AnglersChannel

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Set for Regular-Season Finale at Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by VOSKER

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (July 13, 2026) – The sixth and final regular-season stop of the 2026 Major League Fishing (MLF) Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech season is set to take place July 24-26, in Plattsburgh, New York, with the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by VOSKER.

The three-day Pro Circuit event, hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, will feature a roster of up to 150 pro bass anglers competing for a top prize of up to $135,000. Anglers will take to Lake Champlain to catch their five biggest bass each day, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative total.

“We're proud to partner with Major League Fishing to showcase Lake Champlain and welcome anglers, families and fans to our region,” said Alyssa Senecal, Assistant Director of Tourism and Marketing for the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau. “Events like this highlight not only world-class fishing but also the outstanding communities and businesses that make this area such a special destination.”

Surrounded by the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain offers stellar fishing and great scenery, but in this event, that will not be the focus. As the last event of the season, the 7 Brew Angler of the Year title will be decided, five pros will qualify for the Bass Pro Tour, and the top 40 will lock in their spots in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Championship. All those points considerations mean that every ounce counts, and there are not many lakes where those ounces matter more than Lake Champlain.

The last time MLF held a major event in Plattsburgh, when the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals visited Champlain in June 2024, pro Jacob Walker won by catching all smallmouth on a minnow, with most of the top-10 finishers also minnowing up smallmouth. Typically, June on Champlain would feature a big-time spawning smallmouth event, but that was not the case in 2024. Pros Kurt Mitchell and Hunter Eubanks also made the top 10 with shallow patterns targeting northern largemouth.

In July 2024, Kyle Cortiana won the Toyota Series event on Champlain with a 64-1 total, and he did it mostly fishing current at the Malletts Bay causeway. Heavy rains during practice dramatically affected the event, scattering some smallmouth in the Inland Sea and creating an incredible current bite. Notably, Mitchell again finished in the top 10 by targeting northern largemouth, this time joined by Bryan LaBelle and Tom Lavictoire Jr.

In 2025, the Toyota Series event on Champlain was held in June, and Tucker Smith won by targeting smallmouth with a minnow. By this point, the trend should be clear.

There are, however, some recent exceptions to the trend of minnow and smallmouth domination.

In August 2024, Ed Loughran won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Champlain – bucking the trend after a summer of minnow madness. Running south to target mid-lake largemouth, he fished shallow and edged ahead of the pack. Also, as a general rule of thumb, local events on Champlain have featured a lot of largemouth lately – maybe easier to do in one-day events, but also a sign of a burgeoning population.

This time around, the 2024 Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year on the Invitationals and a Champlain ace, Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, expects an excellent tournament.

“The No. 1 thing is going to be postspawn smallmouth,” Morrison said. “I’m sure a lot of them will be hanging around grass and mid-range, and primarily chasing bait by the end of July.”

In a tournament without restrictions on sonar use, a standard game plan on Champlain might be to spend the entire day targeting roaming smallmouth. But Morrison isn’t sure that is viable without forward-facing sonar.

“Three hours is a decent amount of time to get them to bite,” he said. “But, I really do feel like that is something you can’t really target without forward-facing. The ones on grass and rock, more midrange or shallower, those might be the ones to target during the off time.”

The other player is largemouth, and Morrison expects at least two pros to make the Top 10 from Ticonderoga, and perhaps others to do it with northern largemouth.

“I’m sure largemouth are going to play,” Morrison said. “A lot of it depends on our water levels. Generally, in low water years, the largemouth fishing is a little tougher. The more water, the better the largemouth fishing will be.”

Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh, New York. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Plattsburgh City Marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2026 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech features a field of up to 150 professional anglers competing across six tournaments around the country for a total purse of $3.8 million and valuable 7 Brew Angler of the Year (AOY) points to qualify for the Pro Circuit Championship, set for Sept. 18-20 on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, and a coveted spot on the MLF Bass Pro Tour – the sport’s premier circuit.

In Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit competition, the full field of pros competes in the two-day opening round Friday and Saturday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the top 50 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Championship Sunday. The winner is determined by the heaviest cumulative weight from all three days and they will be awarded the grand prize of up to $135,000. Forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar is limited to only 3 hours of competition each day.

The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

Television coverage of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech Stop 6 on Lake Champlain Presented by VOSKER will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, on Sunday, Oct. 11 on VICE TV.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.

by AnglersChannel

BUBBA®, MLF Officially Launch SCORETRACKER® LIVE for Consumers While BUBBA® Expands Its Connected Fishing Ecosystem at ICAST 2026

(Columbia, MO & Benton, KY) July 13, 2026 – BUBBA®, recognized as the official scale used by Major League Fishing (MLF), and renowned for its innovative Smart Fish Scales and mobile fishing app, together with MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, today announced the official consumer launch of SCORETRACKER® LIVE, making the same real-time tournament scoring technology used by MLF Bass Pro Tour anglers available to tournament organizers, competitors, and fans everywhere through the BUBBA® app. Originally introduced at ICAST 2025, and vetted through extensive beta testing and real-world tournament use, SCORETRACKER® LIVE is now available to consumers nationwide through the BUBBA® app.

SCORETRACKER® LIVE
For years, SCORETRACKER® has transformed professional bass fishing by allowing anglers to see every catch instantly reflected on a live leaderboard, fundamentally changing tournament strategy and competition. Now, BUBBA® takes that same thrill beyond the professional ranks, allowing anyone to organize, compete, and spectate using live tournament scoring. Tournament organizers can easily create and manage custom events through the BUBBA® app, competitors can follow their position in real time throughout the day, and fans can experience live-action tournaments from virtually anywhere. Compatible with BUBBA® Smart Fish Scales, SCORETRACKER® LIVE supports catch-weigh-release tournaments, traditional five-fish formats, big-fish competitions, and scholastic or neighborhood team events, creating a more connected and engaging experience for everyone involved.

BUBBA® and MLF team up to launch SCORETRACKER® LIVE, making tournament scoring and excitement available to organizers, competitors, and fans everywhere through the BUBBA® app.

The BUBBA® app and Pro Series Smart Fish Scale have been used in more than 91,000 hours of live scoring and leaderboards for MLF events, including the Bass Pro Tour, making SCORETRACKER® LIVE the most extensively field-tested tournament scoring platform in competitive fishing. The result is a tournament platform that combines connected hardware, software, and live competition into one seamless experience.

Expanding the BUBBA® Ecosystem
The official launch of SCORETRACKER® LIVE marks another step in BUBBA's expanding connected fishing ecosystem. At ICAST, BUBBA is introducing the new BUBBA Pro Series Smart Bump Board, which integrates with the BUBBA® app to capture and record fish length, giving length-based tournaments more options to score competitor catches. BUBBA® will also showcase the new BUBBA Tournament Weigh Station, providing tournament organizers with a durable, professional-grade weigh-in solution when paired with any BUBBA® smart scale. Together with the BUBBA® Smart Fish Scale, the BUBBA® app, and SCORETRACKER® LIVE, these innovations create an integrated ecosystem that brings together the entire tournament fishing experience — connecting organizers, competitors, and fans through every stage of competition, from registration and scoring to live leaderboard updates and spectator engagement.

SCORETRACKER® LIVE will make its official consumer debut on July 14 during the ICAST Cup presented by Major League Fishing at Big Toho Marina in Kissimmee, Florida. Competing teams will become the first consumers to experience the platform in live, catch-weigh-release, tournament competition while helping raise funds for Keep America Fishing. Throughout ICAST, attendees can also experience demonstrations of SCORETRACKER® LIVE, the BUBBA Smart Bump Board, and the BUBBA Tournament Weigh Station at Booth #5139. Additionally, MLF will host a SCORETRACKER® LIVE demonstration in Booth #4620 on July 16 starting at 4 p.m.

About BUBBA®
A member of the American Outdoor Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:AOUT) family, BUBBA® is a leading lifestyle brand specializing in high-quality fishing tools and accessories. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, BUBBA® delivers premium products designed to enhance the angling experience. From fillet knives to fishing scales, BUBBA's tools are trusted by professional anglers and fishing enthusiasts worldwide. For more information, visit www.BUBBA.com.

by AnglersChannel

Bokoshe’s Jones Holds On for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Arkansas River

Oklahoma’s Johnson Tops Co-Angler Division

SALLISAW, Okla. (July 13, 2026) – Boater Chris Jones of Bokoshe, Oklahoma, caught a total of five bass weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Arkansas River. The tournament was the fourth of five events of the season for the BFL Okie Division. Jones earned $3,440 for his victory.

Jones, who calls the Arkansas River his home water, said plentiful rain had muddied up the water recently, but by tournament time the grasslines he was targeting were seeing clearer water.

“I pulled up Saturday morning and caught a bunch of 2- to 2½-pounders early, and I had 12½ pounds,” Jones said. “I left that area and went to another area about two miles away. I pulled up there and caught a 4-6. I kept culling up and later in the day – about 1 o’clock – I caught a 3.98 to give me 16-11.”

Jones said he threw a BOOYAH Mobster Swim Jig as well as a BOOYAH Poppin Pad Crasher to provoke strikes.

“It was just a river fishing, grass fishing type of thing,” Jones said. “The main thing was is the areas I fished, I didn’t have any company. I didn’t think I had a chance at this at all until I caught that fish later. You always feel like you need one more fish. It’d been taking 18 to 20 pounds to win, lately.”

Jones’ 16-11 proved to be enough for the win, and he hoisted his sixth Major League Fishing trophy.

“You never know when your next win might be,” Jones said. “You don’t take them for granted.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Chris Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., five bass, 16-11, $3,440
2nd:      Mike Hesson, Hackett, Ark., five bass, 16-2, $1,680
3rd:       Blayke Haggard, Grove, Okla., five bass, 15-13, $1,100
4th:        Kellen Davis, Stigler, Okla., five bass, 15-5, $680
5th:        Sean McAllister, McAlester, Okla., five bass, 15-3, $600
6th:        Ian Leybas, McAlester, Okla., five bass, 14-10, $870
7th:        Joshua Teply, Harrah, Okla., five bass, 14-6, $500
8th:        Chad Nolan, Muldrow, Okla., five bass, 14-5, $480
9th:        Rodney Copeland, Sallisaw, Okla., five bass, 13-14, $460
10th:     Brent Haggard, Sallisaw, Okla., five bass, 12-15, $430

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Ian Leybas of McAlester, Oklahoma, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, even bass worth $200.

Mark Johnson of Weleetka, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,820 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Mark Johnson, Weleetka, Okla., three bass, 8-10, $1,820
2nd:      Chris Watkins, Fort Smith, Ark., three bass, 8-2, $840
3rd:       Danny Giacomo, McAlester, Okla., three bass, 7-13, $425
4th:        Aaron Warren, Owasso, Okla., three bass, 7-12, $340
5th:        Robert Jones, Broken Arrow, Okla., three bass, 7-10, $300
6th:        Alan Bernicky, Dardanelle, Ark., three bass, 7-9, $360
7th:        Thad Hewitt, Delaware, Okla., three bass, 7-0, $250
8th:        Mark King, Gurdon, Okla., three bass, 6-5, $240
9th:        Joe Tucker, Osceola, Mo., three bass, 6-0, $230
10th:     George Baker, Owasso, Okla., three bass, 5-11, $215

Johnson also earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 3-pound, 11-ounce bass worth $100.

After four events, Joshua Teply of Harrah, Oklahoma now leads the 7 Brew Okie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 934 points, while Thad Hewitt of Delaware, Oklahoma, leads the Okie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 947 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 BFL Regional tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lake in Calvert City, Kentucky. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

The 2026 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2027 BFL All-American will take place June 5-7, at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, and is hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular BFL updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Adrian’s Federer Notches First Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Detroit River

Ohio’s Mueller Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division

TRENTON, Mich. (July 13, 2026) – Boater Brayden Federer of Adrian, Michigan, caught five bass weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Detroit River . The tournament was the first of five events of the season for the BFL Michigan Division Presented by 3rd Deck Brewing Co. Federer earned $3,080 for his victory.

“I ended up running up to St. Clair, and the morning was really slow,” Federer said. “I started my (Garmin) Livescope period at 7 and only had three fish two hours into the ’scope period. I only had one good one.

“The fish are really scattered right now and few and far between, but it seemed like in practice if you came across one, it was a good one,” Federer went on to say. “I just kept grinding and picking one off here and there. I had five minutes left to go in my ’scope period and had around 20¼ pounds with a 2-6 in my bag, and then I caught the 5-8 that won big bass.”

Federer said he caught 10 to 15 keepers during his Livescope period on a drop-shot rig tipped with a Strike King 3X ElazTech Z Too Soft Jerkbait in 17 to 18 feet of Canadian water.

“I didn’t know if I had enough weight to win, but I thought I had enough to be in the Top 3 or Top 5,” Federer said. “This feels amazing. It’s felt like this win has been a long time coming. I’ve had numerous third- and fifth-place finishes, and I’ve been wanting one of these trophies for a long time.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Brayden Federer, Adrian, Mich., five bass, 23-9, $3,080
2nd:      Cody Kelley, Plainwell, Mich., five bass, 22-7, $1,420
3rd:       Aaron Limber, Northwood, Ohio, five bass, 21-13, $740
4th:        Jacob Jones, Milford, Ohio, five bass, 19-13, $600
5th:        Tanner Hampton, Bourbon, Ind., five bass, 19-11, $530
6th:        Chris Hellebuyck, White Lake, Mich., five bass, 19-10, $1,110 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
7th:        Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 19-9, $450
8th:        Wilson Burton, Findlay, Ohio, five bass, 19-2, $430
9th:        Cullan Parker, Lorain, Ohio, five bass, 19-0, $405
9th:        Mark Flick, Delton, Mich., five bass, 19-0, $405

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Tournament winner Federer also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass worth $200.

Mike Mueller of Delaware, Ohio, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,490 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 14 pounds, 7 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Mike Mueller, Delaware, Ohio, three bass, 14-7, $1,490
2nd:      Jared Delong, Lucasville, Ohio, three bass, 13-12, $710
3rd:       Chase Kraynack, Essex, Ontario, three bass, 12-1, $385
3rd:       Spencer Phelps, Bangor, Mich., three bass, 12-1, $385
5th:        Klaus Kuester, Forest Park, Ill., three bass, 12-0, $241
5th:        Bill Gordon, Heath, Ohio, three bass, 12-0, $241
5th:        Michael McClellan, Marion, Ohio, three bass, 12-0, $241
8th:        Marco Luna-Gen, Berkley, Mich., three bass, 11-14, $215
9th:        Ryan Legg, Parma, Ohio, three bass, 11-13, $210
10th:     Rosario Murello, Greenwood, Ind., three bass, 11-8, $200

Mike Mueller of Delaware, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass worth $100.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 BFL Regional tournament on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

by AnglersChannel

Mount Vernon’s Bishop Paces Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Barren River

Kentucky’s Willoughby Earns Win in Co-Angler Division

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (July 13, 2026) – Boater Dustin Bishop of Mount Vernon, Kentucky, caught a total of five bass weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Barren River. The tournament was the fourth of five events of the season for the BFL Mountain Division. Bishop earned $2,790 for his victory.

“I practiced the day before the tournament and did a lot of graphing,” Bishop said. “I didn’t really make a lot of casts. I found nine schools of fish that I thought had potential, and three of them were a little sneakier than the others. I was looking for stuff that was by community holes on the main lake, but not necessarily in them. I was graphing off to the sides of them.”

Bishop’s search for fish off the beaten path turned out to be key, and he started the day in an area that held three schools of fish. He rotated through the schools and had 18 pounds in his first hour of fishing.

“I pulled up there and they were just chewing.” Bishop said. “I had given my co-angler, who ended up winning the co-angler division, a bait and he caught back-to-back 5-pounders. I looked at him and said, ‘I’m going to need that bait back.’”

Bishop’s bait arsenal included a big spoon, a big swimbait and a Strike King 10XD Elite Crankbait.

“They were really hugging the bottom,” Bishop said. “It was really hard to see them. I caught about 40 fish. We had fun. It was a blast. We beat them up pretty good.

“I actually thought I had lost it, because I dumped one that weighed about 4½ pounds at the boat,” Bishop went on to say. “But this feels amazing.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Dustin Bishop, Mount Vernon, Ky., five bass, 20-3, $2,790
2nd:      John Rediess, Smiths Grove, Ky., five bass, 18-1, $1,015
2nd:      Jerry Monroe, Athens, Tenn., five bass, 18-1, $1,015
4th:        Brandon Young, Kingston, Tenn., five bass, 17-15, $570
5th:        Derek Turner, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $510
6th:        Rex Reagan, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 17-3, $450
7th:        Luke Lamb, Nicholasville, Ky., five bass, 16-14, $430
8th:        Adam Sharp, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $420
9th:        Isaac Peavyhouse, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $550
10th:     Freddy Adkins, East Bernstadt, Ky., five bass, 14-12, $390

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Bishop also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass worth $200.

James Willoughby of Hillsboro, Kentucky, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,295 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 12 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        James Willoughby, Hillsboro, Ky., three bass, 12-1, $1,295
2nd:      Barry King, Liberty, Ky., three bass, 11-15, $665
3rd:       Kendall Parnell, Monticello, Ky., three bass, 11-14, $450
4th:        Matthew Faulkner, Corbin, Ky., three bass, 9-11, $285
5th:        Dustin Forrest, Knob Lick, Ky., three bass, 9-1, $255
6th:        Brent Jones, Ashland, Ky., three bass, 8-12, $225
7th:        Omar de Jesus, Goodlettsville., three bass, 8-10, $220
8th:        Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 8-6, $310
9th:        Cody Chesnut, Trenton, Ohio, three bass, 7-13, $200
10th:     Michael Anderson, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 7-12, $195

Kendall Parnell of Monticello, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass worth $100.

After four events, Timothy Wacker of Clinton, Tennessee, now leads the 7 Brew Mountain Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 960 points, while Kendall Parnell of Monticello, Kentucky, leads the Mountain Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 982 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 BFL Regional tournament on Watts Bar Lake in Spring City, Tennessee. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

by AnglersChannel

Pennsylvania’s Heivly Edges Field for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at St. Lawrence River Presented by Suzuki Marine

Plattsburgh’s Bell Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division

MASSENA, N.Y. (July 13, 2026) – Boater Andrew Heivly of Spring City, Pennsylvania, caught a total of five bass weighing 22 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the St. Lawrence River Presented by Suzuki Marine . The tournament, hosted by the Town of Massena, was the second of five events of the season for the BFL Northeast Presented by 3rd Deck Brewing Co. Division. Heivly earned $3,250 for his victory.

“I headed to an area near Waddington and got to my first spot and had a couple of boats around me,” Heivly said. “I didn’t really see anything happening, so I quickly adjusted and went over to another area that I had found in practice.”

Heivly said he turned on his Garmin Livescope at 6:30 and fished shallow water, from 2 to 16 feet, near rock and weed lines with a jerkbait and Deps Sakamata Shad. Heivly filled his limit and added two key bass that upgraded his bag after the Livescope period.

“I was half a mile from weigh-in and was on the trolling motor when I came across this spot I just had to try,” Heivly said. “I had never fished it before, and I made one cast and caught my biggest fish – a 4-14 – that culled out a 3-pounder to seal the deal.

“Knowing the St. Lawrence River, generally you have to have 23 to 25 pounds to win,” Heivly went on to say. “I knew I would probably be in the top 5. I weighed in right away and had to sit there and wait for two hours to find out the result. But it turned out to be an awesome deal.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Andrew Heivly, Spring City, Penn., five bass, 22-5, $3,250
2nd:      Dante Piraino, Baldwinsville, NY., five bass, 21-13, $1,590
3rd:       Jesse Spellicy, Gouverneur, N.Y., five bass, 21-12, $1,310 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
4th:        Clay Reece, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 21-8, $650
5th:        Kevin Rose, Amston, Conn., five bass, 21-7, $580
6th:        Kent Compo, Brasherfalls, N.Y., five bass, 20-9, $500
7th:        Stephen Draghi, Sparrowbush, N.Y., five bass, 20-0, $480
8th:        Matthew Kinney, Lisbon, N.Y., five bass, 19-12, $460
9th:        Lane Olson, Forest Grove, Ore., five bass, 19-9, $440
10th:     Brian Barde, Pittsfield, Mass., five bass, 19-8, $670

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Matt Russell of Elkton, Maryland, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass worth $200.

Michael Bell of Plattsburgh, New York, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,575 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 13 pounds, 12 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Michael Bell, Plattsburgh, N.Y., three bass, 13-12, $1,575
2nd:      Kade Wesner, Lancaster, Penn., three bass, 13-5, $895
3rd:       Kenneth Ibberson, Blackwood, N.J., three bass, 13-4, $505
4th:        Chris Hurley, Carlisle, Penn., three bass, 12-15, $375
5th:        John Stoughtenger, Waterloo, N.Y., three bass, 11-13, $290
6th:        John Pascavage, Hollidaysburg, Penn., three bass, 11-12, $245
6th:        Stan Holland, Lorry, N.Y., three bass, 11-12, $230
8th:        Jason Bell, Lisbon, N.Y., three bass, 11-9, $220
9th:        Ken Pfeiffer, Manassas, Va., three bass, 11-4, $180
10th:     Eric Reynolds, Bloomingburg, N.Y., three bass, 11-3, $180
10th:     Jerry Hodge III, Elkton, Md., three bass, 11-3, $180

Kade Wesner of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $100.

After two events, Joseph Thompson of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, now leads the Northeast Presented by 3rd Deck Brewing Co. Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 473 points, while Chris Hurley of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, leads the Northeast Presented by 3^rd Deck Brewing Company Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 488 points.

by AnglersChannel

Teal talks ‘gravity baits’ and Vexus® buckles

Given the fact he makes a full-time living sourcing the latest and most innovative bass fishing lures from Japan to sell to American fishing tackle retailers, it’s fair to say the always-comical Aaron Teal from Minnesota is not afraid to try something new.

Sometimes, that includes taking the biggest fiberglass Vexus® bass boat made over flooded concrete dams to win tournaments.

Such was exactly the case recently when Teal navigated his Vexus® VXs21 from In-Tune Marine into water most of his competitors thought was impossible to reach. He then pitched a salt-dense soft plastic lure classified as a ‘gravity bait’ – specifically, an Okura Stick -- to win the prestigious Classic Bass Champions event on Big Stone Lake.

The victory paid $15,000, but he also collected a Vexus® REV Rewards™ tournament bonus, and a uniquely cool Vexus® belt buckle for his trophy case.

“The VXs21 is a big boat and often promoted as the ultimate bass boat for big water because of the cushy Air Wave® seats and hull design, but it’s also pretty awesome at getting into water most would judge too skinny for a fiberglass boat,” says the 32-year old host of the popular Teal’s Bass Galaxy pod cast.

A poster boy for what a “bass head” looks like, Teal began fishing tournaments at age 12 under the mentorship of guys in the Granite City Bassmasters, and has carved out a living around the sport as an adult through his work as a former sales leader at In-Tune Marine, his popular social media channels, tournament winnings, and his Tomorrow Tackle import lure business.

“My business is a lot like the Vexus way of doing business. I’m providing an innovative, custom built product to America’s independent tackle dealers. I just happen to be sourcing 3” soft plastics like the Okura Stick gravity bait instead of premium quality 21-foot fishing boats,” grins Teal.

To learn more about the tournament winning Vexus VXs21 or to sign up for REV Rewards, please visit VexusBoats.com and interested tackle retailers can connect with Teal directly at [email protected].

by AnglersChannel

2026 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter returning to Port Aransas

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. announced today that the 2026 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter will return to Port Aransas, Texas, Nov. 6-8, bringing the nation's premier inshore anglers back to one of the country's most celebrated redfish fisheries.

Hosted by Port Aransas Fisherman's Wharf, the three-day championship will feature daily takeoffs at 6:45 a.m. CT and weigh-ins beginning at 2:45 p.m. CT. Teams qualifying for the championship, along with additional event details, will be announced at a later date.

The Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter has quickly become one of competitive fishing's premier saltwater events, bringing together elite redfish anglers and top Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series competitors to battle for one of the sport's most coveted titles. Previous championships have showcased the incredible fishery surrounding Port Aransas, where changing tides, expansive grass flats, shallow marshes and miles of productive shoreline reward anglers capable of adapting to ever-changing coastal conditions. The championship has previously visited Port Aransas in 2021, 2022 and 2025, producing memorable finishes and demonstrating why the Texas Gulf Coast remains one of the nation's top destinations for competitive redfishing.

"We're excited to bring the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter back to Port Aransas," said Chris Bowes, B.A.S.S. Vice President of Tournaments. "Every time we've visited this incredible fishery, it has delivered exciting competition and showcased just how diverse and challenging redfish tournament fishing can be. We look forward to welcoming another outstanding field of anglers as they compete for one of the biggest titles in professional redfishing."

Located on Mustang Island along the Texas Gulf Coast, Port Aransas is surrounded by the productive waters of Aransas Bay, Corpus Christi Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The community has long been recognized as one of the state's premier fishing destinations, attracting anglers year-round in pursuit of redfish, speckled trout, flounder and numerous offshore species. In 2025, the Texas Legislature officially designated Port Aransas as the Fishing Capital of Texas, further recognizing its rich angling heritage and world-class fisheries.

"Port Aransas was designated as the Fishing Capital of Texas last year by the state of Texas. And, there's no doubt about it — we are one of the best fishing hot spots in the entire Gulf," said Brett Stawar, President and CEO of Port Aransas, The Island Life. "We are excited and honored to welcome back the best anglers in the country."

Fans will have the opportunity to watch the action throughout the weekend, beginning with daily launches from Port Aransas Fisherman's Wharf before welcoming competitors back each afternoon for the official weigh-ins. The event is expected to draw anglers and spectators from across the country while highlighting the exceptional fishery and hospitality that have made Port Aransas a favorite stop on the championship circuit.

Additional information regarding the 2026 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter, including the qualified teams, tournament format and fan activities, will be announced in the coming months on Bassmaster.com.

This event will be hosted by Port Aransas Fisherman's Wharf.

2026 Redfish Cup Championship Title Sponsor: Yamaha
2026 Redfish Cup Championship Presenting Sponsor: Skeeter Boats

About B.A.S.S.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens Series presented by Battery Tender, Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series, TNT Fireworks Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.

by AnglersChannel

MLF Announces 2027 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Schedule

BENTON, Ky. (July 9, 2026) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the 2027 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech schedule, featuring six regular-season events and the no-entry-fee Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Championship.

The 2027 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will showcase top professional anglers competing across six premier fisheries for the sport’s biggest payouts outside of the Bass Pro Tour, valuable points toward championship qualification, and opportunities to advance to REDCREST and the Bass Pro Tour. The season will culminate Sept. 10-12 at the Pro Circuit Championship on the James River in Richmond, Virginia.

“The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit is one of the most important platforms in professional bass fishing,” said Kevin Hunt, Senior Tournament Director for the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit. “It gives established pros and rising stars the opportunity to compete on outstanding fisheries, build their careers and earn their way to the Bass Pro Tour. The 2027 schedule has a strong mix of proven tournament venues and fisheries that will challenge every part of an angler’s game.”

The regular season kicks off Feb. 18-20 at Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, before traveling to Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee, Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas, Clarks Hill Lake in Georgia, the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and the St. Lawrence River in New York. The schedule features a cross-section of tournament-fishing staples, from offshore reservoirs and shallow-water river systems to one of the most revered smallmouth fisheries in North America.

The top pro in the season-long point standings will be crowned Fishing Clash Angler of the Year. The top five pros will earn invitations to compete on the 2028 Bass Pro Tour, and the top 40 pros will qualify for the 2027 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Championship on the James River.

Every day of competition will stream live on MLFNOW! at MajorLeagueFishing.com and through the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) and Rumble. All six regular-season events and the championship will also be televised nationally on VICE TV.

Invitations for the 2027 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit will be issued to qualifying anglers this fall.

2027 MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Schedule:

Feb. 18-20*      Stop 1 at Lake Murray                                                                                         Columbia, S.C.
  Ramp/Marina: Dreher Island State Park
  Hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism

March 5-7         Stop 2 at Chickamauga Lake                                                                            Hamilton County, Tenn.
  Ramp/Marina: Chester Frost Park
  Hosted by The Sports & Event Corporation and Bill Dance Signature Lakes

April 8-10*       Stop 3 at Sam Rayburn Reservoir                                                                  Brookeland, Texas
  Ramp/Marina: Umphrey Family Pavilion
  Hosted by the Jasper County Development District

May 7-9             Stop 4 at Clarks Hill Lake                                                                                   Appling, Ga.
  Ramp/Marina: Wildwood Park
  Hosted by Visit Columbia County Georgia

June 11-13       Stop 5 at Arkansas River                                                                                    Muskogee, Okla.
  Ramp/Marina: Three Forks Harbor
  Hosted by Visit Muskogee

July 23-25        Stop 6 at St. Lawrence River                                                                             Massena, N.Y.
  Ramp/Marina: Massena Intake Boat Launch
  Hosted by the Town of Massena

Sept. 10-12      Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Championship at the James River               Richmond, Va.
  Ramp/Marina: Osborne Landing
  Hosted by Richmond Region Tourism

* denotes Thursday-Saturday event

Proud sponsors of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, Bubba, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Synergy at the Source

DAIWA and Ever Green deliver the ultimate JackHammer trailer stateside to maximize bladed jig performance

FOOTHILL RANCH, CA (July 8, 2026) – A premium bladed jig is only as lethal as the trailer behind it. Too often, basic soft plastics act like anchors, choking out high-frequency vibrations, muting the blade’s signature thump, and causing the entire rig to roll over and blow out at high speeds.

You need a trailer engineered to harmonize with the lure, not fight it.

Through its exclusive partnership with Ever Green International, DAIWA is officially bringing a masterfully tuned soft plastic methodology stateside in the form of the Bull Point Shad 4.5". Designed by elite angler Morizo Shimizu—the mastermind who knows the legendary JackHammer bladed jig better than anyone—this soft bait is built to unleash 120% of the jig's fish-catching power.

Inverted Triangle Architecture and Casting Dynamics

Many soft plastic trailers feature a uniform round or flat shape that drags through the water and kills a bladed jig's hunt. Ever Green’s Bull Point Shad turns that design flaw on its head. Designed with a specialized inverted triangle body, it packs critical bulk and weight into the front section of the bait.

During the cast, this front-loaded distribution acts like a concentrated capsule to drive the entire rig through heavy crosswinds for maximum distance. Upon splashdown, this architecture excels at skipping—letting anglers easily bounce the bait deep under overhanging cover and docks where standard, wider profiles bind up and stall.

Weight Dynamics and Column Control

The Bull Point Shad delivers critical systematic advantages by increasing mass without increasing structural drag. This intentional addition of weight immediately amplifies casting distance and lets anglers punch the entire rig through headwinds.

Furthermore, the physical fullness and concentrated mass of the body provide crucial hydrodynamic lift. This specialized buoyancy profile allows the entire rig to ride higher in the water column during the retrieve, which yields flawless depth control to burn the bait over shallow grass, tick the tops of submerged wood, and keep the lure locked on track as if it were on rails.

Harmonized Vibration and Tail Kinematics

To amplify the lure’s presence without overpowering the crisp, high-frequency vibration of the stainless steel blade, the Bull Point Shad features a highly refined rear section. The body tapers down drastically into a series of three precision-engineered connecting slits. These slits regulate how water flows across the tail, ensuring a tight, delicate tracking action that supports the jig's natural tracking cadence rather than dampening it.

Flanking the rear are unique, V-shaped flat fins that stabilize the bait's lateral movement. Whether crept along the bottom at a crawl or burned through the grass, this tail geometry maintains flawless tracking balance across all retrieve speeds to keep the bait running true.

