New all-star event to reward big-bass excellence and elevate the MLF College Fishing pathway

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Feb. 11, 2026) – Major League Fishing, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced today on the eve of the 2026 College Fishing National Championship details surrounding the new MLF Columbia PFG College Fishing Heavy Hitters event, an all-star event designed to reward college fishing teams that excel at catching big bass while further elevating the pathway from the college ranks to the sport’s highest levels.

The inaugural event will take place Oct. 25, 2026, on Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, and will be hosted by Visit Jefferson County, TN. A total of 18 teams will qualify for the event exclusively based on big-bass performance during the 2026 College Fishing regular season, mirroring the big-bite, earn-your-way-in Heavy Hitters format used on the Bass Pro Tour.

“This event is all about rewarding teams who produce the biggest bites,” said Kevin Hunt, Senior Director of Tournament Operations for MLF College Fishing. “Just like Heavy Hitters at the Bass Pro Tour, there is no other way in. Teams earn their spot by catching big bass throughout the season, and that makes this event such a special accomplishment for college anglers.”

The field will consist of the top three teams with the heaviest single bass from each of the six 2026 MLF Columbia PFG Presented by Abu Garcia College Fishing regular-season tournaments. Competition in the Columbia PFG Heavy Hitters will feature MLF’s catch, weigh and immediate-release format, where every scorable bass over the two-pound minimum counts toward a team’s total weight. In addition to cumulative weight determining the overall champion, a separate Big Bass award will be presented to the team that catches the single heaviest bass of the event.

Official practice and the pretournament meeting will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, with competition scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25. Takeoff and the awards ceremony will be held at the Dandridge Boat Dock & Ramp, located at 157 Public Drive in Dandridge. Fans will be able to follow the leaderboard through SCORETRACKER LIVE®, bringing the excitement of college-level Heavy Hitters competition to fans in real time.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Columbia PFG College Fishing include: 7Brew Coffee, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Columbia PFG, Epic Baits, Lew’s, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PirahnO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Strike King, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular College Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s 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, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV and Game & Fish TV, 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.