GROVE, OK – For the third consecutive year, the Costa Bass Derby returned to Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees to celebrate Costa’s commitment to bass fishing and the amateur tournament anglers who wear its sunglasses. Held in partnership with SCHEELS Tulsa, the event has become an annual tradition for anglers from Oklahoma and beyond. This year, 233 teams and more than 460 anglers converged on Grand Lake on October 10th-11th for a weekend of fishing, community, and a chance to take home some impressive prizes.

The winning team of Curt Warren and John Pilcher weighed 18.99-pounds of largemouth to finish the day on top of the leaderboard and take home the incredible $20,000 first-place prize. In addition to their team winnings, Costa made a $1,000 conservation donation to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame on the winner’s behalf.

Pilcher and Warren are Grand Lake locals with countless hours of experience on lakes in the surrounding area. Warren, who owns a construction business, and Pilcher who works for Little Debbie (McKee Foods), have been team-tournament partners for nearly two decades. The duo “tries to fish every weekend possible” and have been competitive on regional tournament trails for years.

Their winning strategy came down to finding the right water clarity during their day of practice and settling in with a few baits they had confidence in.

“I learned before the tournament that running around wasn’t going to do us any good,” Pilcher said. “I ran around the lake to check water clarity, levels, and different cover types during my day of practice and never had much success. I found a four-mile section of the main lake that started to turn over and had dirtier water. That mid-lake section is where we spent our time during the tournament.”

The weather throughout the week leading up to the 3rd annual Costa Bass Derby had been warm, sunny, and slick calm. Not exactly the ideal conditions for a fall fishing derby, but the wind picked up on Sunday and that change proved fruitful for Pilcherand Warren.

Using a ½-ounce green pumpkin BassX Jig, they only boated eight keepers all day but five of them were of the right quality, including their biggest bass of the day which came at 2:00pm. They targeted shallow docks to find their bigger-than-average bass, with the shallowest docks available being the most productive.

Like many of the competitors in this amateur-only team tournament, Pilcher and Warren own multiple pairs of Costa Sunglasses and have been wearing them for over 20-years. They’ve competed every year of the Costa Bass Derby and had this event circled on the calendar for months.

“We really appreciate a brand like Costa coming to Grand Lake and putting an event like this on for team-tournament anglers like us,” Pilcher said. “We’ve fished this event the last three years and have had a great time. There is big money on the line, awesome door prizes, and it’s a well-ran tournament. We’d be crazy not to fish it! Costa has always been the best brand of eyewear for fisherman.”

For anglers like Pilcher and Warren, Costa is more than a name on a pair of sunglasses. It’s a brand connected to days spent on the water, decades spent outdoors, and the lifelong pursuit of the next bite. The Costa Bass Derby brings together a community of like-minded anglers whose free time revolves around the competition and comradery born on the water from weekend tournaments.

The Costa Bass Derby extends beyond the water. The event kicks off with angler registration and a happy hour the evening before the tournament, where participants receive an impressive stack of registration prizes from Costa, SCHEELS Tulsa, Lowrance, Turtlebox, Toyota, Yamaha Outboards, and Skeeter Boats. Teams are also treated to a dinner buffet, live music from Costa PRO Casey Ashley, and fishing stories from Oklahoma and Grand Lake legend Jason Christie.

“It doesn’t get any better for team-tournament anglers than the Costa Bass Derby,” Christie said. “Costa and SCHEELS roll out the red carpet for these folks and Grand Lake is the perfect place for a fall tournament. The lake changes so fast based on the conditions, it’s anyone’s derby to win. That’s what you want with $20,000 on the line!”

The complete results for the 2026 Costa Bass Derby can be found here. For information on future Costa Bass Derby events head to: https://www.costabassderby.com/.

To explore Costa Sunglasses’ full collection of performance, lifestyle and optical eyewear, and learn more about its commitment to conservation, visit costasunglasses.com.