Ribbed Body Mechanics and Skirt Separation

The physical profile of the Bull Point Shad features intentionally deep ribbing along the main torso. This ribbed composition serves a mechanical purpose beyond creating a soft, realistic texture.

The outer ribs physically block the rubber skirt of the JackHammer from collapsing tightly against the soft plastic during a high-speed retrieve. By pushing the skirt outward, the bait maintains a full, flared, and lifelike silhouette while generating micro-turbulence that fish can easily track in low-visibility environments.

Seamless Integration and Hold

Finesse and power fishing demand a trailer that stays buttoned down through hard skips, heavy cover, and violent strikes. The Bull Point Shad is molded from a high-durability soft plastic compound that aligns perfectly with the JackHammer's double-wire trailer keeper. It threads on straight and locks securely into place, eliminating the constant misalignment and tearing common with soft plastics under rough use.

The Wrap

“Generic trailers have a bad habit of killing the exact vibration and sound that make the JackHammer so lethal, but the Bull Point Shad is engineered to amplify it,” said DAIWA Field Marketing Manager, Chris Martin. “Shimizu Morizo spent years dialing in this design to ensure the tail action, ribbing, and weight distribution work in total lockstep with the jig. The result is a dedicated trailer that enhances casting distance, keeps the bait running clean through cover, and triggers reaction strikes where standard soft plastics fail.”

BERRY CHART

KO SMELT

MAGIC SHAD

GREEN PUMPKIN CANDY

GREEN PUMPKIN

SOLID BLACK

Bull Point Shad FEATURES:

Inverted triangle body architecture
Triple-slit tapered tail section
V-shaped stabilizing flat fins
Deep-ribbed skirt-expansion profile
High-durability soft plastic formulation

SPECIFICATIONS:

TYPE: Bladed Jig Soft Trailer
LENGTH: 4.5 inches
COLORS: Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Candy, KO Smelt, Berry Chart, Solid Black, and Magic Shad
QUANTITY: 5 per pack

MSRP $13.99

by AnglersChannel

Bobby Lane, Flooded Bushes, and Toyota Bonus Bucks

Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

Few anglers departed northeast Oklahoma as fired up as Bobby Lane following Zenni Stage 6 on Grand Lake. While ideally Lane would have hauled home another trophy from the shores of Grand, the Florida native was tickled with his 5^th place result which garnered a $4,000 dividend from Toyota Bonus Bucks.

“Big Fish” Bobby was the highest finishing angler towing his boat with a 2022 or newer Toyota tow vehicle, which earned Lane the extra pocket full of cash following Stage 6. Lane said he has relied on a Toyota Tundra to tow his boat around the country for the past 16-seasons as a full-time professional.

While the long-time Bonus Bucks participant was excited about his added reward, what had him most stoked was the way he caught his fish on Grand. Old-school flipping and pitching, mainly around Grand Lake’s renowned bushes and willow trees.

“I finally got a fish a tournament ‘in the bushes’,” Lane said excitedly. “You hear so much about the flooded bush bite on places like Grand, throughout the Ozarks, or some Tennessee River lakes like Pickwick or Kentucky Lakes; but we often miss that bite on the professional circuit. Mother Nature and our schedule finally aligned and, boy, I had such a good time. After practice and four days of competing, I never wanted to quit fishing.”

Coming from an angler in his 25^th year as a full-time pro, that’s high praise. Lane believes Grand Lake is one of, if not the best, non-grass fishery in the country. When water levels stay near normal there isn’t much shallow cover for anglers to target in the summer months, but when the water rises all that changes.

Bass Pro Tour competitors were greeted to a Grand that was several feet above normal during Stage 6, which meant miles of shallow bushes, laydowns, and clumps of willow trees were flooded and provided perfect ambush points for fish. Many BPT pros capitalized on this bite, but none more so than Lane.

Bobby admitted he watched weather reports and water levels for weeks, hoping he’d get a chance to fish a high-water summertime event on Grand. Of course, Lane has flipped flooded bushes before, but he said it was always fun-fishing or during practice. Conditions never held to where a flooded, shallow flipping deal had been Lane’s primary pattern.

After accumulating over $3 million in career earnings, Bobby can finally say that changed in June of his 25^th year on tour. Lane employed his system of a 7-foot 6-inch Heavy Fantasista Rod, 50-pound Spiderwire Durabraid line, ½-ounce sinker and a 4/0 Fusion Hook to land nearly every bass he put on the SCORETRACKER.

Throughout the week Lane dialed in on the pinch points where fresh fish would replenish, even with fluctuating water levels every day. He was keyed in to cover that had slightly deeper water around it versus more monotonous stretches of shoreline. Another key detail was his bait color, which B. Lane kept extremely simple.

“I went through every black and blue bait I owned,” Lane said with a smile. “A (Berkley) Pit Boss was my main deal, but I’m not exaggerating by the final day I was rigging any black and blue soft plastic I could find in my boat. I caught so many fish, and good

Lane’s finish added to his impressive track record on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, along with another check from the popular contingency program offered by Toyota.

Bonus Bucks is free to register for, and you don’t need to be a top pro like Bobby to benefit. There are over 620 bass and walleye tournaments open to anglers of all levels eligible for extra payouts through Toyota Bonus Bucks. For more information or to sign-up today, visit: https://www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com/ or send an email to [email protected].

by AnglersChannel

MLF Fisheries Management Division Completes Habitat Restoration Project at Lake Eufaula

EUFAULA, Okla. (July 8, 2026) – The Major League Fishing (MLF) Fisheries Management Division (FMD) , in partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) and Kubota Tractor Corporation, deployed a new, state-of-the-art Tournament Recovery Zone at Lake Eufaula late last month, enhancing fish care and long-term sustainability for Oklahoma’s largest reservoir.

Despite severe summer thunderstorms in the area, deployment crews anchored a network of MossBack Fish Habitat structures at the mouth of Eufaula Cove (N 35.28095, W 095.56854). This deployment marks the latest chapter in a successful, multiyear cooperative conservation campaign to enhance Lake Eufaula.

LINK TO PHOTO GALLERY FROM EVENT

The lake has historically battled severe water-level fluctuations and natural habitat degradation since its impoundment in 1964. To combat those challenges, the ODWC initiated a massive, multiyear habitat enhancement program supported by federal matching funds, the City of Eufaula and private conservation groups. The MLF FMD has remained a core partner throughout this timeline, previously organizing a 2024 habitat restoration project where MLF Bass Pro Tour anglers teamed with the Oologah-Talala High School Fishing Team to place dozens of MossBack structures across the cove.

The strategic placement of the Tournament Recovery Zone, installed on June 23, provides an immediate sanctuary for bass following post-tournament weigh-ins. By establishing complex vertical cover at the mouth of the cove, the project ensures that heavily pressured game fish can safely acclimate, reorient and recover from stress before dispersing back into the 105,500-acre main lake. Rather than relying on traditional cedar trees that degrade over time, the new Tournament Recovery Zone utilizes a system of advanced MossBack commercial products, including 40-inch Conservation Cubes, Reed Mats, John Godwin Crappie Tower Laydowns and Fry Fortresses. The diversity of the recovery zone provides valuable habitat complexity for various fish species.

The MossBack structures are designed to quickly grow the natural algae and tiny organisms that baitfish feed on, helping create a healthy food chain around the habitat. The V-shaped limb configurations also help keep lures, hooks and weights from getting hung up, so the area doesn’t turn into a mess of broken line and lost tackle.

The event was a true community effort, made possible through crucial equipment and personnel support provided by local dealer Stewart Martin Kubota. The company supplied an operator alongside a heavy-duty Kubota SVL75-3 Track Loader to efficiently transport, manipulate and load the structures onto deployment vessels.

The installation of the Tournament Recovery Zone further cements Lake Eufaula's status as a premier, sustainable destination for competitive bass fishing in the United States and will help enhance the resource for generations of anglers to come.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram, Rumble and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

From Saginaw Bay to Smith Mountain Lake: Why These Two Pros Trust Suzuki

Matt Becker’s fourth year running a Suzuki Marine Outboard lines up with his entire Bass Pro Tour career. He qualified in 2023 and won Bally Bet Angler of the Year in his rookie season on the strength of a win at Stage Seven on Saginaw Bay. Four years, four Suzukis, and a Bass Pro Tour résumé that already runs to 12 top 10s and better than $480,000 in earnings.

Ask him why and reliability tops the list, but he doesn’t dress it up. “Really, there’s not a reason not to run a Suzuki,” he said. “This thing is legit.” What he cares about is what happens at the dock every morning. “I know every time I turn that key, she’s going to fire up,” he said. “She’s going to get me back to weigh-in, back to the ramp, wherever you need to get. So reliability is number one most important thing for me out on tour.”

Nick Hatfield’s a year behind Becker on the Bass Pro Tour. He qualified in 2024 and broke through last year at Heavy Hitters on Smith Mountain Lake, running away with the win by more than 12 pounds for a $110,000 payday. “I’ve got to count on this thing to get me to the fish, to get me back,” he said. “I trust this thing more than anything on this whole entire rig and it’s bulletproof.”

The second reason gets less attention: fuel economy. “This thing is as fuel efficient as a motor as I’ve had,” Hatfield said. “I’ve ran other brands in the past and this thing does great on fuel.” Becker’s take is more blunt. “This thing practically makes gas,” he said. On tour, where the fuel tank is fixed and the water isn’t, that difference decides whether you get one more pass at a school before you have to run in. “Being able to get it just a little bit further some of those times, it’s super important and can play a really big role.”

Four years for Becker. A $110,000 payday for Hatfield. Neither one’s shopping around. Hear it for yourself!

by AnglersChannel

AFTCO Partners with B.A.S.S. Nation on Seven Conservation Grants in 2026

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — AFTCO continues its strong conservation heritage by providing $25,000 in annual conservations grants to B.A.S.S. Nation Clubs in 2026. This year’s $25,000 contribution is divided among seven B.A.S.S. Nation groups to support local conservation projects in their respective areas. With this year’s grants, AFTCO’s total contributions to this program have surpassed $202,000, since its inception in 2018.

The seven grant recipients selected for 2026 are:

Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation for upgrades to a multi-purpose barge that will serve as a tournament live release boat and as a habitat installation barge used on projects statewide.
Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation for habitat improvement on Lake Perry that will include introductions of native aquatic vegetation and artificial structures.
Illinois B.A.S.S. Nation for habitat improvements on Wolf Lake, a popular water for youth fishing clinics as well as a destination for high school bass tournaments.
Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation for the purchase of a PiranhO2 oxygen concentrator to upgrade their tournament fish care system.
Lake Oconee Bassmaster for the purchase and installation of Mossback Fish Habitat structures to enhance angler catch in Lake Oconee.
New Mexico B.A.S.S. Nation for the purchase of Largemouth Bass fingerlings to bolster fish stockings done by the New Mexico Game & Fish Department.
Florida B.A.S.S. Nation for support of the non-profit organization, Mighty River Recovery, that is working to improve water quality, restore native vegetation, and bring back the fishery on the fabled St. John’s River.

All projects are locally coordinated by B.A.S.S Nation state chapters and clubs, government fishery agencies, local businesses and volunteers — including youth organizations — who contribute labor for the projects.

“We are impressed by the projects that this year’s grant recipients have taken on to improve fishing in their respective states. The projects are focused on habitat improvements and fish care which have been two important parts of our conservation efforts in freshwater. We are proud and excited to support these great projects in 2026,” said Casey Shedd, AFTCO president.

“Nine years and counting that AFTCO has supported the great conservation work that our B.A.S.S. Nation chapters and clubs are doing. The Shedd family and AFTCO’s commitment to supporting these grass-roots projects is a testament to their belief in giving back to the resource that our sport is so dependent on, and those of us at B.A.S.S. sincerely appreciate the continued support,” said Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director.

About AFTCO

Family owned and operated, the American Fishing Tackle Company (AFTCO) represents unparalleled quality, performance, and reliability when it counts most. Worn across the globe, AFTCO's fishing clothing and fishing rain gear is designed to handle the harshest elements. Whether you are a tournament bass angler looking to stay dry in a late fall downpour or an offshore weekend warrior seeking protection from the sun's harmful UV rays, AFTCO keeps you fishing comfortably.

AFTCO reflects a legacy of firsts. From former company Chairman Milt Shedd's pioneering conservation achievements, to the invention of the roller guide and the introduction of the world's first pair of true fishing shorts, AFTCO provides conservation leadership and innovative products proven to deliver performance on the water. Our passion for the outdoors goes beyond our product offering because of an unwavering commitment to help protect our fishing resources and angler rights. Through our 10% Pledge to Protect and Conserve, your purchase of any AFTCO product directly supports conservation initiatives.

About B.A.S.S.

by AnglersChannel

MLF Unveils 2027 Bass Pro Tour Schedule

BENTON, Ky. (July 7, 2026) – Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today the 2027 Bass Pro Tour schedule, featuring seven regular-season events, Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2027 and the Kubota Heavy Hitters all-star event.

The 2027 season will feature 50 of the top anglers in professional bass fishing competing for the sport’s biggest payouts, Fishing Clash Angler of the Year honors and qualification into REDCREST 2028, MLF’s most prestigious championship event.

The 2027 Bass Pro Tour season will open Jan. 14-17 at the St. Johns River in Palatka, Florida, before traveling to fisheries across Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, New York and North Carolina. The schedule includes a mix of legendary tournament destinations, dynamic river systems, proven big-bass fisheries and a dual-lake event in the Shreveport-Bossier region featuring Caddo Lake and Cross Lake.

“The 2027 Bass Pro Tour schedule is exactly what this league is built for – great fisheries, passionate host communities and the best anglers in the world competing in a format that showcases every decision they make on the water,” said Daniel Fennel, MLF Senior Director of Tournament Operations for the Bass Pro Tour. “From historic venues like the St. Johns River, Toledo Bend and Lake Champlain to exciting stops like the Pasquotank River and our dual-lake event in Louisiana, this schedule will give our anglers a tremendous test and give fans a season full of storylines to follow, from start to finish.”

A major highlight of the 2027 season will be Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2027, the Bass Pro Tour championship, set for April 16-18 on Logan Martin Lake near Birmingham, Alabama. The championship event will feature top pro anglers from MLF competing for the REDCREST title and a $300,000 top prize.

The 2027 season will also include the fan-favorite all-star event Kubota Heavy Hitters, May 22-27, on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Calvert City, Kentucky. The tournament will showcase the Tour’s top big-fish performers and award multiple Big Bass Awards for the heaviest bass caught during competition.

Each regular-season Bass Pro Tour event will feature the full field of anglers competing in the Qualifying Round on Days 1 and 2, followed by the Knockout Round on Day 3 and the Championship Round on Day 4. MLF’s signature catch-weigh-release format delivers real-time scoring via the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard and live coverage for fans throughout each day of competition.

Every minute of Bass Pro Tour competition will be streamed live on MLFNOW! through the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), Rumble and MajorLeagueFishing.com, giving fans unprecedented access to the strategies, adjustments and on-the-water drama that define the Bass Pro Tour.

With a stacked schedule, championship stakes and a field of the most accomplished anglers in professional fishing, the 2027 Bass Pro Tour season is poised to deliver another year of dramatic finishes and unforgettable big-bass action.

2027 MLF Bass Pro Tour Schedule:

Jan. 14-17                        Stage 1 at St. Johns River                                                                     Palatka, Fla.
  Ramp/Marina: Palatka City Dock & Boat Ramp
  Hosted by the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce

Feb. 25-28                       Stage 2 at Caddo Lake (Days 1-2) & Cross Lake (Days 3-4) Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
  Ramp/Marina: Earl G. Williamson Park (Caddo Lake) and the American Legion Landing (Cross Lake)
  Hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission

March 11-14                  Stage 3 at Norris Lake                                                                          Campbell County, Tenn.
  Ramp/Marina: Lonas Young Memorial Park
  Hosted by the Campbell County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism and Bill Dance Signature Lakes

April 1-4                          Stage 4 at Toledo Bend Reservoir                                                     Hemphill, Texas
  Ramp/Marina: Sabinetown Recreation Area
  Hosted by Visit Sabine County and the Sabine River Authority of Texas

April 16-18                     REDCREST 2027 at Logan Martin Lake                                        Birmingham, Ala.
  Ramp/Marina: Lincoln’s Landing
  Hosted by the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau

April 29-May 2              Stage 5 at Lake Champlain                                                                 Plattsburgh, N.Y.
  Ramp/Marina: Plattsburgh City Marina
  Hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau

May 22-27                       MLF Heavy Hitters at Kentucky-Barkley Lakes                        Calvert City, Ky.
  Ramp/Marina: Kentucky Dam Marina
  Hosted by the Kentucky-Barkley Lakes Partnership

June 24-27                      Stage 6 at Pickwick Lake                                                                     Counce, Tenn.
  Ramp/Marina: Pickwick Landing State Park
  Hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake-Hardin County Tourism and Bill Dance Signature Lakes

Aug. 5-8                            Stage 7 at Pasquotank River                                                             Elizabeth City, N.C.
  Ramp/Marina: Waterfront Park
  Hosted by Visit Elizabeth City

Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing Co., B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Force, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF! Deep Woods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine, Toyota, Yuengling and Zenni.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the 2027 Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Lew’s® Introduces HyperMag Shallow Spool 300 Spinning Reel Uncompromising Performance

New HyperMag Shallow Spool spinning reel features a 7.0:1 high-speed gear ratio, shallow braid-ready spool, magnesium frame, C40 Carbon Skeletal Rotor, AccuGear™ drive gear and 11-bearing system for serious anglers who demand speed, castability and control.

Lew’s®, a leading name in performance fishing gear, announces the launch of Lew’s HyperMag Shallow Spool 300 spinning reel, a lightweight, high-speed spinning reel engineered for rapid-fire casting, immediate slack line pickup and long, smooth casts with light braided line.

Built for anglers who need speed, precision and durability, the HyperMag Shallow Spool 300, also known as the HyperMag SS, features a 7.0:1 high-speed gear ratio that delivers quick retrieves and fast line pickup when working finesse techniques, covering water efficiently or staying connected to fast-moving fish. Its shallow spool design reduces line waste and eliminates the need for backing when fishing light braided line, helping anglers achieve smoother line lay, improved castability and longer casts.

“The HyperMag Shallow Spool 300 was designed for anglers who want a spinning reel that feels light, fast, and incredibly responsive,” said Al Keller, Lew’s Marketing Manager. “From the high-speed gear ratio to the braid-ready shallow spool and magnesium construction, every detail is engineered to help anglers cast more efficiently and fish longer with less fatigue.”

Engineered for Speed, Castability and Control

At the center of the Lew’s HyperMag SS is a lightweight magnesium frame and side plate, providing exceptional rigidity to keep internal components in precise alignment. This construction helps maintain smooth performance over time while reducing overall reel weight for improved balance and comfort.

The reel also features a C40 Carbon Skeletal Rotor, designed to increase strength while reducing weight. The result is a balanced, fatigue-reducing spinning reel that performs through long days on the water.

For smooth retrieval and long-term gear life, the HyperMag SS is built with Lew’s AccuGear™ precision-machined aluminum drive gear. This gear system is engineered to deliver refined performance, dependable strength and consistent smoothness cast after cast.

The aluminum braid-ready shallow spool allows braided line to be tied directly to the spool without slipping, removing the need for backing and reducing excess line waste. This makes the HyperMag Shallow Spool 300 an ideal spinning reel for anglers using light braid in finesse, bass, walleye and multi-species applications.

Lew’s EvenLay™ slow oscillation system helps lay line evenly across the spool, reducing line twist and supporting longer, smoother casts. Combined with the one-piece bail wire, the system helps prevent tangles and promotes a seamless casting experience.

Built for Dependability in Tough Conditions

Lew’s HyperMag Shallow Spool 300 spinning reel is designed for dependable performance in demanding fishing environments. The ClutchGuard™ protection system helps prevent water intrusion into the clutch mechanism, while the Zero Reverse® one-way clutch bearing delivers instant hook-setting power with no backplay.

A hybrid carbon drag system provides strong, smooth drag pressure for controlling hard-fighting fish, and the premium 11-bearing system ensures fluid, reliable operation throughout every retrieve.

Key Features of the Lew’s HyperMag Shallow Spool 300 Spinning Reel

7.0:1 high-speed gear ratio for quick retrieves and immediate slack line pickup
Shallow spool design to reduce line waste and eliminate the need for backing with braided line
Magnesium frame and side plate for lightweight strength, rigidity and lasting gear alignment
C40 Carbon Skeletal Rotor for reduced weight, added strength and improved balance
AccuGear™ precision-machined aluminum drive gear for smooth retrieval and extended gear life
EvenLay™ slow oscillation system to reduce line twist and maximize casting distance
ClutchGuard™ protection system to help prevent water intrusion into the clutch mechanism
Hybrid carbon drag system for strong, smooth drag performance
Premium 11-bearing system for reliable, fluid operation
Aluminum braid-ready spool that allows braid to be tied directly to the spool
One-piece bail wire for smoother casting and reduced line tangles
Zero Reverse® one-way clutch bearing for instant hook-setting power without backplay

The redesigned HyperMag Shallow Spool carries Lew's tradition of high-performance reels at a competitive price point. Visit the Rather Outdoors booth #5620 or On the Water event at ICAST 2026 to see it in action, with availability coming soon through authorized Lew's retailers.

About Rather Outdoors

Rather Outdoors is a global outdoors corporation uniting some of the most recognizable brands in the fishing space. With historic and iconic brands such as Lew’s, Strike King, Quantum, Zebco, Fox, Matrix, Salmo and Fox Rage, Rather Outdoors provides a wide assortment of fishing products worldwide in an effort to enhance angler’s success and the enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. To learn more about the Rather Outdoors brands, visit www.ratheroutdoors.com.

by AnglersChannel

AREY’S TOUGHEST TOURNAMENT YET: FAITH, FAMILY AND THE FIGHT AHEAD

Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

Professional bass fishing teaches hard lessons every single day. The weather changes, fish disappear and equipment fails. You can make every right decision and still watch a tournament totally unravel before your eyes. Over time, the sport teaches its competitors something that extends well beyond bass fishing: control what you can control, adapt to what you can't and keep moving forward.

For Team Toyota pro Matt Arey, those lessons have taken on a far deeper meaning.

After recently stepping away from the Bassmaster Elite Series following a cancer diagnosis, Arey finds himself navigating a challenge no angler ever expects. Instead of studying offshore structure or preparing for the next Elite event, his days are filled with chemotherapy treatments, doctor appointments and recovery. Yet throughout the ordeal, his outlook has remained remarkably steady. It has been a reflection of the faith, resilience and gratitude that have defined his career long before this diagnosis.

"I've been feeling pretty well, honestly," Arey said. "I finished my second round of chemo a couple weeks ago and thankfully it hasn't made me feel too sick or nauseous so far. I feel very blessed for that. That's why I always tell people that I'm doing better than I deserve."

That perspective hasn't wavered, even during the uncertainty that accompanies cancer treatment.

"My IDH and liver enzymes were really high after my first treatment but five days later, they were back in the normal range," Arey explained. "The doctor was super pleased with that."

Small victories suddenly carry enormous weight. Every encouraging blood test, every positive report from the doctor and every day that feels relatively normal becomes another reason for hope. For someone whose professional life has revolved around competing against the best anglers in the world, Arey has embraced a completely different scoreboard.

PREPARED FOR ADVERSITY

Professional bass fishing isn't just about catching fish. It's about handling disappointment. One lost fish can cost six figures. The best anglers survive because they've learned how to compartmentalize setbacks and remain mentally composed. Arey believes those same lessons have become invaluable throughout his cancer journey.

"I was prepared for this mentally because of tournament bass fishing," he said. "When things don't go your way, you absolutely cannot get spun out. Cancer does not discriminate and neither does wildlife. I went to the doctor 3 or 4 months before my diagnosis for a totally routine checkup. I had perfect numbers on everything. Full blood panel. Look how fast things changed."

It's a sobering reminder that life can change in an instant. No matter how healthy someone feels or how good their last doctor's visit looked, circumstances can shift without warning. That's one of the primary reasons Arey has become so vocal about encouraging others to stay proactive with their health.

"I want to use whatever platform I have to help people and change a few lives," he said. "I pray for that daily. If something doesn't feel right, go to the doctor. Period."

It's simple advice but advice born from firsthand experience.

FAITH PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION

Anyone who has followed Arey's career knows his faith has never been something reserved for Sunday mornings. It's something woven into every aspect of his life. Now, it has become the anchor that keeps him grounded.

"I make it a point every single day to say the Serenity Prayer with my wife."

Those few words carry tremendous significance. Rather than focusing on circumstances outside of his control, Arey continues placing his attention on what he can influence such as his attitude, his gratitude and his trust in God's plan. Even one conversation with his physician helped shape that mindset moving forward.

"When I got diagnosed, my doctor told me, 'You're standing next to a roaring river right now. I'm going to throw you into it. In 6 or 8 months, you're going to resurface and wonder what the heck just happened. But you'll feel like a new man.'"

For Arey, that analogy perfectly captures the season he's currently living through. The current is strong and the path isn't easy. There is, however, confidence that calmer water waits downstream.

FAMILY HAS BECOME THE GREATEST BLESSING

If there's one thing Arey talks about more than fishing, it's his family. His wife Emily and their two daughters have become his greatest source of strength throughout every doctor's visit and every treatment.

"My wife has not missed a single treatment or doctor's appointment," Arey said. "She is also keeping everything going for our two girls and you wouldn't believe how big of a rock she is for me right now. Besides my steadfast faith, I need that woman more than she could ever know. She has just been fantastic, as always."

While Arey has maintained an incredibly positive outlook, he admits the diagnosis initially weighed heavily on Emily.

"My wife has had a lot harder time with this than I have, to be honest. She's a lot better now that we have some sort of a treatment plan."

Having a plan matters and the unknown often creates the greatest fear. Once treatment began and the family understood the road ahead, they were able to focus less on uncertainty and more on moving forward together. Their daughters have also shown remarkable maturity.

"My two daughters have been great throughout this," Arey said. "They're very accepting and understanding. They get what's going on. They know my focus is to ensure their lives don't change. They understand that Daddy's life will change for a while but we're going to beat this, and everything will get back to normal."

That commitment to protecting normalcy extends even to family traditions.

"I can't be around a lot of people right now due to my immune system, but I insisted that my wife and girls take their annual July 4th beach trip without me," Arey said. "I didn’t want to be a burden on that trip with some of my restrictions and I'm glad they went and had fun, so I didn’t hold them back."

It's a selfless decision that perfectly reflects Arey's character. Even while facing the toughest challenge of his life, he's putting his family's happiness ahead of his own.

A RENEWED APPRECIATION

Although tournament competition has been placed on hold, fishing itself remains a vital part of Arey's life. In many ways, he says, it has become even more meaningful.

"On the bright side, I'm thoroughly enjoying the time with my family," he said. "It has also ignited a passion for just fun-fishing. I'm going once a week still, when my numbers are good. I will never stop fishing."

There's something therapeutic about time on the water. For professional anglers, it's easy for fishing to become work. Practice schedules, travel logistics, sponsorship responsibilities and tournament pressure can overshadow the simple joy that first drew them to the sport. Now, Arey is reconnecting with that original passion.

THE COMMUNITY BEHIND HIM

One of the unique qualities of professional bass fishing is the genuine camaraderie shared among competitors. While anglers battle fiercely during tournaments, they also rally around one another during life's most difficult moments. Since announcing his diagnosis, Arey has received an overwhelming amount of encouragement from fellow competitors, sponsors and fishing fans across the country. It's another reminder that bass fishing is far more than a competition. It’s a family.

For Team Toyota, Arey has long represented everything the brand values: humility, perseverance, integrity and an unwavering commitment to doing things the right way. Those same qualities are now carrying him through a challenge far bigger than any tournament.

Cancer may have interrupted his Elite Series schedule, but it hasn’t changed who Matt Arey is. If anything, it has simply revealed even more clearly the character that's always existed beneath the jersey. If there's one thing decades of tournament fishing have taught Matt Arey, it's that no matter how rough the conditions become, you never stop making the next cast.

by AnglersChannel

Gill’s Updated Infinity 2.0 Hoody and Long Sleeve Are Ready for Summer Adventures

Gill has updated its popular Infinity 2.0 Hoodie and Infinity 2.0 Long Sleeve with fresh new colors and updated branding, delivering the same trusted performance anglers and outdoor enthusiasts rely on for long days in the sun.

Available in new seasonal colors with updated branding, both styles are constructed from advanced recycled polyester fabric that is ultra-lightweight, quick-drying, and moisture-wicking to help keep you cool and comfortable throughout the day. Built-in UPF 50+ protection shields against harmful UV rays, making them essential layers for long hours on the water, at the beach, or exploring the outdoors.

The updated design features raglan sleeves for unrestricted movement and flatlock seams for all-day comfort, reducing irritation during active pursuits. The Infinity 2.0 Hoodie also includes a large-volume hood for added protection from the sun and the elements, while the Infinity 2.0 Long Sleeve is essential for warm-weather comfort.

Whether you're fishing, boating, paddling, or enjoying any outdoor adventure, the Infinity 2.0 collection delivers the breathable performance, protection, and comfort needed to stay focused from sunrise to sunset.

Now available on gillmarine.com or at your local retailer.

About Gill:
Founded in 1975, Gill is a global leader in technical marine apparel engineered for life on the water. Established by lifelong sailor Nick Gill, the brand was built on a no-compromise approach—premium fabrics, purpose-driven features, and uncompromising quality. Today, Gill is trusted by anglers, sailors, and adventurers worldwide, with every product designed, engineered, and tested beyond standards in the Gill Lab and on the water.

More than a clothing company, Gill is an engineering company, creating wearable technology that delivers maximum protection from the elements. For over 50 years, the focus has remained the same: Engineered for the Elements—providing anglers with performance-driven gear that works when conditions turn and it matters most.

Contact:
Michele Eichstead, Marketing Manager
[email protected]

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster unveils 2026 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings, celebrating America’s greatest fisheries during America250

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday, Bassmaster Magazine is honoring one of America’s greatest public treasures, its world-class bass fisheries.

Today, the publication releases its annual 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings, showcasing the nation’s premier destinations for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass fishing from coast to coast. This year’s rankings embrace the spirit of America250, highlighting the incredible diversity of public waters that belong to every American and reminding anglers that some of the country’s greatest adventures begin at a local boat ramp.

"From sea to shining sea, America is blessed with an incredible variety of bass fisheries," said James Hall, Editor-in-Chief of Bassmaster Magazine. "Whether it’s the tidal rivers of the East Coast, legendary Southern reservoirs, crystal-clear Northern lakes or trophy fisheries in the West, these waters are part of our nation’s outdoor heritage. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, there’s no better time to hitch up the boat and experience the very best bass fishing our country has to offer."

Compiled by the editorial staff of Bassmaster Magazine, the rankings are based on tournament results, state fisheries data, input from fisheries biologists, B.A.S.S. Nation leaders and local experts, as well as feedback from anglers across the country.

Full rankings can be found in the July/August issue of Bassmaster Magazine and on Bassmaster.com.

Bassmaster Magazine's Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2026

Clear Lake, California — The nation’s premier trophy largemouth destination.
Lake J.B. Thomas, Texas — The hottest emerging big-bass fishery in America.
St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), New York — World-renowned for giant smallmouth bass.
Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina — A legendary trophy largemouth factory.
Lake St. Clair, Michigan — One of the world’s finest smallmouth fisheries.
Lake Fork, Texas — A perennial producer of double-digit largemouth.
Lake Tohopekaliga/Kissimmee Chain, Florida — Florida’s premier destination for giant bass.
O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas — Continues its remarkable run of trophy bass production.
Withlacoochee River/Lake Rousseau, Florida — Consistent producer of heavyweight largemouth.
Caney Creek Reservoir, Louisiana — A small lake with outsized trophy potential.

