MINOCQUA, Wis. (Sept. 15, 2025) – The defending champions were at it again as Day 2 of the Heritage Cup continued on Monday . Team BUBBA – Bass Pro Tour standouts Ott DeFoe and Andy Montgomery – looked every bit like the duo that hoisted the Heritage Cup trophy in Neenah, Wisconsin last season, cruising through Elimination Match 2 to end the competition day with 56 pounds, 1 ounce of scorable bass. Their steady performance on Minocqua Lake not only secured the win but also sent a clear message that they remain the team to beat at the second event of the 2025 Major League Fishing (MLF) Fishing Clash Team Series.
“That’s got to be the least stressful day of fishing I’ve ever had on the Team Series,” DeFoe said. “We got in a good area right away, caught them on the docks, and really just settled in. After that, we spent most of the last period practicing and looking for more water, which is always important in this format.”
Montgomery echoed the comfort of fishing to their strengths.
“We only caught one scorable bass after we left that first stretch, but it didn’t matter,” Montgomery said. “That spot was everything. If we had to pick one thing to do when we came up here, it was exactly this – fishing boat docks with a wacky worm and a jig.
“Ott’s throwing his Bass Pro Shops Wacky Stik-O, and I’m skipping a Strike King jig with a Strike King Rage Bug. It’s a one-two punch that works.”
DeFoe leaned into the details of the winning setup.
“That’s just a deadly combination for us,” he said. “I can skip that Wacky Stik-O way up under a dock, and Andy can hit every angle with his jig. Between the two of us, we’re efficient and we cover water. When you get in the right area and they’re biting, it just works.”
While Team BUBBA left little doubt about their advancement, the real drama came down to the wire between Team Star Tron and Team Knighten Industries. Marshall Robinson carried the load in the final period for Star Tron, boating seven scorable bass for 14 pounds to push their total to 41-7 and edge out Knighten by just 2 pounds, 4 ounces.
Drew Gill’s consistency and Robinson’s late surge gave Team Star Tron the second advancing spot, while Team Knighten Industries – last year’s Challenge Cup winners Matt Becker and Spencer Shuffield – fell just short despite a furious comeback in the third period.
The Knighten Industries duo found a productive offshore milfoil stretch and caught four bass in the final seven minutes but ultimately ran out of time.
“We got on them late, and we almost pulled it off,” Shuffield said. “That’s the way this format goes – every ounce matters. We just needed one more bite.”
For Team Kubota’s Nick Hatfield and Cole Floyd, the day never quite came together. After an early attempt in the grass fizzled, they shifted to docks but struggled to generate consistent bites, finishing in fourth and heading home.
In the end, the day belonged to the veterans from Team BUBBA, who combined for 38 scorable bass and showed the same chemistry that carried them to victory in Wisconsin last year.
“We complement each other really well and together we can keep them biting,” Montgomery said.
“We’ve won with this formula before, and it gives us confidence moving forward,” DeFoe added. “Now it’s about finding the next good stretch and keeping the momentum rolling.”
The top two teams from Elimination Round Match 2 at the Heritage Cup that now advance to the Knockout Round are:
1st: Team BUBBA, 38 bass, 56-1
Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 22 bass, 31-9
Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 16 bass, 24-8
2nd: Team Star Tron, 23 bass, 41-7
Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 12 bass, 19-11
Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 11 bass, 21-12
Eliminated from competition are:
3rd: Team Knighten Industries, 26 bass, 39-3
Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 14 bass, 19-13
Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 12 bass, 19-6
4th: Team Kubota, 15 bass, 20-11
Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 6-10
Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 14-1
Overall, there were 102 bass weighing 157 pounds, 6 ounces caught by the four teams in Elimination Round Match 2 on Lake Minocqua. Team BUBBA pro Andy Montgomery caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a largemouth weighing 3 pounds, 2 ounces.
The four teams that will compete Tuesday in Elimination Round Match 3 at the Knighten Industries Heritage Cup Presented by Bass Boat Technologies are:
Team 7Brew Coffee:
Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla.
Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala.
Team B&W Trailer Hitches:
Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas
Jared Lintner, Covington, Ga.
Team O’Reilly Auto Parts:
Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn.
Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala.
Team Smokey Mountain:
Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla.
Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C.
The competition water for each day is top-secret and is only revealed to the anglers when they arrive at the boat ramp each morning. Anglers are driven directly to the day’s competition area launch ramp by their officials. Competition begins on the water at 8:45 a.m.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/mlf-heritage-91525.html
Major League Fishing (MLF) Archive