One thing that's always said about bass fishing, specifically tournament fishing, is that you can find success at any age. That statement mainly refers to those with advanced age, not those still in their teenage years like 17-year-old Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois, who just wrapped up his second consecutive BFL Illini Division Angler of the Year title. This was only his second year fishing the circuit as a boater. Also, the only two years he was old enough to fish them as anglers must be 16 years old to fish in a Major League Fishing tournament.
His quick success is not surprising to those who have followed him and watched him dominate at the junior and high school levels. This season, he won two BFL Illini Division events, one on Rend Lake and one on Lake Shelbyville. He also had some solid finishes in the Toyota Series and in team championship events with USA Bassin that resulted in paydays.
One of the keys to his success has been versatility and willingness to fish the moment. McKinney pointed to three events this year that were vastly different, but all accounted for excellent finishes.
USA Bassin Bass Cat Classic
USA Bassin is a top regional event that helped to kick start McKinney's young fishing career. He and partner Rick Cheatham won their "Next Generation Classic" three straight years from 2018-20. This category is for adults fishing with a youth team member. After three wins, they were ineligible to fish again because of their success and moved to the adult level, where they won a brand new Bass Cat Caracal at the 2021 event.
This year, they had another solid event and finished in 4th place in that event. "This year it was on Lake Chickamauga and we were fishing for spawning fish, with the trolling motor on high and going in and out of pockets," said McKinney. "It was partly cloudy, and I wore the Bajío Nippers with the Rose Mirror lenses. They are bright lenses and make it easy to see the bedding fish; they are my top choice for sight fishing."
McKinney prefers the Nippers because of the comfort and size, a medium frame. "A lot of sunglasses don't fit my smaller head well, but the Nippers are perfect and very comfortable," he shared. "They fit perfectly, even when running the boat at full speed and don't slip when you lean down to set the hook because they have great grip."
BFL Shelbyville
This year's BFL stop on Shelbyville was held in mid-June and McKinney was able to take the win with a limit weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces. Last year, he also walked away victorious on the lake after winning the two-day Super Tournament in September.
The fish were in a post-spawn stage this time, and McKinney won it shallow. "It was right after the spawn, but the fish were still up shallow," he said. "I was looking for stumps to cast to, and they were very hard to see because of the water clarity. I used the Bajío Green Mirror lenses this event because the stumps showed up much better and you didn't have to squint to see them."
BFL Rend Lake
Right after his triumph on Shelbyville, McKinney won the July stop on Rend Lake with a 16-1 limit. Again, he focused on the shallow cover and won the event by nearly two pounds.
"The water was really murky there, and I wasn't worried about seeing anything in the water, so I used the Bajío Blue Mirror lenses," he said. "It was very bright out and those are my favorite lens color for sunny days. It was more important to focus on each flip and pitch and block out the most sunlight."
Versatility in Fishing and Gear
Versatility is often praised in fishing when it comes to techniques and being able to catch fish with a variety of lures and tactics is what makes a well-rounded angler. According to McKinney, the same can be said of adjusting to the conditions with different sunglasses.
"It depends on the clouds, weather, and conditions and the water color," he said. "I use those three lens colors, which cover pretty much all the different situations. One more that I'll use sometimes is the Violet Mirror, which is almost like a yellow lens. They're good for fishing and running the boat in lowlight conditions."
At a young age, Trey McKinney has already made an impact on tournament bass fishing. He's one to watch in the future as he's already proven that he knows how to win events with his versatility and skills. Expect to see more of him in the coming years as he moves up the ranks and makes a run to become a professional bass angler.
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