Regional Top 25

Best Bass Lakes - Northeastern Division

St. Lawrence River, New York
Lake St. Clair, Michigan
Lake Erie, New York
Lake Erie, Ohio/Michigan
Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont
Burt/Mullett lakes, Michigan
Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan
Cayuga Lake, New York
Lake Charlevoix, Michigan
Bays de Noc, Michigan
Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine
China Lake, Maine
Candlewood Lake, Connecticut
Presque Isle Bay/Lake Erie Central Basin, Pennsylvania
Great Pond, Maine
Oneida Lake, New York
Upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
Saginaw Bay, Michigan
Potomac River, Maryland/West Virginia/Virginia
Chautauqua Lake, New York
Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
Lake Cumberland, Kentucky
Pymatuning Reservoir, Ohio/Pennsylvania
Shenango River Lake, Pennsylvania

Best Bass Lakes - Southeastern Division

Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina
Lake Tohopekaliga/Kissimmee Chain, Florida
Withlacoochee River/Lake Rousseau, Florida
Lake Guntersville, Alabama
Lake Murray, South Carolina
Albemarle Sound/Pasquotank River/Roanoke River/Chowan River/North River/Alligator River, North Carolina
Falls Lake, North Carolina
Orange Lake, Florida
Jordan Lake, North Carolina
Fellsmere Reservoir/Headwaters/Lake Egan, Florida
Lake Lanier, Georgia
Pickwick Lake, Alabama/Tennessee/Mississippi
Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia
Clarks Hill Reservoir, Georgia/South Carolina
Lake Talquin, Florida
Kentucky Lake, Tennessee/Kentucky
Lake Seminole, Georgia/Florida
Cooper River, South Carolina
High Rock Lake, North Carolina
Dale Hollow Reservoir, Tennessee/Kentucky
Harris Chain of Lakes, Florida
Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi
South Holston Reservoir, Tennessee/Virginia
Nickajack Lake, Tennessee
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina/Georgia

Best Bass Lakes - Central Division

Lake J.B. Thomas, Texas
Lake Fork, Texas
O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
Caney Creek Reservoir, Louisiana
Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana
Toledo Bend, Louisiana/Texas
Mille Lacs, Minnesota
Upper Mississippi River, Wisconsin/Minnesota
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
Black Bayou Lake, Louisiana
Bois d’Arc Lake, Texas
Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Oklahoma
West Okoboji Lake, Iowa
Lake Texoma, Oklahoma/Texas
Millwood Lake, Arkansas
Lake Ray Roberts, Texas
La Cygne Lake, Kansas
Lake D’Arbonne, Louisiana
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma
Lake Claiborne, Louisiana
Table Rock Lake, Missouri
Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas
Belton Lake, Texas
Lake Conroe, Texas

Best Bass Lakes - Western Division

Clear Lake, California
Diamond Valley Lake, California
Lake Isabella, California
Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Lake Spokane/Long Lake, Washington
Lake Perris, California
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
Moses Lake, Washington
Sprague Lake, Washington
Lower Otay Reservoir, California
Lake Casitas, California
Apache Lake, Arizona
Lake Washington, Washington
Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
Noxon Rapids Reservoir, Montana
Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho
Siltcoos Lake, Oregon
Potholes Reservoir, Washington
Lower Colorado River, Arizona/California
Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona
Eastman Lake, California
Sand Hollow Reservoir, Utah
Navajo Lake, New Mexico/Colorado
Tenmile Lakes, Oregon
Pelican Lake, Utah

States with the Most Lakes in the Rankings

Texas: 10
California: 9
Florida: 7
Michigan: 7
Louisiana: 6
New York: 6
North Carolina: 5
Georgia: 5
Tennessee: 5
Washington: 5

About B.A.S.S.

by AnglersChannel

Rich Craft Wins BAM Super 60 Brownlee

HUNTINGTON, Ore. – After zeroing out the weights for Championship Sunday, Rich Craft of Puyallup, Wash. sealed the victory with a five-fish limit of 18.26 at the second stop of the 2026 BAM Super 60 Pro Tour on Brownlee Reservoir.

Craft led the top-10 field into Championship Sunday after qualifying with a two-day total of 34.97 and 25 keepers. His win earned the $50,000 top prize at the televised bass battle presented by the City of Huntington, Oregon, Bass Boat Technologies,

Tackle Warehouse and conservation sponsor Fisherman’s Warehouse.

“It’s surreal – it’s crazy,” he said. “It still hasn’t sunk in. It’s crazy to have three days come together like they did with zero practice.”

Rather than force a rigid plan, Craft allowed the fish to dictate his decisions throughout the tournament. That flexibility ultimately produced the winning weight.

Roboworm Straight Tail Worm

"I had a gut feeling today and switched to a Roboworm,” he said. “I caught a fish that gave me a one-pound upgrade, and I won by just a pound."

Craft's early event centered around bluff walls before conditions forced a transition.

BAM 2026 S60 BROWNLEE Champion - Rich Craft

"For that topwater bite, you got to find the steepest bluff walls," he said. "You've got to throw it like an inch from the bluff. Let it sit there and give it a couple of twitches and if they don't blow up on it, reel it in and do it again. They hit within the first two-feet."

Teckel USA Kicknocker Walking Bait

His topwater presentation featured a Teckel Kicknocker thrown on a Dobyns Champion Extreme 703.

As the conditions changed, his winning pattern evolved.

"Once the wind started, my topwater bite died," he said. "I went to the dropshot. I was flippin' a bait ball with the dropshot. It was on a bank in 30-feet of water."

Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm

Craft's dropshot setup was tied to seven-pound Sunline and thrown on a Dobyns XTASY 752. He relied on a Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm in Natural Shad before making the tournament-winning shift.

"I switched up today to a six-inch Roboworm with a straight tail in Texas Tilapia,” he said.

Craft offered simple advice for anglers approaching unfamiliar water as he did.

"Keep an open mind, especially these without practice," he said. "If you come in with game plan, especially when it doesn't work out. You have to be flexible, keep moving and stick to your confidence baits."

Hickey's Reset Takes Runner-Up

Disappointed by 14.87, Jason Hickey of Weiser, Idaho rebounded from his opening day. He added 16.16 on Day Two to qualify for Championship Sunday with a total weight of 32.03. His final day of competition earned the second place position with 17.33 pounds for a $8,467.00 payday.

"The only thing that didn't go right was the first day," he said. "I put in a bunch of time in the river. I was gonna run up the river, but the bottom fell out – like the craziest, lowest I've ever seen that river, and I couldn't get up there."

Instead of forcing the original plan, Hickey abandoned it and restarted from scratch.

"I went out and fished old school stuff that I've fished all my life," he said.

Electronics became an important tool, but not for the reason many might expect.

"I've got two LVS34 Live transducers on the back end of my boat, one on either of the jackplate, so I can do LiveScope scanning while I am idling," he explained.

Rather than searching for bass, Hickey focused on finding forage.

"Once I realized that these specific groups of crappie – the way the set up – if I could find those, I didn't need to see bass,” he revealed. “I just needed to see the bait. Brownlee bass, they eat crappie. That's their primary forage."

Fishing bait-rich areas in 25- to 40-feet of water, Hickey relied on a Carolina-rig with four- to six-inch creature baits in any variation of Green Pumpkin.

"I was throwing a heavy action rod with 20-pound fluorocarbon, a 1-oz lead sinker, and 20-inch leader,” he said. “Usually with simple stuff like a lizard or Super Spook.”

Mariani Adjusts to Finish Third

California pro Joe Mariani of Winters reached Championship Sunday after qualifying with 82 scorable bass, before sacking up 16.18 for a final-day performance to finish third and earn $6,831.

His strategy centered around Google Earth research and quantity over quality.

"Farther down the lake, it looked more like a lake than a river and I would prefer to fish a lake than a river and so I kind of just took the boat that way in the morning and found cleaner water,” he said. “Cleaner water smallmouth are easier to catch and that proved to be true."

Mariani targeted deeper smallmouth in the 25- to 40-foot range.

"I was drosphotting a little Berkley Flat Worm, which is a classic staple smallmouth bait,” he said. “Right off the bat, they were biting it, so I just stuck with it."

His dropshot consisted of a Goby-colored Flat Worm with a 1/4-ounce weight on a 7’2” spinning rod. The plastic was tied to 15-pound braid connected to a 10-pound leader.

Shifting from keeper count to heaviest five, Championship Sunday required Mariani to come with a completely different approach.

"The first two days, I was not around the fish to win,” he said. “I decided to go shallow in the trees and bushes around the cuts."

The adjustment paid immediate dividends.

"I used the urchin bait and landed 60 fish,” he added.

Hideup Kyu Coike-black

Hideup Kyu Coike Mariani threw the 13 mm Hideup Coike in a dark brown color with a nail weight and single hook. "It has a slow sink, just twitch a couple times and they come and get it,” he said. Three days of competition ultimately showcased the versatility of Brownlee Reservoir. BAM’s next Super 60 Pro Tour stop will be at the Columbia River on July 31 – August 2. It is the final regular season event of the year.

“The BAM Super 60 was a tremendous event and a pleasure to be part of. It was great working with the BAM staff and such a great group of anglers. The Brownlee Super 60 was a huge success, and everyone in Huntington really enjoyed having the event here. From everything I heard, the anglers had an outstanding experience as well. I’ll do everything I can to help bring BAM back to Huntington. Thank you very much for putting on such a great event!” — Travis Young

Note: BAM Pro Tour anglers are ranked in Pro Tour events by both the heaviest five fish limit (Weight) and numbers of scorable bass caught (Keepers).

First place is held by the angler with the five heaviest bass, and second place is the highest keeper count. The standings then continue to alternate by weight/keepers.

Anglers ranked by weight on the leaderboard are denoted with an asterisk.

Anglers add to both of their Day One rankings on Day Two as an accumulated two-day total. Once both days are tallied, the field is cut to the top-10, all results are zero-ed out and the final 10 anglers fish for the five heaviest bass on Day Three to determine the champion.

Best of the Rest

BAM Super 60 Brownlee Final Day Top 10

Full Final Results And Payout

Event Overview

The West’s top professional bass anglers will converge on Brownlee Reservoir for the second stop of the BAM Trail Super 60 Pro Tour. Presented by the City of Huntington, Oregon, Bass Boat Technologies, and Tackle Warehouse, this premier televised bass fishing event promises three days of intense competition as anglers battle for championship honors, big bass awards, and a share of one of the richest payouts in Western bass fishing.

Launching from Farewell Bend State Park, the three-day event will showcase the best anglers in the West while delivering extensive media exposure through the BAM Trail television series, live tournament broadcasts, social media, podcasts, websites, and Bass Angler Magazine’s print and digital platforms.

Hosted in partnership with the City of Huntington, OR the event is expected to bring anglers and their families from across the Western United States to the Huntington area, generating tourism and economic impact for local businesses.”

Media representatives are welcome to attend to report, film, interview anglers, or cover the event.

For media requests contact: Mark Lassagne 925-787-3474 [email protected]

Tournament Schedule:

The lake has been off-limits and no Information and to all contestants since May 26th There are no Official Practice days

Daily weigh-ins will take place at Stevenson Memorial Lion’s Park and are open to the public.

Friday afternoon June 26: Live weigh in starting at 3:00 pm

Saturday afternoon June 27: Live weigh-in starting at 3:00 pm

Top Ten Pro’s and Co’s are announced.

Award the Tackle Warehouse and Black Bear Diner contingency winners

Payouts from 11th place through the final paid position.

Sunday afternoon June 28: Live weigh-in starting 3:00 pm

Top Ten Pro’s compete for the championship

Awards will include a $50,000 check, the Bass Boat Technologies $500 contingency, and payouts to the Top 10.

Complete Rules and Event Information is Available at www.bamtrail.com

by AnglersChannel

THE FIELD IS SET — 2027 ALABAMA BASS TRAIL 100!

DECATUR, Ala. The Alabama Bass Trail has officially set the field for the 2027 Alabama Bass Trail 100, bringing together 100 teams and 200 anglers for one of the most anticipated tournament fields in the sport.

This year's roster brings anglers from across the country, with teams representing Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Arkansas, Kansas, and Illinois, proof that the ABT 100 has become a can't-miss event for tournament anglers everywhere.

From seasoned veterans to father-son and family duos, friends fishing as partners, and a few wildcard pairings still locking in their final spot, this field is stacked with talent and ready to compete for the title.

100 boats. 200 anglers. One championship field. Get ready, 2027 is coming.

The field also arrives alongside the largest payouts in ABT 100 history. The 2027 season purse tops $750,000 in total cash and prizes, up from over $300,000 in 2026, with each event now guaranteeing a $50,000 first-place prize, double last year's $25,000 payout.

2027 ABT100 TEAM ROSTER

About the Alabama Bass Trail

The Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) is a premier competitive bass fishing tournament series showcasing Alabama's world-class fisheries. The Alabama Bass Trail 100 is ABT's flagship 100-team tournament, drawing competitors from across the country to compete for the title.

The Alabama Bass Trail is made possible through the support of its sponsors: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, 13 Fishing, Rapala, VMC, CRUSHCITY, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Jack's, Garmin, Thompson Tractor Company, PiranhO2, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag Proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, Alfa Insurance – Thomas ALFA MAN Shelton, TH Marine Supplies, Power Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, Yamaha, SCUM FROG, E3 Sports Apparel, FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama and Alabama Mountain Lakes.

Download and listen to the ABT Podcast for tournament recaps, angler interviews and inside coverage from across the Alabama Bass Trail.

by AnglersChannel

Ultimate Angler's Collegiate Contingent

Toledo Bend wasn't supposed to be about Daylon Milam, Trace Antunes, and Peyton Sorrow.

The headline belonged to Andrew Rickman, who hauled in 95 pounds, 15 ounces over three days at the B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier there — a number that didn't just beat the previous Nation record, it buried it. The old mark, 77-6, had stood since Dylan Nutt set it at Pickwick in 2025. Rickman beat it by more than 23 pounds and still had 13 pounds, 8 ounces to spare over second place.

Second place was Milam. Third was Antunes. Sixth was Sorrow.

Turns out the headline belonged to the contingent after all. Rickman fished collegiately himself, at Dallas Baptist, and a tournament that produced six total finishes heavier than the old Nation record came down, top to bottom, to a field stacked with college anglers.

All three are headed to Lake Guntersville this fall for the Ultimate Angler Championship. So is Rickman — that win punched his own UAC ticket — and so is Nutt, the man whose record he broke and the reigning Bassmaster Classic champion, along with his twin brother and fellow qualifier, Carter Nutt. None of the six got there the easy way, and the collegiate ranks are about to show up in force.

The $500 Mistake, and the One That Almost Got Away

Sorrow's path to Guntersville started with him forgetting he was even in it.

He'd signed up, paid his Unified Pros dues, and moved on with a busy spring — guiding clients on Lake Hartwell back home in South Carolina, finishing up at Montevallo, lining up a transfer to West Alabama for grad school. The UAC verification email landed and caught him off guard. He hadn't forgotten the tournament. He'd forgotten he'd entered it.

His fishing partner wasn't so lucky. Sorrow fished Lake Seminole this year with a co-angler named Brady McCormick, who kept meaning to get his own Unified Pros membership squared away and kept putting it off. McCormick never signed up. A $500 mistake locked him out of a half-million-dollar tournament, and Sorrow is headed to Guntersville without him.

Guntersville itself is the thing that has Sorrow's attention now, and not in a comfortable way. He grew up fishing highland reservoirs, the kind of water where you can look around and get a read on where the fish ought to be. Guntersville doesn't work that way.

“The only thing I don't like about the place is how you look around, and it looks like a fish could live in every inch of it,” Sorrow said. “I'm used to these highland reservoirs where you can just about tell where they're gonna be at. You look at a 30-acre mat, and you have no idea where to even start.”

He's planning to get up there and pre-fish before the off-limits window closes, and he's doing it without the tool that's carried him through most of his college career. LiveScope has been close to mandatory on the college trail — Sorrow puts the number at roughly 75 percent of the time, with the Arkansas River as the exception that proved the rule, four inches of visibility forcing him and a partner to swim a jig blind through grass all day. Guntersville won't allow electronics for UAC. Sorrow's banking on a week of pre-fishing to make up the difference.

Joining the Club the Hard Way

Milam's road to Guntersville ran through a tournament he didn't get credit for.

In January, he and roommate Trace Antunes won the Alabama Bass Trail 100 opener at Smith Lake — 15.98 pounds through fog, cold water, and a three-hour takeoff delay, good for $25,000 plus an $8,000 Phoenix bonus. Antunes was a Unified Pros member. The win punched his ticket to Guntersville on the spot.

Milam wasn't a member. Same boat, same fish, same trophy — no invite.

He joined Unified Pros not long after, and the timing mattered more than he could have known. Later on the collegiate trail, fishing the MLF College Fishing National Championship on Lake Murray alongside James Dubose, Milam helped put up 69 pounds, 7 ounces over three days — good for second, just over a pound behind champions Matthew Knopp and Logan Russell of Lander University. Montevallo put three different duos in the top five that week. This time, when the result counted, Milam had his membership in order.

Of his college teammates alone, he counts four or five who've already qualified for Ultimate Angler. He won't be surprised if that number hits seven or eight by season's end.

“I can think of 4 or 5 college teammates that have qualified for Ultimate Angler, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that number at 7 or 8 by the end of the season,” Milam said. “Yeah, we'll work together as much as the rules allow. It won't be specifics, but we can certainly break down a lake as a group.”

It's how this group has operated since Montevallo. Milam, Antunes, and Sorrow travel and fish together, room together, and make a habit of visiting each other's home water to learn it before they need to. Milam spent time in Texas with Antunes ahead of the Toledo Bend qualifier. The arrangement paid off for both of them.

“College fishing has been an amazing experience,” Milam said. “Getting to travel to different lakes for competition has made a huge difference. We even go to one another's home lakes to learn.”

Guntersville isn't entirely unfamiliar ground for Milam — he's fished it four times as a college angler, and he and Antunes fished an Ikon Tailgate Tour event there together, a result good enough to qualify them for the Ikon Championship even without a win. But comfort is a different question.

“I'm really not a TVA kind of angler,” he said. “I'm more comfortable on deep, clear reservoirs, but I plan to spend a week up at Guntersville prior to the cutoff to get more familiar.”

That week will have to fit into a fall that's already full. Between now and the end of the season, Milam is also fishing the Ikon Tailgate Tour Championship and the B.A.S.S. Nation National Championship at Lake Hartwell — fitting, given that's the lake Sorrow calls home.

Two Jobs, One Summer

None of this happens without money, and none of these three are pretending otherwise.

Milam spent his summer working two jobs to keep the fishing season funded — warehouse shifts at Stateline Waterworks during the week, landscaping work on the side. Sorrow guides on Hartwell. Both are transferring to West Alabama for their senior year this fall, part of a wave of Montevallo anglers making the same move, chasing eligibility and a program that'll let them keep fishing at this level.

Sorrow is doing the math on what a UAC win would actually mean. He's already said he's holding off on Opens, Invitationals, and the Pro Circuit until grad school is finished — he doesn't want his attention split while he's trying to do both well. A half-million-dollar payday would change that math fast, and he knows it.

Milam and Sorrow won't be fishing this one in a small crowd. Brody Robison, who lined up alongside Sorrow for that fifth-place finish at the National Championship on Lake Murray, qualified on his own merits as well. So did Gerald Scott Brumbaugh Jr., Michael Markham, Logan Fisher, Scooter Ligon, and Jackson Thomas — different schools, different qualifying paths, same fall plans. Ridge Faircloth and Max Hondorp punched their ticket as a team. By the time the field sets up on Guntersville, the college trail won't be a subplot. It'll be most of the story.

What ties this group together is bigger than one tournament or one school. It's a wave of college anglers who fish each other's water before they ever fish for money, and who'll spend this fall on the same leaderboards as multiple Classic champions, and a roster of qualifiers that keeps getting longer the closer Guntersville gets.

Guntersville will sort out who's actually ready for it. The collegiate ranks are about to find out together.

To learn more about the Ultimate Angler Championship, visit theultimateangler.org.

by AnglersChannel

Ultimate Angler World Championship Returns to Scottsboro with $500,000 Top Prize, Free Outdoor Expo, and Live Concert

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — The Ultimate Angler World Championship will return to Lake Guntersville and Goose Pond Colony from Sept. 27 through Oct. 3, bringing seven days of elite competition, outdoor entertainment, and family activities to Scottsboro.

The weeklong event will feature 200 professional and amateur anglers competing for more than $1 million in payouts, including a $500,000 first-place prize.

Championship competition will conclude Saturday, Oct. 3, with the crowning of the 2026 Ultimate Angler champion.

Running alongside the final days of competition, the Ultimate Angler Outdoor Expo will take place Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3. The expo is free and open to the public.

Visitors can expect exhibitor booths, product demonstrations, meet-and-greets with professional anglers, conservation exhibits, food vendors, family activities, and a free concert following the championship finale on Saturday evening.

Event organizers expect anglers, families, and outdoor enthusiasts from across the country to travel to Scottsboro for the championship, generating a significant economic impact for local businesses, restaurants, hotels, and tourism partners.

"The Ultimate Angler was created to bring together the best anglers in sport while creating an experience the entire community can enjoy," said Lori Waller, Event Director for the Ultimate Angler World Championship.

"Whether you're a serious angler, an outdoor enthusiast, or simply looking for a great family event, there will be something for everyone. From the competition on the water to the expo and free concert, this week is about celebrating the outdoor lifestyle and showcasing everything our region has to offer."

Vendor registration for the Outdoor Expo is now open. Businesses and organizations in the fishing, boating, hunting, outdoor recreation, tourism, and lifestyle industries are encouraged to participate.

Companies interested in partnership opportunities can contact the Ultimate Angler team at 256-934-9330.

Vendor registration information is available at www.TheUltimateAngler.org/vendor-registration.

Additional details, including the concert lineup, event schedule, and participating exhibitors, will be announced in the coming months.

About the Ultimate Angler World Championship

Hosted by Unified Pros, the Ultimate Angler World Championship brings together 200 of the top professional and amateur anglers from across the country to compete on Lake Guntersville. The event combines elite competition with conservation initiatives, youth education programs, and community engagement while highlighting Scottsboro and Jackson County as premier outdoor destinations.

Media Contact:

Lori Waller
Event Director, Ultimate Angler World Championship
256-934-9330
www.TheUltimateAngler.org

by AnglersChannel

Pro Charging Systems: Saluting Veterans, One Charger at a Time

As the country marks its 250th birthday, the Tennessee-based maker of Dual Pro chargers is spotlighting a program that’s quietly outfitted veterans with free, reconditioned chargers for years.

Pro Charging Systems, the company behind the Dual Pro line of marine battery chargers, wants more anglers to know about a program it’s run for years: certified reconditioned chargers, free to eligible American veterans.

The American Veteran Appreciation Program covers veterans who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard. Eligible applicants receive a free certified reconditioned Dual Pro charger, or a discount on select specialty products while supplies last. Veterans apply directly through Pro Charging Systems’ website; the company responds within 48 hours.

The program has run in the background of Pro Charging Systems’ work for years. The company has designed and built chargers from its facility outside Nashville since 1989, when it introduced the industry’s first dual-bank waterproof marine charger, and durability has been the brand’s calling card ever since.

Anglers Channel insider Danny Blandford saw the program firsthand while producing a recent video on Pro Charging Systems’ shift to high-frequency charging technology. Blandford is mid-conversion on his own boat, swapping a 12-volt lead acid system for 12/24 lithium, which left him with a legacy Dual Pro charger he no longer needed.

“My boat came factory-equipped with Dual Pro, and even as a legacy model, it still works perfectly,” Blandford said. “Instead of letting it sit on a shelf in my shop, I sent it back to Pro Charging Systems. They test it, repair or refurbish it if it needs it, and it goes straight into the veteran program.”

A retired charger doesn’t have to be e-waste, and donations are always welcome. But the program doesn’t run on donations — it runs on awareness. With the country’s 250th anniversary putting service in the national spotlight, Pro Charging Systems’ message this summer is direct: if you served, a charger is waiting for you.

Veterans can apply for the American Veteran Appreciation Program at Dualpro.com/pages/veteran-discount. Anglers interested in donating a retired charger or learning more about Pro Charging Systems’ Eagle High Frequency line can reach the company through its contact page.

About Pro Charging Systems

Pro Charging Systems, maker of the Dual Pro line of battery chargers, has designed and manufactured advanced charging and energy management products from its facility outside Nashville, Tennessee since 1989. The company serves the marine, golf cart, industrial and recreational markets and is known for durability, in-house testing and customer support.

by AnglersChannel

Chester’s Milton Dominates Field for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at James River

Powhatan’s Picucci Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division

HENRICO, Va. (June 29, 2026) – Boater Thomas Milton of Chester, Virginia, caught a total of five bass weighing 26 pounds, 1 ounce, Sunday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the James River . The tournament, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, was the fourth of five events of the season for the BFL Piedmont Division. Milton earned $3,080 for his victory.

“I practiced for two days and didn’t really find anything, anywhere,” Milton said. “I figured my best bet with the clouds would be to run down to the Chickahominy (River) and throw a frog all day.”

Milton said he focused his plan of attack at lily pads on the middle section of the Chickahominy and used a bluegill-colored frog as his bait of choice.

“I had a lot of confidence in that color, because at one point I opened my livewell and there were two dead bluegill in there. The frog and the morning bite were key,” Milton said. “The sun came out about 11:00, and I never got another bite.”

Milton said he caught 10 keepers on his home waters during the tournament, and his confidence was running high when at 9 o’clock he put a 6-pounder in the livewell followed by another quality keeper three casts later.

“I was still fishing hard,” Milton said. “I know firsthand this river can be very good to some people, and I kind of tend to fish with the ‘never enough’ mentality.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Thomas Milton, Chester, Va., five bass, 26-1, $3,080
2nd:      Brandon Miskell, Vienna, Va., five bass, 17-11, $1,420
3rd:       Ron Rousseau, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 16-10, $740
4th:        Ben Dalton, Bracey, Va., five bass, 16-2, $600
5th:        Andrew George, Poplar Branch, N.C., five bass, 16-1, $1,030 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
6th:        Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 15-8, $460
7th:        Conrad Manuel, Pilot Mountain, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $450
8th:        Aaron Dixon, Bel Alton, Md., five bass, 14-9, $430
9th:        Ben Reynolds, Callands, Va., five bass, 14-4, $410
10th:     Steve Allender, Fallston, Md., five bass, 14-2, $400

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Tournament winner Milton earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing his 6-pound, 8-ounce bass worth $200.

Zach Picucci of Powhatan, Virginia, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,440 Sunday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Zach Picucci, Powhatan, Va., three bass, 9-10, $1,440
2nd:      Timothy Kinder, Fairfax, Va., three bass, 9-1, $810
3rd:       Eric Nelson, Gainesville, Va., three bass, 8-14, $370
4th:        David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., three bass, 8-6, $400
5th:        Ryan Spivey, Fairfax, Va., three bass, 8-4, $265
6th:        Adam Oxendine, Pembroke, N.C., three bass, 7-7, $230
7th:        Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., three bass, 7-6, $230
8th:        Tracey Gravely, Petersburg, Va., three bass, 7-3, $215
9th:        Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., three bass, 7-1, $205
9th:        Michael Abel, Moyock, N.C., three bass, 7-1, $205

Timothy Kinder of Fairfax, Virginia, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 4-pound, 8-ounce bass worth $100.

After four events, Conrad Manuel of Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, now leads the 7 Brew Piedmont Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 959 points, while Allen Haigh of Prospect Hill, North Carolina, leads the Piedmont Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 977 points.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

by AnglersChannel

Pawnee’s Mull Gets Fifth Career Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Lake Shelbyville

Effingham’s Hille Earns Victory in Co-Angler Division

SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (June 29, 2026) – Boater Jeremy Mull of Pawnee, Illinois, caught a total of five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Shelbyville . The tournament was the third of five events of the season for the BFL Illini Division. Mull earned $5,280, including a $2,500 Phoenix bonus, for his victory.

“I had a terrible practice,” Mull said. “I got one bite late in the last hour of practice that kind of keyed me in to what I thought they may be doing. I had that one bite, and I just ran with that, and it actually resulted in a very good tournament.”

Mull said he fished mid-lake to the dam and relied on a green pumpkin 3/8-ounce Strike King Denny Brauer Baby Structure Jig to trigger strikes in 6 to 8 feet of water. High water had left the old bank line of green brush submerged, and Mull focused his jig on the brush on the old bank line. Mull said his method accounted for 15 keepers during the tournament.

“All day long I kept thinking I needed one more big one,” Mull said. “I had my biggest bite with an hour left to go, and it was almost a 4-pounder, but even still at that point I thought, ‘I need one more big one.’ You never feel like you’ve got enough.”

His weight of 16-8, however, proved to be enough, and Mull recorded his fifth BFL win on Lake Shelbyville.

“This feels wonderful,” Mull said. “I love Shelbyville. It’s one of the better lakes around here, but it can be a very tough lake, too. I’ve spent a lot of time on it, and getting another win there is great.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Jeremy Mull, Pawnee, Ill., five bass, 16-8, $5,280 (includes $2,500 Phoenix bonus)
2nd:      Jon Kringer, Cowden, Ill., five bass, 14-3, $1,420
3rd:       Matthew Warren, Benton, Ill., five bass, 12-14, $740
4th:        Robert Neff, Roodhouse, Ill., five bass, 12-12, $600
5th:        Chandler Larson, Dekalb, Ill., four bass, 11-2, $730
6th:        Garrett McDowell, Windsor, Ill., four bass, 9-13, $460
7th:        Dan Shoraga, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 9-6, $450
8th:        Larry Caldwell, Saint Peters, Mo., four bass, 9-4, $430
9th:        Aaron Arning, Walnut Hill, Ill., four bass, 9-1, $410
10th:     Marion Cordes, Sullivan, Ill., three bass, 8-5, $400

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Chandler Larson of Dekalb, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass worth $200.

Andy Hille of Effingham, Illinois, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,390 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 2 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Andy Hille, Effingham, Ill., three bass, 10-2, $1,390
2nd:      Michael Ratts, Iuka, Ill., three bass, 9-12, $810
3rd:       Tyler Madlem, Kalamazoo, Mich., three bass, 8-1, $370
4th:        Brandon, Depew, Odin, Ill., three bass, 7-14, $300
5th:        Scott Payne, Ingraham, Ill., three bass, 7-9, $265
6th:        Ken Landreth, Belleville, Ill., two bass, 6-14, $230
7th:        John Schuessler, Decatur, Ill., three bass, 6-9, $230
8th:        Jojo Johnson, Benton, Ill., three bass, 5-13, $215
9th:        Tad Cain, La Place, Ill., two bass, 5-6, $210
10th:     Scott McCleery, Winchester, Ill., three bass, 5-5, $200

Michael Ratts of Iuka, Illinois, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass worth $100.

After three events, tournament winner Mull now leads the 7 Brew Illini Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 734 points, while Gage Elder of Decatur, Illinois, leads the Illini Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 729 points.

The 2026 Phoenix BFL Presented by T-H Marine is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 events throughout the season, five qualifying tournaments in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five qualifying tournament winners, will advance to one of six BFL Regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top seven, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2027 BFL All-American will take place June 3-5 at the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Kissimmee, Florida, and is hosted by Experience Kissimmee.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

by AnglersChannel

Ohio’s Moran Gaps Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Ohio River-Tanners Creek

Cincinnati’s Ryan Earns Win in Co-Angler Division

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. (June 29, 2026) – Boater Dan Moran of London, Ohio, caught a total of five bass weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the Ohio River at Tanners Creek . The tournament was the second of five events of the season for the BFL Buckeye Division. Moran earned $3,540 for his victory.

