LA CROSSE, Wis. — Following instincts led Tucker Smith to his best finishes during his rookie year on the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. He made his most impactful gut feeling move on Day 2 of the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River, earning him yet another trophy for his trophy case.
Tucker Smith of Birmingham, Ala., has won the 2025 Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year title.
The Birmingham, Ala., pro claimed the 2025 Dakota Lithium Rookie of the Year title, outlasting Georgia’s Paul Marks (Tucker’s roommate) and Minnesota’s Easton Fothergill for the coveted award. Smith currently has 631 points, but that number will shift depending on where he finishes at La Crosse. Marks finished the season with 569 points while Fothergill accumulated 565 points.
“This means a lot to me. I have worked super hard this year and to make it happen is unbelievable,” Smith said. “Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year mean more than any other title. It means you are the most consistent angler throughout the year on different types of fisheries.”
Georgia’s Emil Wagner and California’s Andrew Loberg are fourth and fifth currently with 564 points and 519 points respectively. Both anglers will be competing on Semifinal Saturday.
Smith was highly touted coming through the Bassmaster youth divisions, and it’s obvious to see why. He claimed three High School National Championship titles, a College Series National Championship in 2023 and a College Series Team of the Year title in 2021 before winning an Elite Series title at Lake Fork earlier in the year.
It is an impressive resume, but Smith said he rarely reflects on those moments, choosing instead to focus on his next goal.
“I don’t ever look back,” Smith said. “My mindset has always been to look at the next tournament or the next stage. I don’t really think about what I’ve done much. Never be satisfied is what I like to say.”
It was a bit of a roller coaster ride for Smith in 2025. He opened the season strong with a 25th at the St. Johns River and followed that up by missing the cut at Okeechobee and finishing 63rd. He then embarked on an impressive climb, finishing 36th at Pasquotank River before rattling off a second at Hartwell and winning his first blue trophy at Lake Fork.
The wheels fell off the bus at the Sabine River, where he finished 85th. Lake Tenkiller wasn’t much better, finishing 71st. He returned to form at St. Clair, notching an eighth place to close the gap on Marks, who finished 62nd in southern Michigan.
“It wasn’t until St. Clair that I had the vision in my head that I could win this thing,” Smith said. “I had those two bad tournaments, and I knew I had to catch them after that.”
Entering this week, Smith trailed Marks by nine points, a gap Smith figured would be tough to close. He put together a solid Day 1 at the Upper Mississippi while Marks only caught three bass on a day marred by mechanical issues. which allowed Smith to claim the lead on Day 1.
“I was nervous coming into it,” he said. “Paul is an amazing fisherman and had a Top 10 at La Crosse last year in the (Bassmaster) Open. I just kept my head down and fished as hard as I could and it ended up working out.”
While he had taken the lead in ROY, Smith didn’t feel comfortable until he made it back to weigh-in Friday. At noon, he only had three bass in his livewell and made a last second decision to lock into a different pool. There, he filled out his limit weighing 15-5, earning him enough points to claim the title.
“I had three fish for 5 pounds. I made a 20-mile run one way to a place I got some bites in practice, and they were loaded there,” he explained. “I ended up catching my weight in 10 casts and ran back.”
Looking back on the season, Day 2 of the Lake St. Clair event was certainly a catalyst for his comeback victory in ROY. Smith landed a tournament best 26-2 limit of smallmouth, lifting him into the Top 10 for the remainder of the tournament.
“It was a day I won’t ever forget,” he said. “I’ve never had a day like that. It was unreal.”
His favorite moment of the year, no doubt, came at Lake Fork as he landed over 127 pounds of largemouth to claim his first blue trophy.
“It was a blessing. Going into that one, I found some areas, but I didn’t know how good they could be,” Smith explained. “I really like those slugfest tournaments.”
