Bassmaster/Chase Sansom photo.

PARK FALLS, WI— Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois won his second Bassmaster Elite event of his short Elite career last weekend at Michigan’s Lake St. Clair, weighing 20 smallmouth bass over four days totaling over 96 pounds. He did so in dominant fashion – seizing the lead on day one, never relinquishing that lead, and besting his nearest competitor by over five pounds at the final weigh-in. His record-setting 96-1 bag was the heaviest four-day tournament weight ever registered at a Bassmaster event on Lake St. Clair.

McKinney caught most of his fish at the south end of St. Clair’s Anchor Bay toward the mouth of the Clinton River. He was mostly using a 6th Sense 5-inch minnow with a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass LBTS71MF VERSATILE spinning rod and a both a prototype 6th Sense soft-plastic dice-style bait and a Party Prop spy bait on St. Croix Legend X2 LXTS71MF spinning rods.

McKinney plays a fat St. Clair smallmouth at boatside on the new St. Croix Legend X2. Bassmaster/Chase Sansom photo.

“That new Legend X2 is a super great rod… incredibly light and very durable,” McKinney says. “Usually when you get lighter and more sensitive the rods get more brittle, but that’s not the case with these new SCVII blanks. I’ve been leaning on the 7-1 Legend X2 hard for any kind of spy or small finesse-style baits, which it does really good because it's so light and helps me feel absolutely everything.”

At just 20 years old, McKinney has a history of making history.

Under the coaching and mentorship of Rick Cheatham, McKinney earned national attention at age 13, just eight years ago. Remarkably, he won the Junior Bassmaster Championship, the FLW Junior World Championship, and the USA Bassin Next Generation Classic all in the same year. That had not been done before, nor has it since. Given all the buzz on social media surrounding technology these days, it’s important to note that all of these titles and dominant performances were accomplished without forward-facing sonar.

In 2021 – at age 16 – he became the youngest angler to ever win AOY as a boater in a BFL series. He did it again the following year in 2022. Again, both of these significant accomplishments were earned without reliance on forward-facing sonar.

McKinney progressed to the Bassmaster Opens Series in 2023. Amidst a talent-choked field, McKinney finished in the top-20 in six of nine events, finishing third in the Opens EQ standings to earn a spot in the 2024 Bassmaster Elites.

In his rookie year of the Bassmaster Elites last season at age 19, McKinney continued his march and became the youngest angler to ever win an Elite Series event, posting a dominating win at Lake Fork with a tick under 131 pounds – the fourth-heaviest bag ever weighed at a Bassmaster Elite event. He also took third at St. Lawrence River, and sixth at both Lake Murray and the Harris Chain events, ultimately finishing second in points for AOY and earning Rookie-of-the-Year honors.

Triple-qualified for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic – his first ever – McKinney took to Lake Ray Roberts north of Fort Worth on bass-fishing’s biggest stage in March of this year and did what he always does… catch bass. He weighed a massive 26-9 bag to lead on day one, regained his lead after day three, and finished the world’s most prestigious tournament in second place with 68-7.

Today, McKinney is two weeks away from the opportunity to make history yet again by adding a new title to his lengthy list of accomplishments.

The 2025 Bassmaster Elite season ends with a finale on the Upper Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, August 21-24. McKinney enters the event tied for first place with Chris Johnston in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race.

McKinney has a good history at La Crosse, having earned a pair of second-place finishes there earlier in his career. He says it’s a dynamic fishery, which he believes fits his style and skillset. Bassmaster/Craig Lamb photo.

“I’m definitely feeling good about it,” he says. “You know it's a weird fishery. It changes so much. You get two days of rain, the river fluctuates, and they either move 50 yards down the way or a half a mile. It can be a really confusing place. It's dangerous with a lot of spots where you can get stuck if you aren’t paying attention. But I love it because it's all shallow water. There can be some scoping advantages in some places, but a lot of it comes down to doing it with your eyes, so it's a really fun place to fish.”

With one event left to go, McKinney (690 pts) has to be a bit nervous about holding off the significant talent nipping at his heels in the Progressive AOY points race. Guys like Johnston (690 pts), Kyoya Fujita (650 pts), Wisconsin native Jay Przekurat (648 pts), and others are all well within striking distance. But McKinney isn’t showing any stress.

Trey takes a moment of prayer and gratitude with parents Kim and Rick McKinney and friend and mentor, Rick Cheatham, prior to the day-4 takeoff at Lake St. Clair. Bassmaster/Chase Sansom photo.

“About the only thing I can do is fish hard every day of practice and see what I can learn and find before the tournament starts, you know. After that… if it's meant to be it's gonna be. And if not, you know, there's nothing else I can do about it and we’ll focus on the Classic and making another run next season.”

The 2025 Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River takes place August 21-24 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Follow all the action at bassmaster.com. Follow Trey McKinney and his continuing journey on Facebook and Instagram @treymckinneyfishing.


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, owning and operating duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, 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.