BPT Rookie Phenom Banks Shaw Joins the Rapala Pro Staff Team

Bass Pro Tour rookie Banks Shaw of Harrison, Tennessee, has joined the pro staff for multiple brands under the Rapala® umbrella including Rapala®, CrushCity™, Sufix®, 13 Fishing® and VMC® hooks. He becomes part of a small team of superior tournament anglers and product developers – including Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell and Kyle Welcher -- who have dominated the tours and set records over the past 12 months.

“This is a dream come true,” Shaw said. “I cannot believe how fast this has all happened. I purposely did not have a rod or tackle sponsor last year so I could use what I wanted. My success gave me the opportunity to pick who I wanted to join. I’ve always been a Rapala and CrushCity guy, and they played a big role in my success, so it was an easy choice. It’s important to me to be with companies I can see myself partnering with for a long time.”

Shaw is a master of the TVA system. He won MLF College Fishing events on both Kentucky Lake and his home waters of Lake Chickamauga. Those victories were predated by a 2024 Toyota Series victory on Chickamauga, in which the then-20-year old Tennessean won by an astounding 24 pounds 5 ounces.

During his 2025 angling campaign, Shaw won the points title in both the Toyota Series Central Division and in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. On the pro circuit he won a May event on Pickwick, adding $115,000 to his growing bankroll.

Dan Quinn, the Field Promotions Director for the companies, said that Shaw’s professionalism, early success, and experience with the Rapala brands made him a prime target to join the esteemed and established team. “His early success and demeanor are signs that Banks has near limitless potential,” he said. “He’s also a good fit with our group and has already consulted with our team about future product ideas. He’s the complete package.”

Indeed, Shaw spent time with Wheeler and Connell in late 2025 at Wheeler’s house, batting around ideas and learning more about how to be a more complete competitor. 

“It helped me to refine my goals and think about how to achieve them,” he explained. “My goal for this year is to top what I did last year. Obviously that won’t be super-easy, but I like to set my goals as high as I can, put as much work into them as I can, and things usually work out for the best.”