By MLF Communications Staff
DETROIT – The Major League Fishing Invitational at the Detroit River was a wild one from start to finish, with big weights, lots of movement in the points standings and a tightly contested chase for the win. In the end, Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., put it all together for three days to earn his first MLF win as a pro with a three-day total of 67 pounds, 6 ounces.
For the win, Carson earned $80,000 and a ticket to REDCREST 2025. Finishing runner-up, rookie Alec Morrison of Peru, N.Y. weighed 66-12, and though he could not clinch the win, he did earn both the Fishing ClashAngler of the Year and Rookie of the Year titles.
A childhood friend of fellow pro John Cox, who is noted for eschewing forward-facing sonar and remining quite successful, you wouldn’t exactly peg Carson as a player on St. Clair. At home cruising the shallows, hood up and shades on, Carson prefers to look at the bass with his eyes, not a transducer. But this week, he bucked the theory that only young kids are good with a screen and proved that he could use his dedication and fishing skills to win at all angles of the game.
“I started Scopin’ in ’21, and I was fair with it, but my rule was I would always use it for smallmouth, and largemouth I wouldn’t use it at all,” Carson said. “I started learning that you kind of have to use it all the time.”
This winter at Toledo Bend, Carson finished 67th in the BPT season-opener, which was an inauspicious start to a lackluster rookie campaign on MLF’s top tour. Fast forward six months or so, and that event may have been responsible for this win.
“I found the same fish [Jacob] Wheeler did,” Carson recalled. “So, we both start there Day 1. Before lines-in, I see Wheeler racing around in his boat, and I know he’s looking for one. So, I start racing around, I figured that was what you do. I didn’t even own a jighead minnow at Toledo Bend, so, I was throwing a dropshot to suspended fish.
“I was racing a dropshot to them and they wouldn’t eat it. Wheeler caught like 96 pounds, and I caught 15 pounds. I took that day as a lesson. I watched him most of the day, because I knew it would help in the future. I’ve been practicing it, learning it. It’s a hell of a tool, to be honest.”
At St. Clair, Carson fished like a minnow veteran, adjusting his presentations, reading fish with Lowrance ActiveTarget and maintaining a level of consistency that nobody else matched. His primary setup was a 7-foot, 2-inch Fenwick World Class walleye rod, a 3000-size Abu Garcia Zenon reel, 8-pound Berkley FireLine, a 10-pound Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon leader and a 5.3-gram jighead with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Jerk Shad.
“The best thing was actually to cast past them and bring it up to them in a natural presentation, but it got really hard because they wouldn’t stay in the frame – like they’d be swimming to the side,” Carson explained. “So, the best thing turned out to be to hit them on the head, and the splash of the water would call them up – it was so shallow, like 10 or 12 feet.
“A lot of times, it would splash the water, and they would eat it off the top, only a foot or two deep, when they were really feeding. If they didn’t eat it, I’d start swimming it, and I’d keep it four to five feet above their head and they’d come up and eat it. I noticed if I let it get too close to their head, they didn’t want to bite it, I had to keep it way above them, and they’d come, and I’d start going a little bit faster and they’d eat it.”
From the sounds of it, Carson may have won just about any tournament on the system this week. His practice was so good that his roommate Alex Davis said “hands down, you’re going to win,” after the report.
“Everywhere I went, every day of practice, I caught like 25 pounds,” Carson said. “I went to Erie, I caught like 26, I went to Anchor Bay the next day, I caught 25, and my next five after 25 weighed almost 24 – everything was huge, anywhere I went. It wasn’t one spot, I’d try over here, catch a 5, try over there, catch a 5. Every now and then, you just can’t make a wrong decision.”
In the tournament, he even got some bites that he shouldn’t have, with fish following his minnow boatside and then miraculously eating.
“The 4-12 I caught today, I made a perfect cast, and it followed my minnow all the way to the trolling motor and it swam down – I dropped it on its head, and it swam up and ate it under the trolling motor,” Carson said. “All week, they’d follow it to the trolling motor and I couldn’t get them to bite. I had another, it followed it to the boat, and I flipped it to him and let it sit on the bottom, and it ate it off the bottom like a worm.”
Fishing in Anchor Bay, which was crowded in general, Carson stayed out of the crowds, and sometimes went 20 minutes or so without seeing a fish – he was chasing fewer, but better-quality bass. When the two sand areas he had focused his efforts at on Day 1 and Day 2 failed to produce on Day 3, he relocated his fish with relative ease.
“I had two general areas that were really good, and neither of them were producing,” he explained. “So, I just trolled around them, maybe they’re swimming around them, you know? And I ran into a stretch – I caught a 5, a 4, one almost 5 and then a 4-7 in a 50-yard stretch – they had moved there and I found it.”
