PARK FALLS, Wis.– Bass fishing’s biggest event – the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic Presented by Under Armour – is headed to Ray Roberts Lake north of Ft. Worth, Texas next week. The epic showdown will see 56 of the best bass anglers in the world competing over three days for a million-dollar prize.

Competition will take place March 21-23 with daily takeoffs from Ray Roberts Lake State Park at 7:30 a.m. CT and weigh-ins at 4:30 p.m. each day at Dickies Arena in downtown Fort Worth at 4:30 p.m. Doors open to the general public at 3:15 p.m. Along with the competition, fishing’s biggest consumer show, the Bassmaster Classic Expo, welcomes visitors to the Fort Worth Convention Center March 21 (Noon to 7 p.m.), March 22 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and March 23 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

The Venue

Built in 1987, the 29,000-acre Ray Roberts Lake boasts significant areas of standing timber, vast offshore timber piles, and sparse but increasing aquatic vegetation. Most of the 259 miles of shoreline is undeveloped, featuring rocky banks, rip rap, timber, and seasonally flooded brush. A healthy forage base of gizzard shad, threadfin shad, sunfish, and crayfish fuels a trophy largemouth fishery at Ray Roberts, supplemented by spotted and smallmouth bass. Catches of double-digit Florida-strain largemouth bass are common. The lake has two arms – the Elm Fork of the Trinity River to the west and a clearer east arm which supports most of the lake’s concentrations of grass and other aquatic vegetation.

Angler Insights from Pat Schlapper

Bassmaster Elite angler and St. Croix pro, Pat Schlapper, is one of the 56 anglers who qualified to compete at this year’s Bassmaster Classic. The 41-year-old from Eleva, Wisconsin qualified as a result of his 42nd place finish in the 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler-of-the-Year points race. While this will be Schlapper’s 4th Bassmaster Classic, his first memories of the event go back to 1994.

“I was just 11 years old, but it was a big deal when Bryan Kerchal won the 24th Bassmaster Classic in 1994, because he was the first and still the only B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier to ever win a Classic,” Schlapper says. “I ended up qualifying for the 2021 Elites and Classic by winning the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Pickwick Lake, myself. I know what an accomplishment it is to come up that way, but then Kerchal went on to win the Classic on top of it. It may never be done again. Tragically, Bryan lost his life in a commercial airplane crash just a few months later. Bryan’s accomplishments and his story have always just stuck with me.”

Schlapper finished 45th in his first Bassmaster Classic in 2021. Interestingly, the event took place on Lake Ray Roberts, host to this year’s event.

“That event in 2021 was delayed until June because of COVID. Hank Cherry averaged about 17 pounds a day to catch 51 pounds over the three days,” recalls Schlapper, who spent a week on Ray Roberts each year between 2022 and 2024. “Scheels is one of my great sponsors and they have Scheels University – a training event – there every February. It can be a really tough place to fish at that time of year,” he says. “There are definitely big ones there, but it’s not always easy to get bites. I’ve never fished it in March though, so it may be completely different at the Classic next week, depending on what the weather does.”

Practice starts Friday (3/15), and Schlapper only expects to get five to ten bites a day during most of his practice days. “It was extremely cold in North Texas just a month ago, which slowed things down quite a bit,” he says. “It has been warmer, so I would think there would be fish setting up well for the spawn once the tournament starts. Not a full-on spawn, but who knows. It might even get cold again and slow things down. My best guess though is it will be a transition game with a fairly big push of fish headed to the bank.”

Schlapper says he thinks 20-22 pounds a day will keep an angler in the hunt. “You never know. I’m doubtful there will be a full-on spawn for the tournament, so those big fish that live there will be the heaviest they’ll be all year,” he says. “Someone will probably pop some 30-pound bags and I’m sure some guys will catch some double-digit fish to pad their averages. It would be great if it were me!”

Schlapper isn’t ruling any presentations out at this point. “Ray Roberts is a hard-bottom lake for the most part with above average water clarity. If I can find the right fish in some of those transition areas, I’m hoping a chatterbait will play,” he says. “It’s one of my confidence baits, so I know I’ll be fishing one on a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 72HM RIP-N-CHATTER rod, which is the heavy power rod in St. Croix’s Legend Tournament Bass iACT lineup – a series of three reaction-bait rods which includes both carbon and glass materials. I love the smaller diameters and the balance. It’s hard to find a great chatterbait rod… one that’s forgiving enough to feed them the bait with enough power to set the hook. The new iACT carbon and glass version has the perfect balance of backbone and parabolic action. I usually like to skip a chatterbait with a carbon rod but normally want a more parabolic moderate action. Not all HM rods are the same. This one has everything. And its lighter than any comparable rod I’ve used in the past. If they aren’t eating it good I’ll switch to the same 72HM model in the all-glass Legend Glass series, which is a bit softer.”

Schlapper says jerkbaits, shallow pitching to shoreline brush and timber, deep cranking, or shallow cranking could all play next week as well. “It all depends on how things are setting up,” he says. “We’ll all know more after a day or two of practice. Expect a bunch of fish to be suspended in key depths in the lake’s abundant standing timber and cleared timber piles.”

Schlapper says his mindset will always be his wildcard when facing tough conditions and tremendous competition.

“It’s the most important thing,” he says. “It’s one of my edges when it comes to preparing to win a tournament.” Preparing being the key word. “A winning mindset is more than just hitting the water and believing you can win… it begins long before that,” Schlapper adds. “I have not been performing as well as I’d like so far this season, but that does nothing but force you to double down on the things you can control… like preparation, having a diverse gameplan, and all the other small details. I still believe and have confidence that I can win, but I’m keeping my expectations in check and adjusting a little this year. It’s easy to get caught up in all the cool stuff happening at and around the Bassmaster Classic. This year I’m going to focus as much as possible on the fishing and do a better job of just blocking everything else out.

Follow the Action

Not attending the Classic? Follow all of the action on BassTrakk and Bass Live at bassmaster.com. Fans can also watch the final two days of the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic Presented by Under Armour on FOX.

About St. Croix Rod
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.