“I’m normally not one to practice – I like to just read it by the day,” said Moran, who did head to practice waters Friday afternoon. “But I found a little deal in a creek where they had pulled the water down a lot. That creek normally never fluctuates, but it was down about 15 inches. I thought I had the deal really dialed in.

“I jumped in the boat Saturday morning and made a 40-mile run down there and pulled into the creek,” Moran went on to say. “The buoys there were laying down at a 45-degree angle. I thought, ‘Man, they’re pulling even more water than they did yesterday.’ They had had about 2½ inches of rain in an hour and it was flooded and up about 2 feet from where it was the day before.”

Moran thought he had a couple of spots where he thought he could catch some bass in the creek, but he knew his good stuff would be in the back of the creek.

“It was blown out and I told my partner, ‘This is not going to work today,’” Moran said.

Moran made his way to the next two or three creeks heading back up to the launch spot, but he saw they were blown out as well. He then headed to his last-ditch effort, a spot he had not fished in five or six years.

“I pulled in there and there wasn’t a soul in sight; there was one boat just leaving,” Moran said. “I pulled in and my first fish was a 4½-pounder. And it was all over but the crying after that. When you start out with a 4½-pounder on the Ohio River, that’s like catching a 10-pounder on Lake Okeechobee or an 8 on Kentucky Lake. When you start your day off with a fish that’s your kicker it gives you some confidence when you’re a little bit deflated.”

Moran said he used a swim jig and a crankbait to entice bites during the tournament. The crankbait is made by a friend of Moran’s, and he noted he has won “quite a bit of money” on the custom crankbaits.

“Fish this time of the year are notoriously postspawn,” Moran said. “This year I’ve noticed that everything is about a month and a half behind schedule. Everything was spawn, postspawn, prespawn – it was all over the board. I think that’s the way it is all over the country.”

Moran said he didn’t have a bite until 10:45 a.m. and was finished with his final weight in the livewell by 11:45.

“I told my partner after my third fish, ‘I think I’m going to win this thing today,’” Moran said.

“When it’s your day it’s your day,” added Moran, whose last BFL win came in 2007. “I’m not a freshman in this class anymore. It’s not that you doubt yourself, but there are always missed opportunities or the coulda, shoulda, woulda – but it always happens when you least expect it, and that makes it even sweeter.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Dan Moran, London, Ohio, five bass, 12-7, $3,540
2nd:      Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., five bass, 9-9, $1,680
3rd:       Kyle Weisenburger, Columbus Grove, Ohio, five bass, 9-5, $850
4th:        Rob Flowers, West Harrison, Ind., five bass, 8-10, $1,180 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
5th:        Roger Hahn, Fairfield, Ohio, five bass, 7-8, $600
6th:        Nick Ryan, Cleves, Ohio, five bass, 7-7, $520
7th:        Bob Logan, Waynesfield, Ohio, five bass, 7-4, $500
8th:        Randy Williams, New Richmond, Ohio, five bass, 7-3, $480
9th:        Nico Urso, Union, Ky., five bass, 7-0, $460
10th:     Lucas McDaniel, Fortville, Ind., three bass, 6-4, $430

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Tournament winner Moran also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing his 4-pound, 8-ounce bass, worth $200.

Chris Ryan of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,670 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 5 pounds, 5 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Chris Ryan, Cincinnati, Ohio, three bass, 5-5, $1,670
2nd:      Andrew Hostler, Tyrone, Penn., two bass, 5-2, $940
3rd:       Todd Eicher, Fairchance, Penn., three bass, 4-9, $425
4th:        Edward Seiler, Lancaster, Ohio, two bass, 4-6, $340
5th:        Jeff Moorman, Liberty Township, Ohio, two bass, 4-4, $300
6th:        Caiden Walter, Fairfield, Ohio, three bass, 4-1, $260
7th:        Brian Ferguson, Louisville, Ky., two bass, 4-0, $295
7th:        Chad McQueen, Fairfield, Ohio, two bass, 4-0, $245
9th:        Wesley Bruner, Middletown, Ohio, one bass, 3-13, $330
10th:     Landen Wisener, Russells Point, Ohio, three bass, 3-11, $215

Wesley Bruner of Middletown, Ohio, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 3-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $100.

After two events, Chris Wilkinson of Farmersburg, Indiana, now leads the 7 Brew Buckeye Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 499 points, while Jeff Moorman of Liberty Township, Ohio, leads the Buckeye Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 494 points.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

by AnglersChannel

FISCHER FOUND SOMETHING BIGGER THAN TOURNAMENT SUCCESS

By Walker Smith, Courtesy of Dynamic Sponsorships

Success can be a funny thing. For many anglers, reaching the top of a particular discipline would be enough. They'd settle into the comfort of familiarity, continue doing what they've proven they can do at an elite level and enjoy the fruits of years of hard work. That, however, has never really been how Team Toyota pro Kristine Fischer is wired.

After establishing herself as one of the most successful and recognizable kayak anglers in the country, Fischer could have easily stayed in her lane. She built a loyal following, won at the highest levels and became one of the sport's most influential ambassadors. Instead, she chose a path filled with uncertainty. She decided to start over.

Well, not entirely. Transitioning from kayak fishing to competing out of a bass boat has required Fischer to become a student again. For someone who thrives on growth, that's been one of the most rewarding aspects of the journey.

"I'm learning a lot since I've started fishing out of a bass boat," Fischer said. "Boat positioning, running new bodies of water safely in a boat. Things like that. You never really have to think about it too much in kayak tournaments."

To outsiders, fishing is fishing. You find fish, catch fish and weigh them in. But anglers know there's a lot more to it than that. Running a bass boat introduces an entirely new layer of decision-making and responsibility. Launching, navigating unfamiliar waters, understanding boat positioning and managing tournament logistics all demand attention. Sometimes, those new responsibilities can crowd the mental bandwidth needed to simply focus on catching bass.

"When you have all of that new stuff in your head, fishing can become secondary at times," Fischer explained. "So, there's definitely a learning curve when it comes to getting into a groove as a boater."

It's a challenge that would frustrate many competitors, but Fischer embraces it. That's because her career has never been built around comfort. It's been built around growth.

"Kayak fishing is definitely my roots," she said. "I have such a wonderful community there. But to that same note, I'm someone who thrives off being challenged which is why I got into the boater-side of things. It's something new every single day and I absolutely love it."

That willingness to embrace discomfort has become a defining characteristic of Fischer's career. It has also helped her become one of the most respected voices in fishing. Whether she's speaking at events, interacting with fans online or competing on some of the biggest stages in bass fishing, Fischer's message remains remarkably consistent.

She wants to grow the sport and help others discover opportunities they may never have thought were possible. In particular, she's passionate about helping more women find their place in competitive fishing.

"I'm incredibly passionate about our sport and I want more females involved in fishing," Fischer said.

For Fischer, however, inspiration isn't about presenting an unrealistic image of perfection. In fact, she often speaks openly about failure, doubt and the pressures that come with competing at a high level. That's where many of her conversations with aspiring female anglers begin.

"I always ask my female followers what's stopping them," Fischer said. "They're all worried about finishing poorly and I understand that's tough to deal with. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself regarding that as well. But I don't have an ego anymore. I have a mission."

That didn't happen overnight. Like most competitive athletes, Fischer wants to perform well. She wants to contend and win. Over time, however, her faith has helped reshape the way she views success and failure. The leaderboard and standings still matter but they no longer define her purpose. She sees fishing as a platform, instead. Some of the most meaningful moments of her career have happened away from the water.

One of those moments came following her impressive 11th-place finish at Grand Lake. While many anglers would focus on narrowly missing a higher finish, Fischer found herself overwhelmed by something entirely different.

"I may never qualify for a Bassmaster Classic," she said. "But I honestly believe the Lord wanted me to do this. I had over 2,000 messages on my social media accounts after I finished in 11th place on Grand Lake. I also received emails from parents of little girls."

The response was immediate and emotional. Young girls who had never seen someone like themselves competing at that level suddenly believed they could do it too. Parents reached out to thank her for providing a role model. Families shared stories about daughters who were becoming interested in fishing because of what they had seen. Those messages meant far more than tournament points.

"It was totally insane and that is exactly why I do what I do for a living," she said. "It's so, so much bigger than just me. If I can get one little girl to believe in herself, this is all worth it. I'd be honored."

That's a powerful statement coming from someone who has already achieved so much in her fishing career. Perhaps that's what makes Fischer's story resonate with so many people. She's not chasing significance through trophies alone but instead, impact.

Every tournament launch, difficult practice day each long drive and every lesson learned behind the wheel of a bass boat represents another opportunity to reach someone who may need encouragement.

While she's still learning the nuances of competitive bass-boat fishing, Fischer appears perfectly comfortable with that reality. She's fulfilling a purpose she believes was given to her by God. Judging by the thousands of people she's already inspired; it may end up being her greatest accomplishment of all.

by AnglersChannel

Florida’s Lake Christian High School Wins Columbia PFG High School Fishing Presented by Abu Garcia 2026 National Championship at Lake Cumberland

Bobby Lane III and Bryden Tyler complete wire-to-wire victory, win top prize of $10,000 in scholarships and entry into 2026 Toyota Series

RUSSELL SPRING, Ky. (June 28, 2026) – Bobby Lane III and Bryden Tyler of the Lakeland Christian Vikings made the first two days of competition at the Columbia PFG High School Fishing National Championship on Lake Cumberland Presented by Abu Garcia look easy. The final day on Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland was anything but.

The two recent graduates only mustered four bites and three keepers on Championship Friday. But with teams fishing for three-bass limits at this event, that proved to be just enough.

Lane and Tyler mustered 6 pounds, 11 ounces on Day 3 – well shy of their Day 1 and 2 bags, but combined with the 4-11 lead they’d amassed, it was enough to cap a wire-to-wire win. Their three-day total of 30-6 topped runners-up Keaton Coe and Macoy Johnson of Minnesota’s Anoka Junior Bassers by 2-5.

For the victory, both anglers earned $5,000 in scholarship money plus entry into the Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake this fall as co-anglers. Lane and Tyler will put those scholarships to use next year – Lane will fish for Emmanuel University, while Tyler will compete for Carson-Newman.

“There’s not a better feeling in the world,” Lane said. “This is what we dreamed about when we came up here, and we made it happen.”

Coming from Florida, Lane and Tyler had never visited Cumberland prior to this week. The duo found a unique pattern during practice, and while they had to adjust a bit, they used it to dominate each of the first two days. Lane and Tyler’s Day 1 limit of 12-2 (anchored by a 5-12 kicker) represented the second-biggest bag weighed all week, and their Day 2 tally of 11-9 was third.

Lane said finding bass that were grouped up and actively feeding on baitfish was key to generating bites in Cumberland’s clear water.

“Some of the success this week was just schooled up fish – multiple fish in an area that were feeding,” he said. “We were just finding the ones that were on bait and active and biting. That’s kind of what keyed us in on everything that we were fishing.”

Friday, they struggled to find those active schools. But they stuck with the pattern and wound up with exactly what they needed.

“The first two days, we absolutely went out there and we put a hurting on them,” Tyler said. “And then this last day was a little tough on us. I think we got a total of four bites, and we lost one, but we put three in the boat. And if we did not, I don’t think we’d be with these trophies right now.”

Once their win became official, Lane and Tyler let their emotions flow. Not only did the championship mark the perfect ending to their high school careers, they dedicated the win to their late Lakeland Christian teammate Jonny Bulger, who died in a car crash earlier this year.

“He was watching over us,” Tyler said. “Jonny was a great, great kid. He loved the outdoors more than anything, and when we told him it was on Lake Cumberland, I remember him telling me every single fact about how clear the water was and why it was clear. So, it was just meant to be.”

The Top 10 teams at the 2026 Columbia PFG High School Fishing National Championship on Lake Cumberland Presented by Abu Garcia finished:

1st:        Lakeland Christian High School, Lakeland, Fla. – Bobby Lane III and Bryden Tyler, nine bass, 30-6
2nd:      Anoka Junior Bassers, Anoka, Minn. – Keaton Coe and Macoy Johnson, nine bass, 27-15
3rd:       South Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Chad Dupree and Maddox Ferrell, nine bass, 27-5
4th:       Gloria Deo Academy, Bulverde, Texas – Caden Ball and William Kuzemka, nine bass, 26-9
5th:       Portland High School, Portland, Tenn. – Mason Pearson and Blaine Gregory, nine bass, 26-3
6th:       Southern California High School Anglers – Brenner Lynn and Bryce Deheyn, nine bass, 25-11
7th:       Anoka Junior Bassers, Anoka, Minn. – Samuel Crest and Wyatt Dahlmeier, nine bass, 25-5
8th:       Smith Mountain Lake Student Anglers, Va. – Cutler Wooten and Peyton McAndrew, nine bass, 25-0
9th:       Casey County High School, Liberty, Ky. – Landon Pierce and Eli Childers, eight bass, 21-11
10th:     Shelby County High School, Columbiana, Ala. – Caston Carden and Sawyer Sheffield, seven bass, 20-6

Complete results for the entire field can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2026 Columbia PFG High School Fishing National Championship Presented by Abu Garcia on Lake Cumberland was hosted by the Lake Cumberland Tourist Commission. MLF High School Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advanced to the 2026 High School Fishing National Championship.

In addition to the college scholarships and prizes, the 2026 High School Fishing National Champions – Moon and Holbert – will also now advance to compete as co-anglers at the 2026 Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake & Hardin County Tourism, held Nov. 5-7 in Counce, Tennessee, and a shot at the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower outboard.

Proud sponsors of MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Columbia PFG, Epic Baits, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit HighSchoolFishing.org. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow TBF High School Fishing on Facebook and on MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Alabama’s Poche Puts Exclamation Point on MLF Toyota Series Northern Division Opener at the Potomac River

MARBURY, Md. (June 28, 2026) – Charles County, Maryland, and the Potomac River are a long ways from the shallow, off-the-grid hidey holes that Keith Poche grew up fishing in Natchitoches, Louisiana. But Poche once again proved that shallow backwaters are shallow backwaters, regardless of what state they’re located in – and there are very few anglers in the world who are better than Poche at the shallow-water game when money is on the line.

Poche sacked up the biggest bag of the event – 18 pounds, 10 ounces – Saturday on the Potomac River to claim the trophy at the Northern Division kickoff of the 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats schedule. Poche’s 50-8 was 3-plus pounds clear of Brody Campbell in second (47-3). Harmon Marien (46-9), Nathan Reynolds (46-3) and Jonathan Kelley (45-12) rounded out the Top 5.

Poche led the event from start to finish, weighing in the second-biggest bag of the event (17-14) on Day 1, stumbling slightly (but still holding the lead) with 14-0 on Day 2 and cementing his fifth MLF win with an exclamation point on the final day, where he caught the bulk of his 18-pound bag by 9:30 a.m. The win marks Poche’s second trophy in two years on East Coast tidal rivers – he won a Pro Circuit event on the James River in 2025 – and the ninth time in his career finishing in the money on Eastern tidal fisheries.

Poche was unavailable for comment before publication. Check back later this week at MajorLeagueFishing.com for a complete rundown of his winning performance, including details on his pattern, key baits and tournament strategy.

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the Potomac River finished:

1st:        Keith Poche, Cecil, Ala., 15 bass, 50-8, $37,166
2nd:      Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 15 bass, 47-3, $15,902 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
3rd:       Harmon Marien, Eagle River, Wis., 15 bass, 46-5, $11,400
4th:       Nathan Reynolds, Nashville, Tenn., 15 bass, 46-3, $9,291
5th:       Jonathan Kelley, Old Forge, Pa., 15 bass, 45-12, $8,362
6th:       Bryan Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt., 15 bass, 45-9, $7,433
7th:       Eddie Levin, Westerville, Ohio, 15 bass, 44-8, $6,504
8th:       J.D. Chandler, Liberty, Texas, 15 bass, 44-2, $5,575
9th:       Hayden O’Barr, Scottsboro, Ala., 15 bass, 43-0, $4,646
10th:     Jonathan Lang, Joppa, Md., 15 bass, 41-11, $3,717

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Brody Campbell of Oxford, Ohio, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 4 pounds, 15 ounces, while Safu Rana of Manassas, Virginia, won Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces.

Kade Wesner of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, won the co-angler division Saturday at the Potomac River with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 42 pounds, 11 ounces. Wesner earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,550, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the Potomac River finished:

1st:        Kade Wesner, Lancaster, Penn., 15 bass, 42-11, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:      Michael Duarte, Baltimore, Md., 15 bass, 42-1, $4,690
3rd:       Joseph Casale, Nutley, N.J., 15 bass, 37-5, $3,902
4th:       Allen Haigh, Prospect Hill, N.C., 14 bass, 36-12, $3,283
5th:       David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., 15 bass, 34-10, $2,914
6th:       Kenny Kash, La Plata, Md., 14 bass, 34-7, $2,345
7th:       Mekye Barnes, Wake Forest, N.C., 15 bass, 33-15, $1,876
8th:       Jakob Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt., 15 bass, 33-15, $1,641
9th:       Doug Jenkins, Saint Leonard, Md., 14 bass, 33-14, $1,507
10th:     Gerald Dam, Pine Plains, N.Y., 15 bass, 33-14, $1,172

Co-angler Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Virginia, earned Thursday’s Berkley Big Bass co-angler award on Day 1 with a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass to earn the $150 prize, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Joseph Casale of Nutley, New Jersey, who weighed in a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass.

With one Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division tournament now complete, pro Keith Poche of Cecil, Alabama, leads the 7 Brew Northern Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 260 points, while Kade Wesner of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, leads the Northern Division Co-Angler of the Year race, with 260 points.

The three-day Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the Potomac River was hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. It was the first of three regular-season tournaments for the Toyota Series Northern Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be another Northern Division event, the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at the St. Lawrence River, July 30-Aug. 1 in Massena, New York. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 2026 Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern and Southwestern – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the five divisions or the Wild Card division and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 and qualification to REDCREST 2027. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2026 Toyota Series Championship will be held Nov. 5-7 on Pickwick Lake in Counce, Tennessee, and is hosted by Explore Pickwick Lake & Hardin County Tourism.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

For complete details and updated information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Toyota Series updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social media outlets on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Vinson Victorious at Logan Martin

A week of ups and downs, added pressure each day, weekend boat traffic and increasing winds on Showdown Saturday—those were just a few of the challenges the field faced this week at Stop Four of the NPFL on Logan Martin Lake in Oxford, Alabama.

Veteran pro Greg Vinson saved his best for last, catching the biggest bag of the tournament on Showdown Saturday to earn his first NPFL victory with a three-day total of 46-2. Vinson opened the event with 15-10 on Thursday, survived a tough Day Two with 12-10 to sit in seventh place, then rallied with a 17-14 limit on the final day to secure the victory.

“I have been doing this a long time, guys,” Vinson said. “Over 20 years. I worked my way up with the full support of my family, my son Gaige, my wife Steph, my friends. So many ups and downs in this sport. There were so many times I didn't know if I had another year left. I put it in God's hands, and He kept me in this game. I've had a rough couple of years, questioning things, but God gave me direction. This moment tells me God wants me to keep fishing.”

Also saving his best day for last, Jon Canada finished second with a three-day total of 44-9. Fishing from the dam to roughly 2 miles below it, Canada relied on years of history on Logan Martin to identify several productive stretches. Increasing his weight each day, Canada opened with 12-11, added 14-10 on Day Two, and capped off his tournament with 17-4 on Showdown Saturday.

Alabama pro Wes Gore finished third with 43-10, while South Carolina's Corey Casey placed fourth at 43-1 after leading the tournament entering the final day. Rounding out the top five, Indiana pro Bill Lowen finished with 42-0.

Jordan Osborne claimed Big Bass honors at Logan Martin with a 6-0 largemouth caught on Day Two.

Finesse Pays Off for Vinson

In his home state, Greg Vinson made it all come together, earning his first major victory. It was a long time coming, and it came on arguably the toughest day of the week on Logan Martin. With increased boat traffic, Vinson still made his pattern work.

The Alabama pro was in a bit of a bind during practice, moving around the lake but struggling to find quality bites. On the second day, with a drop shot in hand, he started checking deeper cover. After catching a few fish on dock posts, everything started to click.

“From then on, I started marking brush. I had found some when I came to pre-practice, but it all started to come together,” said Vinson. “A little trick I learned on Lake Martin is when the fish get tough to catch, I like to power fish with a drop shot.”

Another key to his success was BaitFuel. With increased fishing pressure and several anglers targeting the same offshore brush piles, Vinson knew he needed a way to get fish to bite when the current slowed.

“The depth was key, and I knew I needed a way to get those fish to bite when things slowed down,” he said. “I was targeting 15 to 20 feet, and it was both brush and docks. I was power fishing, or finesse flipping with a drop shot, trying to get a reaction bite. I knew scent worked, but this week proved it for me. I loaded every bait with BaitFuel, and it made a huge difference.”

On the final day, as Vinson made the run south, he was encouraged to see cloud cover overhead. During the first two days, by the time he reached his primary area, the morning bite was all but over. Not on Saturday.

“I got down there and lost a 4 1/2-pounder first thing, and I was devastated,” he said. “It was weighing on me, and I thought I had blown it. I knew the big fish were going to be the key, and that was a game-changer I let get off.”

A few casts later, he landed a 3-4 spotted bass. Things got going. Later in the day, he culled a 1-7 with a 3-6. With a 4-11 already in the livewell, the Alabama pro finally felt it.

“Everyone says it, but it's true. I knew it was my time,” he said. “When I hooked that last big one, I felt him bite, let him eat it, and played him in slow on that Seaguar Gold Label leader. I knew that was the fish. I've been doing this a long time, and I've been close before. This is my first major win, and to do it in my home state feels unbelievable.”

Canada Cruises to Second

Logan Martin is nothing new to Jon Canada, and his years of fishing the river section gave him a legitimate shot to win on the final day. Despite finishing just shy of the victory, Canada executed his current-based pattern flawlessly.

“I had a good practice fishing up the river in the current,” said Canada. “I caught a 5-9 in practice, which is one of the biggest spotted bass I've caught in a long time. Coming in, I figured 15 pounds a day would be close to the win.”

On Day One, Canada lost a 4-pounder early, which hurt, as it ended up being his lightest bag of the tournament. Still, he caught around 40 bass each morning, weeding through smaller fish before shifting his focus once the morning flurry slowed.

“It is hard to catch a 3 1/2-pound fish here,” he said. “People don't realize that. I focused on isolated rocks, stumps, and anywhere the current would break. Most of what I caught came on a Chatterbait with a Freeloader trailer, and today I caught some on a crankbait. Otherwise, I fished for big fish with an Urchin and a glide bait.”

For his biggest bites, Canada relied on two key rocks that consistently held quality fish. He lost the big bite on Day One, landed it on Day Two, and on Showdown Saturday caught three quality bass, including two on back-to-back casts.

“I mixed it up. Most came on a Jackhammer, and that thing is beat up,” he said. “I tried tying on a new one, and they wouldn't eat it. I tied the old one back on. The thing has maybe four skirt strands left—and they were all over it. It was a great week.”

Queen Takes Over AOY

Coming into Logan Martin, Zack Birge and KJ Queen were tied atop the 2026 Work Sharp NPFL Angler of the Year standings with 722 points, while Brandon Cobb sat just 1 point back in third. After three days of competition, Queen made the biggest move of the trio to unofficially reclaim the AOY lead. His seventh-place finish kept him near the top of the leaderboard all week and allowed him to gain valuable points heading into the final two events of the season.

Cobb continued his remarkably consistent season with a 13th-place finish, keeping himself firmly in the hunt and unofficially moving into second in the AOY standings. Birge battled back after a slow start to finish 17th, limiting the damage and remaining well within striking distance.

With only two tournaments remaining in the 2026 season, the Work Sharp NPFL Angler of the Year race is shaping up to be one of the closest in league history.

Final Leaderboard

Greg Vinson 46-2

Jon Canada 44-9

Wesley Gore 43-10

Corey Casey 43-1

Bill Lowen 42-0

Darrell Davis 40-8

KJ Queen 40-7

Greg Hackney 40-4

Andy Morgan 40-1

Derek Lehtonen 40-1

Matt Herren 39-12

Josh Butler 39-8

Brandon Cobb 39-2

Russ Lane 39-2

Mike Quinlin 39-0

Logan Latuso 38-12

Zack Birge 38-7

Wes Logan 38-3

JT Russell 38-2

Brock Mosley 37-11

Todd Goade 37-11

Hank Cherry 37-10

Gerald Spohrer 37-8

David Williams 37-1

Hunter Sales 36-15

Buddy Gross 36-11

Fred Roumbanis 36-11

Jordan Osborne 36-10

Gerald Swindle 36-9

Lavoyd Lemmond 36-9

Scott Canterbury 36-8

Barron Adams 36-5

Scott Suggs 36-4

Randall Tharp 36-2

Gary Adkins 36-1

Stacey James 35-9

Kyle Glasgow 35-9

Alex Davis 35-3

John Cox (FL) 35-0

Patrick Walters 34-9

Cliff Crochet 34-7

James Niggemeyer 34-5

Ray Hanselman 34-4

Paul Browning 34-2

Jacob Powroznik 33-11

Ryan Satterfield 33-10

Andrew Upshaw 33-10

Drew Cook 33-3

Jason Wilson 33-2

James Watson 32-15

Shane Lineberger 32-8

Josh Hooks 32-6

Brad Whatley 32-6

Timothy Reams 32-5

Jared Lintner 32-1

Jason Meninger 32-1

Troy Roder 32-0

Christopher Whisenant 32-0

Richard Cooper 31-15

Todd Tucker 31-12

Garrett Smith 31-11

Dustin Williamson 31-4

Quentin Cappo 31-4

Jason Burroughs 30-14

Dylan Freeze 30-12

Hunter Baughman 30-12

Tim Frederick 30-11

Nick Brown 30-6

Chad Marler 30-5

Austin Garland 30-0

Brad Staley 29-15

Todd Auten 29-12

Joey Bloom 29-8

Tim Cales 29-7

Pete Ponds 28-12

Jamie Pierce 28-10

Sean Alvarez 28-10

Harmon Davis 28-8

Bill Day 28-6

Darrel Robertson 28-6

Chad Grigsby 28-4

Keith Bardolf 28-3

Adam Savage 28-2

Alton Wilhoit 27-8

John Cox (GA) 27-6

Matthew McBee 27-5

Mitchell Webb 27-4

Harry Moore 27-2

Kevin Rogers 26-12

Dustin Reneau 26-10

Jason Williamson 26-5

Luke Clausen 26-0

Lendell Martin 25-9

Chris Baker 25-7

Travis Jewell 24-4

Timothy Wilson 24-0

Ron Johnson 23-12

Scott Wiley 23-8

Bo Collins 23-6

T-Roy Broussard 23-5

Rickey Morris 23-4

Michael Comeau 22-14

David Wootton 22-14

William Fletcher 22-3

Johnnie Adams 19-4

Bob Behrle 17-4

Josh Watkins 15-14

Charlie Apperson 15-13

Joseph Lineberry 14-6

Chip Harrington 12-9

by AnglersChannel

Casey Climbs to the Top at Logan Martin

Steady two-day performance gives South Carolina pro the lead heading into Championship Saturday

Another day at Stop Four of the NPFL on Logan Martin Lake, another tight leaderboard. Consistency has been hard to come by this week, and finding better-than-average bites has been even tougher. Corey Casey has done both, and it was enough to move the South Carolina pro into the Day Two lead with a two-day total of 29 pounds, 8 ounces.

Casey got off to a strong start on Day One, weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces to put himself safely inside the top 10. On Friday, he backed it up with another solid limit weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces. As Logan Martin continued to fish tougher, Casey's consistency proved enough to slide into the overnight lead heading into Championship Saturday.

Moving from eighth into second by just 1 ounce, Louisiana pro Greg Hackney also put together two impressive days. After weighing 14 pounds, 10 ounces on Day One, Hackney followed it up with 14 pounds, 13 ounces on Friday to stay consistent and put himself in prime position to challenge for the win on the final day.

Cobb Moves to the Top of the AOY Race

With three anglers separated by just 1 point entering Logan Martin, the 2026 Work Sharp NPFL Angler of the Year race was always going to be one of the biggest storylines of Stop Four. Zack Birge, KJ Queen, and Brandon Cobb have all put together stellar seasons, and through two days, the battle has lived up to the hype.

After two days of competition, Cobb has been the most consistent of the three. His two-day total of 28 pounds, 6 ounces has him sitting inside the top 10 and unofficially atop the AOY standings heading into Championship Saturday. With only one day remaining, Cobb has put himself in position to gain valuable points on the rest of the field.

Not far behind, North Carolina's KJ Queen sits in 14th place with 26 pounds, 13 ounces. Queen has continued his consistent season and remains well within striking distance of both the tournament lead and the AOY race.

Birge, meanwhile, sits in 34th place with 24 pounds, 11 ounces through two days. While he has yet to connect with the quality bites needed to climb the leaderboard, the Oklahoma pro is never out of contention. One strong bag on Championship Saturday could erase much of the gap between himself, Cobb, and Queen, making the AOY race one to watch until the final fish hits the scales.

Casey Cashes in on Late Practice Adjustment

Over three days of practice, Logan Martin was a bit of a head-scratcher for South Carolina pro Corey Casey. Then, around 1 p.m. on the final afternoon of practice, everything started to click. Two tournament days later, that late adjustment has Casey leading Stop Four of the NPFL on Logan Martin Lake heading into Championship Saturday.

“I figured things out on the last day, about 1 p.m., and between then and when I got off the lake, I caught a pretty decent bag,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how the tournament was going to go—you know, it changes so much—but it’s been pretty good so far.”

Casey has been starting each morning on a stretch of vegetation, trying to generate a few early bites before moving into his primary pattern, which, like much of the field, revolves around fishing shallow.

“This morning I caught one good one in that grass, which helped,” he said. “After that, I’m just fishing how a lot of guys are and trying to piece it all together while learning as much as I can. It can be finicky, and you have to be precise. Most of my better bites have come in the afternoon, but you’ve got to fish hard all day.”

With three rods on the deck, Casey is rotating through a handful of key areas where he has caught fish every day dating back to that final practice afternoon. The bite hasn't been fast, but it has been steady, and he continues to expand into new water while building on the pattern.

“There’s a bit of a key to it,” he said. “Some of it is the location, and some of it is the structure. It has to be right, but if it is, I pretty much know where the bite is going to come from. The hardest part is getting a bait in there. Today, I caught one that took me 10 tries, but he finally bit, and it ended up being one of my better fish.”

Beyond those key stretches, Casey has found enough additional bites to slow down and thoroughly pick apart each area before moving on.

“It seemed like a lot more guys were fishing shallow today than yesterday, but it is what it is,” he said. “I’ve been going behind guys and still catching some fish, and I’ve got a few things that I think are to myself. Overall, this isn't really how I fish back home, and it's not my favorite thing to do, but we're here, we've got a shot to win, and we're going to stick with it.”

