Lowen wins Bassmaster Elite Series on the St. Johns River
EUFAULA, A.L. (Feb. 25, 2025) – Veteran angler Bill Lowen secured his second career blue trophy, winning the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series season opener on Florida’s St. Johns River. As one of the original anglers on the Elite Series since its inception in 2006, Lowen has built a reputation for consistency, with an accomplished career that includes 11 Bassmaster Classic appearances and a 2021 victory at Pickwick Lake. Lowen has trusted Minn Kota and Humminbird products for over a decade, and this latest victory further solidifies his legacy as one of the most steady and reliable competitors in the sport.
Lowen started strong, finishing Day One in third place with a five-fish limit weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces. He surged into the lead on Day Two with an impressive 24-pound, 4-ounce limit, setting the stage for a dominant performance. Adding 18 pounds, 1 ounce on Semifinal Saturday, Lowen entered Championship Sunday with a commanding 5-pound, 4-ounce lead and a three-day total of 63 pounds, 10 ounces.
Coming into the event, the unpredictable Florida weather was set to challenge the anglers. Unseasonably cool temperatures and a lingering cold front caused falling water temperatures, forcing Lowen to adapt his strategy to stay around bigger fish.
“My game plan coming into the tournament was to locate the creeks with deeper water in them,” Lowen said. “That would give the bass somewhere to fall back to throughout the cold front instead of being in a big, shallow bay. Using Humminbird LakeMaster Mapping, I was able to quickly identify those key areas and focus my time on the right water. That was my whole game plan, and to have things hold up over four days is incredible.”
Despite a tougher Day Three, which saw his lowest weight of the tournament, Lowen remained optimistic heading into Championship Sunday. The final day proved challenging as the tide, which Lowen said was key during its low period, never got good, and he was never able to fill a five bass limit. Anchored by a 7 pound, 7 ounce kicker, his four bass, weighing a total of 10 pounds, 4 ounces, were enough to give him a 4-ounce margin and his second Elite Series title with a four-day total weight of 73 pounds, 14 ounces.
“When it’s your time, it’s your time, and you can’t do anything wrong,” Lowen said. “I’ve always said that, and even with losing my limit fish several times today, it was my time and the good Lord was looking out for me—to say I’m a two-time Elite winner is unbelievable.”
Staying Stealthy and Locking In
While probing shoreline vegetation and both overhanging and submerged vegetation with his signature series swimjig, Lowen methodically moved along the creek with the quiet and efficient Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST, powering through thicker vegetation and moving quietly, looking for the right structure. With boat position key to getting bites, the Indiana pro deployed his Minn Kota Raptors and picked apart brush, something he has mastered throughout his lengthy career.
“The Ultrex QUEST was a game-changer for me this week,” Lowen said. “Being able to maneuver through thick vegetation without making noise was critical in keeping fish from spooking. When I needed to lock in and pick apart cover slowly, my Minn Kota Raptors kept me rock solid in position, allowing me to make precise casts and thoroughly work an area before moving on.”
During practice, Lowen knew the upcoming cold front would affect the bite and used his Humminbird XPLORE fish finders with Lakemaster to locate key areas with deeper water and structure. Relying on Humminbird MEGA Live 2 to position his boat along the channel edge and identify where deeper water swung up against the bank, helping him stay dialed in as conditions changed.
“Once I found key areas with deeper water throughout the canal, sometimes over 20 feet deep, I knew the bass would be less affected by the cold front,” he said. “With the new Humminbird XPLORE, I could move quickly without missing anything, which was key in a four-day event with shifting conditions. MEGA Live 2 helped me stay positioned right on those edges, keeping me in the strike zone.” added Lowen.
