In winning both the 2024 Solo Tour Championship and 2024 Angler of the Year, Frenette won a pair of Tidewater boats, each with a Yamaha motor and a McClain Trailer.

PARK FALLS, Wis. – Michael Frenette escaped second-place finisher, Gary Moreno, by just six ounces to win last week’s 2024 Frogg Toggs Elite Solo Tour National Championship in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Tied with Moreno in Angler of the Year points at the conclusion of the event, the St. Croix angler earned the 2024 Angler of the Year title by virtue of the series’ first tie-breaker criterion – biggest bag of the year.

At 34 years of age, Michael Frenette already has more than 20 years of professional fishing experience. The son of well-known Mike Frenette of Venice, Louisiana – owner of Redfish Lodge of Louisiana, a charter captain of 40+ years, inshore and offshore tournament competitor, and multiple world-record holder – the younger Frenette grew up and thrived in the footsteps of his father. “I’ve been guiding and fishing redfish tournaments for over 20 years now,” he says. “This is a sport my dad and I have always done together. While we fish separately on tour, we travel together and are still very much a team. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be here this week. He’s the origin of all my passions, and I’m grateful to him for exposing me to the sport and the industry that I love. I’ve worked hard at what I do, but I owe my dad for that work ethic and for raising me in this environment which has shown me so many wonderful opportunities.”

The Solo Tour Championship is a three-day event with the first two days resulting in the top four anglers moving to the final day, where those four anglers compete for a single-day total weight of their three largest fish.

Solo Tour Championship entrants had to participate in at least four events throughout the season and be among the top-ten in total points. Frenette finished with a single-day three-fish total of 22.95 pounds, edging out Moreno’s 22.55 pounds. Frenette also won big-fish with a single redfish under 27 inches that was just over nine pounds.




Frenette says the Solo Tour Championship field at Lake Charles was forced to deal with the first serious cold front of the year. “We had a big temperature drop, which dipped all the way into the 40s in the morning, and the north winds that came with it. All the water in those shallow marsh areas got dumped out, so all those fish that had been so happy and predictable in there started looking for deeper water,” Frenette says. “I had a specific spot I’ve known about and fished for the past 25 years that usually plays well under the conditions we had. It was taught to me by a local named Mr. Erik Rue, who used to fish with my dad. My redfish education payed off on a championship weekend… my spot just kept getting better and better while others got worse. I only wish my dad could have been here!”

Frenette did most of his damage with a ½-ounce jighead rigged with a Strike King Flood Minnow or Tidal Shrimp. “I was only flipping it about 25 feet, so I was using a shorter 6’8” medium-power rod,” he says. “I was fishing a St. Croix Legend Xtreme 68MXF earlier in the day when the current was heavier. It’s an incredibly sensitive rod with an extra fist tip, which helped with bite detection and feeling the jig deflect off the rocks, but with the serious backbone I needed for controlling the fish in the heavier current. Once the tide let off, I switched to the same 68MXF rod in St. Croix’s Victory Series. That rod is still very sensitive, but fishes lighter, is definitely a bit softer, and offers a touch more finesse. I love both of them.”

Frenette is currently competing at the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship on the west coast of Florida.

Follow Captain Michael Frenette on social media @capt_red_frenette. Follow all the action of the Elite Redfish Series, including the Solo Tour, at eliteredfishseries.com.

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.