Day Two Leaderboard

Corey Casey 29-8

Greg Hackney 29-7

Bill Lowen 28-13

Wesley Gore 28-8

Darrell Davis 28-7

Brandon Cobb 28-6

Greg Vinson 28-4

Josh Butler 28-1

Mike Quinlin 27-14

Jon Canada 27-5

Derek Lehtonen 27-4

Stacey James 27-0

Hunter Sales 26-15

KJ Queen 26-13

Russ Lane 26-13

Andy Morgan 26-6

Gerald Spohrer 26-6

Kyle Glasgow 26-6

Logan Latuso 26-5

Matt Herren 26-0

JT Russell 25-11

Gerald Swindle 25-10

Randall Tharp 25-8

Scott Canterbury 25-7

Cliff Crochet 25-6

Barron Adams 25-3

Fred Roumbanis 25-3

Lavoyd Lemmond 25-2

David Williams 25-1

Scott Suggs 24-15

Brad Staley 24-14

Hank Cherry 24-11

Wes Logan 24-11

Zack Birge 24-11

Paul Browning 24-9

Todd Goade 24-7

Jason Meninger 24-5

Shane Lineberger 24-0

Richard Cooper 23-15

Patrick Walters 23-14

Jordan Osborne 23-13

Jason Burroughs 23-11

James Watson 23-9

Gary Adkins 23-8

Buddy Gross 23-7

Ray Hanselman 23-6

James Niggemeyer 23-5

Tim Frederick 23-4

Andrew Upshaw 23-2

John Cox (FL) 23-0

Troy Roder 22-14

Alex Davis 22-14

Ryan Satterfield 22-12

Timothy Reams 22-12

Bill Day 22-12

Jacob Powroznik 22-10

Jason Wilson 22-10

Jared Lintner 22-9

Brad Whatley 22-5

Brock Mosley 22-5

Drew Cook 22-2

Todd Tucker 22-2

Christopher Whisenant 22-1

Quentin Cappo 21-15

Alton Wilhoit 21-12

John Cox (GA) 21-10

Adam Savage 21-6

Dustin Williamson 21-0

Chad Grigsby 20-14

Sean Alvarez 20-10

Keith Bardolf 20-9

Todd Auten 20-7

Darrel Robertson 20-7

Mitchell Webb 20-7

Timothy Wilson 20-6

Jamie Pierce 20-6

Austin Garland 20-5

Harmon Davis 20-4

Hunter Baughman 20-3

Chad Marler 20-0

Joey Bloom 19-15

Harry Moore 19-14

Josh Hooks 19-13

Garrett Smith 19-10

Pete Ponds 19-2

Tim Cales 18-12

Dustin Reneau 18-8

Jason Williamson 18-6

William Fletcher 18-5

Nick Brown 18-4

Chris Baker 18-4

T-Roy Broussard 18-2

David Wootton 18-0

Scott Wiley 17-8

Ron Johnson 17-8

Bob Behrle 17-4

Lendell Martin 17-2

Michael Comeau 16-15

Dylan Freeze 16-12

Luke Clausen 16-9

Travis Jewell 16-6

Kevin Rogers 16-2

Matthew McBee 16-2

Josh Watkins 15-14

Charlie Apperson 15-13

Bo Collins 15-7

Rickey Morris 15-6

Chip Harrington 12-9

Joseph Lineberry 10-13

Johnnie Adams 9-6

by AnglersChannel

Lowen Leads Tight Race at Logan Martin

Big bites separate the field on Day One of NPFL Stop Four

Big bites made the difference on Day One of Stop Four of the National Professional Fishing League on Logan Martin Lake. While much of the field found numbers, separating from the pack required quality fish, and no one put together a better bag than veteran Bill Lowen. The Humminbird and Minn Kota pro brought 17 pounds, 14 ounces to the scales, anchored by a 4-pound largemouth, to take the overnight lead over a tightly packed leaderboard.

Greg Vinson sits in second after weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces, finishing the day 2 pounds, 4 ounces behind Lowen. Troy Roder continued his strong rookie campaign with 15 pounds, 6 ounces to end the day in third. Andy Morgan and Gerald Swindle round out the top five with limits weighing 14-13 and 14-11, respectively, giving the event a veteran-heavy leaderboard heading into Day Two.

With weights expected to remain close throughout the week, one quality bite could be the difference between climbing into the lead or falling down the standings. Logan Martin has already proven that consistency will keep anglers in contention, but finding the right bites will ultimately determine who hoists the trophy on Saturday.

Queen Grabs Early AOY Advantage

Coming into Stop Four, which marks the start of the second half of the 2026 season, Oklahoma pro Zack Birge and North Carolina Pro KJ Queen shared the lead in the Work Sharp NPFL Angler of the Year race with 722 points each. South Carolina pro Brandon Cobb sat just one point back in third, setting up a tight battle at Logan Martin.

After Day One, the standings have already begun to shuffle. Queen turned in one of the better bags of the day, weighing 14-11, putting him in sixth and giving him the unofficial AOY lead heading into Day Two.

Cobb also positioned himself well, weighing 13-8 to sit in 21st. After starting just one point behind the leaders, his solid opening day unofficially moves him into second in the AOY race.

Birge, meanwhile, struggled to find the quality bites he was looking for in practice but managed to scrap together a 12-pound, 5-ounce limit. Sitting 40th after Day One, he unofficially falls to third in the standings with two days remaining.

Lowen Sticks to His Strengths

Coming into Stop Four, Indiana pro Bill Lowen was fighting a battle every professional angler goes through. 2026 has been a tougher season than he was used to, and he found himself trying to force his approach instead of fishing the way he was most comfortable. During practice, he decided to put the stubbornness aside and simply fish his strengths – and it worked.

“You know, today was just a fun day. One of those days I needed,” he said. “I’m having a less-than-average year, and I’m not used to it. I told myself I wasn’t going to fight things anymore and was just going to fish how I wanted to catch them. It just worked out today.”

Fishing both on and off the bank, Lowen used practice to locate a handful of productive areas around Logan Martin. He started on a couple of those places Thursday morning, including one he described as more of a community hole, and things came together much faster than he expected.

“It got good faster than I thought, and I got to rolling,” he said. “I caught a decent limit, then went practicing, using Humminbird LakeMaster to find what I was looking for in new places. In fact, I fished a few new places this afternoon and culled with some heavy fish. It was a fun day.”

Using his Humminbird XPLORE and LakeMaster mapping, Lowen was able to quickly identify similar water throughout the lake as he expanded his “pattern.” Instead of spending time searching, he could pull into a spot with confidence and get right back to fishing.

“I did have some folks around me this morning, but I feel like what I’m doing is a little more specific, and maybe that helped me get some bigger bites,” he said. “This afternoon, I could see some people around, but for the most part I was able to fish what I wanted. I’m just going to keep doing what I like to do, keep my head down, and fish.”

Day One Leaderboard

Bill Lowen 17-14
Greg Vinson 15-10
Troy Roder 15-6
Andy Morgan 14-13
Gerald Swindle 14-11
KJ Queen 14-11
Greg Hackney 14-10
Corey Casey 14-9
Derek Lehtonen 14-7
Brad Staley 14-7
Wesley Gore 14-3
Paul Browning 14-3
Buddy Gross 14-1
Stacey James 14-0
Darrell Davis 14-0
Ryan Satterfield 13-15
Tim Frederick 13-14
Hunter Sales 13-12
Mike Quinlin 13-12
Logan Latuso 13-11
Brandon Cobb 13-8
Shane Lineberger 13-3
Ray Hanselman 13-3
Scott Canterbury 13-2
Jason Meninger 13-1
Russ Lane 13-0
Josh Butler 12-15
Harmon Davis 12-15
Gary Adkins 12-13
Hank Cherry 12-13
JT Russell 12-11
Kyle Glasgow 12-11
Jon Canada 12-11
Todd Goade 12-9
Brad Whatley 12-9
Alton Wilhoit 12-9
David Williams 12-8
Jacob Powroznik 12-8
Todd Auten 12-8
Zack Birge 12-5
Scott Suggs 12-4
James Watson 12-3
Jason Burroughs 12-2
Timothy Reams 12-2
Matt Herren 12-1
Fred Roumbanis 12-1
Bill Day 12-0
Jason Wilson 12-0
Wes Logan 11-15
Brock Mosley 11-13
Drew Cook 11-12
Andrew Upshaw 11-11
John Cox (GA) 11-11
Christopher Whisenant 11-10
Gerald Spohrer 11-10
Chad Marler 11-9
Lavoyd Lemmond 11-8
Adam Savage 11-4
Chad Grigsby 11-4
Keith Bardolf 11-2
James Niggemeyer 11-1
Pete Ponds 11-1
Richard Cooper 11-0
Tim Cales 11-0
Quentin Cappo 10-14
Barron Adams 10-12
Jordan Osborne 10-11
Alex Davis 10-9
Cliff Crochet 10-7
Randall Tharp 10-6
J. Todd Tucker 10-6
Sean Alvarez 10-6
Mitchell Webb 10-4
Nick Brown 10-0
Chris Baker 10-0
T-Roy Broussard 9-15
John Cox (FL) 9-14
Darrel Robertson 9-14
Patrick Walters 9-13
Garrett Smith 9-11
Josh Hooks 9-11
Bob Behrle 9-10
Bo Collins 9-10
Jason Williamson 9-10
William Fletcher 9-10
Hunter Baughman 9-5
Ron Johnson 9-4
David Wootton 9-2
Dylan Freeze 9-2
Austin Garland 9-1
Dustin Williamson 8-15
Jared Lintner 8-12
Luke Clausen 8-12
Jamie Pierce 8-10
Timothy Wilson 8-9
Travis Jewell 8-8
Rickey Morris 8-7
Matthew McBee 8-7
Harry Moore 8-7
Dustin Reneau 8-6
Joey Bloom 7-13
Scott Wiley 7-11
Kevin Rogers 7-11
Chip Harrington 7-11
Josh Watkins 7-6
Michael Comeau 7-6
Charlie Apperson 6-14
Joseph Lineberry 6-11
Lendell Martin 6-6
Johnnie Adams 4-10

by AnglersChannel

BASS FISHING HALL OF FAME AWARDS $24,000 IN FISHERY MANAGEMENT SCHOLARSHIPS

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – For Immediate Release – June 24, 2026 – For the fourth consecutive year, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF) has awarded scholarships through its Fishery Management Scholarship Program. Designed to support and encourage high school and college bass anglers pursuing careers in fisheries and natural resource management, the program reflects the Hall's commitment to preserving healthy fisheries, improving public access, and protecting the waters that sustain the sport of bass fishing.

This year, the Hall awarded six scholarships of $4,000 each, totaling $24,000 in educational assistance. The 2026 recipients are:

Riley Cox – Oregon State University
• Joshua Goff – University of Nebraska
• Matthew Graff – North Carolina State University
• Cole Hubbard – Paul Smith's College
• Teague McClurg – Purdue University
• Levi Umland – University of Missouri

"The response to this program continues to be exceptional," said BFHOF President Bruce Stanton. "We have a dedicated Conservation and Education Committee, led by Board Member and Hall of Fame inductee Gene Gilliland, that gives great care to the selection process. These scholarships represent an investment in the future of our fisheries and the sport we all love. Healthy fisheries are essential to a healthy sport, and supporting these students aligns perfectly with the Hall's mission of celebrating, promoting, and preserving bass fishing."

The recipients are undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in university programs with declared majors or career goals in biology, aquatic ecology, fisheries, marine science, or closely related natural resource fields.

"Each year, our independent panel of judges is impressed by the caliber of applicants and their passion for fisheries conservation," said Gilliland. "These students represent the future stewards of our fisheries, and we're proud to help support their educational journey."

The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame also extends its appreciation to the scholarship review panel, which includes Phil Morlock, former Director of Government Affairs for the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association; Chris Horton, Senior Director of Fisheries Policy for the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation; Ross Self, Chief of Inland Fisheries for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; and Dr. Mark Rogers, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit Leader at Tennessee Tech University.

Funding for the Fishery Management Scholarship Program is made possible through the generous support of Hall of Fame inductees, professional anglers, bass fishing enthusiasts nationwide, participants in the Hall's annual online fundraising auctions, and numerous companies throughout the bass fishing industry. The BFHOF has now awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships since the program began.

The Hall will announce details and application requirements for the 2027 Fishery Management Scholarship Program later this year.

The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame will honor its Class of 2026 during the annual induction ceremony on Sept. 24 at Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium, adjacent to the Bass Pro Shops flagship store in Springfield, Missouri. The Class of 2026 includes Takahiro Omori, Rick Pierce, Pam Martin-Wells, Don Iovino, and Mike Whitaker.

###

About the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame (BFHOF)
Celebrating its 25th year, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization led by a volunteer board of directors, dedicated to celebrating, promoting, and preserving the sport of bass fishing. The Hall’s inductees and historical memorabilia are showcased in Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. For more information about the road to induction, the Hall’s impact on the community, or to get involved, visit www.BassFishingHOF.com.

or contact BFHOF executive director Barbara Bowman at [email protected].

by AnglersChannel

Costa Sunglasses Announces 3rd Annual Costa Bass Derby

In partnership with sporting goods retailer SCHEELS, Costa invites anglers to Grand Lake, Oklahoma to participate in its amateur-only bass tournament

JUPITER, Fla. – (JUNE 23, 2026) – Mark your calendars for the weekend of October 10-11, 2026, as the Costa Bass Derby returns to Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma. Now in its third year, the popular team tournament once again welcomes amateur anglers from across the country to compete for an incredible $20,000 first-place prize.

The Costa Bass Derby is hosted in partnership with Tulsa SCHEELS and is an event both brands look forward to each year. Beyond big payouts, this event promises a memorable weekend celebrating bass fishing and Costa Sunglasses.

“The response to the Costa Bass derby the past two years has exceeded every expectation we had,” said Evan Russell, Costa Sunglasses' Head of Global Sports Marketing. “Seeing the growth from the inaugural tournament to more than 230 teams in year two, along with the atmosphere created by competing anglers and our partners, has us thrilled to bring the Costa Bass Derby back for a third year in 2026. We’re proud to continue building this event that rewards the bass fishing community, creates memories, and gives back to the waters that make our passions possible.”

Open to amateur teams only (see Rules), the tournament is highlighted by an incredible $20,000 first-place prize. Additionally, a $1,000 conservation donation will be made in the winning anglers’ names to the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, where the funds will be used to directly benefit freshwater habitats and bass fishing.

Oklahoma natives Freddie Stopp and Rickey Hicks competed in the inaugural event and then won the derby in 2025. They are eager for another great experience this year.

“We always have a great time at the Costa Bass Derby,” Hicks said. “We’ve fished tournaments together for 20 years, and this is one of the very best events we’ve competed in. For Costa and SCHEELS to put this kind of tournament on for weekend anglers like us is incredible. Everything from the registration gift bags, pros like (Jason) Christie and Casey Ashley hanging out, and then the payouts… it’s all top notch.”

Along with the tournament on Grand Lake, Costa Sunglasses will be set up on Friday, October 10^th at the Tulsa SCHEELS location with product displays, exclusive in-store promotions for tournament participants, product raffles, and insight on Costa’s latest frame and lens technology.

Additionally, on Saturday, October 10th, Costa will host a Tournament Registration at The Regatta on Grand. Here, anglers will pick up swag bags (valued at $200+ and guaranteed for the first 200 boats to register), be treated to dinner, live music, meet & greet with Costa pros before a brief rules meeting.

The tournament will launch from Wolf Creek Park in Grove, OK at safe light (7:00AM) on October 11th and weigh-in will begin at 3:00PM.

To register for Costa Bass Derby, visit https://www.costabassderby.com/. The tournament entry fee is $200 per team with 100% payback. Registration closes Friday, October 2^nd and will be capped at 300 boats. Teams are limited to two anglers per boat, and at least one team member must own a pair of Costa Sunglasses to compete.

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

by AnglersChannel

Lew's® is Red-Hot with the All-New Speed Spool® RX 200 HyperSpeed® Feel the Difference

Hold on tight, Lew's® is introducing the Speed Spool® RX 200 HyperSpeed® and the result is nothing short of a revolution on the water, a completely redesigned reel built for the fastest retrieves on the water.

The Speed Spool RX 200 HyperSpeed is engineered for avid freshwater and tournament anglers who need high-speed line retrieval, precision braking, and dependable performance in variable conditions. It is ideal for techniques that demand fast presentations — including topwater fishing, burning spinnerbaits, and covering water quickly to locate fish.

At the heart of the reel is the innovative ParaMag® RX magnetic braking system, an advanced engineering solution designed to provide anglers with superior cast control while reducing backlash and making every cast more consistent and confident.

Key features include:

Speed — The 9.5:1 gear ratio and 40-inch RPT make the Speed Spool RX 200 HyperSpeed one of the fastest baitcast reels on the market, ideal for high-velocity presentations that trigger reaction strikes.
Smoothness — An 8-bearing system featuring double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings maintains peak efficiency and lasting smoothness throughout the life of the reel.
Strength — One-piece aluminum frame with hard-anodized aluminum precision-cut Speed Gears®, and P2 Super Pinion® for precise gear alignment for exceptional durability and high-strength retrieve cast after cast.
Control — The carbon fiber drag system delivers robust stopping power to manage hard-fighting fish, giving anglers the confidence to push their gear to the limit.

Additional performance-driven features include Zero Reverse® one-way clutch for instant hook-setting, patented Speed Keeper® hook keeper, the Knot Slot spool feature enables seamless line-to-spool attachment, and a 95mm bowed aluminum handle for comfortable operation throughout the day.

The redesigned Speed Spool RX HyperSpeed carries Lew's tradition of high-performance reels at a competitive price point. Visit the Rather Outdoors booth #5620 or On the Water event at ICAST 2026 to see it in action. Availability coming soon through authorized Lew's dealers.

MSPR: $199.99

About Rather Outdoors

by AnglersChannel

Two Professional Anglers Named Head Coaches of Two Nationally Ranked College Fishing Teams

David Walker takes over at Campbellsville University, and Clent Davis is new Head Coach at University of Montevallo

SAN ANTONIO, TX (June 22, 2026) – The 2025-26 season for the Association of Collegiate Anglers on the Bass Pro Shops Collegiate Bass Fishing Series recently concluded, and numerous teams are making headlines during the offseason. Two of college fishing’s perennial top contenders for the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia each recently announced new head coaches to lead their programs.

Clent Davis takes over at the University of Montevallo, and David Walker is now the Head Coach at Campbellsville University.

“It’s great to see Clent Davis at the helm of Montevallo program that he helped to start many years ago and we’re also very excited to see where David Walker can take the Campbellsville program,” said Wade Middleton, President of CarecoTV and ACA Managing Director. “Both these anglers have shown interest for several years in working with college anglers and we’re expecting both programs to stay as some of the best in college fishing.”

Earlier this year, in late April, former professional angler Clent Davis was named Head Coach at the University of Montevallo. Close to 20 years ago, as a student at that time, Davis started the Montevallo fishing team. He graduated in 2009 and pursued a career as a professional angler for 14 years, where he amassed career earnings exceeding $1,000,000.

17 years since graduating from the University of Montevallo, Davis returns as the Head Coach at his alma mater. At the time of Davis’s hiring, Montevallo had won the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia in five consecutive seasons. Just one month into his stint as Head Coach, Montevallo wrapped up the 2025-26 campaign ranked number one to secure its sixth-straight title. Davis and the Falcons will enter this upcoming season looking to continue to re-write the history books for college fishing.

Campbellsville University also recently announced the hiring of a new Head Coach. Accomplished professional angler David Walker will now lead the Campbellsville University Bass Fishing Team.

Over a prestigious 30-year career, Walker’s accomplishments include numerous victories at the highest levels in the sport, as well as several Angler of the Year titles across various tournament trails.

As the new Head Coach at Campbellsville University, Walker is looking to develop the next generation of young anglers while building a championship culture, developing student-athletes on and off the water, creating meaningful relationships and more.

Campbellsville finished the 2025-26 campaign ranked 11^th. The team from Campbellsville, KY has never won the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Walker will be looking to achieve that task as the new season gets underway.

To start a team or club at your school, follow this link.

by AnglersChannel

Tournament Intel: Banks Shaw and the Oklahoma SWEEP!

We're back with episode two of Tournament Intel, our series with Bass365 breaking down a tournament win straight from the source — no script, no hindsight, just the angler walking through what actually happened.

This time it's Banks Shaw, who's walking away from Oklahoma with two wins in a month on two lakes he barely knew.

"Walking away from Oklahoma, being here a month with two wins, it's pretty special to me," Shaw said. He'd never fished Eufaula before this year. At Grand Lake, he'd only ever fished a muddy area near the ramp — nothing like the offshore schools that won him this one.

His approach to both: stay open and let the lake tell him what to do. "I just try to keep as much of an open mind as I possibly can, because you never know what to expect when you first show up to a fishery," he said. A fish off a brush pile, another off a dock — small clues that build into a pattern over the practice week. And when the fish move during the tournament itself, like they did at Grand Lake, Shaw trusts the same process to find them again.

There's a gut-feeling element to it too. "You'll just be running down the lake and you'll go past a spot and then all of a sudden you're like, hang on, I need to turn around and go back to it," he said. "Those are the decisions that sometimes make the difference."

Shaw breaks it all down below — how he studies a new lake, why a shad bait is always his first move, and what he looks for the second he idles up to any unfamiliar point.

by AnglersChannel

Smithfield’s McCrickard Dominates Field for Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at James River

Sutherland’s Williams Earns Win in Co-Angler Division

HENRICO, Va. (June 22, 2026) – Boater Michael McCrickard of Smithfield, Virginia, caught a total of five bass weighing 20 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on the James River . The tournament, hosted by Richmond Region Tourism, was the third of five events of the season for the BFL Shenandoah Division. McCrickard earned $3,160 for his victory.

“I had a late boat number, so where I wanted to start was kind of out the window,” McCrickard said. “I had a good practice Tuesday in the (Chickahominy River) and had an even better practice Thursday up the James. I decided to make the run to the Chick, pulled up on a spot and on the third cast caught a 6-pounder.”

McCrickard relocated further upriver and within five minutes caught another bass that weighed 5-12. With two big ones in the livewell, McCrickard hit a dry spell until around 10 a.m. A 3-pounder broke the drought. McCrickard was targeting grasslines with a crankbait and a Yamamoto Senko. At high tide the grass was anywhere from two to six feet deep.

“Then we ran around like mad men and left the Chick at 11:45 and pulled into a creek on the lower end of the James,” McCrickard said. “I finished out my limit and headed back to the boat ramp at about 1 o’clock.

“I knew 13 pounds would get a check on the boater side and it would take 17 to 18 pounds to win,” McCrickard said. “And a third of the field wouldn’t catch a limit. It’s fishing pretty tough right now. I knew going into it to have a shot I was going to have to fish pretty clean. When I caught that 6-pounder early I wouldn’t say I was coasting, but I knew I had the big one out of the way.

“I’ve put a lot of time on that river the past couple of years trying to learn it,” McCrickard went on to say. “It felt really good to piece it all together and close it out.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Michael McCrickard, Smithfield, Va., five bass, 20-10, $3,160
2nd:      Travis Lewis, Stanley, Va., five bass, 15-12, $1,600
3rd:       Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., five bass, 15-8, $1,170
4th:        Eric Johnson, Partlow, Va., five bass, 15-7, $620
5th:        Brian Langford, Petersburg, Va., five bass, 14-12, $550
6th:        Christopher Wingfield, Richmond, Va., five bass, 14-1, $480
7th:        Brian Laclair, Denton, Md., five bass, 13-10, $460
8th:        Shawn Huwar, Ruther Glen, Va., five bass, 13-8, $430
8th:        Ben Dalton, Bracey, Va., five bass, 13-8, $430
10th:     Keith Estes, Spring Grove, Va., five bass, 13-4, $410

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

McCrickard also earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing his 6-pounder, worth $200.

Richard Williams of Sutherland, Virginia, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,530 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 14 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Richard Williams, Sutherland, Va., three bass, 10-14, $1,530
2nd:      Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., three bass, 9-2, $750
3rd:       David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., three bass, 8-10, $447
3rd:       David Cole, Chester, Va., three bass, 8-10, $347
5th:        Frank Daniels, Dover, Del., three bass, 7-12, $275
6th:        Taylor Schmitt, North Chesterfield, Va., three bass, 7-9, $240
7th:        Steven Lloyd, Summit Point, W.V., two bass, 7-2, $225
7th:        Phil Thalheimer, Raleigh, N.C., three bass, 7-2, $225
9th:        Pat Kendrick, Bumpass, Va., three bass, 7-1, $207
9th:        Stephen Barr, Wilmington, N.C., one bass, 7-1, $307

Stephen Barr of Wilmington, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass worth $100.

After three events, Brian Laclair of Denton, Maryland, now leads the 7 Brew Shenandoah Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 728 points, while Richard Williams of Sutherland, Virginia, leads the Shenandoah Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 728 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

by AnglersChannel

Gallatin’s Stout Edges Field for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Old Hickory Lake

Portland, Tennessee’s Payne Tops Co-Angler Division

MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (June 22, 2026) – Boater Michael Stout of Gallatin, Tennessee, caught a total of five bass weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Old Hickory Lake. The tournament was the fourth of five events of the season for the BFL Music City Division. Stout earned $2,960 for his victory.

“I really didn’t have a place to start, so I kind of just bounced around,” Stout said. “Most of my stuff was offshore. They started pulling current, and they weren’t supposed to, but it made the fish set up on a couple of key spots and I was able to catch them with (Garmin) LiveScope and without it. It was basically a big plug, worm and a football jig for me.”

Stout said he fished mid-lake to the bottom end of the lake and targeted current breaks on the main river in 6 to 12 feet of water. He attacked first with the crankbait and then switched to the more subtle baits to coax bites.

“Around 10 or 11 o’clock I felt like I had a shot at winning, but I felt that I was one fish short,” Stout said. “I had 17 pounds at 1:30 and I just happened to pull up on a hole and caught a 3½-pounder.

“It was a good day. Everything just kind of fell into place,” Stout went on to say. It’s an awesome feeling to win. It shows that all of the hard work you put in pays off. That’s the most rewarding thing to me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Michael Stout, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 18-2, $2,960
2nd:       Angel Rosario, Kalamazoo, Mich., five bass, 18-1, $1,700
3rd:       Austin True, Dickson, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $1,195 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
3rd:       Craig Gann, Castalian Springs, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $695
5th:        Sam Lashlee, Camden, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $550
6th:        Jayson Johnson, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $470
6th:        Cole Petroff, Mt. Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 13-8, $470
8th:        Shane Oxford, Saint Meinrad, Ind., five bass, 13-3, $690
9th:        Matthew Poss, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 13-1, $420
10th:     Colby Schrumpf, Highland, Ill., five bass, 12-12, $560

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Angel Rosario of Kalamazoo, Michigan, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 4-pound, 6-ounce bass worth $200.

Richard Payne of Portland, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,580 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 10 pounds, 11 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Richard Payne, Portland, Tenn., three bass, 10-11, $1,580
2nd:       David Marr, Cleveland, Tenn., three bass, 7-14, $750
3rd:       Blake Whittaker, Cookeville, Tenn., three bass, 7-9, $347
3rd:       Tyrell Harmon, Hermitage, Tenn., three bass, 7-9, $347
5th:        Jarrod White, Lebanon, Tenn., three bass, 7-3, $275
6th:        Jeff Cave, Mt. Juliet, Tenn., three bass, 7-0, $340
7th:        Redd Reynolds, Flintville, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $230
8th:        Ricky England, Sparta, Tenn., three bass, 6-12, $220
9th:        Chris Seese, Ten Mile, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $188
9th:        David Dan, Lebanon, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $188
9th:        David Wiley, Greenbrier, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $188

Richard Payne of Portland, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 4-pound, 3-ounce bass worth $100.

After four events, tournament winner Michael Stout now leads the 7 Brew Music City Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 968 points, while David Wiley of Greenbrier, Tennessee, leads the Music City Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 952 points.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

by AnglersChannel

Rockwood’s Pelfrey Notches 1-Ounce Victory at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event at Cherokee Lake

Russellville’s Schultz Claims Win in Co-Angler Division

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (June 22, 2026) – Boater Dale Pelfrey of Rockwood, Tennessee, caught a total of five bass weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League (BFL) Presented by T-H Marine on Cherokee Lake . The tournament, hosted by Visit Jefferson County, TN, was the fourth of five events of the season for the BFL Volunteer Division. Pelfrey earned $4,540, including a $2,500 Phoenix bonus, for his victory.

“I just put a flipping stick in my hand and went flipping all day,” Pelfrey said. “The early bite was really good for me. I think I had three for 10 pounds in the first 30 minutes, but I could have had 18 pounds. I just kept losing fish.”

Pelfrey said he caught seven keepers during the course of the day and may have lost twice as many bass.

“I don’t know what was going on with me today,” Pelfrey said. “I was sick about it all day.”

Pelfrey said he covered water from the takeoff site to the 25E bridge as the day progressed, but the bite slowed and he said he had only three bites in the last three hours of the tournament. Pelfrey said he was experimenting with a new bait, but didn’t want to divulge the name. He targeted multiple types of cover in 8 to 10 feet of water.

“I typically don’t fish like that,’ Pelfrey said. “It’s just something I got on in practice Friday, and it proved to be the right thing. And anything that matched that description … that’s what I ran.”

Despite the fish he lost during the tournament, Pelfrey said he remained optimistic about his chances.

“I knew I would be close,” Pelfrey said. “Typically, if you have 17 pounds, you’re pretty close. But I’ve been in tournaments where it only took 14 pounds. I knew I had a shot, but I also knew I had a shot to lose, as well.

“I’ve been on the wrong side of a win several times,” Pelfrey went on to say. “I have seven or eight second-place finishes, so I’ve had my share of close calls. It feels good to be on the right side of a 1-ounce difference.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:

1st:        Dale Pelfrey, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $4,540 (includes $2,500 Phoenix bonus)
2nd:      Riley Faulkner, Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $1,080
3rd:       Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $700
4th:        Canyon Padgett, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 14-4, $500
5th:        Matthew Rock, Bristol, Va., five bass, 13-15, $600
6th:        Brian Vicchio, Gray, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $400
7th:        Kasey Hunley, Sharps Chapel, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $390
8th:        Gavin Clevenger, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 12-7, $380
9th:        Spencer Peters, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 12-1, $370
10th:     Greg McDavid, Piney Flats, Tenn., four bass, 11-13, $360

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

John Blanton of Salyersville, Kentucky, earned the Berkley Big Bass Boater award after landing a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass worth $200.

Dawson Schultz of Russellville, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,020 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 8 pounds, 12 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers finished:

1st:        Dawson Schultz, Russellville, Tenn., three bass, 8-12, $1,020
2nd:      Adam Spivey, Jonesville, Va., three bass, 8-3, $590
3rd:       Ryan Lee, Pound, Va., three bass, 7-4, $300
4th:        Bud McKelvey, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 7-2, $350
5th:        Corey Wilson, Weaverville, N.C., three bass, 6-8, $225
6th:        Mark Thomas, Decatur, Tenn., three bass, 6-4, $200
7th:        Kyle Coffin, Cookeville, Tenn., two bass, 5-15, $200
8th:        Elijah Caudill, Rutledge, Tenn., three bass, 5-12, $190
9th:        Keith Gunsauls, Dandridge, Tenn., two bass, 5-7, $185
9th:        Cody Stokes, Ooltewah, Tenn., two bass, 5-7, $185

Bud McKelvey of Knoxville, Tennessee, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 4-pound, 5-ounce bass worth $100.

After four events, Justin McGaha of Knoxville, Tennessee, now leads the 7 Brew Volunteer Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 978 points, while Keith Gunsauls of Dandridge, Tennessee, leads the Volunteer Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 968 points.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the division based on point standings, along with the five tournament winners of each qualifying event, will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 BFL Regional tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Georgia. Boaters will fish for a top award of a new Phoenix 819 Pro with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard worth $50,000, while co-anglers will compete for a top prize of a new Phoenix 518 pro with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Suzuki outboard, worth $33,500.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Grizzly, Mercury, MillerTech, Mystik Lubricants, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER, YETI and Yuengling.

by AnglersChannel

Dual Pro High Frequency Fishing: Drew Gill’s Urchin Tricks

When the bite gets tough during post-spawn, MLF Pro Angler Drew Gill knows exactly which bait to reach for: the Urchin/Coike. On a bluebird-sky day in late May on a small reservoir in Southern Indiana, Gill put the viral soft plastic to the test, and once again, it delivered.

