RACINE, W.I. - The final stop of the Elite Series on the Mississippi River delivered action, excitement, and unforgettable moments for Minn Kota and Humminbird pros. Tucker Smith capped off an impressive rookie season by claiming Rookie of the Year honor, while hometown favorite Pat Schlapper cruised to victory in front of his Wisconsin fans, earning his second Elite Series win of the season. From battling challenging practice conditions to successfully navigating locks during the tournament, both anglers demonstrated why they're considered among the best on the water.
Schlapper Wins in Home State

Coming into the event with one Elite Series victory in 2025, Schlapper anticipated the competition might avoid locking into Pool 7 for the season finale, and stay closer to take-off to maximize fishing time and avoid delays. Leveraging pre-practice and years of local knowledge, the Wisconsin angler made the smart call to focus on Pool 7, having much of the area to himself.

"Pool 7 is very familiar to me, about an hour from my house, and I knew I'd be able to fish exactly how I wanted this week," said Schlapper. "With a lot of the field nervous about the run and getting back, and having already qualified for the Bassmaster Classic, I knew where I was going to go."

Day One saw him post 18-8 to start in fourth place. Day Two bumped him up to third with 15-4, while semi-final Saturday proved tougher, weighing 14-2 and keeping him in third. On the final day, with several anglers in contention, it came down to who could land the biggest bag - Schlapper delivered. His 18-7 gave him a total of 66-5, enough for a 2-12 margin of victory.

"I was unsure of the full potential of the fish I had in my main area, but I found a few different schools in practice," he added. "The tricky part was getting them to bite. On the final day, I caught five of the right ones, and those two over four pounds really anchored things. All in all, I only lost one fish that would have helped."
Navigating for Success


Like other major river systems such as the Sabine, the Mississippi presents its own navigation challenges. Despite Schlapper's deep local knowledge, LakeMaster mapping proved critical for staying in deeper water while running. Complementing his expertise, the precision of the Humminbird APEX units allowed him to run back and forth to Pool 7, where he located schools of shallow bass.

"LakeMaster is very good on the Mississippi, but things change constantly, and you have to rely on fresh tracks to avoid sandbars or stumps," Schlapper said. "With APEX, I needed the lightning-fast processor and smooth GPS to follow my practice tracks. Around Goose Island especially, it can get tricky -- one wrong move and you're in the wrong lane or beached."

Using previous tracks and river landmarks, Schlapper navigated confidently, while his APEX mirrored every turn, giving him certainty on where to safely run. Once on his spots, he relied on the Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST to reach his shallow fish quickly and efficiently.

"The QUEST is just the best motor on the market, especially in shallow cover," he added. " I could plow through everything without worrying. In my first area, a deeper hole with a flat edge and a hard spot, the Humminbird MEGA 360 let me see exactly where the fish were allowing me to make precise casts. I kept my electronics minimal in shallow spots to stay stealthy. Executing almost flawlessly, I was able to get enough fish in the boat."
Smith Earns Coveted Rookie of the Year Title

Tucker Smith - Rookie of the year

Tucker Smith came into the final event in Wisconsin riding a wave of momentum. After a top 10 finish at Lake St. Clair earlier in August and all but securing a Bassmaster Classic qualification, he closed the gap on Rookie of the Year to just eight points behind his roommate Paul Marks, Jr.

After a tougher showing at Tenkiller, Smith focused on fishing hard at the last two events and stayed focused in La Crosse, finishing Day One with 14-1 in 37th place. Day Two's bold decision to run from Pool 8 to Pool 7 paid off -- he caught 15-5 in just 10 minutes and jumped to 23rd. By Day Three, he returned to the Pool 7 area and caught 16-1, cracking the top 10. On the final day, he landed another solid limit, the third biggest of the day, locking up Rookie of the Year.

"Pool 7 was tricky, but finding that small current break on LakeMaster made all the difference," Smith said. "With APEX and MEGA 360 scanning around the boat and SpotLock on the Ultrex QUEST holding me in position, I could fish confidently and make every cast count. The Minn Kota Raptors also helped keep the boat in place during some tight, backwater topwater shots."
Fish-Finding Edge

Smith fished each of the three pools in practice and fished as many places as he could find with Humminbird Lakemaster. His best spot was a small current break, where a small depression showed up enough on Lakemaster to pique his interest. He used the Humminbird APEX fishfinder and Side Imaging® to scan and mark the dropoff.

"I was fishing in Pool 7 and beyond finding the little sweet spot, navigation was tricky. Being able to adjust the map to the constantly changing water level was awesome," he said. "In addition to that, the river water level is always rising or falling. Being able to adjust the depth with the Water Level Offset function was the difference in running safely or running through a bar or over a tree or stump."

On the final two days, when the wind picked up, the Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST allowed him to Spot-Lock, line up his cast, and fish without worry. The depression showed up cleanly on Humminbird MEGA 360 and he could fish the entire area effectively with a topwater and a jig.

"The other thing on those final couple days was the frog bite," he added. "I found a small spot way in the back and getting in there was tough. The Ultrex QUEST cut through the eelgrass like nothing and once I got access, I caught some key fish while the Minn Kota Raptors kept the boat in place."

Earlier in 2025, Smith earned his first Elite Series victory at Lake Fork with a total of 127-8, taking home $100,000 and kickstarting his run for Rookie of the Year. Using the Ultrex QUEST to track individual fish and MEGA 360 to scan the bottoms, he identified several key bass that would have otherwise gone unseen.

"I was sitting on schools of fish and multiple times caught glimpses of big ones on the bottom with MEGA 360 -- left, right, and even behind the boat," he said. "I could quickly scan, toss a bait, and catch them—like the 8-12 I caught, my biggest fish during that event."

With Spot-Lock holding the boat and MEGA 360 Imaging, Smith picked out and landed several of his largest bass moving independently rather than mixed in with schools. "That event at Fork was a blessing," he added. "Getting my first Elite Series win in 2025 was incredible and set up a strong second half of the season. Rookie of the Year only comes once, and I'm lucky to have pulled it off with back-to-back top 10 finishes, fishing hard all season."

"It's been a phenomenal year for our anglers running Minn Kota and Humminbird, and this event was no different," said Field Promotions Manager Tim Price. "Both Pat and Tucker had outstanding seasons -- Pat with two Elite Series wins this year, and Tucker not only earning an Elite Series win and a Toyota Series victory but also wrapping up Rookie of the Year honors. We're incredibly proud of everything they accomplished in 2025."