Running to Anchor Bay every day and taking his time getting back, Carson fished a nearly perfect event, even down to the decision he didn’t make on the final morning.
“I almost went to Erie today, but something told me not to, so I went back,” he said. “I almost went to Erie to try to catch 25 or 26 pounds, but something told me not to, to go back to where I was and stay steady. So, I did, and it turned out.”
With a baby on the way in October, and having bought a new house last week, the win really couldn’t have come at a better time for Carson.
While Morrison came up 10 ounces short of winning, he’ll return to New York with an impressive hardware haul. After besting Jake Lawrence by 17 points in the season-long AOY competition, Morrison received the $50,000 AOY prize from Fishing Clash as well as a berth to REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville. For winning Rookie of the Year, Morrison will also receive a new Polaris UTV plus an invitation to join the Bass Pro Tour in 2025.
With all six Invitational tournaments now complete, the Top 5 pros based on AOY rank now will receive invitations to compete in the 2025 Bass Pro Tour. Those anglers are:
1st: Alec Morrison, Peru Springs, N.Y.
2nd: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn.
3rd: Colby Miller, Elmer, La.
4th: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas
5th: Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas
Final Standings
1. Keith Carson -- 22-15 (5) -- 21-15 (5) -- 22-08 (5) -- 67-06 (15) -- $80,000
2. Alec Morrison -- 22-14 (5) -- 23-06 (5) -- 20-08 (5) -- 66-12 (15) -- $50,000
3. Adrian Avena -- 21-07 (5) -- 21-14 (5) -- 23-05 (5) -- 66-10 (15) -- $20,000
4. Kyle Hall -- 20-00 (5) -- 23-10 (5) -- 21-03 (5) -- 64-13 (15) -- $18,000
5. Jon Canada -- 22-12 (5) -- 21-10 (5) -- 20-02 (5) -- 64-08 (15) -- $17,000
6. Nick LeBrun -- 21-05 (5) -- 21-00 (5) -- 22-01 (5) -- 64-06 (15) -- $16,000
7. Jaden Parrish -- 21-00 (5) -- 21-07 (5) -- 21-12 (5) -- 64-03 (15) -- $15,000
8. Cory Johnston -- 19-07 (5) -- 23-03 (5) -- 21-05 (5) -- 63-15 (15) -- $14,000
9. Jack Daniel Williams -- 18-14 (5) -- 22-15 (5) -- 20-13 (5) -- 62-10 (15) -- $13,000
10. Robby Lefere -- 21-07 (5) -- 19-14 (5) -- 21-00 (5) -- 62-05 (15) -- $12,000
11. Brad Jelinek -- 21-10 (5) -- 20-14 (5) -- 19-11 (5) -- 62-03 (15) -- $11,000
12. Colby Dark -- 21-09 (5) -- 19-07 (5) -- 21-03 (5) -- 62-03 (15) -- $10,250
13. Mitchell Robinson -- 21-00 (5) -- 19-02 (5) -- 21-10 (5) -- 61-12 (15) -- $10,000
14. Lane Olson -- 20-10 (5) -- 20-13 (5) -- 20-03 (5) -- 61-10 (15) -- $10,300
15. Colby Miller -- 20-09 (5) -- 19-08 (5) -- 21-04 (5) -- 61-05 (15) -- $10,000
16. Andrew Nordbye -- 20-10 (5) -- 20-15 (5) -- 19-04 (5) -- 60-13 (15) -- $10,000
17. Cameron Mattison -- 20-12 (5) -- 19-05 (5) -- 20-06 (5) -- 60-07 (15) -- $10,000
18. John Cox -- 21-12 (5) -- 20-01 (5) -- 18-08 (5) -- 60-05 (15) -- $10,000
19. Scott Dobson -- 21-15 (5) -- 21-10 (5) -- 16-05 (5) -- 59-14 (15) -- $10,000
20. Mark Condron -- 20-08 (5) -- 20-12 (5) -- 18-02 (5) -- 59-06 (15) -- $10,000
21. Chase Serafin -- 20-13 (5) -- 19-06 (5) -- 19-03 (5) -- 59-06 (15) -- $10,000
22. Jeremy Gordon -- 21-08 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 18-12 (5) -- 59-01 (15) -- $10,000
23. Jacob Wheeler -- 22-06 (5) -- 20-01 (5) -- 16-09 (5) -- 59-00 (15) -- $10,000
24. Jake Lawrence -- 20-01 (5) -- 19-12 (5) -- 18-11 (5) -- 58-08 (15) -- $10,000
25. Jordan Wiggins -- 18-11 (5) -- 21-06 (5) -- 18-04 (5) -- 58-05 (15) -- $10,000
26. John Hunter -- 19-02 (5) -- 21-02 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 58-02 (15) -- $10,000
27. Jesse Wiggins -- 22-03 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 16-13 (5) -- 57-13 (15) -- $10,000
28. Terry Olinger -- 20-06 (5) -- 19-13 (5) -- 17-06 (5) -- 57-09 (15) -- $10,000
29. Connor Cunningham -- 21-14 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 15-03 (4) -- 55-14 (14) -- $10,000
30. Chris Groh -- 21-00 (5) -- 19-10 (5) -- 13-11 (4) -- 54-05 (14) -- $10,000
The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on Day 3
31. Jimmy Neece Jr. -- 19-06 (5) -- 20-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-12 (10) -- $6,250
32. Brock Reinkemeyer -- 21-07 (5) -- 18-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-07 (10) -- $6,250
33. Matt Becker -- 20-00 (5) -- 19-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-06 (10) -- $6,250
34. Cal Lane -- 19-07 (5) -- 19-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-04 (10) -- $6,250
35. Mike Raber -- 18-15 (5) -- 20-04 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-03 (10) -- $6,250
36. Matteo Turano -- 21-15 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-00 (10) -- $6,250
37. Brett Carnright -- 19-13 (5) -- 19-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 39-00 (10) -- $6,250
38. Thomas Wooten -- 17-13 (5) -- 20-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 38-09 (10) -- $6,250
39. Britt Myers Jr -- 18-09 (5) -- 19-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 38-07 (10) -- $6,250
