ATHENS, Ala- John “Brad” Stalnaker won the 2025 American Bass Anglers Professional League, Presented by Caymas Boats, Georgia Division 8 tournament, held March 8TH, 2025 on Lake Lanier.
Running out of Laurel Park in Gainesville, GA the Eatonton, GA angler caught five bass weighing 20.47 pounds. For the Pro Division victory, Stalnaker took home a check for $3200 for his win.
“I caught all my fish on a spinnerbait and a jig. In the last hour I caught three key fish on a swim jig. I just made the call to put everything else up, two of the big ones I caught earlier this week in practice came on a swim jig so I started chunking and winding that thing for about the last hour and culled three times. I don’t do much live scoping but I’m trying to learn it. I’m a power fisherman, that’s what I do and that’s what I’m going stick to. Some days it gets the best of me, some days I get the best of it. “Stalnaker said.
Second place for the Pros, Todd Hollowell of Fishers, IN landed a 5-bass limit weighing 19.71 pounds. He earned $1400 for his catch.
“I fished around up here a little bit just to get my day started. I caught a couple of fish early and I had a couple groups of fish located down the lake. They were big pre-spawn spotted bass. One of the places the wind didn’t let me fish it today, the other one I did and I was able to catch two big spots live scoping and throwing a minnow. I caught one on a Ned-rig down there. Every little group of fish would kind of act different and so I ended up catching the big spotted bass on a shaky head around a dock. It was just junk fishing for me, I haven’t been here since 2018 with the FLW tour and so it’s really good to be back. This lake is phenomenal, Lake Lanier is awesome and I’m really enjoying fishing the ABA’s this year. I fished a couple ABA events in Florida and finished up here at Lake Lanier before heading back home.” Hollowell said.
Paul Marks of Cumming, GA took the third spot for the Pros. He landed a 5-bass limit going 19.70 pounds. He earned $1100 for the effort.
“I ran pretty much as far as you can down the lake in opposite direction. I like to get offshore and fish deep. Today I caught a lot of fish, probably 60ft deep and then actually caught a few of my better fish shallow. I ran all around and it was a good day. Lanier is my home lake but it’s only my second day out here all year. I’ve been out of town for other tournaments. It was fun to be out there, and it was an awesome tournament. I can’t wait for it to come back next year! “ Marks said.
Finishing fourth, Kevin Underwood of Gillsville, GA landed 5-bass weighing 19.23 pounds.
James “Scooter” Ligon of Dahlonega, GA rounded out the top five Pros landing a 5-bass limit weighing 18.81 pounds which included a 6.74-pound lunker to secure the big bass award for the Pros.
“I was fishing down the lake for 5 bites all day. I got that one you know, it was obviously the right one, but I caught her shallow on a worm. I was lucky to have that one.” Ligon said.
At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2026 Ray Scott Championship to be held in April, 2026.
About American Bass Anglers
American Bass Anglers is dedicated to organizing affordable, local tournaments for weekend anglers while offering opportunities for individual angler advancement. To learn more about American Bass Anglers, including the Team Series, American Fishing Tour, American Couples Series, annual Military Team Bass Tournament, ABA Team Series, Top 150 Solo Tour, and Professional League, all presented by Caymas Boats, please visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406.
American Bass Anglers is proud to be sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Power Pole, WattCycle Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
For more information, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
