Fishing

Hatfield’s Unexpected Lure Choice Nets First BPT Win and $110,000

A last-minute switch to a fast-moving SPRO Aruku Shad helped Hatfield dominate the 2025 Heavy Hitters Championship Round.
Kurt Mazurek|
Nick Hatfield shocked the field at the 2025 BPT Heavy Hitters on Smith Mountain Lake by switching to a SPRO Aruku Shad lipless crankbait, landing $110K and his first tour win.
Nick Hatfield shocked the field at the 2025 BPT Heavy Hitters on Smith Mountain Lake by switching to a SPRO Aruku Shad lipless crankbait, landing $110K and his first tour win. | MLF | Tyler Brinks

Nick Hatfield had a great week qualifying for the final round of the 2025 BPT Heavy Hitters event at Smith Mountain Lake using a range of herring-imitating baits— a Megabass ONETEN SR jerkbait, a jointed swimbait, a jighead minnow, a few different dragging presentations—but not a lipless crankbait. Not until his second spot on the final day, that is, when he blew the tournament wide open.

Hatfield’s Strong Start at Smith Mountain Lake

Hatfield started strong with three scorable bass in the first 20 minutes of the day that gave him nearly 12 pounds. But it was at his next spot where he made a lure change that seemed to make a big difference. Using a SPRO Aruku Shad vibrating lipless crankbait, Hatfield connected with four more bass in the next five minutes, totaling 13-10. Hatfield had scored seven good bass in the same time the entire rest of the field had only four bass combined.

BPT Pro Nick Hatfield leaning over the edge of his bass boat to lip a nice bass caught on a lipless crankbait.
Nick Hatfield had a couple epic fish catching flurries on his way to his first BPT victory. | MLF | Tyler Brinks

Why the Lipless Crankbait Made the Difference

So, why the change to the lipless crankbait?

“I wanted something that I could burn really fast,” Hatfield said. “Because if you threw just a regular swimbait or a topwater, it wasn’t fast enough. It had to be moving really fast to get them to react to it and bite it."

The SPRO Aruku Shad lipless crankbait.
The SPRO Aruku Shad lipless crankbait. | tacklewarehouse.com

SPRO Aruku Shad: An Unlikely Hero During the Herring Spawn

“It fit what I needed to catch the fish where they were, because I needed it to go really fast, and I needed it to stay out of the grass and just move really quick. And it was kind of surprising to me that they bit it, too, because they wouldn’t bite a whole lot of other things.”

Confidence Boost: Hatfield’s First Bass Pro Tour Victory

After claiming his first BPT win, the 31-year-old finally felt like he belonged. “To get a win against that group of guys, it means a lot… it just lets me know that I can compete with them.”

Final Weights from the Championship Round

Here’s how the Top 10 anglers finished the Championship Round:

  1. Nick Hatfield – 42-12 (12)
  2. Justin Lucas – 29-0 (8)
  3. Dustin Connell – 22-15 (6)
  4. Cole Floyd – 19-14 (5)
  5. Edwin Evers – 16-10 (4)
  6. Zack Birge – 14-13 (4)
  7. Matthew Stefan – 11-3 (3)
  8. Drew Gill – 10-10 (3)
  9. Jeff Sprague – 9-15 (2)
  10. Michael Neal – 6-5 (2)
Published
Kurt Mazurek
KURT MAZUREK

Kurt Mazurek writes about all things fishing and the outdoor lifestyle for Fishing On SI -a division of Sports Illustrated. Before writing On SI he enjoyed a successful career in the fishing industry, developing marketing campaigns and creative content for many of the sport’s most recognizable brands. He is a dedicated husband and father, an enthusiastic bass tournament competitor, YouTuber, photographer, musician, and author of the novel "Personal Best: fishing and life”.

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