Alabama pro Greg Vinson comes out on top in his home state for the NPFL victory at Stop #4 of the 2026 Season.

Story by Justin Brouillard, NPFL Press Release

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.

2026 Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/ Albmarle Sound Day 1: Chris Zaldain Snatches Lead!

Canadians: Chris Johnston 40th, Cory Johnston 57th, Gallant 60th, Kung 84th & Gustafson 92nd

Texas pro Chris Zaldain has taken the lead on Day 1 of the Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound with a total of 25 pounds, 8 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS) 

BASS Press Release

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Live by the sword, die by the sword. Chris Zaldain plays the game often, and on Day 1 of the Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound, the veteran mastered the sword. 

The Californian turned Texan caught 25 pounds, 8 ounces to take the Day 1 lead on the massive eastern North Carolina waterway. Zaldain will carry a 1-7 advantage over second-place Jason Christie and a 1-8 advantage over third-place Justin Hamner. 

Big numbers were expected ahead of this tournament, the seventh of the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season. While 11 bags over 20 pounds hit the scales, no angler approached the pace that Kyle Welcher set during the 2025 season. 

A true summer tournament is something Zaldain really looked forward to, especially after finishing dead last at Santee Cooper a few weeks prior. Air temperatures have been well over 90 degrees this week and water temperatures are in the 80s. 

“I had no preconceived notions. I didn’t force anything. I let the fish tell me what was going on,” the nine-time Classic qualifier said.

It has been drier than normal this spring and early summer throughout the region, and salinity has increased throughout the system as a result. Finding clean, fresh water was at the center of his meticulous practice strategy. 

“I paid very close attention to what the wind was doing,” Zaldain explained. “I used the Deep Dive app to help with that. The other thing I use in that app is the streamflow feature. It shows you where the cleanest, freshest water is coming in. I was able to spend my practice time there.”

He started in one of the several rivers that connect to the Albemarle Sound and got bit. He moved to the next river and got bit doing essentially the same thing. At that point, he knew he could run it anywhere.

“I purposely stayed out of the river I knew I was going to go to and worked on my pattern in other rivers,” Zaldain said. “Fishing big lines, big rods and catching big fish.”

2025 MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River Day 1: Pat Schlapper Scores 12-02lbs and Lead!

Canadians: Gallant 7th,  Gustafson 34th,  Kung 37th,  Chris Johnston 53rd & Cory Johnston 70th

Wisconsin's Pat Schlapper has taken the lead on Day 1 of the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River with a total of 12 pounds, 2 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release 

ORANGE, Texas — Pat Schlapper had the right tool for the job and that homemade bait played a key role in delivering a 12-pound, 2-ounce limit that leads Day 1 of the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at the Sabine River.

On a day that saw 69 of 102 competitors fill their 5-bass limit, the pro from Eleva, Wis., heads into Day 2 with a 13-ounce lead over Arkansas pro Stetson Blaylock.

The Sabine holds a good population of fish, but the average size is significantly less than what anglers found during last week’s Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork. Aware of the fish he’d be targeting, and the shallow cover that typically dominates the Sabine action, Schlapper made a batch of jigs specifically for this event.

“I caught most of my fish on a little Do-it Molds compact finesse jig that I make myself and a Big Bite Baits chunk trailer,” Schlapper said. “It’s a 3/8-ounce jig, but it has a really short shank 2/0 hook. It’s really compact and I tied it with fine cut skirt material so it’s really lifelike.

“The jig is black and blue with a sapphire blue trailer. They like sapphire blue down here; I learned that the first year I fished here. The (entire bait) is not even 3 inches long. I made it specifically for this tournament.”

2024 TNT Firework Bassmaster Elite at Smith Lake Day 3: Robert Gee Snags Lead, Takumi Ito 2nd!

Canadians Cory Johnston 4th, Gallant 7th, Chris Johnston 18th & Gustafson 40th

By Andrew Calulette

BASS Press Release

CULLMAN, Ala. — With the leaderboard as tight as it’s been at the TNT Fireworks Bassmaster Elite at Smith Lake, the door was open for any of the 50 remaining anglers in the tournament to move up the standings.

Robert Gee is that guy.

After lurking near the lead for the first half of the tournament, the 25-year-old Knoxville, Tenn., resident grabbed the pole position on Saturday with a 14-pound, 2-ounce bag that gave him a three-day total of 41-9.

It’s the slimmest of cushions, though, with every one of the remaining 10 anglers in the field less than four pounds from Gee’s lead. And that’s perfectly fitting for what could be one of the most competitive Championship Sundays in recent memory.

