Zark Birge is the 2026 Bass Pro Tour Fishing Clash Angler of the Year!

A fourth-place finish in the Knockout Round sealed the deal on Birge claiming his first Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title. Photo by Phoenix Moore. 

Mitchell Forde, Bass Pro Tour Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Zack Birge will be the first to admit that everything has seemed to break his way in 2026.

“Every turn I made, it seemed like I ended up in a good place,” the Oklahoma pro said.

But when he faced the opportunity to cap his dream season by clinching the Bass Pro Tour Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title during Saturday’s Knockout Round at Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, it sure didn’t come easy.

The wind whipped up big waves on Lake Erie, and Birge spent all day bobbing up and down on the deck of his Bass Cat. His closest pursuer in the points race, Jacob Wheeler, rocketed out of the starting blocks with 57 pounds in the opening period, virtually assuring himself a spot in Sunday’s Championship Round. Thus, Birge knew he had to finish 11th or better Saturday to avoid giving Wheeler – the AOY winner four of the past five years – an opening.

Around the midpoint of Period 3, Birge slipped as far back as ninth. Between the relentless waves and the pressure to clinch his first AOY crown, Birge threatened multiple times Saturday afternoon to throw up on MLFNOW!. But, as he’s done each day on Erie and just about every day all year, he came through in the clutch. He boated five scorable bass for 13-9 in the last 80 minutes to climb to fourth place and seal the Angler of the Year victory, which will earn him $100,000.

Justin Lucas Wins 2026 Bass Pro Tour Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches

Mitchell Forde, Bass Pro Tour Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio –– After six years and so many high finishes without a tour-level victory, Justin Lucas started to doubt whether he would ever hoist another trophy. Turns out, all he needed to do was return to the site of his last national win.

Prior to Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, the last time a national MLF trail visited Lake Erie was the 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament. That also marked Lucas’ last victory – he edged Jacob Wheeler by 1 ounce.

This week, the final standings once again read Lucas first, Wheeler second. But Lucas didn’t allow for near as much suspense.

Putting together one of the most impressive days of smallmouth fishing you’ll ever see in terms of both quantity and quality, Lucas racked up 98 pounds, 11 ounces on 25 scorable bass during Sunday’s Championship Round. He boated six smallmouth over 5 pounds, including the Berkley Big Bass of the day and the event – a 6-11. He topped SCORETRACKER® for nearly every minute, ultimately besting Wheeler by 19-6. 

In the moments after lines out, he struggled to wrap his mind around what had just transpired.

“I feel like I’ve been in a dream for the last hour and a half,” Lucas said. “Just big ones, just biting.” 

Lucas’ second career Bass Pro Tour victory earned him $125,000 and moved him up to third in the final Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Justin Lucas – 98-11 (25)

2. Jacob Wheeler – 79-7 (27)

3. Michael Neal – 68-7 (24)

4. Cole Floyd – 64-9 (25)

5. Brent Ehrler – 53-14 (17)

6. Jeff Sprague – 34-0 (11)

7. Marshall Hughes – 33-2 (10)

8. Ott DeFoe – 30-0 (9)

9. Jesse Wiggins – 22-3 (7)

10. Zack Birge – 20-12 (6)

Complete results

Drew Gills Wins 2026 Bass Pro Tour B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Mercury on Lake Guntersville!

By Mitchell Forde

Bass Pro Tour, Press Release

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — When he launched his boat onto Lake Guntersville for the Championship Round of B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Mercury Sunday morning, Drew Gill never considered that he would end the day hoisting his third Bass Pro Tour trophy. 

Gill has been a mainstay in the Top 10 during his young BPT career. This marked his ninth Championship Round appearance in his first 17 events. But after leaning hard on all the productive spots he’d found to make the Knockout and Championship Round cuts, it was the first time he entered the final day thinking he didn’t have a shot to keep pace with the leaders.

“This is the first time I’ve made a Top 10 where I’ve been like, ‘I know it’s not possible tomorrow,’” Gill said. “Because I had burned my ‘Scope stuff. I mean, I caught 150 pounds off one place for the last three days, and they got progressively harder to catch every day. And I couldn’t get a no-‘Scope bite going yesterday to save my life. So, I was like, ‘I’m cooked.’”

Turns out, Gill was still able to use his mastery of forward-facing sonar to stack up weight in a hurry. The 23-year-old boated 20 scorable bass for 53 pounds, 5 ounces in the first period, building a lead of more than 24 pounds over his nearest pursuer. Then, he did just enough to hold off hard charges from Jacob Walker, Jacob Wheeler and others. Walker landed a 6-9 brute right before lines out, but it wasn’t quite enough. Gill’s 82-4 total edged him by 1-5.

