It took Jake Lawrence exactly one endeavor in Bass Pro Tour competition before he notched a top ten finish in the dynamic format that often throws even the most seasoned pros a curveball. This comes as no surprise to fishing fans who have been following the career of this young fishing phenom who calls Paris, Tennessee home. The BPT rookie left Lake Conroe with a sixth-place finish and strong momentum to start the 2025 season.
Lawrence backed up his Stage One finish with an impressive second-place result in the slugfest that was the Toyota Series on Pickwick Lake. These finishes allowed Lawrence to load up $4,500 of Toyota Bonus Bucks earnings ($3,000 for Lake Conroe, $1,500 on Pickwick), as he was the highest placing angler hauling his boat with a 2021 or newer Toyota tow vehicle in both events.
“This is the third Tundra I have owned, and I absolutely love this thing,” Lawrence said. “More than the added incentive of Bonus Bucks, I believe Toyota makes the safest and most comfortable vehicle on the road. I have two young children, so the safety factor means more to me than anything.”
Before becoming a full-time pro, Lawrence actually competed in the amateur-only Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament in 2023 on Pickwick Lake and won the event in dominating fashion. It was plain to see then that he was a special angler, and it nearly seemed par for the course when he continued his impressive campaign on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals last year en route to qualifying for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour.
“Tournament anglers are crazy if they overlook the opportunities with Toyota Bonus Bucks,” Lawrence said. “My wife and I were talking, and I think we paid all but two or three truck payments with Bonus Bucks winnings last year. It’s a great vehicle that literally pays you to fish.”
Well known as a wizard with forward facing sonar, Lawrence caught most of his weight on Lake Conroe employing either a 3-inch or 4-inch Yamamota Scope Shad during the one-period he was allowed to use FFS each day. The other two-thirds of each competition day, Lawrence targeted hydrilla and eelgrass secondary points with a vibrating jig or ¼-ounce Rat-L’Trap.
Much of the BPT field employed a similar one-two punch on Lake Conroe, but Lawrence and the rest of the top ten caught scoreable bass at such a blistering rate it was hard for the field to keep up. Thankfully, you don’t have to out fish Jake Lawrence to reap the rewards of Toyota’s popular fishing contingency program.
Bonus Bucks is paying out on over 620 supported tournaments in 2025, rewarding anglers of all levels for towing their boat with an eligible Toyota tow vehicle. For more information or to get signed up today, visit https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ or shoot an email to bonusbucks@dynamicsponsorships.com.