Bright Skies, Warming Water, and a Bait That Keeps Producing

The conditions were about as classic post-spawn as it gets. The high temperature climbed to 88 degrees under cloudless, bluebird skies, with water temps sitting at 76 degrees. Bass were transitioning off bedding areas and relating tightly to cover and structure, exactly the scenario where the Urchin shines.

Gill has leaned on the Urchin heavily this season, and he’s not alone. The squid-like, tentacled soft plastic has become one of the most talked-about baits in bass fishing recently, and Gill credits its unique profile and slow rate of fall for its effectiveness. Rigged with a single hook and either a 1/32-ounce or 1/16-ounce nail weight tucked inside, the bait sinks slowly and nearly suspends on a tight line, a trait Gill says bass simply can’t ignore.

Fishing It Like a Glide Bait

Rather than treating the Urchin like a typical soft plastic, Gill fishes it more like a glide bait, on beefier line with a 2/0 hook, snapping it aggressively around laydowns and stumps to trigger reaction bites. That approach paid off almost immediately, with a fish smashing the bait right on top of a stump.

The real story of the day, though, was a group of suspended fish Gill couldn’t even see on his forward-facing sonar until the Urchin pulled them up off the bottom. By letting the school settle and re-group between bites instead of beating the spot to death, Gill managed to pick off several quality fish, including one nearing six pounds, out of a single school over the course of about ninety minutes.

By the end of the session, Gill had boated five solid bass plus a near-six-pounder, proof that the Coike Urchin continues to be a difference-maker in tough post-spawn conditions.

Click the video below to watch Drew Gill work the Coike Urchin in real time on Anglers Channel YouTube.

by AnglersChannel

Banks Shaw Earns First Bass Pro Tour Win at Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota

Tennessee rookie comes from behind to catch 28 bass for 82-15 in final-day Championship Round and earn top prize of $125,000

GROVE, Okla. (June 21, 2026) – Virtually the entire Championship Round at Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota looked like a duel between Zack Birge and Dustin Connell , with Banks Shaw among the also-rans. Birge and Connell distanced themselves from the rest of the pack early and built an advantage of more than 20 pounds over the rest of their competition entering the third period. The two multi-time Bass Pro Tour winners swapped the top spot on SCORETRACKER® as they traded blows, with one of the two leading from the second minute after lines in until 16 minutes before lines out.

Then Shaw swooped in and stole the show, the Stage 6 trophy and the $125,000 paycheck that comes with it.

Putting together perhaps the best final period in Bass Pro Tour history, the 22-year-old phenom roared back from a nearly 30-pound deficit to claim his first BPT win going away. Shaw totaled 82 pounds, 15 ounces on 28 scorable bass to top Connell by 8-13. That earned the Tennessee pro his fourth MLF win of 2026 and the biggest triumph of his young career.

Change was the theme throughout this rare summertime visit to Grand. Anglers launched on Day 1 to find the lake more than 3 feet above full pool, and as the water dropped, the current, clarity and fish positioning all fluctuated.
As a result, everything from flipping flooded bushes to winding around water willow to cranking at all depths produced big days. But through it all, Shaw stuck to his gameplan running offshore schools.

Having grown up on Lake Chickamauga and spent hundreds of days on Lake Pickwick while attending the University of North Alabama, fishing for offshore groups during summer is right up Shaw’s alley. So, once he found a school early during practice, he went all-in, spending the rest of the two practice days scanning for more.

“I found one pretty quick into practice and based off how that school looked and what I caught, I knew that was 100% going to be the deal if I found more of them,” Shaw said. “And I just fully committed to it.”

Shaw used his offshore acumen to cruise through the first three days of competition. His bait arsenal included a Rapala DT 20 and a ¾-ounce football jig with a Rapala CrushCity Cleanup Craw as a trailer without forward-facing sonar, then a 3/16-ounce VMC RedLine tungsten ballhead with a medley of minnows (including a 5.25-inch CrushCity Freeloader) with the technology. He racked up 74-15 on Day 1, which gave him time to scout for more schools on Day 2. He then finished second in the Knockout Round, just a few ounces back of Ron Nelson.

Several other anglers who fished offshore started the event strong before ultimately faltering. Shaw believes the fact that he spent his entire practice plus some bonus time he earned himself during the Qualifying Round searching offshore gave him the ammo he needed to withstand the changing conditions.

“It just changed day by day on the places I had,” he explained. “Not saying I found new places each day, but I would catch them off a school one day and there would be a bunch in there, and then I would go back the next day and there wasn’t as many. Then I would go to a school where there wasn’t as many, and there would be more there. It was just kind of one of those deals that I had to fish everything to kind of figure out what areas I needed to focus on.”

Naturally, Sunday morning brought more change in the form of stormy, windy conditions. That hindered Shaw. He cracked 20 pounds by 9 a.m., but once the front arrived, he went more than 2 hours without adding another scorable bass. He mustered just three for 6-14 in Period 2. That put him 28-9 behind Birge – more than twice his weight to that point – entering the final frame.

Yet Shaw stayed positive. While the weather made fishing offshore difficult early in the day, he knew it would keep recreational traffic to a minimum in the afternoon. That would boost his efficiency during Period 3, when he planned to utilize his one period with forward-facing sonar.

Shaw visited a few spots without success to start the period. About 35 minutes in, he finally ignited a school and caught six for more than 16 pounds in the span of 13 minutes.

That trimmed Shaw’s deficit, but Birge and Connell (and Alton Jones Jr., for that matter) all added to their totals, too. Shaw then endured a 55-minute lull in which he caught just one scorable bass. With a little less than an hour before lines out, he still trailed Connell by 16-10.

That’s when he headed for the spot he’d been saving all event.

During practice, Shaw found a point on the lower end of the lake loaded with big bass. They weren’t easy to spot, though, sitting tight to the bottom among big rocks, so he felt confident no one else would pressure them.

“It was just a round point,” Shaw said. “The fish were just glued to the bottom in 25 feet of water, so they were super hard to see. You had to be straight off the bank from them and looking straight in and really close to them to be able to see the fish. That’s why a lot of other anglers missed them. I saw multiple other guys fishing it, and they just didn’t know they were there.”

From the time he found the school during practice, Shaw planned to save them until the Championship Round. He checked each day to make sure the fish were still there but refrained from catching any until Saturday afternoon. When he caught a pair of 4-pounders and saw a gaggle of other big blobs follow them off the bottom, he knew it had potential to be the winning spot.

“I knew what lived there and how it could go if it worked in my favor,” he said. “Each day, I kind of pulled up and checked on them to see if they were there still and just making sure that it was like it was in practice, and yesterday I pulled up because I kind of needed to, and I caught two 4s back to back, and there was still like 30 of them down there. I was like, ‘Yeah, this is a pretty good little spot.’”

The fireworks started quietly. Shaw boated a 2-7, then followed it with a 3-6. A cast or two later, he got the bite that took his comeback from “keep an eye on him” to “look out” – a 6-15 giant. That behemoth not only earned Berkley Big Bass honors for the day, it was the biggest caught all event by 12 ounces. It also vaulted Shaw past Birge into second place and cut his deficit to Connell in half – from 13-11 to 6-12.

Next came a 3-15. Then a 5-10 that finally gave him the lead he’d never relinquish. Then a 3-14 and a 2-2 in quick succession. At that point, Shaw let himself believe he’d actually pulled off the comeback.

“I still didn’t even think I could do it whenever I caught my 5-10 and took the lead,” he said. “Once I caught the 4 right after that, I had like a 5-pound lead, and I thought I had a really good chance.”

The only thing that stopped Shaw’s frenzy was the clock – he landed another 2-2 on his last cast, 10 seconds before lines out. In all, his winning flurry accounted for 30-7 in 37 minutes. His Period 3 total: 55-10 on 17 scorable bass.

Even as a 22-year-old BPT rookie, winning isn’t a new feeling for Shaw. His stats since taking his career national in 2025 are mind-boggling.

He’s won two Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit events and a Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event (including just a few weeks ago on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula). He also won a Toyota Series event at Lake Okeechobee in January. He won the Angler of the Year title on the Invitationals circuit in record fashion last year, and he leads the points on Pro Circuit with one event left. Excluding college events (where he competed with a partner), Shaw has fished 28 MLF events since the start of the 2025 season and finished in the Top 10 in 23 of them.

But amid all that success, this win stands out.

For one thing, it’s rare for any angler to pull off a clutch comeback like Shaw’s, especially with $125,000 on the line. He couldn’t think of a similar experience from his young career. Knowing where he stood in real time thanks to SCORETRACKER® made the rally unlike anything else he’s experienced on the water.

“It felt different than any other win I’ve had, being out there on the water and it being that intense,” he said. “Like, the five-fish tournaments, a lot of them, I’ll think I won’t have it won, then I do. And I’m just kind of shocked when I get (to weigh-in). But it’s not as special as it is out there on the water, whenever you do it right then and there and you know. It’s pretty crazy.”

The caliber of anglers he beat made the win even more special. Shaw ran down the current Fishing Clash Angler of the Year leader (Birge) and the angler who had been, to this point, the best closer on tour with three REDCREST titles and seven Bass Pro Tour wins to show for it (Connell).

That earned him the red trophy that, even though Shaw had only fished five prior BPT events, he felt like he’d been overdue to hoist. Were it not for a boat fire that derailed his forward-facing sonar period at Stage 1 on Lake Guntersville, he might have been able to pull off a similar rally and run down winner Drew Gill . He also held the lead on the final day at Lake Hartwell and finished third at Beaver Lake.

“This is something that I’ve been thinking about all season since I’ve been so close,” he said. “I felt like it was going to happen a lot sooner, and for it to finally happen, it’s pretty special.”

While Birge fell just short of claiming his second career Bass Pro Tour victory in his home state, his third-place finish could loom large in the Angler of the Year race.

Birge arrived at Grand leading Jacob Wheeler by a single point, and he extended that advantage to 12 points entering the final event of the season. As a result, if Birge makes the Championship Round at Stage 7 on Lake Erie, he’s assured of dethroning Wheeler and winning his first career tour-level AOY crown.

The top 10 pros at Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota finished:

1st: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 28 bass, 82-15, $125,000
2nd:        Dustin Connell, Deatsville, Ala., 28 bass, 74-2, $45,000
3rd: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 21 bass, 64-5, $35,000
4th:         Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas, 20 bass, 55-5, $30,000
5th:         Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 18 bass, 46-2, $25,000
6th:         Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 11 bass, 31-4, $23,000
7th:         Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 28-1, $22,000
8th:         Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 10 bass, 27-8, $21,000
9th:         Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., eight bass, 24-7, $20,500
10th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., eight bass, 20-11, $20,000

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 162 bass caught weighing 454 pounds, 12 ounces, caught by the final 10 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Sunday.

Sunday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was earned by Shaw, who caught a 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth in the third period on a jighead minnow. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

Hosted by the City of Grove and the Grove Convention and Tourism Bureau , the four-day tournament featured 51 of the world’s top professional anglers competing for a $125,000 top prize and their share of a $600,000 purse, along with valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST 2027 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – and the Kubota Heavy Hitters all-star event.

The next event for Bass Pro Tour anglers will be Stage 7 at Lake Erie in Sandusky, Ohio, August 6-9.

The 2026 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 51 of the best professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Kubota Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2027 championship.

Television coverage of the Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Sept. 26 on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.

Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour include: Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing Co., Bass Force, B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Force, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF! Deep Woods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine, Toyota, Yuengling and Zenni.

by AnglersChannel

Tennessee’s Hemby Holds on for Win at MLF Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Dardanelle

Linn Creek’s Shawn Kowal Wins Toyota Series 7 Brew Plains Division Angler of the Year Title

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (June 21, 2026) – The final day of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Plains Division event on Lake Dardanelle was full of drama, and weigh-in for both competitions was very tense. On the pro side, Drake Hemby took the lead on Day 2 and was well on his way to a 20-pound average for the event. However, on Day 3, he only mustered 13 pounds, 14 ounces for a 54-11 total. Still, it was good enough for the win and to pocket $29,329 and lock in a spot at the Toyota Series Championship.

Narrowly finishing second, Evan Sutton tallied 54-5 over three days, while Drew Porto locked up third with 52-14. With the conclusion of the Plains Division season, Shawn Kowal took home 7 Brew Angler of the Year honors.

Hemby squeaks out the win
A former collegiate angler for Carson-Newman University, Hemby is no stranger to Dardanelle, and he’s had some close calls before. Come weigh-in, he thought he was headed for another near miss.

“I’m a little shocked, to be honest with you,” he said. “I didn’t think there was any way I was going to have enough.”
But he did, and combined with a recent Top 25 in the Toyota Series event at Eufaula, Hemby might be making some headway at a career on the water instead of fixing boats for Smoky Mountain H2O Sports.

“I really wanted to give it a shot; it’s been a dream of mine forever,” said Hemby. “I fished the Opens last year and got my teeth kicked in. I decided to go a different route this year, and I haven’t had the best year, but the past few events have been good. I feel like mentally, I’m a little bit over the hump. If it keeps going like this, I’ll keep trying.”

Diverse gameplan does the trick
With a good ‘Scope strategy and some good fish in the grass, Hemby did a little of everything on Dardanelle this week.

“I started out this morning on a place I found yesterday afternoon in the grass and caught a 9-pound limit, which was nice to take the pressure off a little bit,” he said. “Then we went and fished some stuff that my co-angler had. He’s from here, and he had a lot of confidence in it.”

Later in the morning, Hemby fired up his LiveScope.

“I turned my ‘Scope on, and it took me 2 1/2 hours of my ‘Scope period to get my first bite,” he said. “Then in the last 30 minutes, I caught three big ones and didn’t catch anything after that. I was fishing brush, stumps and little hard spots that I found in practice. It was pretty simple.”

The end result was by no means a huge weight total, but it proved just enough to get the win.

Shallow, Hemby used a 3/8-ounce Boogerman Buzzbait in white, which accounted for his kicker on Day 1. He also threw a 3/8-ounce Z-Man Evergreen ChatterBait JackHammer in golden shiner, and when he had his electronics lit up, he used a Hideup Coike Fullcast with an Owner Stinger treble and a 3/32-ounce weight. He threw everything on 20-pound Seaguar InvizX.

The top 10 pros at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Dardanelle finished:

1st:        Drake Hemby, Brentwood, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-11, $29,329
2nd:      Evan Sutton, Highland, Ill., 15 bass, 54-5, $11,365
3rd:       Drew Porto, Greenbrier, Ark., 15 bass, 52-14, $8,799
4th:       Wayne Dixon, Morrilton, Ark., 15 bass, 52-5, $7,332
5th:       Jarred Thompson, Vilonia, Ark., 15 bass, 52-3, $7,099
6th:       Hunter Baughman, Judsonia, Ark., 15 bass, 49-4, $5,866
7th:       Mat Higby, Lamar, Ark., 15 bass, 48-12, $5,133
8th:       Tripp Berlinsky, Saint Cloud, Fla., 15 bass, 48-8, $5,399 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
9th:       Jackson Roumbanis, Russellville, Ark., 15 bass, 48-7, $3,666
10th:     Matt Tucker, Pottsville, Ark., 15 bass, 47-10, $2,933

Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Pro Zack Freeman of Russellville, Arkansas, earned Thursday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 2 ounces, while Jarred Thompson of Vilonia, Arkansas, won Friday’s $500 Berkley Big Bass Award with a bass weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces.

Dennis Young of Olathe, Kansas, won the co-angler division Saturday at Lake Dardanelle with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 35 pounds, 12 ounces. Young earned the top co-angler prize package worth $33,550, including a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard motor.

The top 10 co-anglers at the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Dardanelle finished:

1st:        Dennis Young, Olathe, Kansas, 12 bass, 35-12, Phoenix 518 Pro boat w/115-hp Mercury outboard
2nd:      Randy Allen, Russellville, Arkansas, 11 bass, 34-5, $3,910
3rd:       Robert Jacuzzi, Mount Ida, Ark., 14 bass, 33-10, $3,008
4th:       James Edmonds, Hot Springs Village, Ark., 13 bass, 31-0, $2,732
5th:       Mason Chambers, Galena, Mo., 13 bass, 29-14, $2,256
6th:       Lawson Lewis, Knoxville, Ark., 12 bass, 29-6, $1,880
7th:       Alan Bernicky, Dardanelle, Ark., 11 bass, 28-15, $1,604
8th:       Blake Defoor, Waldron, Ark., 11 bass, 26-0, $1,316
9th:       Dakota Ball, Connersville, Ind., 13 bass, 25-7, $1,128
10th:     Freeland Peterson, Henley, Mo., 10 bass, 24-10, $940

Co-angler Randy Allen of Russellville, Arkansas, earned Thursday’s Berkley Big Bass co-angler award on Day 1 with a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass to earn the $150 prize, while Friday’s Day 2 $150 co-angler award went to Mike Foelsch of O’Fallon, Missouri, who weighed in a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass.

With all three Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Plains Division now complete, pro Shawn Kowal of Linn Creek, Missouri, won the 7 Brew Plains Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 712 points, while Freeland Peterson Henley, Missouri, won the Plains Division Co-Angler of the Year race, with 760 points.

The three-day Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Lake Dardanelle was hosted by the Russellville Tourism & Visitors Center. It was the third and final regular-season tournament for the Toyota Series Plains Division. The next event for Toyota Series anglers will be a Northern Division event, the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats at Potomac River, June 25-27 in Marbury, Maryland. For a complete schedule of events, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Ron Nelson Tops Knockout Round at Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota

Michigan pro catches 21 bass for 63-8 to pace the field and advance, final 10 now set for Championship Sunday shootout for $125,000

GROVE, Okla. (June 20, 2026) – Oklahoma’s Grand Lake has produced bass in bunches for three days in a row at Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota , with anglers catching fish both ultra-shallow and offshore. The field has been fairly split between the two approaches throughout the event, but Michigan’s Ron Nelson used a blended strategy Saturday, working it to perfection to pace the field in the Knockout Round with 21 bass for 63 pounds, 8 ounces.

Nelson led throughout the second half of the day but briefly surrendered the top spot to Banks Shaw in the final moments, before landing a 2-1 clutch catch with less than a minute to go. Those two anglers, along with seven more, will join Qualifying Round winner Jake Lawrence to form the last 10 standing for Sunday’s Championship Round.

Nelson finished runner-up at Heavy Hitters in May and is hoping to keep the momentum rolling for one more day in Oklahoma. He’ll have to beat a stout field of offshore aces and shallow-water gurus, though, each with a chance to win on a quickly changing Grand Lake.

Nelson stayed close to the Wolf Creek takeoff each morning, focusing on shallow bushes. The area has produced a perfect storm of high-water levels and plenty of food, keeping the bass there through the first three days of competition.

“The mayfly hatch is going on, along with a little bit of a shad spawn and the water’s still up high enough that the bushes have a lot of fish coming to them,” Nelson said. “That bite is really strong in the first period, and a few of us are capitalizing on it, including a few others who advanced to the final day.”

Flipping a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, Nelson said he was thrilled about his great day but knows it could have been even better.

“The fish are sitting high in the water column,” he said. “They’d come up and roll on it, and I missed several fish because of that. Most of it was just angler error.”

After the shallow bite slowed, Nelson shifted gears and targeted more offshore schools on what he described as a flat point, both with and without forward-facing sonar.

“When I had my forward-facing on, I could pan over there and see eight or 10 fish at a time, but it’s almost like blind fishing and casting even when it’s turned on,” he said. “The fish are sitting on the edge of the point, and they’ll cycle up and get on top of it, and you can catch them pretty quickly. I’ve been able to catch them with and without forward-facing sonar on a ChatterBait, Carolina rig, crankbait and an urchin, and the fish are all really fat, which tells me they have stabilized and are in their summer pattern after the postspawn.”

With two solid approaches in his pocket, Nelson said he is torn on which to use in the Championship Round.

“I’m really leaning towards starting on that ‘Scope area just because they’ll probably be chewing at low light, but I just can’t give up the chance to catch 10 or more scoreables first thing in the morning flipping bushes,” he said. “Once you miss that early window up shallow, it’s over, and those bushes have been beaten to death. If it’s not happening in the first hour, I’m pulling the plug and going to that flat point.”

Fresh off his recent Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit victory a little over two hours south on Lake Eufaula, red-hot Banks Shaw is keeping the momentum rolling in the Sooner State. The Bass Pro Tour rookie notched his third Top 10 of the year (along with several more on other MLF circuits) and did it with plenty of quality bass.

After opening the day with two bass over 5 pounds, Shaw added four more over the 4-pound mark. His best five fish totaled 24 pounds, 9 ounces, while his full-day haul of 20 bass weighed 62-2. The Tennessee pro said Grand Lake suits his style and feels a bit like home.

“I went into this tournament kind of hoping the fish would be grouped up offshore, and I found a school pretty quick in practice,” he said. “Right then, I was fully committed to it and looked for as many places as I could find. It feels just like the TVA out there. I love it, and I didn’t realize this lake was this fun. I was here for the Toyota Series Championship in the fall, and it was nothing like this.”

While it’s not far geographically from his most recent victory, Shaw said Grand is much different from Lake Eufaula.

“I caught them in a similar way, but on Eufaula it was all about isolated brush, and on Grand it’s schools of fish,” he said. “Grand also seems to have more numbers and bigger fish. I think if I can hit it right in the first period and then continue the momentum, I’ll have a good shot to contend for the win. I’m super excited to see how this one pans out.”

With Jacob Wheeler finishing the competition day in 13th place, Birge’s lead in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year will increase by at least four points. He came into the event a single point ahead of Wheeler and could extend his lead even more, depending on how he fares tomorrow.

Spencer Shuffield made big moves in the third period, finishing the day in 8th place with 17 bass for 47-13 thanks to a late-day flurry that saw four scoreables boated in the final 30 minutes.

The top nine pros that now advance to Championship Sunday on Grand Lake at Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota are:

1st: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 21 bass, 63-8
2nd: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 20 bass, 62-2
3rd: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 21 bass, 59-9
4th:         Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 19 bass, 54-14
5th:         Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas, 17 bass, 54-10
6th:         Dustin Connell, Deatsville, Ala., 18 bass, 52-4
7th:         Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 19 bass, 51-8
8th:         Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 17 bass, 47-13
9th:         Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 16 bass, 46-14
*QR Winner: Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn.

Eliminated from competition are:

10th:      Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 18 bass, 44-10, $15,900
11th:      Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 16 bass, 43-0, $15,800
12th:      Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., 12 bass, 41-15, $15,700
13th:      Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn., 14 bass, 39-11, $15,600
14th:      Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 14 bass, 36-4, $15,500
15th:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 12 bass, 32-12, $15,400
16th:      Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 11 bass, 32-11, $15,300
17th:      Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 11 bass, 31-4, $15,200
18th:      Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 12 bass, 27-10, $15,100
19th:      Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., nine bass, 25-9, $15,000
20th:      Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., seven bass, 20-12, $15,000
21st:      Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., six bass, 20-8, $15,000
22nd:     James Elam, Cleveland, Okla., five bass, 17-4, $15,000
23rd: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, six bass, 15-11, $15,000
24th:      Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 15-4, $15,000

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 326 bass caught weighing 937 pounds, 15 ounces, caught by the 24 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Saturday.

Saturday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was again earned by Jesse Wiggins of Logan, Alabama, who caught a 6-pound, 3-ounce largemouth in the first period throwing a crankbait. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

Hosted by the City of Grove and the Grove Convention and Tourism Bureau , the four-day tournament features 51 of the world’s top professional anglers competing for a $125,000 top prize and their share of a $600,000 purse, along with valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for REDCREST 2027 – the Bass Pro Tour championship – and the Kubota Heavy Hitters all-star event.

The full field of anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round was complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total – Jake Lawrence – advanced directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers who finished 2nd through 25th competed in Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining anglers competed to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are again zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $125,000.

The final 10 anglers will arrive Sunday morning at 6:15 a.m. CT to Wolf Creek Park, located at 963 N. 16th St. in Grove, Oklahoma, with takeoff starting at 7:15 a.m. Anglers will return to Wolf Creek Park Sunday evening following the end of competition at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to watch the event live online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® livestream and follow along with SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the action live on Championship Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com , the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

On Sunday, June 21, from 3 to 6 p.m., MLF invites fans of all ages to Wolf Creek Park for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the Bass Pro Tour pros live on the MLFNOW!® big screen, enjoy free food for the first 100 fans, enter hourly giveaways, browse MLF merchandise and the bargain bait bin, participate in a free fishing derby and casting contest, and cheer on their favorite anglers. Live music with Morgan Rohrs begins at 4 p.m., followed by top-10 angler interviews and the trophy presentation at 5 p.m., including autographs and photos with Bass Pro Tour finalists. The first 50 kids ages 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel.

The Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota will feature anglers competing with a 2-pound minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.

by AnglersChannel

Harlin’s adaptation yields redemptive win in Bassmaster Open at Upper Mississippi River

Opens_Turtlebox_BattTender_4C-Raster (2).png

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Redemption came in a most unexpected manner for Michael Harlin, who overtook a local legend to win the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Upper Mississippi River presented by Battery Tender.

After placing 68th on Day 1 with 12-3, the pro from Osage Beach, Mo., added a second-round limit of 17-11 and rose to sixth. In the final round, Harlin added the day’s heaviest bag, 17-3, tallied a three-day total of 47-1 and edged La Crosse’s own Tom Monsoor, who had led for two days, by a pound and 3 ounces.

Rising 67 places from the opening round certainly qualified as redemption for Harlin, but winning the final Division II event had an even deeper meaning. Four months prior, a self-reported culling violation in the division opener at Sam Rayburn Reservoir disqualified his Day 1 weight and ultimately resulted in a 196th-place finish.

“After Rayburn, I couldn’t have felt much lower, it was a tough drive home,” said Harlin, who placed fifth in the second Division II event at Grand Lake. “I felt like, after that Rayburn, there was a chance something like this might happen, but I would have never guessed that it would be here.”

For his first Bassmaster win, Harlin collected the $43,628 top prize. He also received an invitation to fish the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, March 19-21 at Lake Hartwell.

Additionally, Harlin’s impressive comeback qualified him for the newly installed Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops Series. Anglers placing in the Top 50 in each of two divisions’ Angler of the Year race, plus the Top 35 in the Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender Overall Standings will advance to the “EQs.”

This stand-alone series will feature three events, spanning from September through November, to qualify anglers for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. Harlin finished 40th in Division II standings.

With the event launching from Pool 8, tournament waters also included pools 7 and 9. Harlin spent most of his time in 7, but a slower first round required him to fill out his limit on grass beds back in Pool 8.

Harlin’s main focus was a shallow grassy area in the lower end of Lake Onalaska (Pool 7). That habitat delivered his big second-round bag, but he found Championship Saturday’s breezier conditions limited that option.

“I started on the grass patch that I caught them out of yesterday and the wind really messes that up; they don’t like the wind,” Harlin said. “I was throwing a frog in a really big grassmat and almost every fish that I caught showed itself first.

“I was seeing the fish and making a super-long bomb cast and trying to hit ’em right on the head and they were coming up and eating it. Today, that was not happening because the wind was boogering that up.”

With the game clock ticking, Harlin made a key decision around 11:30 and ran into a backwater area farther up Pool 7. That spot produced a 4-10 on Day 2, so he knew the area held game-changing potential.

“I was really worried about getting on pad with my cameraman in the boat because it’s super-shallow and the water has dropped,” Harlin said. “In practice, the fish were in the rice, but during the tournament, they couldn’t get there because it was too shallow, so they were just swimming around out in the middle.

“Something told me, in that wind, I’d be able to trick those fish. I pulled out a Fluke — I hadn’t caught one on it all week — and I caught three of the fish I weighed on it. I caught the other two on a Booyah Pad Crasher frog.”

Concerned about safely exiting the treacherously skinny area and having enough time to lock back to Pool 8, Harlin wrapped up about two hours before check-in and headed back to the tournament site at Veterans Freedom Park.

Interestingly, the low water conditions that plagued many with diminished habitat, actually benefitted Harlin’s efforts.

“I think the lower water helped me because they were getting more grouped up,” he said. “They couldn’t be as (scattered). I caught ’em where they had to be.”

Monsoor, who won last month’s Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance started strong by leading Day 1 with a limit of 19-6 — the event’s heaviest bag. Day 2 yielded only four keepers for 12-1, but Monsoor maintained the lead by a 2-ounce margin.

Day 3 was a little more productive, with a limit for 14-7, but that Day-2 stumble was too much to overcome. Monsoor finished second with 45-14.

“Right now, the fish are in some sort of transition,” Monsoor said of the unsettled stage in which he found most of his fish. “They’re not where they’re supposed to be yet and that makes it tough for everybody.”

Monsoor caught most of his fish on his homemade 1/2-ounce swim jig with a homemade craw style trailer. He also caught fish on a swim jig with a homemade urchin style bait.

Ryan Michl of Newton, Ill., finished third with 45-13. His daily weights were 14-1 0, 15-6 and 15-13.

Fishing mostly in the Lake Onalaska region of Pool 7, Michl caught his fish by flipping grass with a Texas-rigged Berkley Flux Gill.

“Current was the key for me and you had to have some grass in the current,” Michl said. “A lot of times you’d see the (vegetation) shake and you’d set the hook. It was awesome.”

Alex Wetherell of Middletown, Conn., won the $500 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 4-14.

Brody Robison of Dawson, Ala., won the Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender Division 2 Angler of the Year title with 749 points. Wyatt Burkhalter of Coker, Ala., finished in second with 738, followed by Zane Parker of Kingwood, Texas with 728, Brock Bila of Republic, Mo., with 725, and Yui Aoki of Minamitsurugun, Japan with 710.

Bila leads the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops standings with 1,225 points. Dillon Falardeau of Hixson, Tenn., is in second with 1,196, followed by Burkhalter with 1,146, Trey Schroeder of Theodosia, Mo., with 1,116, and Darold Gleason of Leesville, La., with 1,116.

Explore La Crosse hosted this event.

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Turtlebox

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Battery Tender

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Mountain Dew, Nitro Boats, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Lew's, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, VMC, Yokohama

About B.A.S.S.

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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Mandy Pascal, Communications Manager, 334-414-8677, [email protected]

2026 Div 2 Open 4 Mississippi River 6/18-6/20
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Michael Harlin Osage Beach, MO 15 47-01 200 $43,628.00
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 17-11 Day 3: 5 17-03
2. Tom Monsoor La Crosse, WI 14 45-14 0 $17,451.00
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 4 12-01 Day 3: 5 14-07
3. Ryan Michl Newton, IL 15 45-13 199 $13,088.00
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 15-13
4. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 15 44-12 198 $12,716.00
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 14-05
5. Brock Bila Republic, MO 15 43-13 197 $11,343.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 5 13-13
6. Aiden Denzer La Crosse, WI 15 43-08 0 $10,471.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 5 12-03
7. Wyatt Marler Oldfield, MO 15 43-05 196 $9,598.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 5 14-06
8. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 15 43-04 195 $8,726.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 14-10
9. Dylan Fogarty Mechanicsburg, PA 15 41-11 194 $8,726.00
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 13-01
10. Brent Shores Savannah, TN 15 40-02 193 $8,726.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 13-15 Day 3: 5 10-13
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BIG BASS OF TOURNAMENT
Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 04-14 $500.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 133 830 2039-15
2 120 748 1745-09
3 10 50 140-10
----------------------------------
263 1628 3926-02

by AnglersChannel

Lawrence Secures Championship Berth with Qualifying Round Win at Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota

Tennessee pro advances directly to Championship Round with two-day total of 50 bass weighing 154-9, 2nd through 25th advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round

GROVE, Okla. (June 19, 2026) – Jake Lawrence took to Grand Lake for the second day of qualifying at Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota torn about whether to catch all the weight he could in an effort to win the Qualifying Round, or scout for new spots in preparation for the weekend.

Turns out, he was able to do both.

