[Early Spring]
Date: April 3, 2023
Venue: Lake N, a flatland reservoir
Water: 61 degrees, stained to muddy
Weather: Cold front – cloudy, windy, high 58 degrees
Pro: Trey McKinney, 18, Marion, Illinois. A standout high school angler, McKinney is fishing his freshman season on the Bassmaster Opens and placed 19th at his first event (Lake Eufaula, Alabama, March 2023).
Boat: Charger 210 Elite with 250-horsepower Honda outboard, Lowrance trolling motor and electronics and twin Power-Pole shallow-water anchors
Editor’s Note: Since this Day on the Lake outing was held, McKinney achieved his dream of qualifying for the Elite Series, becoming the youngest qualifier in the history of the league.
the future of competitive bass fishing, and his name is Trey McKinney. This lanky kid from southern Illinois fishes with the skill and confidence of the most seasoned Elite Series veterans I’ve shared a boat with, yet he had just turned 18 when we met for his DOTL challenge. “I grew up in a rodeo family,” McKinney says. “I reckon that’s where my competitive streak comes from. I started out fishing local ponds, then graduated to competing in church-run bass derbies, high school tournaments and regional bass circuits. When I was 13, my partner [Carter Wijanco] and I won the 2018 Bassmaster Junior National Championship at Carroll County Lake, Tenn. — this inspired me to one day compete on the Elite Series.” McKinney, a home-schooled high school senior, is well on his way to achieving his dream; he’s totally
