Reigning Angler of the Year Zack Birge, established champions and five Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit rookies headline 50-angler field

BENTON, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2026) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced today the 50 professional anglers who have qualified to compete on the 2027 Bass Pro Tour, professional bass fishing’s premier tournament circuit.

Led by reigning Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year Zack Birge, the 2027 field features a stellar collection of proven champions, perennial contenders, rising stars and five rookies advancing from the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit.

Among the returning standouts are Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell, Ott DeFoe, Bryan Thrift, Edwin Evers, Bobby Lane, Brent Ehrler, Michael Neal and Drew Gill, giving the 2027 Bass Pro Tour another exceptionally deep lineup of accomplished anglers.

The field was determined through MLF’s Bass Pro Tour requalification system, with the first 35 invitations awarded based on the Career Angler of the Year standings average. The next 10 invitations were awarded based on the final 2026 Bass Pro Tour AOY standings.

The final five invitations were earned through the 2026 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Angler of the Year standings, with Ryan Lachniet, Connor Jacob, Carter Nutt, Brody Campbell and Will Harkins earning their first opportunity to compete on the Bass Pro Tour.

“The Bass Pro Tour is supposed to represent the very best of professional bass fishing, and this 2027 roster does exactly that,” said MLF co-founder and CEO Boyd Duckett. “We have anglers who have proven over multiple seasons that they belong at this level and five talented rookies coming up from the Pro Circuit. There’s a clear path to the Bass Pro Tour, but once you get here, you have to perform to stay here. That competition is what makes this tour special.”

The 2027 roster reflects MLF’s emphasis on rewarding both sustained excellence and recent performance while providing a clear pathway for the next generation to advance to the sport’s highest level. Complete requalification criteria and additional details can be found in the Bass Pro Tour rules at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

The 50 professional anglers who have qualified to compete on the 2027 Bass Pro Tour are:

• Casey Ashley
• Adrian Avena
• Matt Becker
• Zack Birge
• Brody Campbell*
• Keith Carson
• Brent Chapman
• Dustin Connell
• Justin Cooper
• Mark Daniels Jr.
• Mark Davis
• Ott DeFoe
• David Dudley
• Brent Ehrler
• James Elam
• Edwin Evers
• Todd Faircloth
• Cole Floyd
• Anthony Gagliardi
• Drew Gill
• Will Harkins*
• Nick Hatfield
• Marshall Hughes
• John Hunter
• Connor Jacob*
• Alton Jones Jr.
• Ryan Lachniet*
• Bobby Lane
• Chris Lane
• Jake Lawrence
• Nick LeBrun
• Justin Lucas
• Andy Montgomery
• Michael Neal
• Ron Nelson
• Carter Nutt*
• Takahiro Omori
• Mitchell Robinson
• Mark Rose
• Bradley Roy
• Banks Shaw
• Spencer Shuffield
• Dustin Smith
• Jeff Sprague
• Wesley Strader
• Bryan Thrift
• Jacob Walker
• Jacob Wall
• Jacob Wheeler
• Jesse Wiggins

*Bass Pro Tour rookie

Every Bass Pro Tour event will once again be broadcast live on MLFNOW!® and streamed to MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) and Rumble.

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, Fishing Clash, Grizzly, Lowrance, Mercury, MillerTech, NITRO Boats, OFF! Deep Woods, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Star brite, Starlink, Suzuki Marine, Toyota, Yuengling and Zenni.

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.

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.