The win marks Gill’s third Bass Pro Tour victory and fourth total MLF win and earned him the first $125,000 paycheck of the season. He’s also the early leader in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year race, a title he’s coveted since arriving on tour.

Even more important for the hyper-competitive Gill, it broke him out of a streak of near-misses. Since the end of the 2025 regular season, he’s finished second in two Fishing Clash Team Series events as well as the Toyota Series Championship in November, where he missed out a $200,000 win by tiebreaker.

“Man, I just hate coming close and losing,” Gill said. “Money and points aside, how you feel after the tournament is over, I would way rather finish between like third and sixth than I would second. Second is a hard pill. And I knew, with how tight it was getting in the last 20 minutes, I was like, ‘If I don’t win, I’m finishing second.’ I had to not psych myself up that I was going to win mentally, because I knew if I had worked myself up to it and got excited for it and it didn’t happen, I would have been really, really crushed. So it means the world to me.”

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Drew Gill – 82-4 (28)
2. Jacob Walker – 80-15 (20)
3. Jacob Wheeler – 75-4 (22)
4. Zack Birge – 65-12 (19)
5. Banks Shaw – 63-14 (21)
6. Justin Cooper – 49-12 (18)
7. Wesley Strader – 48-8 (17)
8. Mark Daniels Jr. – 44-1 (17)
9. Chris Lane – 37-10 (12)
10. Keith Carson – 36-14 (11)

Complete results

Full Story 

Jake Lawrence Wins 2025 O"Reilly Auto Parts Stage $ Presented by Optima Batteries

Buzzbait buzzer-beater lifts Lawrence over Wheeler in instant classic on Nickajack

Jake Lawrence scored his first Bass Pro Tour event win with a clutch catch in the final seconds of Period 3. Photo by Phoenix Moore.

Mitchell Forde 

Bass Pro Tour Press Release

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Thirty hours of competition across four days at O’Reilly Auto Parts Stage 4 Presented by OPTIMA Batteries boiled down to the final seconds. Separated on SCORETRACKER® by just 6 ounces, Jake Lawrence and Jacob Wheeler both set the hook.

Wheeler and Lawrence had long since distanced themselves from the rest of the field during Sunday’s Championship Round on Nickajack Lake. The latter half of the day morphed into a one-on-one prize fight: Wheeler, the longtime bully of the Bass Pro Tour, who caught all smallmouth in the current beneath Chickamauga Dam, versus Lawrence, a rookie who caught all largemouth roughly 40 miles down the lake. Lawrence had led most of the day, but with 6 minutes left, Wheeler finally passed him. Still, both anglers felt like if they could just muster one more scorable bass, they’d secure the trophy and $150,000 top prize that comes with it. 

With 45 seconds left before lines out, Lawrence made a bomb cast with his his Buckeye Buzzerk buzzbait. About halfway back to the boat – 21 seconds left – a massive mouth engulfed it. Nine seconds later, Lawrence swung the bass over the gunnel and hung it on the BUBBA scale: a 5-pound, 9-ounce buzzer-beater, easily enough to put him back in the lead. At virtually that exact moment, Wheeler hooked up with another smallmouth, but he couldn’t get it in the boat before time expired. It might not have been enough to overcome Lawrence’s late lunker anyway. 

With a total of 83-2 on 27 scorable bass, Lawrence had won his first Bass Pro Tour title in one of the most dramatic finishes in the seven-year history of the tour. More than an hour later, he still couldn’t come up with a way to describe the ending other than divine intervention.

“The only thing I can say is, man, He wanted me to do it,” Lawrence said. “Wheeler jumped me there by a couple ounces, and I said out loud, ‘Lord, if you want me to do this, you’re going to make it happen.’ I had 45 seconds left, and I had just gotten my buzzer back to the boat, and I said, alright, you can throw right, which is where I had been catching them, or you can throw somewhere totally new. And I chose to throw somewhere totally new, and it was the deal. Unbelievable.” 

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Jake Lawrence – 83-2 (27)

2. Jacob Wheeler – 77-15 (27)

3. Cole Floyd – 48-14 (17)

4. Ron Nelson – 42-7 (15)

5. Wesley Strader – 37-14 (15)

6. Michael Neal – 37-4 (12)

7. Matt Becker – 29-9 (12)

8. Drew Gill – 25-9 (11)

9. Justin Cooper – 21-12 (7)

10. Justin Lucas – 15-8 (6)

Complete results

2024 U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters on Chowan River Group B: Wheeler Blasting Again!

Jacob Wheeler leads Group B by a margin of more than 16 pounds over second place with 18 bass weighing 47-5. Photo by Phoenix Moore. Angler: Jacob Wheeler.

