it paid off.
“The Sabine was a kind of surprise to me, but this one I’m not surprised, because I fish down here so much and I have a ton of history. I’m so happy I won this (event). I love the Mississippi River and I hope we come back.”
In a week marked with fluctuating water levels from heavy pre-tournament rains and strong winds the third and fourth days, Schlapper adjusted to the changing conditions and kept himself in the hunt and eventually overtook fellow Wisconsinite Caleb Kuphall, who had led after the first three days.
On Day 1, Schlapper caught a fourth-place limit of 18-8. Adding a second-round bag that weighed 15-4, he rose to third. A limit of 14-2 kept him in third for Semifinal Saturday.
Concluding with a day-4 limit of 18-7, Schlapper recorded the heaviest winning weight in a Bassmaster Elite event at the Mississippi River. Californian Ish Monroe won with 65-7 in 2018.
For edging out Kuphall by 2-12, Schlapper took home the $101,000 top prize and an invitation to the 2026 Bassmaster Classic. Since Schlapper also qualified for the Classic via his 30th-place finish in Angler of the Year points, his invitation goes to Dakota Ebare, who was the first angler outside the Classic cut.
Tapping into what he described as significant local knowledge, Schlapper followed a well-calculated daily game plan that involved locking up to Pool 7 and then returning to Pool 8, from which the tournament launched.
“I know Pool 7 better and I figured with the Classic qualification and a lot of things on the line, a lot of people wouldn’t lock,” he said. “A lot of people get scared of (not making it back in time).”
In Pool 7, Schlapper targeted vast expanses of eel grass, where he used a Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow on a 5/0 round bend hook and a Spro Bronzeye Frog to search for schooling fish. In Pool 8, he punched dense vegetation in the Goose Pond area with a creature bait on a 4/0 hook with a 1 1/2-ounce weight.
“Those are all ways I love to fish,” Schlapper said. “I only lost one key fish all week. I like fishing this way and I’m really glad I got to do it this week.”
In a fishery known for impressive quantity, big bites were the difference makers. On Championship Sunday, Schlapper caught two in the 4-pound class — one around a quarter to 9, the other at a quarter past 2. Schlapper’s 4-5 was the final day’s biggest bass.
“I wasn’t lying on the dock this morning when I said that these guys should be scared if they knew what I was around,” Schlapper said. “They thought I was just trying to get into their heads, but that was the caliber of fish I’ve been around all week.
“It’s just been tricky to get them to bite. Today, I got five of them to bite and I got all of them in the boat.”
Hailing from Mukwonago, Wis., Kuphall led the first three days with limits of 18-15, 17-3 and 14-10. Ending with 12-13, Kuphall finished second with 63-9.
All week, Kuphall also leveraged his extensive experience, as he committed himself to a pattern he learned over 20 years ago. Targeting undercut banks with occasional current breaks, he caught all of his fish on a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce Do-it Molds Sparky Head jig with a Big Bite Baits 2.75-inch Chunk.
“Coming into this event, the whole deal was making the Classic,” Kuphall said. “I was in 36th place (in AOY points) coming in and, out here, that is a very consistent way to catch fish. I felt like I could catch enough to make the Classic. I had no idea it was that good, that it would contend for the win.”
“I probably caught double the fish today that I did yesterday. I was just missing the big bites.”
Cory Johnston of Otonabee, Canada finished third with 62-6. His daily weights were 17-7, 14-9, 14-10 and 15-12.
Johnston caught his fish on a 6th Sense frog, a 3/8-, 1/2- and 3/4-ounce jig with a chunk trailer and a Texas-rigged 6th Sense Bongo. The key, he said, was locating small zones of opportunity amid the river’s vast habitat.
“This place is spot-oriented; you gotta find the sweet spot with a group of fish,” Johnston said. “I found two of those the first day of the tournament in Pool 7 and they carried me through the tournament.
“I had one really good grass mat the size of my boat. It was starting to blow away yesterday, but I still caught a 4-pounder out of it. Today, it was totally gone and I had to rely on my other spot.”
Cooper Gallant of Bowmanville, Ontario, and Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., tied for Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. Each angler received a $1,000 award for their 5-pound, 9-ounce fish.
Texas pro Lee Livesay earned the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Tournament bonus for his 21-11 limit from Day 2.
Austin Felix earned the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency award for accurate reporting.
Virgina’s John Crews the highest place entrant to the Toyota Bonus Bucks program, earning the $3,000 bonus while Paul Mueller earned the $2,000 bonus as the second-highest entrant.
Schlapper earned the $4,000 Yamaha PowerPay bonus for the highest finishing entrant running a Yamaha Outboard while Kyoya Fujita earned a $1,500 PowerPay bonus.
Here's how the top 10 looked at the end:
1. Pat Schlapper: 66-05
2. Caleb Kuphall: 63-09
3. Cory Johnston: 62-06
4. Bryan Schmitt: 62-01
5. Jay Przekurat: 61-12
6. Kyoya Fujita: 61-01
7. Tucker Smith: 60-12
8. KJ Queen: 58-08
9. Stetson Blaylock: 58-07
10. Cooper Gallant: 57-05
