Bill Lowen’s 2024 season brought nothing but turmoil, but he kicked 2025 off strong on Sunday, taking home his second career win in the first tournament of his 20th season. Last year, Lowen struggled on the Bassmaster Elite Series. When everything was said and done, he was in 84th place in the 2024 Angler of the Year points standings.
Known for being one of the most consistent anglers in the field, it certainly shook Lowen’s confidence.
“You know, after last year, I was questioning my abilities,” Lowen said after accepting his trophy at the St. John’s River. ”I always say when you can fish in your comfort zone, you fish to the best of your abilities, and it was a magical week for sure.”
Fortunately for Lowen, things on the St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla., shaped up perfectly for his style of fishing.
Shifting Conditions Make Things Difficult

The Bassmaster Elite series is a classic five-big bass tournament. Anglers weigh in their five biggest bass daily, and the angler with the highest total weight at the end of 4 days takes home the iconic blue trophy and a $100,000 check.
This week, individual anglers’ weights fluctuated drastically, day by day. For example, Jay Przekurat, the second-place finisher, started hot by weighing in 24 pounds, 15 ounces on Day 1. On Day 2, he only brought in 12 pounds, 12 ounces. Later in the tournament, his weights went back up.
This was due to a few factors. The first was the tidal influence on the St. John’s River. Tides were up in the mornings and would drop around midday, but that drop began later and later throughout the tournament, so each day brought a different prime time. Tides also brought in drifting vegetation, changing the landscape in key areas each day.
Bass were also in a transition period. Some fish were in full spawn mode, and anglers targeted them on beds utilizing sight fishing techniques. Others were still in pre-spawn, staging just outside of the prime spawning habitat.
That movement, along with fish transitioning with the tides, made dialing in a consistent pattern difficult.
The final day also brought a cold front, with Lowen stating that water temperatures were hovering at 54 degrees on championship day. That cold front resulted in six of the top 10 anglers bringing in less than 15 pounds of bass into the final weigh-in. The shifting weights throughout the tournament left victory wide open to anyone in the top 10.
How ‘Dollar Bill’ Won

