PORT HURON, Mich. (Aug. 26, 2025) – The final Elimination Round of the Challenge Cup tournament at Port Huron on Michigan’s Thumbcoast delivered plenty of drama Tuesday on the St. Clair River, with four teams battling for the last two spots in the Knockout Round at the first event of the 2025 Fishing Clash Team Series. When the dust settled, Team YETI’s Adrian Avena and Dustin Connell powered their way to the top of the leaderboard, while Team Kubota – Edwin Evers and Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Skeet Reese – held off a furious late rally to secure the second advancing spot.
Despite a hard charge by Team Fishing Clash, Anthony Gagliardi and Jeremy Lawyer, late in Period 3, Team Kubota locked down second place with a mix of largemouth and smallmouth. Reese capped the day with a 2-3 smallmouth that provided the narrow margin they needed to advance, extending his retirement tour at least one more round alongside longtime friend Evers.
Team Fishing Clash’s Gagliardi and Lawyer nearly pulled off a Cinderella comeback, erasing a 12-pound deficit in the final period to finish just 1 pound, 4 ounces shy of advancing. Despite having four fish disqualified early in the morning for inadvertently being caught outside the competition zone, they stormed back with several quality smallmouth late in the day but ultimately fell below the Elimination Line to end the day in third place.
Team Knighten Industries – Jake Lawrence and Colby Miller – jumped out to an early lead with six scorable bass in Period 1, but their bite fizzled, producing just two more fish the rest of the day to end their Challenge Cup run in fourth place.
Connell was the difference-maker for Team YETI, boating 29 pounds, 13 ounces of bass on his own and anchoring their winning weight of 39-11. The Alabama pro and three-time REDCREST Champion also claimed the Berkley Big Bass of the day with a 4-pound, 1-ounce smallmouth. Together, Connell and Avena dialed in a one-two punch that carried them from a slow start into a dominant finish.
“We just won the day right here on the St. Clair River,” Connell said in his post-game interview. “Today, it was all about that one-two punch – Adrian was throwing a black Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm, I was throwing a green-pumpkin colored Rapala CrushCity Salted Ned Roll, which is a new bait that just came out. Switching it up, changing colors, that little combo got us some good bites and a couple of dang good fish.”
Avena credited the turnaround to finding the combination of the right area and the right bait.
“Today proved you can definitely be throwing the right bait in the wrong area and you’re not going to catch anything,” Avena said. “Once we figured out what the fish were relating to and started dialing in on a couple of spots, it all came together.”
Early on, the duo admitted things weren’t going as planned. After scouting around with limited success, they even debated switching to largemouth.
“It wasn’t that easy at the beginning,” Connell said. “We started out slow and thought about just going after largemouth, but then we settled in on those smallmouth and made it work. We’re literally sandwiched between two smallmouth factories here – Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron – and once we figured out where the fish wanted to be, we had a lot of fun.”
Avena agreed, noting that pressure on the river after three days of competition made location critical.
“I got a feeling a lot of that industrial stuff was pummeled by the other teams earlier in the week,” he said. “It looked so good, but it just wasn’t the right depth. Once we got out on that ridge in 10 feet, the quality was way better. Most of those fish were 2½ to 4 pounds, and that’s exactly what we needed.”
Connell said a key moment came when he spotted one of his bigger fish following his bait.
“That 3-9 I caught kind of clued me in,” Connell explained. “He came out following the bait, and I realized they were up a little bit shallower. After that, things really started clicking.”
For Connell and Avena, Tuesday’s win means momentum heading into the Knockout Round.
“One of the things I love about a team tournament is just having a partner in the boat,” Connell said. “You’ve got somebody to bounce ideas off of, somebody to joke with when it’s slow, and somebody to celebrate with when you figure it out. Adrian’s one of my good buddies, and that makes a day like today even more fun.”
“I know we’re friends and all, but I think you’re a pretty good pick for a teammate,” Avena laughed. “We live to fight another day, and I like our chances. Let’s do it again.”
The top two teams from Elimination Round Match 3 at the Challenge Cup that now advance to the Knockout Round are:
1st: Team YETI, 18 bass, 39-11
Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 9-14
Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 13 bass, 29-13
2nd: Team Kubota, 14 bass, 30-1
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., seven bass, 14-15
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., seven bass, 15-2
Eliminated from competition are:
3rd: Team Fishing Clash, 10 bass, 28-14
Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., four bass, 10-10
Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., six bass, 18-4
4th: Team Knighten, eight bass, 13-11
Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., three bass, 4-14
Colby Miller, Elmer, La., five bass, 8-13
Overall, there were 50 bass weighing 112 pounds, 5 ounces caught by the four teams in Elimination Round Match 3 on the southern half of the St. Clair River. Team YETI pro Dustin Connell caught the Berkley Big Bass of the day – a smallmouth weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce.
The three teams that will compete Wednesday in Knockout Round Match 1 at the Challenge Cup are:
Team 7Brew Coffee:
Alton Jones Sr., Lorena, Texas
Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas
Team O’Reilly Auto Parts:
Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich.
Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va.
Team Kubota:
Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla.
Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/mlf-huron-82625.html
Major League Fishing (MLF) Archive