After he built a big Day 1 lead, no one ever really challenged Lawrence’s spot atop SCORETRACKER®. He added 15 scorable bass weighing 42 pounds, 2 ounces on Friday, bringing his two-day total to 154-9. That topped Mark Rose and James Elam by more than 37 pounds, easily earning Lawrence an automatic trip to Sunday’s Championship Round, where he’ll look to win his second event in as many years on the Major League Fishing (MLF) Bass Pro Tour.

Fishing his 16th career Bass Pro Tour event, Lawrence has often remarked how stressful the every-fish-counts format and live scoring can be. Friday was the first time he didn’t have to sweat over every bass that hit SCORETRACKER® – a nice change of pace, especially after a largely frustrating 2026 season.

“It was really nice for everybody to kind of lay up,” Lawrence said. “My strategy worked in the sense that I was able to get far enough ahead, stay far enough ahead to where it didn’t really make a whole lot of sense for anybody to try. So, it was one of the most stressless BPT days I’ve had.”

Elam used a strong first period to pull within 17 pounds, but Lawrence answered with four scorable bass totaling 11 pounds in the final 20 minutes of the frame. After that, no one really made an effort to run him down.

That allowed Lawrence to use the third period – when he elected to utilize forward-facing sonar – to look for new groups of offshore bass and revisit schools he’d located during practice. While he didn’t catch much during Period 3 (by design), Lawrence said he “felt like he gained a lot of knowledge.”

“I was able to hold off on my forward-facing period until the third just hoping I would have the freedom to go look around,” he explained. “And I did find one new group and kind of eliminated another group – spent a lot of time looking for one that I lost touch with, and I think I’m just going to kind of write that one off. I’ve got four or five groups that I really want to kind of focus in on.”

Then again, Lawrence knows that many of his pursuers got even more practice time Friday than he did. While that’s always valuable in BPT events and especially so for anglers scanning for offshore schools, Lawrence noted that Grand has been changing fast with high, dirty water flowing through the fishery, and he expects that to continue over the next two days. So, there’s no guarantee anything he (or anyone else) learned today will hold up come Sunday.

“There’s a lot of change going on,” he said. “It’s a major creek that I’ve really been living in the whole week, and it’s been really clean for Grand right now. And yesterday afternoon, things were changing in there – a lot of mud kind of blew in. I bet half the creek is muddy today. And so that is a little concerning. But it could change and clean up just as fast as it got muddy.”

Having already secured his first Top 10 of the regular season and put himself in a much better position to requalify for 2027, Lawrence can fish free of pressure on Championship Sunday. As is often the case in summertime, offshore events, he expects timing his rotation of spots to be key. Between his wealth of experience competing on the Tennessee River and beyond this time of year and his dominance so far on Grand, he should be as strong a candidate as any to take the $125,000 top prize.

“I’m really confident,” he said. “I know we’re going to go get some bites. It’s just a matter of timing. Getting one of those schools to yourself at the right moment is absolutely crucial in this, and somebody is going to do that once if not two or three times on Sunday. That’s going to be the determining factor in who wins the event.”

Aside from Lawrence, the rest of the Top 25 anglers will return to Grand with weights zeroed for Saturday’s Knockout Round. The top nine finishers there will join Lawrence in the Championship Round.

The race for the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title looks like it will come down to a one-on-one battle. Zack Birge entered Stage 6 with a one-point lead over Jacob Wheeler, and both anglers made the Knockout Round with ease. Meanwhile, the anglers who entered in third and fourth – Drew Gill and Justin Lucas – both missed the cut. Spencer Shuffield made the Knockout Round and still has an outside shot, but after arriving at Grand 34 points back of Birge, he would need a lot to break his way. Look for Wheeler and Birge to fight for every spot on SCORETRACKER® this weekend.

Five anglers moved from below the Lucas Oil Cut Line at the start of the day into the Top 25. Brent Ehrler put together the most dramatic rally. The California pro totaled 67 pounds even on 24 scorable bass – the best day of anyone in the field – to climb from 37th place at the start of the day to eighth. That marks his sixth made cut in eight BPT events on the year. Other anglers who rallied to make the Knockout Round were Jesse Wiggins, Todd Faircloth, Wesley Strader and Ron Nelson.

Since the Bass Pro Tour limited anglers to one period per day using forward-facing sonar prior to the start of the 2025 season, most pros have opted to use the technology during the first period regardless of the time of year or fishery. On Grand, however, the vast majority have opted to wait until Period 3. Thirty-two of the 51 anglers used forward-facing sonar in Period 3 on Friday after 36 did so on Thursday. Interestingly, it hasn’t seemed to boost catch rates. According to SCORETRACKER Insider™, just 26.4% of the total weight caught by the field has come with forward-facing sonar on and used.

The top 25 pros after Day 2 on Grand Lake are:

1st:         Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 50 bass, 154-9
2nd:       Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 36 bass, 117-9
3rd: James Elam, Cleveland, Okla., 36 bass, 117-3
4th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 41 bass, 114-6
5th: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 33 bass, 101-9
6th: Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas, 37 bass, 100-5
7th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 39 bass, 99-9
8th: Brent Erhler, Redlands, Calif., 35 bass, 96-13
9th: Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., 33 bass, 95-14
10th:      Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn., 32 bass, 95-1
11th:      Dustin Connell, Deatsville, Ala., 35 bass, 93-12
12th:      Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 31 bass, 92-4
13th:      Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 32 bass, 90-11
14th:      Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 32 bass, 90-0
15th:      Todd Faircloth, Jasper, Texas, 29 bass, 89-1
16th:      Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 33 bass, 89-1
17th:      Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 27 bass, 88-12
18th:      Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 27 bass, 85-9
19th:      Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 32 bass, 85-7
20th:      Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 30 bass, 84-0
21st:      Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 31 bass, 83-4
22nd: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 27 bass, 80-6
23rd: Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 29 bass, 79-14
24th:      Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 29 bass, 79-0
25th:      Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 28 bass, 77-10

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 589 bass caught weighing 1,652 pounds, 13 ounces, caught by the 51 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Friday.

Friday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was earned by Jesse Wiggins of Logan, Alabama, who caught a 5-pound, 12-ounce largemouth in the second period throwing a crankbait. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The full field of anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. With the two-day Qualifying Round now complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total – Jake Lawrence – will advance directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers who finished 2nd through 25th now advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining anglers compete to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $125,000.

Anglers will arrive each morning at 6:15 a.m. CT to Wolf Creek Park, located at 963 N. 16th St. in Grove, Oklahoma, with takeoff starting at 7:15 a.m. Anglers will return to Wolf Creek Park each evening following the end of competition at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and takeout events and also encouraged to watch the event live online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® livestream and follow along with SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the action live every day of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com , the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

On Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21, from 3 to 6 p.m., MLF invites fans of all ages to Wolf Creek Park for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the Bass Pro Tour pros live on the MLFNOW!® big screen, enjoy free food for the first 100 fans each day, enter hourly giveaways, browse MLF merchandise and the bargain bait bin, participate in a free fishing derby and casting contest, and cheer on their favorite anglers. Live music begins at 4 p.m., (Brad Hemphill on Saturday and Morgan Rohrs on Sunday) followed by top-10 angler interviews and the trophy presentation at 5 p.m., including autographs and photos with Bass Pro Tour finalists. The first 50 kids ages 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel each day.

Student anglers from sixth grade through college are invited to join MLF pros at the free Columbia PFG Student Angler Clinic on Saturday, June 20 from 2 to 6 p.m. The clinic will also be held at Wolf Creek Park, and offers a unique opportunity for students to learn from the BPT pros, gain hands-on fishing instruction and compete in the national MLF Casting Competition. For more information or to register for the Columbia PFG Student Angler Clinic, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com.

by AnglersChannel

Monsoor grinds through slow day to maintain Bassmaster Open lead at Upper Mississippi River

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LA CROSSE, Wis. — Usually, missing your daily limit means a lead lost, but not for Tom Monsoor. The La Crosse pro’s Day 2 bag held only four keepers, but that 12 pound, 1 ounce total gave him just enough to retain the lead at the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Upper Mississippi River presented by Battery Tender.

A Day 1 limit of 19-6 put Monsoor at the top of the leaderboard with a margin of 1-12 over fellow La Crosse resident Aiden Denzer. After the slimmer second-round results, Monsoor’s 31-7 total again leads Denzer, but by only 2 ounces.

“I can’t believe it, this was such a terrible day,” Monsoor chuckled. “I had only one fish at noon and I thought, ‘How can this happen?’

“This was the longest, hardest day. When you don’t catch fish, it’s hard. I am mentally worn out from not catching fish. I had four bites and that’s hard on a guy.”

Monsoor tried fishing the same areas that produced for him on Day 1, but that was largely a lesson in frustration. Catching an early keeper kindled his optimism, but hope soon succumbed to the day’s harsh reality.

“As soon as I pulled up to my first spot I caught one and I thought, ‘This is gonna be good,’” Monsoor said. “I didn’t get another bite until noon.”

Monsoor said the day’s bright, still conditions hurt his bite. Contrasting the first day’s cloudy, breezy complexion, Day 2’s makeup was nice for pleasure boaters, but pretty tough for anglers.

“It was too nice for what my fish wanted,” Monsoor said. “They like it when it’s cloudy and windy.”

Same as Day 1, Monsoor started in the upper end of Pool 8. When that proved mostly unproductive, he drove back down to the La Crosse area, but came up empty.

With one keeper getting lonely in his livewell and the clock ticking, Monsoor called an audible. Locking up, he caught his other three keepers in Lake Onalaska, the 7,600-acre reservoir at the lower end of Pool 7.

“I ran spots I haven’t even fished, just looking for a bite,” Monsoor said. “I got my biggest fish when I saw a spot and said, ‘I caught some there once.’ So I ran over there and got my biggest fish around 1.”

Throughout his day, Monsoor focused on grass edges. Repeating his Day 1 analysis, Monsoor said the fish are heading to certain areas for their summer patterns, but they have not completed their seasonal transition.

The key, he said, was intercepting fish on their way to summer habitat. There’s no lack of grassbeds in this region of the Mississippi River, but Monsoor said he was targeting the most fish-friendly spots.

“You can fish 100 of the same things and they’re not there, but then you’ll go to one and they’ll be there,” he said. “Clarity is the big thing and the best spots are usually on a corner or a point.

“I probably fished 40 spots today. I ran and ran and ran and ran. I even had a school of smallmouth and a school of largemouth that I was saving, but I never got a bite from either spot.”

Monsoor caught all of his fish on his homemade 1/2-ounce swim jig with a homemade craw style trailer. On Day 1, he also caught a keeper on a swim jig fitted with a homemade urchin style bait, but that setup did not fit today’s program.

“You gotta know there’s fish there to fish as slow as you have to fish (the urchin),” Monsoor said. “I fish a swim jig fast until I know where they are and then I slow down.”

Monsoor said he hopes to return to the plan that earned his Day 1 catch. He’s comfortable with his local knowledge, so there’s no need to diverge.

Denzer bolstered his Day 1 limit of 17-10 with a second-round bag that went 13-11. Tallying a two-day total of 31-5, he held his second-place position.

Denzer got off to a slow start and found himself with about 11 pounds by mid morning. Fortunately, about 30 minutes before he headed to check in, he caught a 3 3/4-pound kicker.

“I noticed more muddy water and more floating weeds today,” Denzer said. “I caught a lot of fish, but the size was not the same as yesterday.”

Denzer kept his bait details under wraps, but he said fishing slow was the key. He focused on points where current seams create feeding opportunities for largemouth and smallmouth.

Alex Wetherell of Middletown, Conn., is in third place with 30-7. His daily weights were 17-6 and 13-1.

“Today, I had a game plan and back-up plans and we started going into the whole back-up plan bag, just because it was a lot tougher than I had anticipated,” Wetherell said. “In a couple of the areas where I thought I could go and get a quick limit, I never got a single bite.

“A lot of guys hung around in Pool 8 that I didn’t see yesterday, so it was kinda hard to get on some of the stuff that I was banking on. But I got a limit and, mentally, I knew that was a big deal here.”

Wetherell caught his fish on a mix of soft plastics and crankbaits. His day ended with a couple of key bites that boosted his total.

Wetherell holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with a 4-14.

Brody Robison of Dawson, Ala., leads the Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender Division 2 standings with 749 points. Wyatt Burkhalter of Coker, Ala., is in second with 738, followed by Zane Parker of Kingwood, Texas with 728, Brock Bila of Republic, Mo., with 727, and Yui Aoki of Minamitsurugun, Japan with 710.

Bila leads the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops standings with 1,227 points. Dillon Falardeau of Hixson, Tenn., is in second with 1,196, followed by Burkhalter with 1,146, Trey Schroeder of Theodosia, Mo., with 1,116, and Darold Gleason of Leesville, La., with 1,116.

Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT at Veterans Freedom Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 2:30 p.m.

Explore La Crosse is hosting this event.

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Turtlebox

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Battery Tender

About B.A.S.S.

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Media Contact: Mandy Pascal, Communications Manager, 334-414-8677, [email protected]

2026 Div 2 Open 4 Mississippi River 6/18-6/20
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 2

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Tom Monsoor La Crosse, WI 9 31-07 0
Day 1: 5 19-06 Day 2: 4 12-01
2. Aiden Denzer La Crosse, WI 10 31-05 0
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 13-11
3. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 10 30-07 200
Day 1: 5 17-06 Day 2: 5 13-01
4. Brock Bila Republic, MO 10 30-00 199
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 14-03
5. Ryan Michl Newton, IL 10 30-00 198
Day 1: 5 14-10 Day 2: 5 15-06
6. Michael Harlin Osage Beach, MO 10 29-14 197
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 17-11
7. Brent Shores Savannah, TN 10 29-05 196
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 13-15
8. Wyatt Marler Oldfield, MO 10 28-15 195
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 15-02
9. Dylan Fogarty Mechanicsburg, PA 10 28-10 194
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 5 13-09
10. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 10 28-10 193
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 14-04
11. Kevin Ruh Onalaska, WI 10 28-09 0 $7,853.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 14-02
12. Matt Stefan Junction City, WI 10 28-01 192 $6,108.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 12-10
13. Nic Rand Paw Paw, MI 10 27-15 191 $5,235.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 13-09
14. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 10 27-15 190 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 13-13
15. Kyle Von Ruden Stoddard, WI 10 27-14 0 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 16-01 Day 2: 5 11-13
16. Jeremy Lawyer Sarcoxie, MO 10 27-13 189 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 5 13-07
17. Reece Keeney Winneconne, WI 10 27-07 0 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 16-11 Day 2: 5 10-12
18. Mike Brueggen La Crosse, WI 10 27-06 0 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 13-08
19. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 10 26-15 188 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 13-15
20. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 10 26-13 187 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 13-00
21. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 10 26-12 186 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 12-13
22. Ryan Thompson Seymour, MO 10 26-11 185 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 14-00
23. John Branch Magnolia, KY 10 26-09 184 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 14-05
24. Kyle Seubert Chaseburg, WI 9 26-07 0 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 14-04 Day 2: 4 12-03
25. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 10 26-05 183 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 13-10
26. Chris Hellebuyck White Lake, MI 10 26-04 182 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 16-04
27. Rylan Hamlin Jackson, MI 10 26-04 181 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 14-12
28. Cameron Mattison Benton, LA 10 26-03 180 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 13-14
29. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 10 26-00 179 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 10-12
30. Hunter Litchfield Macomb, IL 10 25-13 0 $4,363.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 12-04
31. Josh Pladies Lees Summit, MO 10 25-12 178 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 15-03
32. Nate Caldwell Fort Collins, CO 10 25-11 177 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 10-07
33. Andy Newcomb Camdenton, MO 10 25-11 176 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 11-08
34. Eddie Carper Valliant, OK 10 25-11 175 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 12-06
35. Trevor McKinney Noble, IL 10 25-10 174 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 13-05
36. Bailey Gay Union, KY 10 25-10 173 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 13-03
37. Harmon Marien Eagle River, WI 10 25-09 172 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 12-14
38. Brandyn Baum La Crosse, WI 9 25-08 0 $3,490.00
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 5 15-06
39. Casey Goode La Crosse, WI 10 25-07 0 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 14-04
40. Trace Freeman Northport, AL 10 25-06 171 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 10-11
41. Jacob Welch Roach, MO 10 25-06 170 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 12-02
42. Justin Yenter Stevens Point, WI 10 25-05 169 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 13-04
43. Joseph Hardy China Spring, TX 10 25-05 168 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 12-02
44. Nick Dumke Grand Rapids, MN 10 25-02 167 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 12-09
45. Sam Ausbrooks Loogootee, IN 10 25-01 166 $3,490.00
Day 1: 5 10-07 Day 2: 5 14-10
46. Fernando Lobato Sparta, WI 10 25-00 0
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 13-01
47. Lonnie Cochran Section, AL 10 25-00 165
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 12-12
48. Jeremiah Shaver Holmen, WI 10 24-15 0
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 5 14-15
49. Lane Stephens Owasso, OK 10 24-13 164
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-06
50. Zachary Ward Cabot, AR 10 24-13 163
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 13-05
51. Dylan Welton Middleville, MI 10 24-13 162
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 12-10
52. Erik Brztowski Lemont, IL 10 24-12 161
Day 1: 5 12-15 Day 2: 5 11-13
53. Dalton Head Moody, AL 9 24-10 160
Day 1: 4 07-10 Day 2: 5 17-00
54. Zane Parker Kingwood, TX 10 24-10 159
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 11-09
55. Cade Laufenberg Onalaska, WI 10 24-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-03 Day 2: 5 11-03
56. Seiji Kato Forney TX JAPAN 10 24-03 158
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 12-15
57. Grae Buck Green Lane, PA 10 24-02 157
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 10-13
58. Evan Cox-VanVliet Loveland, CO 10 24-00 156
Day 1: 5 13-00 Day 2: 5 11-00
59. Jeremiah Kindy Benton, AR 10 23-15 155
Day 1: 5 10-11 Day 2: 5 13-04
60. Wesley Baxley Conroe, TX 10 23-15 154
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 12-02
61. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 10 23-14 153
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 11-02
62. Devin Teigen Nelson, WI 10 23-13 0
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 5 10-07
63. Austin Brimeyer Dubuque, IA 10 23-13 0
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 5 10-11
64. Hunter Crossland San Angelo, TX 10 23-13 152
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 5 10-15
65. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 9 23-12 151
Day 1: 4 11-09 Day 2: 5 12-03
66. Kollin Crawford Broken Bow, OK 10 23-11 150
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 11-08
67. Yui Aoki Minamitsurugun JAPAN 10 23-09 149
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 12-10
68. Nick Marsh White Lake, MI 9 23-07 148
Day 1: 5 15-01 Day 2: 4 08-06
69. Walker Krampitz Waseca, MN 10 23-06 0
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 12-08
70. Luke Kerstetter Seymour, TN 10 23-06 147
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 11-02
71. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 23-03 146
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 12-06
72. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 9 23-02 145
Day 1: 4 10-11 Day 2: 5 12-07
73. Garrett McWilliams Florence, MS 10 23-01 144
Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 10-13
74. Darold Gleason Leesville, LA 10 23-01 143
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 12-03
75. Hayden Marbut Birmingham, AL 10 23-01 142
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 11-09
76. Marcus Livingston Augusta, WI 8 22-13 141
Day 1: 3 06-12 Day 2: 5 16-01
77. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 10 22-10 140
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 10-04
78. Dillon Falardeau Hixson, TN 10 22-09 139
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 12-04
79. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 10 22-07 138
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 10-02
80. Scott Nielsen Murray, UT 10 22-07 137
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 11-00
81. Troy Sullivan Dillsboro, IN 10 22-04 0
Day 1: 5 09-00 Day 2: 5 13-04
82. Jason Horton Eucha, OK 10 22-04 0
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 10-11
83. Easton Lindus Woodville, WI 10 22-03 136
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 10-04
84. Anthony Garcia Los Angeles, CA 9 22-01 135
Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 5 12-01
85. Brennan Flick West Monroe, LA 9 21-15 134
Day 1: 4 11-13 Day 2: 5 10-02
86. Kyle Palmer Elora, TN 10 21-12 133
Day 1: 5 07-07 Day 2: 5 14-05
87. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 10 21-11 132
Day 1: 5 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-06
88. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 10 21-10 131
Day 1: 5 10-10 Day 2: 5 11-00
89. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 9 21-09 130
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 4 09-12
90. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 10 21-07 129
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 5 09-13
91. Kyle Metzger Pearl River, LA 9 21-07 128
Day 1: 4 10-05 Day 2: 5 11-02
92. Wyatt Becker LaCrosse, WI 10 21-07 0
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 5 10-15
93. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 10 21-06 127
Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 5 09-06
94. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 10 21-05 126
Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 08-08
95. Jonathan Pimentel Camdenton, MO 10 21-05 125
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 09-12
96. Yukihiro Sawamura Harker Heights, TX 10 21-04 124
Day 1: 5 09-06 Day 2: 5 11-14
97. Rick Harris Jr Carlsbad, NM 9 21-03 123
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 4 07-12
98. Colby Bryant Houston, TX 10 21-00 122
Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 5 10-15
99. Steve Lee Minneapolis, MN 10 20-14 0
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 09-09
100. Ian Waterer East Selkirk CANADA 10 20-10 121
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 08-12
101. Andrew Behnke Fond Du Lac, WI 9 20-05 120
Day 1: 4 10-02 Day 2: 5 10-03
102. Tommy Parker Delano, MN 9 20-04 119
Day 1: 4 10-10 Day 2: 5 09-10
103. Nathan Reynolds Florence, AL 10 20-01 118
Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 09-15
104. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 9 19-14 117
Day 1: 4 08-02 Day 2: 5 11-12
105. Nathan Thompson Eagan, MN 9 19-14 116
Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 4 08-06
106. Riley Harris Orange, TX 10 19-12 115
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 07-07
107. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 9 19-11 114
Day 1: 4 07-04 Day 2: 5 12-07
108. Cole McAusland Tuscaloosa, AL 10 19-10 113
Day 1: 5 11-01 Day 2: 5 08-09
109. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 9 19-10 112
Day 1: 4 09-07 Day 2: 5 10-03
110. Nick Leblanc North Prairie, WI 8 19-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 3 06-00
111. Josh Cruse Pocahontas, AR 9 19-09 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 4 08-07
112. Tanner Visco Antioch, IL 9 19-05 111
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 4 09-05
113. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 9 19-03 110
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 4 07-06
114. Ken Day Kennewick, WA 9 19-01 109
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 4 07-13
115. Sho Egawa Osaka JAPAN 7 18-14 108
Day 1: 5 12-14 Day 2: 2 06-00
116. Wyatt Wisian Ardmore, OK 9 18-14 107
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 4 07-09
117. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 9 18-14 106
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 4 08-11
118. Clay Henderson Purdy, MO 8 18-13 105
Day 1: 5 13-02 Day 2: 3 05-11
119. Joe Wieberg Freeburg, MO 10 18-13 104
Day 1: 5 12-08 Day 2: 5 06-05
120. Laker Howell Guntersville, AL 10 18-12 103
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 5 06-00
121. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 9 18-11 102
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 4 07-06
122. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 8 18-11 101
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 5 11-05
123. David Boelkins Waukesha, WI 8 18-09 100
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 3 07-00
124. Andy Beloat Montgomery, TX 9 18-09 99
Day 1: 4 09-02 Day 2: 5 09-07
125. Ryan Salzman Huntsville, AL 9 18-06 98
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 4 07-08
126. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 8 18-04 97
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 3 06-14
127. Jordan Hartman Benton, KY 8 18-03 96
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 3 06-09
128. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 7 18-02 95
Day 1: 2 05-08 Day 2: 5 12-10
129. Jace Lindsay Beckville, TX 8 18-01 94
Day 1: 5 11-10 Day 2: 3 06-07
130. Brian Fitzpatrick La Crosse, WI 7 18-00 93
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 2 04-01
131. Jack Webb Trempealeau, WI 8 17-13 0
Day 1: 3 05-04 Day 2: 5 12-09
132. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 8 17-12 0
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 5 09-10
133. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 9 17-08 92
Day 1: 5 09-12 Day 2: 4 07-12
134. Lucas Toliver Paw Paw, MI 8 17-05 91
Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 3 05-02
135. Ethan Fields Carlyle, IL 8 17-03 90
Day 1: 3 07-06 Day 2: 5 09-13
136. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 7 16-14 0
Day 1: 3 08-02 Day 2: 4 08-12
137. Bryan Partak Marseilles, IL 8 16-05 89
Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 3 05-15
138. Blake Schroeder Bullard, TX 6 16-00 88
Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 1 02-09
139. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 8 16-00 87
Day 1: 4 07-15 Day 2: 4 08-01
140. Brad Jelinek Lincoln, MO 7 15-11 86
Day 1: 4 10-00 Day 2: 3 05-11
141. Frank Mixon Abilene, TX 6 15-10 85
Day 1: 2 05-06 Day 2: 4 10-04
142. Peyton Harris Birmingham, AL 7 15-09 84
Day 1: 2 04-07 Day 2: 5 11-02
143. Tyler Smith Troup, TX 8 15-09 83
Day 1: 5 09-15 Day 2: 3 05-10
144. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 7 15-09 82
Day 1: 4 08-07 Day 2: 3 07-02
145. Nick Lawler Ava, MO 5 15-07 81
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 0 00-00
146. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 6 15-05 80
Day 1: 1 01-05 Day 2: 5 14-00
147. Glenn Walker Savage, MN 7 15-04 0
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 3 05-11
148. Dan Mohn Lansing, IA 5 15-02 0
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
149. Andrew Jones Trussville, AL 7 14-14 79
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 2 03-15
150. Jaron Burr Bowling Green, KY 7 14-13 78
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 2 04-05
151. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 7 14-11 77
Day 1: 5 09-03 Day 2: 2 05-08
152. Hugh Cosculluela Spring, TX 6 14-05 76
Day 1: 4 10-04 Day 2: 2 04-01
153. Brennan Berglund Guntersville, AL 7 14-04 75
Day 1: 5 09-02 Day 2: 2 05-02
154. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 13-11 74
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
155. Blaine Bunney Claremore, OK 6 13-04 73
Day 1: 4 09-00 Day 2: 2 04-04
156. Ethen Preston Tower City, ND 6 13-04 0
Day 1: 3 06-03 Day 2: 3 07-01
157. Riley Nielsen Salt Lake City, UT 6 13-03 72
Day 1: 3 07-13 Day 2: 3 05-06
158. Cory Williams Greenville, KY 5 12-14 71
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-14
159. Jason Adams Guthrie, OK 5 12-12 70
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 12-12
160. Adam Hamann Prairie Du Chien, IA 5 12-05 69
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 0 00-00
161. Kristine Fischer Spring City, NE 5 12-03 68
Day 1: 3 08-00 Day 2: 2 04-03
162. Chris Bailey Eddy, TX 6 12-03 67
Day 1: 3 06-00 Day 2: 3 06-03
163. Colby Dark West Monroe, LA 6 12-02 66
Day 1: 1 01-01 Day 2: 5 11-01
164. Tracy Mitchell Springfield, MO 4 11-12 65
Day 1: 4 11-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
165. TJ Edwards Jr Tremont, MS 5 11-11 64
Day 1: 3 06-04 Day 2: 2 05-07
166. Byron Hill Clermont, FL 10 11-06 63
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 5 00-00
167. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 11-04 62
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
167. Frank Scalish Mount Gilead, OH 5 11-04 62
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
169. Tim Sprouse Clarksville, TN 5 10-13 60
Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 0 00-00
170. Jordan Knutson Saint Croix Falls, WI 5 10-12 59
Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
171. Josh Keeney Winneconne, WI 4 10-12 0
Day 1: 4 10-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
171. Tyler Wolf Creston, IA 4 10-12 58
Day 1: 4 10-12 Day 2: 0 00-00
173. Bj Miller Adams, NE 6 10-11 57
Day 1: 1 02-05 Day 2: 5 08-06
174. Jack York Emory, TX 4 10-10 56
Day 1: 2 06-08 Day 2: 2 04-02
175. Lance Owen Greer, SC 4 10-09 55
Day 1: 2 06-13 Day 2: 2 03-12
176. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 8 10-09 54
Day 1: 3 06-01 Day 2: 5 04-08
177. Tyler Fitch Fall River, WI 5 10-08 53
Day 1: 5 10-08 Day 2: 0 00-00
178. Wade Denney Nampa, ID 3 09-07 52
Day 1: 2 07-06 Day 2: 1 02-01
179. Keegan Bollman Charles City, IA 5 09-02 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 5 09-02
180. John Engler III Vinton, IA 4 08-09 51
Day 1: 4 08-09 Day 2: 0 00-00
181. Steven Huegerich Bloomfield, IA 4 07-00 0
Day 1: 4 07-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
182. Steve Tennison Lexington, OK 3 06-02 50
Day 1: 3 06-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
183. Rick Pierce Mountain Home, AR 3 05-09 49
Day 1: 2 03-10 Day 2: 1 01-15
184. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 2 05-06 48
Day 1: 1 01-08 Day 2: 1 03-14
185. David Brand Dittmer, MO 2 05-02 47
Day 1: 2 05-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
186. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 2 04-06 46
Day 1: 2 04-06 Day 2: 0 00-00
187. James Chandler Liberty, TX 2 04-04 45
Day 1: 2 04-04 Day 2: 0 00-00
188. Jason Pruess Haysville, KS 2 04-02 44
Day 1: 2 04-02 Day 2: 0 00-00
189. Dylan Minch Stevens Point, WI 2 03-11 43
Day 1: 2 03-11 Day 2: 0 00-00
190. Darrell Ivey Lebanon, MO 1 03-01 42
Day 1: 1 03-01 Day 2: 0 00-00
191. A.J. Menssen Bloomington, IL 1 02-00 41
Day 1: 1 02-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
192. Anastasia Patterson Sumter, SC 1 02-00 40
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 02-00
193. Mikey Weems Hull, TX 1 01-15 39
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-15
194. Larry Peterson II Hammond, WI 1 01-08 38
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 1 01-08
195. James Campise Brookeland, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
195. Lance Crawford Broken Bow, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
195. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
195. Bryan Hoffman Andrews, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
195. Matt Keezer Kirkland Quebec CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
195. Justin Latham Reelsville, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
195. Brad Leuthner Victoria, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Day 2: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 133 830 2039-15
2 120 748 1745-09
----------------------------------
253 1578 3785-08

by AnglersChannel

Lawrence Tops 100 Pounds After Day 1 at MLF Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota

Tennessee pro catches heaviest single-day total of the 2026 season with 35 bass weighing 112-7 to grab early lead

GROVE, Okla. (June 18, 2026) – Grand Lake has long served as a popular destination for tournaments at all levels, but rarely have top tours visited the Oklahoma fishery during the summertime.

If the rest of Major League Fishing’s (MLF) Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota unfolds like Day 1, that seems likely to change.

Whether due to the conditions – high water, ample current and overcast, sometimes rainy skies – or simply the health of Grand Lake’s bass population, the Bass Pro Tour field smashed them on Thursday’s opening day of the Qualifying Round. Jake Lawrence amassed the heaviest single-day total of the 2026 season – 112 pounds, 7 ounces on 35 scorable bass – to top SCORETRACKER®. He was one of 14 anglers to eclipse 50 pounds, and the field accounted for a whopping 93 bass over 4 pounds.

While a wide range of areas and techniques produced, four anglers known for their Tennessee River ledge prowess used their offshore skills to lead the way. Jacob Wheeler sits second with 91-0 on 31 scorable bass. Mark Rose is 3-7 back of Wheeler in third, and Banks Shaw rounds out the top four with 74-15.

A longtime angler and former guide on Kentucky Lake, Lawrence’s favorite scenario in fishing is when bass group up offshore during summer. So, even though Grand Lake doesn’t have prototypical Tennessee River ledges, he knew this had the potential to be a wheelhouse event.

