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Cole Floyd won his first Bass Pro Tour title at Yuengling Light Lager Stage 5 at Beaver Lake Presented by YETI, catching 24 scorable bass weighing 56 pounds to edge Wesley Strader by 14 ounces in the Championship Round and earn the $125,000 top prize.
With 25 minutes remaining in Sunday’s Championship Round, Floyd learned he was likely to finish second after leading most of the Knockout Round and much of the final day. He had been ahead of Strader by more than 6 pounds with about 30 minutes left, but Strader added a late 5-pounder for the third straight day and then followed it with a 1-12 to take over the lead.
Floyd continued casting and, with 12 minutes left, hooked a 1-11 that landed in the bottom of his Ranger after coming unpinned. While not the heaviest fish of his day, it proved decisive, pushing his total to 56 pounds even and securing the win.
Floyd’s path to the title began with a late surge in Friday’s Qualifying Round. Entering the final period, he was in 43rd place, nearly 15 pounds behind the Lucas Oil Cut Line. He then shifted to the shallowest reaches of the War Eagle River, a tributary on the upper end of Beaver Lake, and caught 31-1 on 13 scorable bass to reach the Knockout Round.
Floyd said practice conditions had been less favorable due to a storm that muddied the area before Day 1. As the water cleared and continued to rise during the event—flooding terrestrial grass and other cover—prespawn bass moved shallow. He described the pattern as developing over time, with later-spawning fish and many larger prespawn females.
On Saturday, Floyd posted 33-12 in the opening frame, allowing him to scout new water and conserve fish for the Championship Round. On Sunday morning, he initially struggled to find the same production, catching only one scorable bass—a 1-9—in the first half hour. He continued cycling through areas to determine how bass were setting up and which baits were working best.
Floyd’s top performers included a Strike King Thunder Cricket and a Strike King swim jig paired with a Strike King Rage Scounbug, with the Rage Scounbug doing much of the heavy lifting in the Championship Round.
Floyd built a lead he did not relinquish until the final minutes, boating multiple fish in the first period and adding to his total throughout the day. However, three anglers—Strader, Zack Birge, and Spencer Shuffield—were within 10 pounds entering the final period, keeping the pressure high.
In Period 3, Floyd briefly extended his advantage with a 3-6 and a 2-3 back-to-back, pushing his lead over 15 pounds. Strader then launched a rally, including a six-fish flurry that cut Floyd’s lead to 2-5. The two traded additional scorables as the lead changed hands.
When Strader landed a 5-8—also the Berkley Big Bass of the day and the biggest fish of the event—he took the lead shortly thereafter. Floyd responded by moving to a shallow flat with sparse grass and catching the decisive 1-11 on his swim jig.
Top 10 finishers at Yuengling Light Lager Stage 5 at Beaver Lake Presented by YETI:
Overall on Sunday, the 10 Bass Pro Tour anglers caught 142 bass weighing 311 pounds, 8 ounces.
Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award went to Wesley Strader, who caught a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth in the third period on a spinnerbait.
The next Bass Pro Tour event is the Kubota Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops all-star event at Orange Lake in Ocala, Florida, May 16-21.
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