Taku Ito, the 38-year-old veteran from Chiba, Japan, is just behind Gee with a three-day weight of 41-7. Jay Przekurat, a 25-year-old Elite pro from Stevens Point, Wis., is third with 41-6.

Gee’s lead might be bigger, but he had three fish expire on Day 2 of the tournament, which resulted in a 12-ounce deduction to his daily total. In a difficult derby, when every ounce is precious, he’s hoping that unfortunate situation doesn’t come back to haunt him.

“It’s going to be a game of ounces,” Gee said. “And I might be up by a pound without that penalty. It was the heat. I guess I didn’t buy enough ice. It was just stress on the fish from being so hot.”

2024 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake Day 1: John Cox Snags Lead!

Canadians Gallant 18th, Gustafson 30th, Chris Johnston 65th & Cory Johnston 81st.   

By Christopher Decker

BASS Press Release

Butterflies and heatwaves are seemingly important ingredients to success for John Cox when he shows up at Wheeler Lake. The DeBary, Fla., pro caught 22 pounds, 2 ounces to claim the Day 1 lead at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Wheeler Lake, nearly eight years after winning a Forrest Wood Cup on this fishery.

“It was just one of those days,” said Cox, a six-time Classic qualifier. “It was awesome and I just caught big ones. I hope there are a few more in there. The water is falling quickly and it might be an issue even getting in there. It was really cool.”

During his Forrest Wood Cup victory in August of 2016 at Wheeler, a butterfly floated around Cox’s boat nearly the entire tournament, even landing on his nose at one point. After landing his final bass this afternoon, he noticed a butterfly flying around his marshal. 

In search of his first Elite Series victory, Cox is hoping it’s a sign of things to come.

“It is nuts. I catch the last big one and this butterfly lands on my marshal’s head,” Cox explained. “And when I won the Cup, that butterfly was landing on me the entire tournament. I got the chills thinking about that. It is so weird.”

Temperatures have been on the rise across northern Alabama this week, reaching the 90-degree mark on Thursday. With no rain in the forecast either, current generation at the Wheeler Dam has slowed down and made the fishing across the lake a little tougher than many anglers anticipated.

Cox landed just one limit during his three days of practice and said he would have been happy if he caught 10 pounds on Day 1.

“Today was a miracle, honestly,” he said. “I only caught a couple fish the other days of practice and I was just hoping I could get five somehow so I didn’t finish dead last. It was so incredible. As incredible as the Cup.” 

After trying to find a vacant area first thing in the morning, Cox settled in and caught the majority of his weight in one small area featuring shallow grass. He caught most of his bag early in the day, but made two key culls in the afternoon hours. 

The biggest key to his area was the presence of gizzard shad. A Berkley Swamp Lord produced his best bites, including a 6-12 largemouth that anchored his bag.

“I think they were eating the gizzard shad and then all of a sudden the gizzards pushed up into this area. I smoked them on the Swamp Lord,” Cox said. “They don’t look like shallow fish. I think they came out of deep water.

Paul Marks Jr. Wins 2024 Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Cherokee.

Paul Marks Jr. got it done in fine fashion this week on Cherokee. Photo by Rob Matsuura. Angler: Paul Marks Jr.

By Jody White

PHOENIX BASS FISHING LEAGUE Press Release

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Tallying 38 pounds, 6 ounces over three days, Paul Marks Jr. dominated the Phoenix Bass Fishing League All-American Presented by T-H Marine on Lake Cherokee. Topping 12 pounds for the third day in a row with a Day 3 limit that weighed 12-5, Marks won by more than 4 pounds over runner-up Matt O’Connell and earned $120,000 for his efforts. Additionally, he qualified for the Toyota Series Championship this fall on Wheeler Lake and REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville.

While he’s only 23, Marks’ star has burned bright for several years. This marks his fifth win with MLF since 2019, which includes stats from high school, and could serve as the launchpad for yet another prolific tournament fishing career.

Made for the moment

On the water, Marks is an assassin, laser-focused on the task at hand and deadly with the tools of the modern angler. His father, Paul Marks Sr., has fished at a high level as well and seen his son’s potential take shape over the years.

“He’s been fishing most all his life, going in the boat with me before he could get around good – crawling around in the boat,” Marks Sr. said. “He’s always had a passion for it, always.”

Starting his son in team tournaments at home on Lake Lanier, Marks Sr. thinks early success helped turn Marks Jr. into the budding superstar that he is.

“I competed, and a lot of my friends did – when your kid grows up around that excitement, I think they tend to take a liking to it,” the elder Marks said. “He kind of fell into it. In high school, he made nationals as a freshman. He just got more and more of a passion for it. He’s been very fortunate, from when he started in high school to fishing local tournaments with me and being on the winning side of it. That puts more gas in your motor.

