2026 FXR Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville Day 2: Kyle Welcher Jump into Lead!

Canadians Gallant 9th, Cory Johnston 10th, Gustafson 16th, Evan Kung 17th & Chris Johnston 32nd. 

By David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. — Kyle Welcher doesn’t like to stay put, but switching off his core instinct and committing to one area delivered a big Day 2 improvement that put him atop the leaderboard for the FXR Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville.

After placing 18th on Day 1 with 20 pounds, 7 ounces, the pro from Valley, Ala., sacked up 24-9 and surged into the lead with a two-day total of 45 pounds.

“The moral of the story was hunkering down and staying put,” Welcher said. “I did better than I did yesterday; I didn’t run around as much and that was the way to catch ’em.”

Welcher, who won the 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River by parking in one key area, knew he’d have to employ the same uncomfortable strategy on Guntersville.

“It’s the hardest thing for me to do; it goes against everything that I want to do,” Welcher said. “But when it’s tough and it’s hard to run around and get bites, sometimes that’s the best thing to do.

“That’s something I’ve had to learn by fishing on the Elites. I didn’t have the patience whenever I first started out here.”

Welcher said he fished south of the takeoff site at Goose Pond and focused on a 3-acre stretch. He tried the same area he fished on Day 1, but when the bites failed to materialize, he repositioned and relocated his fish.

“They had slid 150 yards away and I caught them there today,” Welcher said. “The majority of what I’m fishing is eelgrass, but every now and then, I’ll pull up some coontail or some hydrilla, but it’s 90% eel grass.”

Welcher stuck with the same lipless bait/bladed jig combo that much of the field has been throwing. His choice was a 1/2-ounce Rapala Snare and an unnamed bladed jig with a Crush City Freeloader trailer.

Describing his presentations, Welcher said: “It was early-slow and late-fast. That was the biggest adjustment I’d make throughout the day. I think they get up higher in the water column as the sun gets up.”

A gloomy Day 1 brought mostly overcast skies, light breezes and air temperatures that struggled to reach the low 40s. By contrast, the second round saw bright, sunny conditions, stronger afternoon wind and a high of 61.

“I think the sun is the major thing, but the wind could’ve helped a little” Welcher said. “I caught a couple big ones after it started blowing today, but I caught most of the fish I weighed in before the wind started blowing. I definitely think the sun helps you get more bites.

2022 Bassmaster Elite Series Event On Mississippi River Day 2: Chris Johnston Score 1 Ounce Lead!

Canadians Gustafson 13th & Cory Johnston 52th.

Chris Johnston of Otonabee, Ontario, is leading after Day 2 of the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a two-day total of 31 pounds, 14 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS) 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Chris Johnston owns a well-documented reputation for smallmouth savvy, but drawing on his largemouth bass roots helped the pro from Otonabee, Ontario, take over the lead on Day 2 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River with a total weight of 31 pounds, 14 ounces.

 

Johnston caught 16-4 on Day 1 and tied fellow Canadian Jeff Gustafson for fourth place. Then, despite an hour storm delay and dim, rainy conditions, Johnston added 15-10 today. He heads into Semifinal Sunday with a 1-ounce margin over Day 1 leader Bryan Schmitt and a 2-ounce lead over Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas.

 

Johnston, who won the 2020 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River, said the Upper Mississippi River’s shallow, weedy habitat presented very familiar scenarios. This week’s success has come through applying the engrained techniques of his Canadian youth.

 

“Believe it or not, I grew up fishing largemouth; flipping reeds and milfoil and frogging,” Johnston said. “For the first 20 years of my life, it was all largemouth fishing. The smallmouth didn’t take off in our area until I was about 17 to 18 years old.

 

“I love this style of fishing; putting on 65-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid and just going and having fun. I did mix in a few smallmouth. They’ve been good to me lately, so I couldn’t ignore them.”

 

Jacob Powroznik Wins 2020 MLF Lake Okeechobee Championship!

The Big Lake payout as canals fizzles

By Tyler Brinks

Major League Fishing Press Release

Jacob Powroznik took a late lead during the Championship Round, amassing
nearly 30 pounds in the final period alone. Photo by Phoenix Moore

Lake Okeechobee did indeed save the best for last at the Bass Pro Tour Favorite Fishing Stage Two Presented by Bass Cat. We saw our biggest weight totals, most bass caught by single anglers, and it was a fight to the finish.

Although the final standings show a win of over 11 pounds for Jacob Powroznik, it was a tight race for most of the day, until the Virginian took control in Period 3.

Take this as evidence of how close it really was. After Period 2 closed, the top three anglers were separated by just six ounces. Randall Tharp was edging out Jacob Wheeler and Michael Neal, who all had 28 pounds and change to begin Period 3.

Powroznik was lurking behind and his eight bass for nearly 30 pounds in Period 3 was the difference-maker in claiming his second career Bass Pro Tour win. He ended the day with 15 bass for 49 pounds, 11 ounces, which were both easily the best totals of the week.

Powroznik Closes out Another Win

Jacob Powroznik did enough during Periods 1 and 2 to give himself a chance and was able to close out the win late thanks to a simplified approach that he relied on all week long.

As time expired, Powroznik was emotional and thankful to close out the win.

“You never know and when it is your time, it’s your time. I just kept my head down and kept grinding in the same 300-yard stretch,” he said.

That area is known as “the pass,” and Powroznik shared that it is at the mouth of Buckhead Ridge. That area had all of the ingredients he was looking for.

“It had the right depth, bottom composition, and eelgrass. I was looking for a hard bottom because that’s where they spawn. I was targeting the holes in the grass,” he said. “The fish were in the open areas and if it was too close to bulrushes, the eelgrass would be too choked up.”