When Clanton native Dustin Connell hauled 28 score able bass in worth 83 pounds last week he became the first ever two time champion of the Bass Pro Tour’s signature event, the 2024 REDCREST.
The event, hosted at Lay Lake in east central Alabama, showcased some of the top talent in Major League Fishing and featured a grand prize of $300,000.
Connell routed the competition coming in with more than 30 pounds over second place.
“This tournament has been on my radar ever since they announced it last year,” said Connell of the championship event. “I’m like, ‘Oh man, I gotta win that one. That’s a great opportunity. I gotta win that one.’ And I won it today unexpectedly.”
Connell discussed his strategy and the game plan that landed him the win.
“When I’m running down the river, I’ve caught ‘em on so many different places, and I’m like, golly, I need to stop, I need to stop,” Connell said. “But I told myself before I fished this tournament, I said, ‘I’m going to fish this lake like I would any other one, not run off of history.’ I wanted to fish it brand new. And I did all week. I did really, really good practicing and just trying to find new areas.”
He said the bass were especially prevalent around two depressions.
“And it’s just like their home place,” he said. “It’s the deepest water in that bay, and the big spots just roam out there and chase that bait. And in the past, I’ve caught them in there. I’ve caught them on a jerkbait, I’ve seen them schooling in there. And I knew that they lived in there. I’ve caught them there a bunch of times, but not to that extent.”
Connell believes that with age he has become more methodical and as a result a better angler.
“I guess, getting older, I just slow down a little bit more, just kind of analyze everything. Used to be I would freak out, run around, and just make bad decisions. Now, decision-making is good, it’s solid,” he said. “I’m in a good place. I have great sponsors. And when you’ve got that kind of support behind you, you can settle down.”
Connell won his first Redcrest title at the Lake Eufaula event in 2021. Winning Stage Three of the 2022 Bass Pro Tour pushed him to nearly $1 million in career earnings.
The top 10 pros at Bass Pro Shops Redcrest 2024 Powered by Optima Lithium at Lay Lake are:
1st: Dustin Connell, Clanton, 28 bass, 83-0, $300,000
2nd: Alton Jones, Jr., Waco, Texas, 19 bass, 52-2, $50,000
3rd: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 12 bass, 39-9, $40,000
4th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, 13 bass, 36-11, $28,000
5th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, 12 bass, 32-8, $25,000
6th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 11 bass, 29-13, $20,000
7th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 11 bass, 29-9, $18,000
8th: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 10 bass, 25-15, $16,000
9th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., nine bass, 24-2, $14,500
10th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., seven bass, 18-1, $12,500
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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