TOP 10 BELOW

2023 Folds of Honor Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River Day 2: Mosley Jumps into Lead!

Canadians: Chris Johnston 63rd, Gallant 73rd, Cory Johnston 75th & Gustafson 78th

(Photo: Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

ORANGE, Texas — Despite losing about two hours of fishing time to a mechanical issue, Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., tallied a two-day total of 21 pounds, 6 ounces to take the lead in the Folds of Honor Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River.

 

After placing 12th on Day 1 with 9-15, Mosley added a second-round limit of 11-7 on Friday. He heads into Semifinal Saturday with a half-pound lead over Kyle Welcher of Opelika, Ala., and a 3/4-pound margin over Keith Poche of Cecil, Ala.

 

“This place fishes a lot like how I do back home,” Mosley said. “You just put your head down and grind it out and know that you’re only going to get a handful of bites and you’re going to have to capitalize on them.”

 

Mosley, who finished second the last time the Elites fished the Sabine (2021), spent the first three days of that event fishing 110 miles west in the Houston area. This time, he traded that long-range game plan for a more local strategy that began on the main river within a couple miles of takeoff.

 

“Every year, I’ve caught them a different way,” Mosley said. “This morning I got off to a good start and then I made a long run up Taylor Bayou, but I had boat problems and had to come back in. The service crews did a good job getting me back on the water and I ended up making that long run (back up Taylor) and got some bites.

 

“I was kind of questioning if I had enough fuel to make the run again, so I took my time, eased over there and conserved my fuel. I got over there and realized that I still had enough fuel to make it back.”

 

Mosley began his day with a mix of topwater and flipping baits. Prior to his mechanical issue, he had about 10 pounds in his livewell.

2023 Folds of Honor Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River Day 1: Pipkens Rips Lead!

Canadians: Chris Johnston 45th, Cory Johnston 60th, Gallant 83rd & Gustafson 96th

Chad Pipkens of DeWitt, Mich., is leading after Day 1 of the Folds of Honor Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River with 14 pounds, 7 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

ORANGE, Texas — Chad Pipkens of DeWitt, Mich., broke with two of his historical patterns and sacked up a 14-pound, 7-ounce limit to lead Thursday’s opening round of the Folds of Honor Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River.

 

On a fishery where limits are never assumed and only 11 anglers eclipsed 10 pounds, Pipkens heads into Day 2 with a lead of 1-5 over Hunter Shryock of Ooltewah, Tenn. Suffice it to say, Pipkens has positioned himself well to end a streak he’d rather forget.

 

“It’s about time Sabine River!” Pipkens happily exclaimed. “I have fun at this place, but I have gotten my teeth kicked in every time I come here. This is the fifth time I’ve fished here and the good news is I think I can fish Saturday without catching a fish.

 

“I’m going to go out tomorrow and have some fun and try to put a few in the boat. We’ll see what happens.”

 

As Pipkens explained, breaking his streak of Sabine disappointment was the result of abandoning his previous preference.

 

Zack Langdon and Dave Langdon Win 2020 CSFL Lake Scugog #1 with 19.05lbs!

COMPETITIVE SPORT FISHING LEAGUE

LAKE SCUGOG | PORT PERRY, ON

SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2020

1. ZACK LANGDON & DAVE LANGDON 19.5

2. RYAN CROWLEY & JAY SHORT 15.72

3. SEAN PALMER & MATT HUBBLE 15.58

4. DOUG MONAHAN & ERIC MACHOLD 15.5

5. GREG ELCICH & CHRIS MONK 15.48

6. GARRY EVANS & BROSE STRICKLAND 15.48

7. STEVE ROWSWELL & COLE VARDY 14.98

8. ROB SACCOCIA & TOMMY NAPIC 14.36

9. GEOFF DAVIS & SAM DAVIS 14.04

10. SCOTT BURNS & WAYNE MISSELBROOK 13.86

11. GARY MANSHOLT 13.7

12. GARRY WILLIAMS & KARL IRONS 13.62

13. JEFF BLANCHARD & ALVAN IRONS 13.48

14. PETER WOROSZ & MIKE RICHARDSON 13.38

15. MARK ROWLEY & JENNA POPP 13.36

16. CALEN HOGBEN & DAVE HOGBEN 12.82

17. ROSS BARTOLO 12.74

18. JERRY MINSHULL & STEVE BELBIN 12.48

19. MIKE HURTLE JR. & MIKE HURTLE 12.38

20. VINCE REYNOLDS & ROB CHAU 12.3

Full standing