40. Shayne McFarlin -- 20-02 (5) -- 18-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 38-03 (10) -- $6,250
41. Chad Mrazek -- 20-09 (5) -- 17-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 38-01 (10) -- $6,250
42. Justin Atkins -- 21-04 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-14 (10) -- $6,250
43. Jordan Hirt -- 19-08 (5) -- 18-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-11 (10) -- $6,250
44. Matt Robertson -- 19-15 (5) -- 17-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-09 (10) -- $6,250
45. Braxton Setzer -- 19-07 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-05 (10) -- $7,250
46. JD Chandler -- 18-04 (5) -- 19-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-05 (10) -- $6,250
47. Ryan Armstrong -- 16-04 (5) -- 21-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-04 (10) -- $6,250
48. Steve Lopez -- 17-07 (5) -- 19-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-04 (10) -- $6,250
49. Troy Stokes -- 21-12 (5) -- 15-07 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-03 (10) -- $6,250
50. Rick Harris -- 16-07 (5) -- 20-11 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-02 (10) -- $6,250
51. Ken Thompson -- 19-01 (5) -- 17-15 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 37-00 (10)
52. Jacob Heath -- 18-01 (5) -- 18-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-15 (10)
53. Jeremy Southerly -- 19-12 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-13 (10)
54. Brody Campbell -- 15-08 (5) -- 21-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-11 (10)
55. Mark Kershaw -- 18-05 (5) -- 18-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-10 (10)
56. Trevor Jancasz -- 18-02 (5) -- 18-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-08 (10)
57. Curt McGuire -- 18-06 (5) -- 17-15 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-05 (10)
58. Rusty Salewske -- 18-01 (5) -- 18-04 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-05 (10)
59. Alex Davis -- 19-11 (5) -- 16-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 36-04 (10)
60. Evan Barnes -- 19-04 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-14 (10)
61. Spike Stoker -- 18-07 (5) -- 17-07 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-14 (10)
62. Kyle Cortiana -- 17-11 (5) -- 18-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-11 (10)
63. Mark Daniels Jr. -- 17-08 (5) -- 18-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-08 (10)
64. Drew Boggs -- 17-00 (5) -- 18-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-06 (10)
65. Marshall Hughes -- 19-06 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-04 (10)
66. Cole Breeden -- 17-15 (5) -- 17-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-04 (10)
67. Jacob Walker -- 16-08 (5) -- 18-11 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 35-03 (10)
68. Tim Cales -- 19-06 (5) -- 15-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-15 (10)
69. Hunter Mills -- 16-05 (5) -- 18-07 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-12 (10)
70. Jimmy Reese -- 17-15 (5) -- 16-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-11 (10)
71. Gary Klein -- 15-03 (5) -- 19-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-08 (10)
72. Robert Grabow -- 19-00 (5) -- 15-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-08 (10)
73. Cody Petit -- 17-13 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-07 (10)
74. Wilson Burton -- 16-10 (5) -- 17-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-07 (10)
75. Pat Upthagrove -- 17-01 (5) -- 17-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-06 (10)
76. Nick Hatfield -- 19-01 (5) -- 15-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-04 (10)
77. Chris Kanute -- 15-14 (5) -- 18-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-00 (10)
78. Destin Lesesne -- 16-06 (5) -- 17-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-00 (10)
79. Joshua McGeary -- 16-13 (5) -- 17-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 34-00 (10)
80. Ben McCann -- 16-14 (5) -- 16-15 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-13 (10)
81. Robert Nakatomi -- 15-13 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-11 (10)
82. Cody Ross -- 16-07 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-08 (10)
83. Michael Harlin -- 16-15 (5) -- 16-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-08 (10)
84. Christian Greico -- 17-09 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-07 (10)
85. Ethan Greene -- 16-14 (5) -- 16-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-07 (10)
86. Blake Martin -- 16-15 (5) -- 16-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 33-01 (10)
87. Todd Walters -- 12-07 (5) -- 20-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-12 (10)
88. Tyler Stewart -- 17-05 (5) -- 15-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-10 (10)
89. Paul Hodges III -- 17-12 (5) -- 14-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-05 (10)