“This is what it’s all about,” he said. “I long for the days that they turn their nose and head offshore. When the schedule came out this year, of every event that we had, this was by far the one that I was looking the most forward to.”

Still, it took a while for Lawrence to find his footing. He caught just five scorable bass for 14-0 in Period 1. An hour into Period 2, he’d slipped beneath the Lucas Oil Cut Line. But Lawrence stayed positive, knowing he could make up ground in a hurry once he found the right school.

“I have a ton of experience fishing offshore this time of year, and I know sometimes it takes a little while for those fish to get grouped up, and generally the last hour is your best hour,” he said. “So, with each hour passing, I knew there was more and more of a chance for them to group up and get together.”

Make up ground he did. During the final 90 minutes of Period 2, Lawrence boated 17 scorable bass for nearly 60 pounds, all off the same point. He said he never went more than two or three casts without catching a fish. That heater vaulted him all the way to second place. A few minutes into Period 3, he took the lead and never looked back.

Lawrence is optimistic that he’ll be able to catch some more weight off that spot the rest of the way, but he admitted he “beat it up” Thursday. The good news is he found another school that he hardly pressured.

“I had one school that I went and checked the last 20 minutes,” he said. “I actually didn’t use my ‘Scope period until the last period, and with 20, 30 minutes left, I wanted to go over there and just kind of take a peek, look, and they were there. So, we’ve got some other places to hunt and peck around.”

Lawrence thinks he and the other TVA veterans at the top of the leaderboard had so much success on Grand because of their ample experience fishing offshore during the summer and – more important – finding those schools.

“To be honest with you, it wasn’t super easy to find them this week,” he said. “It’s actually really difficult to get them to show up on Side Imaging. So, you had to slow yourself way, way down as far as looking. Normally, I’m running at a million miles per hour, looking around, and this week, you had to really take your time and not get in a hurry. You could overlook them really easily.”

Throughout the afternoon, viewers on MLFNOW! heard Lawrence say he wanted to stack up as much weight as possible to discourage anyone else from chasing him down in the race to win the Qualifying Round, which comes with an automatic trip to the Championship Round. He still wants to cement his spot in the Top 10, but Lawrence isn’t necessarily planning to fish all-out on Friday. He said he’ll fish hard for a period or so, then use SCORETRACKER® to assess whether he should continue catching fish or transition into practice mode.

Lawrence noted that winning the Qualifying Round usually hinders an angler’s chances of winning the event. But in this case, he doesn’t think his offshore schools will move and giving them a day to rest might help the bite. More importantly, after a challenging season to this point, he needs a strong finish to ensure he will requalify for the Bass Pro Tour in 2027.

“It’s certainly a huge relief when you get that auto berth and you’re kind of locked in there for the Championship Round,” he said. “Typically, that’s not necessarily a good thing in terms of trying to win the event, but the one exception to that is offshore. When they’re grouped up and staying offshore, generally they’re not moving a lot. So, this is one that you could do that, and it be a benefit – give those fish a day to regroup, maybe not get really beat on.”

Since MLF reinstated the automatic Championship Round berth for the Qualifying Round winner at the start of the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season, only three times has a pro won both the Qualifying Round and the event. Reigning REDCREST champion Jacob Wheeler has accounted for two of those.

So, clearly, Wheeler’s not opposed to skipping the Knockout Round – especially considering he’s in the midst of a heated Fishing Clash Angler of the Year battle, having entered Stage 6 one point back of Zack Birge (who is in sixth place after Day 1). Yet after a blistering Period 1 Thursday, in which he racked up 58-11 and topped SCORETRACKER®, Wheeler decided to lay off his best stretch and scout new water.

“I was able to catch them quick, and basically I just went practicing after that,” Wheeler said. “I wasn’t trying to win the round. I made some rotations on my primary stuff to get a general understanding of what’s good and what’s not, and then I left them alone. So, I think that was the goal.”

Wheeler explained that, at that point, he didn’t feel like he’d found enough productive places to keep up the pace on Day 2. So, he didn’t want to burn his best spot only to potentially miss out on the Qualifying Round win and enter Saturday’s Knockout Round with no options. Should he find himself still in contention toward the end of Friday, he’s not ruling out making a run at Lawrence.

“I didn’t have enough, and then you go to blitzing everything you have, and you don’t win the round, now you put yourself in a really bad position,” he said. “So, I think I have enough right now to make the Top 10, and if I can have more, then I can make potentially a push at the (Qualifying Round) win.”

Wheeler sampled a bit of everything Grand has to offer Thursday, but like many in the Top 10, he did most of his damage with various crankbaits. He’s not ready to commit to that pattern or his best spot quite yet though. Between fluctuating water conditions and fishing pressure, he thinks this event could be particularly dynamic over the next three days.

“I think it’ll change,” he said. “Water’s dropping, I just don’t know how much it’s going to continue to drop. It’s hard to say what’s going to happen.

The top 25 pros after Day 1 on Grand Lake are:

1st: Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 35 bass, 112-7
2nd:       Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn., 30 bass, 91-0
3rd: Mark Rose, Wynne, Ark., 26 bass, 87-9
4th: Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn., 24 bass, 74-15
5th: James Elam, Cleveland, Okla., 22 bass, 74-1
6th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 22 bass, 65-15
7th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 19 bass, 63-15
8th: Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas, 23 bass, 63-5
9th: Dustin Connell, Deatsville, Ala., 24 bass, 62-8
10th:      Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 24 bass, 61-11
11th:      Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 20 bass, 59-13
12th:      Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 21 bass, 59-9
13th:      Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 17 bass, 55-11
14th:      Adrian Avena, Marmora, N.J., 18 bass, 50-0
15th:      Nick Hatfield, Afton, Tenn., 15 bass, 47-15
16th:      Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 17 bass, 46-15
17th:      Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., 14 bass, 46-3
18th:      Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 17 bass, 45-1
19th:      Nick LeBrun, Benton, La., 16 bass, 43-11
20th:      Dustin Smith, Trussville, Ala., 16 bass, 43-10
21st: Brent Chapman, Lenexa, Kan., 15 bass, 43-9
22nd: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 15 bass, 43-2
23rd: Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg, S.C., 16 bass, 42-3
24th:      Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 14 bass, 41-9
25th:      Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 41-2

A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Overall, there were 752 bass caught weighing 2,179 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by the 51 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Thursday.

Thursday’s $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award was earned by Mark Rose of Wynne, Arkansas, who caught a 6-pound, 3-ounce largemouth in the second period throwing a crankbait. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.

The full field of anglers compete in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round is complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total will advance directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers who finish 2nd through 25th will advance to Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights are zeroed, and the remaining anglers compete to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In the final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $125,000.

The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the action live on all four days of competition from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com , the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.

by AnglersChannel

Monsoor intercepts transitioning fish for Bassmaster Open lead at Upper Mississippi River

Opens_Turtlebox_BattTender_4C-Raster (2).png

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Tom Monsoor’s fish aren’t where they’re gonna be, but they’re on the way. Intercepting them en route delivered a Day 1 limit of 19 pounds, 6 ounces, which leads the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Upper Mississippi River presented by Battery Tender.

“The (bass) just got done eating the bedding sunfish,” said Monsoor, the La Crosse pro that won last month’s Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance. “Being a local, I know where some are gonna go and they weren’t there.

“I thought, ‘Man, this is gonna be a bummer,’ but where I didn’t think I was gonna get ’em I did get ’em. They’re in transition right now. A few of them started to get to a couple of spots. Hopefully, there will be more coming.”

Monsoor said his practice did not leave him with high expectations, so he was pleasantly surprised by what the tournament’s opening round produced.

“I didn’t think I was going to do good at all; I was hoping I’d catch a limit,” Monsoor said. “During practice, you catch one fish in a spot and you leave, so you don’t know what’s there. I went back today and caught a couple of nice ones in each spot.”

Following Wednesday’s rainy conditions, Day 1 dawned with a cloudy, dreary look that yielded to partly sunny skies by midday. Monsoor said the day’s complexion did not impact his productivity. In his view, it was all about seasonal movements.

With the event launching out of Pool 8, tournament waters also include pools 7 and 9. Monsoor committed his time to the local pool and fished grass edges.

Renowned for his swim jig prowess, Monsoor put that reaction bait to work and caught all but one of his fish that way. Monsoor also caught one of the fish he weighed on an urchin style bait.

“In practice, I caught my biggest fish on an urchin, so I had to throw it,” Monsoor said. “I caught a 3-10 on it today.”

With this round tentacled bait literally dominating the 2026 bass tournament scene, Monsoor’s old-school mindset had him resisting this bait phenomenon as long as possible.

He finally relented and started making his own urchins — but he fishes them his way.

“I fished the urchin on my swim jig without a skirt,” Monsoor said. “It’s perfect; it has a weight, it has a hook, and it has a keeper. I have some old swim jigs with a Gamakatsu EWG hook that’s extra long and it’s perfect for big urchins.”

Looking ahead to Day 2, Monsoor said he’s planning to repeat his Day 1 game plan, but he’s making no assumptions.

“Today was a fun day, but tomorrow, you can’t expect that again,” he said. “I’ll just go fishing and see what happens.”

Aiden Denzer, also of La Crosse, is in second place with 17-10. After experiencing what he described as the best practice he’s ever had on these waters, Denzer got his business handled in short order.

“I caught (my weight) in an hour and a half and then I went prefishing the rest of the day,” Denzer said of his limit that comprised three smallmouth and two largemouth.

Trusting his local knowledge, Denzer remained in Pool 8. With a keen understanding of the river’s dynamics, he said targeting an area with significant current flow was the key to minimizing the impact of a low, muddy river.

“I fished slow with bottom baits,” Denzer said. “I think they’re in a weird stage right now where they’re trying to get on shad, but they’re still on crawfish. I’m just trying to match the hatch.”

Anchoring his bag with a 4-pounder, Denzer said he’s hopeful that the area he found can carry him through the event’s final day.

“I tried to save some for tomorrow and Saturday,” Denzer said of his decision to lay off his fish after securing what he felt was a strong first-round limit. “I hope I can do it again tomorrow. Smallmouth tend to move a lot here.”

Alex Wetherell of Middletown, Conn., is in third place with 17-6. After his best practice spot failed to produce today, Wetherell rotated through several of his options and pieced together a solid performance.

“I tried to balance saving some stuff for tomorrow and having enough for today,” Wetherell said. “Around 9 a.m. I didn’t have a fish, so I ran everything else and thankfully, I got some good bites. I had a 4-pound, 14-ounce largemouth and a 4-pound smallmouth.

“I stayed in Pool 8 and ran probably 20 different spots. On one spot, I was able to get four to five fish, but for the most part, I’m looking for one good bite on each spot.”

Wetherell said he fished a mix of mats, rock and laydowns. His bait selection included soft plastics and crankbaits.

Wetherell holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with a 4-14.

Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT at Veterans Freedom Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 2:30 p.m.

Explore La Crosse is hosting this event.

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Title Sponsor: Turtlebox

2026 Bassmaster Opens Series Presenting Sponsor: Battery Tender

About B.A.S.S.

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Connect with #Bassmaster on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Media Contact: Mandy Pascal, Communications Manager, 334-414-8677, [email protected]

2026 Div 2 Open 4 Mississippi River 6/18-6/20
Mississippi River, La Crosse WI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1

Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$

1. Tom Monsoor La Crosse, WI 5 19-06 0
Day 1: 5 19-06
2. Aiden Denzer La Crosse, WI 5 17-10 0
Day 1: 5 17-10
3. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 17-06 200
Day 1: 5 17-06
4. Reece Keeney Winneconne, WI 5 16-11 0
Day 1: 5 16-11
5. Kyle Von Ruden Stoddard, WI 5 16-01 0
Day 1: 5 16-01
6. Brock Bila Republic, MO 5 15-13 199
Day 1: 5 15-13
7. Nick Lawler Ava, MO 5 15-07 198
Day 1: 5 15-07
7. Matt Stefan Junction City, WI 5 15-07 198
Day 1: 5 15-07
9. Brent Shores Savannah, TN 5 15-06 196
Day 1: 5 15-06
10. Nate Caldwell Fort Collins, CO 5 15-04 195
Day 1: 5 15-04
10. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 5 15-04 195
Day 1: 5 15-04
12. Dan Mohn Lansing, IA 5 15-02 0
Day 1: 5 15-02
13. Dylan Fogarty Mechanicsburg, PA 5 15-01 193
Day 1: 5 15-01
13. Nick Marsh White Lake, MI 5 15-01 193
Day 1: 5 15-01
15. Trace Freeman Northport, AL 5 14-11 191
Day 1: 5 14-11
16. Ryan Michl Newton, IL 5 14-10 190
Day 1: 5 14-10
17. Kevin Ruh Onalaska, WI 5 14-07 0
Day 1: 5 14-07
18. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 14-06 189
Day 1: 5 14-06
18. Jeremy Lawyer Sarcoxie, MO 5 14-06 189
Day 1: 5 14-06
18. Nic Rand Paw Paw, MI 5 14-06 189
Day 1: 5 14-06
21. Kyle Seubert Chaseburg, WI 5 14-04 0
Day 1: 5 14-04
22. Andy Newcomb Camdenton, MO 5 14-03 186
Day 1: 5 14-03
23. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 5 14-02 185
Day 1: 5 14-02
24. Cody Bird Granbury, TX 5 13-15 184
Day 1: 5 13-15
24. Brian Fitzpatrick La Crosse, WI 5 13-15 184
Day 1: 5 13-15
26. Mike Brueggen La Crosse, WI 5 13-14 0
Day 1: 5 13-14
27. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 5 13-13 182
Day 1: 5 13-13
27. Wyatt Marler Oldfield, MO 5 13-13 182
Day 1: 5 13-13
29. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 13-11 180
Day 1: 5 13-11
30. Nick Leblanc North Prairie, WI 5 13-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09
30. Hunter Litchfield Macomb, IL 5 13-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09
32. Rick Harris Jr Carlsbad, NM 5 13-07 179
Day 1: 5 13-07
32. Blake Schroeder Bullard, TX 5 13-07 179
Day 1: 5 13-07
32. Lane Stephens Owasso, OK 5 13-07 179
Day 1: 5 13-07
35. Devin Teigen Nelson, WI 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-06
36. Grae Buck Green Lane, PA 5 13-05 176
Day 1: 5 13-05
36. Eddie Carper Valliant, OK 5 13-05 176
Day 1: 5 13-05
38. Jacob Welch Roach, MO 5 13-04 174
Day 1: 5 13-04
39. Joseph Hardy China Spring, TX 5 13-03 173
Day 1: 5 13-03
39. Cade Laufenberg Onalaska, WI 5 13-03 0
Day 1: 5 13-03
41. Austin Brimeyer Dubuque, IA 5 13-02 0
Day 1: 5 13-02
41. Clay Henderson Purdy, MO 5 13-02 172
Day 1: 5 13-02
43. Zane Parker Kingwood, TX 5 13-01 171
Day 1: 5 13-01
44. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 5 13-00 170
Day 1: 5 13-00
44. Evan Cox-VanVliet Loveland, CO 5 13-00 170
Day 1: 5 13-00
46. Erik Brztowski Lemont, IL 5 12-15 168
Day 1: 5 12-15
47. Hunter Crossland San Angelo, TX 5 12-14 167
Day 1: 5 12-14
47. Sho Egawa Osaka JAPAN 5 12-14 167
Day 1: 5 12-14
49. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 12-13 165
Day 1: 5 12-13
50. Laker Howell Guntersville, AL 5 12-12 164
Day 1: 5 12-12
50. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 5 12-12 164
Day 1: 5 12-12
52. Harmon Marien Eagle River, WI 5 12-11 162
Day 1: 5 12-11
52. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 5 12-11 162
Day 1: 5 12-11
52. Ryan Thompson Seymour, MO 5 12-11 162
Day 1: 5 12-11
55. Nick Dumke Grand Rapids, MN 5 12-09 159
Day 1: 5 12-09
56. Joe Wieberg Freeburg, MO 5 12-08 158
Day 1: 5 12-08
57. Bailey Gay Union, KY 5 12-07 157
Day 1: 5 12-07
58. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 12-06 156
Day 1: 5 12-06
59. Adam Hamann Prairie Du Chien, IA 5 12-05 155
Day 1: 5 12-05
59. Riley Harris Orange, TX 5 12-05 155
Day 1: 5 12-05
59. Cameron Mattison Benton, LA 5 12-05 155
Day 1: 5 12-05
59. Trevor McKinney Noble, IL 5 12-05 155
Day 1: 5 12-05
59. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 5 12-05 155
Day 1: 5 12-05
64. John Branch Magnolia, KY 5 12-04 150
Day 1: 5 12-04
64. Lonnie Cochran Section, AL 5 12-04 150
Day 1: 5 12-04
64. Luke Kerstetter Seymour, TN 5 12-04 150
Day 1: 5 12-04
64. Garrett McWilliams Florence, MS 5 12-04 150
Day 1: 5 12-04
68. Kollin Crawford Broken Bow, OK 5 12-03 146
Day 1: 5 12-03
68. Michael Harlin Osage Beach, MO 5 12-03 146
Day 1: 5 12-03
68. Lucas Toliver Paw Paw, MI 5 12-03 146
Day 1: 5 12-03
68. Dylan Welton Middleville, MI 5 12-03 146
Day 1: 5 12-03
72. Justin Yenter Stevens Point, WI 5 12-01 142
Day 1: 5 12-01
73. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 12-00 141
Day 1: 5 12-00
74. Easton Lindus Woodville, WI 5 11-15 140
Day 1: 5 11-15
74. Fernando Lobato Sparta, WI 5 11-15 0
Day 1: 5 11-15
76. Ian Waterer East Selkirk CANADA 5 11-14 139
Day 1: 5 11-14
77. Wesley Baxley Conroe, TX 5 11-13 138
Day 1: 5 11-13
77. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 5 11-13 138
Day 1: 5 11-13
77. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 5 11-13 138
Day 1: 5 11-13
80. Brennan Flick West Monroe, LA 4 11-13 135
Day 1: 4 11-13
81. Tracy Mitchell Springfield, MO 4 11-12 134
Day 1: 4 11-12
82. Jordan Hartman Benton, KY 5 11-10 133
Day 1: 5 11-10
82. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 5 11-10 133
Day 1: 5 11-10
82. Jace Lindsay Beckville, TX 5 11-10 133
Day 1: 5 11-10
85. David Boelkins Waukesha, WI 5 11-09 130
Day 1: 5 11-09
85. Jason Horton Eucha, OK 5 11-09 0
Day 1: 5 11-09
85. Jonathan Pimentel Camdenton, MO 5 11-09 130
Day 1: 5 11-09
88. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 4 11-09 128
Day 1: 4 11-09
89. Rylan Hamlin Jackson, MI 5 11-08 127
Day 1: 5 11-08
89. Hayden Marbut Birmingham, AL 5 11-08 127
Day 1: 5 11-08
89. Nathan Thompson Eagan, MN 5 11-08 127
Day 1: 5 11-08
89. Zachary Ward Cabot, AR 5 11-08 127
Day 1: 5 11-08
93. Scott Nielsen Murray, UT 5 11-07 123
Day 1: 5 11-07
94. Byron Hill Clermont, FL 5 11-06 122
Day 1: 5 11-06
94. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 11-06 122
Day 1: 5 11-06
96. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 11-05 120
Day 1: 5 11-05
96. Steve Lee Minneapolis, MN 5 11-05 0
Day 1: 5 11-05
96. Wyatt Wisian Ardmore, OK 5 11-05 120
Day 1: 5 11-05
99. Ken Day Kennewick, WA 5 11-04 118
Day 1: 5 11-04
99. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 11-04 118
Day 1: 5 11-04
99. Seiji Kato Forney TX JAPAN 5 11-04 118
Day 1: 5 11-04
99. Frank Scalish Mount Gilead, OH 5 11-04 118
Day 1: 5 11-04
103. Casey Goode La Crosse, WI 5 11-03 0
Day 1: 5 11-03
104. Josh Cruse Pocahontas, AR 5 11-02 0
Day 1: 5 11-02
105. Cole McAusland Tuscaloosa, AL 5 11-01 114
Day 1: 5 11-01
106. Yui Aoki Minamitsurugun JAPAN 5 10-15 113
Day 1: 5 10-15
106. Andrew Jones Trussville, AL 5 10-15 113
Day 1: 5 10-15
108. Darold Gleason Leesville, LA 5 10-14 111
Day 1: 5 10-14
108. Walker Krampitz Waseca, MN 5 10-14 0
Day 1: 5 10-14
108. Ryan Salzman Huntsville, AL 5 10-14 111
Day 1: 5 10-14
111. Tim Sprouse Clarksville, TN 5 10-13 109
Day 1: 5 10-13
111. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 10-13 109
Day 1: 5 10-13
113. Jordan Knutson Saint Croix Falls, WI 5 10-12 107
Day 1: 5 10-12
114. Josh Keeney Winneconne, WI 4 10-12 0
Day 1: 4 10-12
114. Tyler Wolf Creston, IA 4 10-12 106
Day 1: 4 10-12
116. Jeremiah Kindy Benton, AR 5 10-11 105
Day 1: 5 10-11
117. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 4 10-11 104
Day 1: 4 10-11
118. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 10-10 103
Day 1: 5 10-10
119. Tommy Parker Delano, MN 4 10-10 102
Day 1: 4 10-10
120. Josh Pladies Lees Summit, MO 5 10-09 101
Day 1: 5 10-09
121. Wyatt Becker LaCrosse, WI 5 10-08 0
Day 1: 5 10-08
121. Jaron Burr Bowling Green, KY 5 10-08 100
Day 1: 5 10-08
121. Tyler Fitch Fall River, WI 5 10-08 100
Day 1: 5 10-08
124. Sam Ausbrooks Loogootee, IN 5 10-07 98
Day 1: 5 10-07
125. Bryan Partak Marseilles, IL 5 10-06 97
Day 1: 5 10-06
126. Dillon Falardeau Hixson, TN 5 10-05 96
Day 1: 5 10-05
126. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 5 10-05 96
Day 1: 5 10-05
128. Kyle Metzger Pearl River, LA 4 10-05 94
Day 1: 4 10-05
129. Hugh Cosculluela Spring, TX 4 10-04 93
Day 1: 4 10-04
130. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 5 10-03 92
Day 1: 5 10-03
131. Nathan Reynolds Florence, AL 5 10-02 91
Day 1: 5 10-02
132. Brandyn Baum La Crosse, WI 4 10-02 0
Day 1: 4 10-02
132. Andrew Behnke Fond Du Lac, WI 4 10-02 90
Day 1: 4 10-02
134. Colby Bryant Houston, TX 5 10-01 89
Day 1: 5 10-01
135. Chris Hellebuyck White Lake, MI 5 10-00 88
Day 1: 5 10-00
135. Jeremiah Shaver Holmen, WI 5 10-00 0
Day 1: 5 10-00
135. Tanner Visco Antioch, IL 5 10-00 88
Day 1: 5 10-00
138. Anthony Garcia Los Angeles, CA 4 10-00 86
Day 1: 4 10-00
138. Brad Jelinek Lincoln, MO 4 10-00 86
Day 1: 4 10-00
140. Tyler Smith Troup, TX 5 09-15 84
Day 1: 5 09-15
141. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 09-12 83
Day 1: 5 09-12
142. Glenn Walker Savage, MN 4 09-09 0
Day 1: 4 09-09
143. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 4 09-07 82
Day 1: 4 09-07
144. Yukihiro Sawamura Harker Heights, TX 5 09-06 81
Day 1: 5 09-06
145. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 5 09-03 80
Day 1: 5 09-03
146. Brennan Berglund Guntersville, AL 5 09-02 79
Day 1: 5 09-02
147. Andy Beloat Montgomery, TX 4 09-02 78
Day 1: 4 09-02
148. Troy Sullivan Dillsboro, IN 5 09-00 0
Day 1: 5 09-00
149. Blaine Bunney Claremore, OK 4 09-00 77
Day 1: 4 09-00
150. John Engler III Vinton, IA 4 08-09 76
Day 1: 4 08-09
151. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 4 08-07 75
Day 1: 4 08-07
152. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 4 08-02 74
Day 1: 4 08-02
153. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 3 08-02 0
Day 1: 3 08-02
153. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 3 08-02 0
Day 1: 3 08-02
155. Kristine Fischer Spring City, NE 3 08-00 73
Day 1: 3 08-00
156. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 4 07-15 72
Day 1: 4 07-15
157. Riley Nielsen Salt Lake City, UT 3 07-13 71
Day 1: 3 07-13
158. Dalton Head Moody, AL 4 07-10 70
Day 1: 4 07-10
159. Kyle Palmer Elora, TN 5 07-07 69
Day 1: 5 07-07
160. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 3 07-06 68
Day 1: 3 07-06
160. Ethan Fields Carlyle, IL 3 07-06 68
Day 1: 3 07-06
162. Wade Denney Nampa, ID 2 07-06 66
Day 1: 2 07-06
163. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 4 07-04 65
Day 1: 4 07-04
164. Steven Huegerich Bloomfield, IA 4 07-00 0
Day 1: 4 07-00
165. Lance Owen Greer, SC 2 06-13 64
Day 1: 2 06-13
166. Marcus Livingston Augusta, WI 3 06-12 63
Day 1: 3 06-12
167. Jack York Emory, TX 2 06-08 62
Day 1: 2 06-08
168. TJ Edwards Jr Tremont, MS 3 06-04 61
Day 1: 3 06-04
169. Ethen Preston Tower City, ND 3 06-03 0
Day 1: 3 06-03
170. Steve Tennison Lexington, OK 3 06-02 60
Day 1: 3 06-02
171. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 3 06-01 59
Day 1: 3 06-01
172. Chris Bailey Eddy, TX 3 06-00 58
Day 1: 3 06-00
173. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 2 05-08 57
Day 1: 2 05-08
174. Frank Mixon Abilene, TX 2 05-06 56
Day 1: 2 05-06
175. Jack Webb Trempealeau, WI 3 05-04 0
Day 1: 3 05-04
176. David Brand Dittmer, MO 2 05-02 55
Day 1: 2 05-02
177. Peyton Harris Birmingham, AL 2 04-07 54
Day 1: 2 04-07
178. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 2 04-06 53
Day 1: 2 04-06
179. James Chandler Liberty, TX 2 04-04 52
Day 1: 2 04-04
180. Jason Pruess Haysville, KS 2 04-02 51
Day 1: 2 04-02
181. Dylan Minch Stevens Point, WI 2 03-11 50
Day 1: 2 03-11
182. Rick Pierce Mountain Home, AR 2 03-10 49
Day 1: 2 03-10
183. Darrell Ivey Lebanon, MO 1 03-01 48
Day 1: 1 03-01
184. Bj Miller Adams, NE 1 02-05 47
Day 1: 1 02-05
185. A.J. Menssen Bloomington, IL 1 02-00 46
Day 1: 1 02-00
186. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 1 01-08 45
Day 1: 1 01-08
187. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 1 01-05 44
Day 1: 1 01-05
188. Colby Dark West Monroe, LA 1 01-01 43
Day 1: 1 01-01
189. Jason Adams Guthrie, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Keegan Bollman Charles City, IA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. James Campise Brookeland, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Lance Crawford Broken Bow, OK 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Bryan Hoffman Andrews, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Matt Keezer Kirkland Quebec CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Justin Latham Reelsville, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Brad Leuthner Victoria, MN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Anastasia Patterson Sumter, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Larry Peterson II Hammond, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Mikey Weems Hull, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
189. Cory Williams Greenville, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 133 830 2039-15
----------------------------------
133 830 2039-15

by AnglersChannel

Major League Fishing’s REDCREST Returns to Birmingham in 2027 on Logan Martin Lake

Bass Pro Tour’s biggest event heads back to Alabama with $300,000 top prize on the line

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (June 18, 2026) – Major League Fishing announced today that Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2027, the Bass Pro Tour Championship and the world championship of professional bass fishing, will take place April 16-18, 2027, on Logan Martin Lake near Birmingham, Alabama.

The prestigious event, hosted by the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, will showcase 40 of the top bass-fishing professionals in the world competing for the REDCREST Championship trophy and a $300,000 top prize. The tournament will launch from Lincoln’s Landing in Lincoln, Alabama. In addition to the tournament, the MLF Outdoor Sports Expo will be held at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) in Birmingham.

REDCREST 2027 will mark the championship’s return to Birmingham following the successful 2024 event on Lay Lake, but this time the Bass Pro Tour’s biggest event will shift to Logan Martin Lake, a renowned Coosa River fishery known for its healthy populations of spotted bass and largemouth bass. The combination of Logan Martin Lake and the Birmingham area offers REDCREST a fresh tournament setting in one of the country’s most passionate bass-fishing regions.

The competition will feature MLF’s catch, weigh, immediate-release format, with every fish tracked in real time via the SCORETRACKER® leaderboard. On-the-water action will be streamed live all three days on MLFNOW! via MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble, giving fans around the world a front-row seat as the sport’s best anglers battle for one of professional fishing’s most coveted titles.

The MLF Outdoor Sports Expo will give fishing and outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to visit booths and vendors showcasing the latest in fishing, boating, hunting, camping and more. Fans on site will have the opportunity to take part in sponsor experiences, family-friendly activities, pro angler appearances and the live watch-party atmosphere that has become a signature part of REDCREST week.

“REDCREST belongs on fisheries and in communities that can handle the biggest stage in professional bass fishing, and Birmingham and Logan Martin Lake check every box,” said Boyd Duckett, MLF president and CEO. “The Coosa River is one of the great tournament systems in the country, and Logan Martin will challenge our anglers in all the right ways. When you combine that fishery with Birmingham’s proven support for major events, REDCREST 2027 has the makings of a tremendous championship.”

"We are excited to welcome REDCREST back to Greater Birmingham in 2027," said Dan Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau. "From the exceptional fishing on Logan Martin Lake to the REDCREST Outdoor Sports Expo at the BJCC, this event brings together competition, entertainment and community in a way that showcases the very best of our region. We look forward to hosting anglers and fans from across the country and delivering an unforgettable experience.”

Logan Martin Lake has hosted 16 MLF and FLW events, including the 2004 and 2006 Forrest Wood Cup championships won by Luke Clausen and Brent Ehrler, respectively. The 2027 championship will add another major moment to MLF’s long history in Alabama, where world-class fisheries, proven host communities and passionate fans have helped create some of the sport’s most memorable events. Ehrler, who remains inside the REDCREST qualification line with two events remaining in the 2026 Bass Pro Tour season, could have the opportunity to return to Logan Martin more than two decades after his career-defining championship victory.

Previous REDCREST champions include Jacob Wheeler (2026), three-time winner Dustin Connell (2025, 2024, 2021), Bryan Thrift (2023), Bobby Lane (2022) and Edwin Evers (2019).

The 2027 field will include the top 28 Bass Pro Tour anglers based on 2026 Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings, and REDCREST 2026 Champion Jacob Wheeler. The event will also feature the winner of each 2026 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Stop (Drew Gill, Aaron Yavorsky, Banks Shaw and Carter Nutt, with one event remaining), the 2026 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Champion, the 2026 Toyota Series Champion, 2026 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Champion Jack Story, the highest finishing member of the College Fishing National Champions team (either Matthew Knopp or Logan Russell) at the 2026 Toyota Series Championship, and the winner of the MLF International Boater Division at the 2026 Toyota Series Championship.

Additional details regarding Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2027, including Outdoor Sports Expo details, fan activities, livestream coverage and community events, will be announced at a later date.

Proud sponsors of the MLF Bass Pro Tour and REDCREST 2027 include: Abu Garcia, Athletic Brewing Co., B&W Trailer Hitches, Bass Force, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Black Buffalo, BUBBA, Cigars International, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF! Deep Woods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Suzuki Marine, Toyota, Yuengling and Zenni.

by AnglersChannel

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