CLEWISTON — The Roland Martin Marine Center Series presented by HUK kicked off the 2025 season on April 5th and 6th with some new faces, familiar faces and a little more weight to the purse. Opening the season with a 2-day qualifier, the anglers showed out and Lake Okeechobee rewarded them with some hefty bags.

After the final “MEGA BAG ALERT” sounded, it was the team of Curtis Lewis and Steve Fairtrace at center stage with the biggest bag and even bigger payday. With two solid days, they brought 54.51 pounds of Lake Okeechobee bass to the stage to collect the winning check for $10,500. 

The powerhouse team of Dillon McMillan and Jared McMillan had another strong showing but came up a little short with 48.82 pounds and a second place finish that earned them $5,000.

And rounding out the top three was the team of Cody Davis and Kelley Autrey. Their 2-day total of 48.71 pounds earned them the third place check for $2,550.

Adding to their 1st Place check for $10,500, Lewis and Fairtrace picked up $250 from HUK as the highest finisher to cross the stage in HUK GEAR along with $150 in Bruiser Bucks as the Mega Bag for the tournament. They also collected $250 as the highest finishing Mercury owner. The U.S. Sugar Big Bass of 9.30 pounds earned Santos Solis $500 while the 2nd Big Bass of 9.28 earned Nick Hoinig $100 Gambler Bucks. Josh Welks collected $250 as the highest finishing Gilbert Chevrolet owner. Coming in as the highest Youth and Lady Angler, Aubrey King took home a new pair of Bajio Sunglasses. And winning big for going small, the team of Sprayberry and Ellison turned the smallest limit of 4.73 pounds into $300 from AV Inspection.

That’s how you open a season. And it’s only going to get better as we turn up the heat all season long leading up to the Championship where the winning team is taking home a record $50,000. So mark your calendar. The next qualifier is May 10. 

As the highest paying team tournament trail in Florida, the payouts continued deep into the field.