Pre-tournament perspectives with one to watch: young gun, Bryson O’Steen
COLUMBUS, MISS. (April 16, 2025) – The St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River Presented by SEVIIN kicks off this morning with three days of scheduled competition, concluding on Friday, April 18. A full field of some of the sport’s best anglers are in Columbus, Mississippi, fighting for a Bassmaster Open victory on the 234-mile man-made waterway connecting the Tennessee River with the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers. It’s the second of four Division 1 Open events of the 2025 season and the first major B.A.S.S. event at this location since 2004. Daily takeoffs begin at 6:15 a.m. CT, with weigh-ins set for 3:15 p.m., all from Columbus Marina. Only the Top 10 anglers will advance to fish on Day 3 of the tournament.
One of the very best things about the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series is the caliber of anglers it attracts. Just look at some of the top Bassmaster Elite anglers and names like Easton Fothergill, Justin Hamner, Trey McKinney, Jay Przekurat, Tyler Williams, and so many others. All recently earned their spot at bass fishing’s highest level by competing and winning in the Opens.
Bryson O’Steen is a Division 1 Opens angler who should be on any BASS fan’s radar. The 24-year-old from Live Oak, Florida has been fishing bass tournaments since age eight. He capped his four-year collegiate career at Florida Gateway College with a fourth-place finish at last year’s Bassmaster College National Championship at Lake Hartwell. And the St. Croix pro’s record of consistency in other top-level tournaments proves him a dangerous competitor.
O’Steen’s goals for this year aren’t too different than anyone else fishing the ultra-competitive St. Croix Bassmaster Opens circuit. “I want to finish in the top 50 of Division 1 to qualify for the EQs this fall and ultimately next year’s Bassmaster Elites,” he says. “Of course, I’d also like to win one of the Opens and earn a spot in next year’s Classic. I have a desire to win that drives me, and this one (Tombigbee River Open) sets up well for me.”
So, why does this event set up well, and what are O’Steen’s strengths as an angler?
“I grew up fishing on the Suwanee River, which – after a few days of practice – I can say is very similar to what we have here on the Tombigbee,” he says. “I like shallow-water fishing and have a good understanding of what fish do around the spawn. I’ve never fished here before practice, but I like what I’m seeing, and it all just feels familiar. The weather has been great all week. It’s warm and getting warmer, and the fish are definitely spawning. That said, there’s not a ton of bass here but there are definitely good ones. Keepers here are 14 inches and I’ve been getting between five and 12 a day throughout practice.”
O’Steen says things can change, but he plans on leaning into a buzzbait and a swim jig. “These are great baits for shallow cover… the grass and laydowns these fish are using,” he says. “I’ll be fishing the buzzbait on a Legend Xtreme 70MHF. People think of it as a bottom-contact rod – and it’s one of the best for that – but I just love how the length and that fast tip give me total control and accuracy to put a buzzbait exactly where I need to. And once that prop starts turning you feel everything. That’s important because if there’s even a tiny piece of grass fouling the action I can feel it and rip it off. And then I’ll be pitching laydowns with a PHYSYX 73MHF. PHYSYX is definitely my favorite St. Croix series. Every model is just totally dialed in… lightweight, balanced and sensitive.”
As BASS fans know, predictions can go out the window fast when one angler finds something special that nobody else figures out, but O’Steen thinks weights at the top of the Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River leaderboard will remain fairly consistent over the three days of competition. “I think you’re going to see the anglers at the very top averaging right around 17 pounds a day and the winner might do a little better than that and end up with a total around 53 pounds,” he predicts. “I don’t think you’re going to see a whole lot of separation.”
Follow Bryson O’Steen’s progress and the rest of the action from the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Tombigbee River at bassmaster.com.
The Top 50 anglers from both the Division 1 and Division 2 series of the Bassmaster Opens will qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers (EQ), which consists of three tournaments scheduled for this fall. The Top 10 anglers in the EQ standings will earn invitations into the vaunted Bassmaster Elite Series in 2026 where they’ll fish against 100 or so other world-class bass anglers.
Besides more than $300,000 in cash going to top competitors on the Tombigbee River, including more than $50,000 to the winner, the champ also will clinch a berth in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour to be held March 13-15 on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tenn.
About St. Croix Rod
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major American producer to still build premium rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and owns and operates state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.
