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.

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.

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.