BY MIKE STEVENS
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Kyle Grover closed the 2023 WON BASS season with a wire-to-wire victory in the U.S. Open, and he used that momentum to hit the water with a full head of steam to kick off a 2024 campaign that came to a close with the Southern California pro claiming Bridgford Angler of the Year (AOY) honors.
After five events spanning ten months, Grover’s 1,243 was enough to hold off Roy Hawk (1,231), Joe Uribe Jr. (1,213), Scott Hellesen (1,205) and Julius Mazy (1,192) on the pro side. His final push for AOY was powered by a third-place finish at the U.S. Open after leading in Day 1. Grover (who finished 5th in AOY standings in 2022) went into the U.S. Open in the number-two spot in AOY standings just four points behind Roy Hawk who finished 19th in the tournament.
No AOY winner will say it was smooth sailing, and looking back at Grover’s path in 2024, it was definitely an uphill climb for over half the season before heating up for that final charge that put him in the top spot.
He got started with an 18th-place finish at the WON BASS Lake Shasta Open back in February that was an absolute grind for all involved as the field powered through heavy rain, high winds, hail and even snow flurries. Grover found himself in second place after Day 1 after a solid pick on Shasta’s spotted bass —including a 4.48-pounder— and sixth after Day 2 before falling off a bit when more inclement weather arrived on the event’s final day.
Fast-forward to the Clear Lake Open in April where Grover came out of the gates finishing tenth after weighing in a 26.99-pound bag on Day 1, improving to seventh on Day 2 but falling to 13th when the sun set on the tournament.
“I had an absolute blast,” said Grover. “Practice was probably the best one I have ever had, but the warm weather pushed them up the bank and I didn’t follow quick enough. Can’t wait for another crack at it next year. Desert lakes from here on out, can’t wait for the rest of the season!”
Given the size of the WON BASS pro fields, Grover’s first two finishes were respectable in terms of creeping into the AOY hunt, but those top 10 or even 5 fishes were going to have to sneak in there eventually to become a legit contender going into the final stretch.
Unfortunately, that would not happen a month later at Lake Havasu when Grover finished 20th after falling as low as 29th on Day 2, but he feels right at home at those “desert lakes,” and he was still in position to make that final push in the last two events at Lake Mead and Mohave.
Things got real at the Lake Mead Open in September where Grover brought 36.16 pounds of bass to the scale which was good enough for an 8th-place finish. Just like that, he found himself in second place on the Bridgford AOY leaderboard, right on Roy Hawk’s tail with only the WON BASS U.S. Open at Lake Mohave to go. The consistency factor of fishing every WON BASS event along with stringing together top-20 finishes absolutely set the stage for an AOY charge.
Hefty bags were the rule at Mohave as indicated by the fact a 20-plus-pound average wasn’t enough for Grover to repeat as U.S. Open Champion, but it did allow the Anglers Marine-powered pro to claim the 2024 AOY crown and grab one of the B.A.S.S. Nation “golden tickets.”
“Finished up another unreal WON BASS U.S. Open and season with a third place finish and another WON BASS Angler of the Year under the belt. Shoutout to Bridgford Foods for putting up a $10,000 reward and for supporting West Coast bass fishing so much. It was an absolute blast all week from the start of practice to the end of the tournament.”
had he not missed an event last year, it very well could have been his
third. He’ll be a constant AOY contender for years to come.
Grover’s first WON BASS AOY came in 2020, and last year he had to miss an event due to a scheduling conflict and had he competed in that one and finished in the top-50, he likely would have won that one as well.
As the WON BASS Bridgford Angler of the Year on the Pro side, Grover picked up a check for $10,000 from Bridgford Foods, and along with the other pros finishing in the top 5 for AOY, he will receive berth into the 2025 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, which is now a path to qualifying for the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series, and possibly a spot in the Bassmaster Classic.
“WON BASS is the biggest circuit the west has with more good anglers in it than any other circuit. To stay near the top against local and traveling talent feels good, especially being from Southern California where I really don’t have a home lake,” Grover told WON. “I’m very thankful for WON BASS. It’s a blast, I like to have fun, and it’s the funnest circuit.”