90. Hunter Eubanks -- 15-14 (5) -- 16-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-01 (10)
91. Michael Spaulding -- 15-06 (5) -- 16-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 32-00 (10)
92. Ryan Chandler -- 14-10 (5) -- 17-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 31-13 (10)
93. Alex Bradley -- 17-11 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 31-09 (10)
94. Thomas Guthke -- 17-09 (5) -- 13-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 31-05 (10)
95. Ramie Colson Jr -- 18-05 (5) -- 12-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-14 (10)
96. Cal Climpson -- 12-14 (5) -- 17-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-12 (10)
97. Shaw Grigsby -- 14-04 (5) -- 16-07 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-11 (10)
98. Dillon Harrell -- 20-01 (5) -- 10-06 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-07 (8)
99. Darrell Ivey Jr. -- 15-14 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-03 (10)
100. William Kronander -- 15-12 (5) -- 14-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-01 (10)
101. Clayton Batts -- 13-02 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-00 (10)
102. Terry Fisher -- 14-12 (5) -- 15-04 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 30-00 (10)
103. Terry Luedtke -- 15-07 (5) -- 14-04 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 29-11 (10)
104. Angel Rosario -- 12-15 (5) -- 16-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 29-00 (10)
105. Charlie Evans -- 13-09 (5) -- 14-03 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 27-12 (10)
106. Scott Wiley -- 12-00 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 27-10 (10)
107. Bryan McNeal -- 15-03 (5) -- 12-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 27-04 (10)
108. Curtis Shaw -- 11-02 (4) -- 16-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 27-03 (9)
109. Mark Fisher -- 13-06 (5) -- 13-13 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 27-03 (10)
110. Taylor Parker -- 12-15 (5) -- 13-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 26-13 (10)
111. Eric Panzironi -- 16-02 (5) -- 10-10 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 26-12 (8)
112. Matt Reed -- 13-09 (5) -- 12-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 26-05 (10)
113. Mike Greenwell -- 13-13 (5) -- 11-14 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 25-11 (9)
114. Aspen Martin -- 14-14 (5) -- 9-02 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 24-00 (10)
115. Mike Smola -- 14-06 (5) -- 8-00 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 22-06 (8)
116. Matt Baty -- 8-15 (4) -- 12-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 20-15 (9)
117. Adam Lynn -- 8-11 (4) -- 11-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 20-00 (9)
118. Charles Abshire -- 12-04 (5) -- 7-07 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 19-11 (7)
119. Brock Bolden -- 14-10 (5) -- 4-03 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 18-13 (6)
120. Flint Davis -- 18-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 18-12 (5)
121. Brett Haake -- 16-09 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 16-09 (5)
122. Austin Culbertson -- 16-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 16-08 (5)
123. Joe Grafeman -- 16-07 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 16-07 (5)
124. Dennis Burdette -- 16-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 16-06 (5)
125. Derek Goldie -- 14-11 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 14-11 (5)
126. Kelly Jordon -- 14-05 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 14-05 (5)
127. Bronk McDaniel -- 14-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 14-00 (5)
128. Paul Elias -- 13-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 13-14 (5)
129. James Maupin -- 13-00 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 13-00 (5)
130. Matt Greenblatt -- 12-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-08 (5)
131. Paul Climpson -- 12-08 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-08 (5)
132. Jeff Cox -- 11-12 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-12 (5)
133. Jason Carpenter -- 4-05 (2) -- 7-02 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-07 (6)
134. Dean Cox -- 5-09 (2) -- 5-08 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 11-01 (5)
135. Stephen Toth -- 8-04 (3) -- 2-07 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-11 (4)
136. Tim Sprouse -- 9-04 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-04 (3)
137. David Matual -- 9-01 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-01 (5)
Tom Redington -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
Christian Rich -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
Randy Despino -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
Nick Hargis -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
Keith Poche -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
Shannon Abbott -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)
