Lake Murray, SC 02/26/2025 - Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to visit Lake Murray next week March 6-9, for the third regular-season event of the 2025 Bass Pro Tour – the PowerStop Brakes Stage 3 at Lake Murray Presented by Strike King. Top anglers in professional bass fishing will be competing for a $150,000 top prize, crucial points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) race and coveted qualification spots for the Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2026.
The four-day event, organized by Capital City/Lake Murray Country, will feature 66 of the world's leading professional anglers, including the defending champion of Lake Murray, local resident Anthony Gagliardi, the current Fishing Clash AOY Jacob Wheeler, and the 2024 REDCREST Champion Dustin Connell. Also participating are notable South Carolina anglers such as Casey Ashley, Andy Montgomery, Britt Myers, along with the father-son fishing team of Marty and Marshall Robinson, all looking to leverage their local knowledge for success.
The tournament will feature the MLF catch, weigh, immediate-release format, in which anglers catch as much weight as they can each day, while also feeling the pressure and intensity of the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. The tournament is being filmed for broadcast later this year on Discovery. Television coverage of the PowerStop Brakes Stage 3 at Lake Murray Presented by Strike King will air as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. EST, on Saturday, Oct. 4 on Discovery, with the Championship Round premiering on Sunday, Oct. 5. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.
Returning Champion - Prosperity Local, Anthony Gagliardi The Bass Pro Tour last visited the Jewel of South Carolina in 2023, where Anthony Gagliardi added another major victory to his impressive record on his home lake. His success on the fishery includes a 2006 FLW Tour win, a 2014 Forrest Wood Cup title and a runner-up finish at the 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event – a tournament won by fellow Bass Pro Tour competitor Matt Becker, underscoring the high level of competition that defines this event.
When asked about the conditions and expectations, Gagliardi shared insights into how he anticipates the tournament unfolding. "I know that it's fishing good. It always does this time of year," Gagliardi said. "You can catch bass on a lot of different things, so I think the guys are going to have fun because they're going to catch fish – big fish – in a variety of ways."
Launch and Takeout Anglers will launch each day at 7:15 a.m. EST from Dreher Island State Park, located at 3677 State Park Road in Prosperity. Each day’s takeout will be held at the same location, beginning at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and are also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Don’t Miss The MLF Fan ExperienceOn Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., MLF welcomes fans of all ages to visit Dreher Island State Park for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the pros live on the MLFNOW! big screen, enjoy free food, participate in casting contests, enter to win hourly giveaways and cheer on their favorite pros. The first 50 kids 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel each day. The Bass Pro Tour anglers will be on hand both days to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take selfies. Fans can follow the live action on MLFNOW!®, streaming from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app, and Rumble.
JudgingThe PowerStop Brakes Stage 3 at Lake Murray Presented by Strike King will challenge anglers with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for scorable bass, set by the MLF Fisheries Management Division. This event is part of the 2025 Bass Pro Tour, which features 66 elite anglers competing in seven tournaments for millions in prizes and points toward qualifying for the Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2026 championship.
The event kicks off with a two-day Qualifying Round, where the top angler advances to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers finishing 2nd through 20th will compete in Saturday’s Knockout Round, with the top nine moving on to the final. On Championship Sunday, weights are zeroed and the highest one-day total will win the $150,000 prize!
About Major League Fishing Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization with a roster of the worlds top angling pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. MLF produces more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Since its founding in 2011, MLF has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.
