Roger Beaver Wins the 2025 Ray Scott Championship

April 7, 2025 – Eufaula, Alabama – Roger Beaver of Dawson, Georgia, stayed consistent for three straight days to secure the title of 2025 Ray Scott Champion on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, AL. With three daily limits over 20 pounds, Beaver finished with a total weight of 68.69 pounds and a perfect 15-fish limit. He leaned on his experience, running to familiar areas and making key adjustments throughout the week.

“I was able to practice Saturday and Sunday but had to go back to work,” said Beaver. “I came back Tuesday and I did fish about half of the day. I noticed the pattern had changed, so I had to make some changes. Right now, the fish are more in their late April pattern. Normally, you crush them out of trees just all over the lake. I keyed in on six or eight piles for the tournament.

“Some of the shallow brush piles, I was just swimming a worm. The reason I do that is because of the sunlight and the water clarity. A big spinnerbait can just be too flashy, and it spooks the fish, but the worm is more subtle and it won’t run them off. You have to adapt to the lake and the weather. I had limits early each day and went around those tops as many times as I had to in order to get the bites I needed. My main baits were a 1.5 oz spinnerbait, a big worm and a chatterbait. Another angler who is very good here said the same thing you did about the weights going down each day. The lake level dropped some and that always changes things too. Overall, it was a great week, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Jim Murray Jr. of Parrot, Georgia, finished in second place, right behind Beaver, with a total weight of 65.66 pounds. He was fourth after day one, moved into third after day two, and finished strong with the biggest bag of the tournament on day three—23.05 pounds.

“Basically, I had just a milk run every day of fishing natural cover and man-made cover,” said Murray. “I circled the lake trying to make it two times around, getting as many spots as possible I can hit a day. I stayed from four feet deep and out. I even caught some as deep as 20 feet.

“My key baits this week were an ounce and a quarter chatterbait, a one-ounce spinnerbait, and a deep-diving crankbait. I know I caught 30 keepers each day and just had to find the right ones.”

Justin Barnes of Ellaville, Georgia, took third place with a total weight of 57.48 pounds. He brought in limits of 21.44, 18.56, and 17.48 pounds over the three days.

“This was probably the worst practice I’ve ever had on Eufaula,” said Barnes. “I really didn’t find enough to put a pattern to them. The last day I stopped and finally started dialing it in. My go-to baits this week were a heavy spinnerbait and big worm.

“Shout out to Elite Sonar for getting my equipment dialed in and calibrated because it made a big difference with the strong winds being able to see everything in the water. Being able to tell where my bait was—you had to make a very precise cast to catch the fish I was after. The first two days I probably caught 15 to 20. Today I think I had two shorts, so about seven or eight fish today, with all my limits coming early in the day.”

Michael Smith of Andalusia, Alabama, finished in fourth place with 57.43 pounds, just 0.05 pounds behind Barnes. After strong showings on days one and two, his bite slowed on the final day. On day two, Smith landed two bass over seven pounds, including a 7.41-pounder that earned him $1,150 for Big Bass of the event.

Carson Hinman of Preston, Georgia, secured fifth place with a three-day total of 56.95 pounds. His five-fish limits averaged 20 pounds on the first two days, and although he slipped slightly on day three with a 15-pound bag, he remained in contention throughout the tournament.

“The tournament within the tournament” took place among the Anglers of the Year from each division, who not only qualified for the Ray Scott Championship but also competed for the national Angler of the Year title. That honor went to Josh Teply of Harrah, Oklahoma, who finished sixth overall to become the 2025 Angler of the Year.

“The word of the week for me was perseverance,” said Teply. “I really expected to fish shallow, and I fished for four hours on day one of practice and didn’t get a bite. I went offshore and I started graphing and marked a bunch of piles—and apparently that’s what was going on because I think everybody in the top five was also.

“I spent the rest of my practice days just marking piles and never picking up a rod. On day one, I went and fished everything I found, but my trolling motor gave out on me. I had to steer my trolling motor offshore in the waves by hand. I couldn’t use my foot pedal and lost four hours of fishing.

“I expected to catch about 22.00 pounds a day. Yesterday was horrible for me. They didn’t generate, and generation was a big deal. There was no wind, and those offshore fish were really, really tough to catch. Knowing what I know about offshore, I tied on a big worm for tournament day, and I pretty much threw a big worm all week. I did catch one big fish on chatterbait, but other than that, the big worm caught around 25 fish each day and I culled a lot. Today I came back a little with over 20 pounds and moved up a little bit, so life is good.”

Throughout the three-day tournament, anglers battled changing weather conditions, including shifts in sunlight, cloud cover, and wind. The first day of competition saw higher weights under cloud cover. On day two, the sun came out and scattered fish, forcing changes in tactics. Day three combined all elements, putting every competitor to the test.

Anglers who missed this year’s event still have a chance to qualify for the 2026 Ray Scott Championship. Points earned in any ABA division across the country count toward eligibility. Participation in just one event qualifies anglers for the fall two-day regional. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Anglers of the Year from each division, the top 10 anglers from each division, and the top 200 by national points will receive invitations to compete in the 2026 championship.

About American Bass Anglers

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