Steve Morgan was crowned 2023 Rapala BASS Australian Open Champion thanks to the help of his Mercury Pro XS!

5 May 2023 – The Mercury Pro XS has made a name for itself as the outboard of choice for competitive anglers, with its unmatched power and speed, superior fuel economy and tournament winning torque, offering competitive fishers an advantage over their contemporaries.

This proved the case for tournament angler and content creator Steve Morgan, with his Mercury Pro XS 200hp V8 outboard giving him the confidence to tackle all conditions in the hunt for his next catch in the recent Rapala BASS Australian Open.  Thanks to the robust performance of his Pro XS, Steve was able to access the best locations along the Clarence River in New South Wales, luring in bass in his BassCat boat while travelling over 160km all-round each day to do so.  Pushing his Pro XS to the limit, tackling all types of extremities, Steve was rewarded, finishing with the biggest catch and crowned the winner.

“This was the biggest test I’ve put the motor through to date and it passed with flying colours,” Steve said. “My boat has a 120L fuel tank and although I did my calculations and worked out that I should do it easily, I still took a couple of small 10L tanks just to be sure.  As it turned out the spare fuel wasn’t necessary, with the ProXS giving me exceptional fuel economy and performance.  I cruised at 98km/h and got around 2km/L – that’s amazing economy for such a high cruising speed.”

The 200hp Mercury Pro XS that powered Steve Morgan to victory.

The Pro XS is engineered for boaters who demand ultimate performance, well suited to anglers competing on the highly competitive tournament trails. The outboard transforms every drop of fuel into performance to deliver excellent economy at cruising speed and wide open-throttle.  With exclusive components and tuning, the Pro XS extracts every ounce of performance allowing Steve to test its threshold.

“It was 80km to where I started fishing, which was a combination of long, open water river runs and shallow water bottlenecks,” Steve said. “With the motor jacked all the way up we had to transit several kilometres of ultra shallow water to get into the Esk River and after that I needed to jump a fallen tree to get access to the best stretches.  I wouldn’t have been able to travel that far nor gain access to some of those prime fishing spots without the Pro XS.  Tournament fishing is exciting, but adding an epic run like that into the equation each day made this an event to remember.”

The distance Steve travelled to get to the best fishing spots.

Mercury’s engines did not just give Steve exceptional performance, also powering fellow Mercury outboard owners Mick Johnson (200HP V8 Pro XS) and Mike Nelson (175HP V6 Pro XS) who finished second and third respectively, to create an all-Mercury podium.

The two-day fishing competition ran over April 22 and 23 where the five biggest bass each angler reeled in each day attributed to their score. The anglers were required to upload an image and details of the fish they caught into the ABT Tournament Series App before releasing the bass back into the water.

Steve beat out 45 of Australia’s best bass anglers to win his first bass event in 17 years and in the process received $8,000 in prize money for his first-place finish.

Check out how far Steve travelled each day day here.

Head to the Mercury website to learn more about the amazing Pro XS.

ENQUIRIES – contact Phil Martin on +61 418 817 876

Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Mercury Marine is the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines. A division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), Mercury provides engines, boats, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications. The company empowers boaters with products that are easy to use, extremely reliable and backed by the most dedicated customer support in the world. Mercury’s industry‑leading brand portfolio includes Mercury outboard engines, Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages, Mercury propellers, Mercury inflatable boats, Mercury SmartCraft electronics, Land ‘N’ Sea marine parts distribution and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils. More information is available at www.MercuryMarine.com.au.