By Tyler Brinks 

BASS PRO TOUR

EDENTON, N.C. — It was more of the same for Group B on the Chowan River at U.S. Air Force Stage Five Presented by WIX Filters, with plenty of bass caught and beautiful scenery to enjoy. Also the same, Jacob Wheeler took a commanding lead after one day of fishing with 18 bass for 47 pounds, 5 ounces.

Wheeler, who’s already won twice this season, has proved he doesn’t have a specific type of fishery on which he shines; in reality, it’s anywhere bass swim. He’s a threat to win any tournament, any time. The Chowan River was a mystery to nearly everyone in the field before this week, and Wheeler appears to have figured it out fairly quickly.

He was in command most of the day and has a lead of more than 16 pounds over Matt Becker, who tallied 13 bass for 30-14, including a 6-7 catch in the second period. That stood as the Berkley Big Bass until Marshall Robinson’s 7-5 midway through the third period.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Shuffield Blasts Knockout Round!

Shuffield breaks 100-pound mark, leads charge into Championship Round

Even after a successful Knockout Round, Spender Shuffield says he has more tricks up his sleeve for tomorrow's Championship Round. Photo by Rob Matsuura. 

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. — Spencer Shuffield joined an exclusive club of Bass Pro Tour anglers by stacking more than 100 pounds of bass on SCORETRACKER® in a single day. Shuffield won the Knockout Round at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One Presented by Power-Pole on Saturday with 30 Toledo Bend bass that weighed a combined 101 pounds, 14 ounces.

A handful of anglers have put up 100-pound days during the first six Bass Pro Tour seasons, but Shuffield is the first to do so with all largemouth. Perhaps even more impressive than hitting the century mark is that he did so while keeping some fish in reserve for Sunday’s Championship Round. While weights will zero when the Top 10 anglers return to the water, Shuffield is optimistic that he can put up even bigger numbers and claim his first career BPT win.

“Tomorrow it’s all going to get left out there on the table, so I’m looking forward to it,” Shuffield said. “I haven’t been able to truly lean on these fish yet this week. Tomorrow, we get to – and, man, it would be sweet to break 200 pounds, because it’s definitely possible.”

Shuffield finished the Knockout Round 21-14 ahead of Dustin Connell, who racked up more than 45 pounds in the first period before switching to practice mode. Jacob Wheeler finished third with 72-12. Those three have looked to be the most in tune with Toledo Bend’s bass all week, but the race for the first trophy of the 2024 season will be wide open. All the action will be streamed live on MLFNOW! on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.

The 10 anglers who advanced to the Championship Round are listed below. Complete results can be found here.

1. Spencer Shuffield — 101-14 (30)
2. Dustin Connell — 80-1 (30)
3. Jacob Wheeler — 72-12 (22)
4. Zack Birge — 65-13 (20)
5. Drew Gill — 60-13 (18)
6. Matt Becker — 55-12 (18)
7. Justin Cooper — 52-7 (20)
8. Alton Jones Jr. — 50-13 (17)
9. Martin Villa — 43-0 (14)
10.  Jesse Wiggins — 38-15 (14)

Shuffield eyeing even bigger encore

Shuffield had never fished Toledo Bend prior to December, when he spent a few days on the massive reservoir to pre-practice for Stage One. Ever since that visit, he’s had his sights set on taking home the first trophy of the year.

2024 MLF B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole Bass Pro Tour on Toledo Bend: Wheeler Rockets to Lead of Group A

Mitchell Forde 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release 

MANY, La. — The past three years on the Bass Pro Tour have been defined by Jacob Wheeler’s dominance. During that span, Wheeler has racked up 20 Championship Round appearances (in 27 total events) and four wins. He took home the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title in 2021 and 2022 before finishing second to Matt Becker a season ago.

When the 2024 season kicked off Tuesday, he wasted no time showing that his game remains as sharp as ever.

Less than 10 minutes into the first day of the Qualifying Round for Group A at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage One presented by Power-Pole, Wheeler boated a Toledo Bend giant. The 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth ignited a run that saw him put 28 bass for 91 pounds even on SCORETRACKER®. He leads Spencer Shuffield by 2-15 entering the group’s second day of qualifying.

Click here for FULL OFFICIAL RESULTS.

Wheeler’s pattern produces early and often

By the time Wheeler trailered his boat, other anglers had already peppered him with questions about the 8-pounder, asking whether he’d marked the fish during practice and run to his starting spot to find it. He insisted the giant caught him by surprise.

“I just happened to pull into a little area that I caught some fish (during practice), and my first bite just happened to be an 8-pounder,” Wheeler said. “So if that’s any telltale sign for how the year is going to go, I’m all about 8-pounders.”

2023 Bass Pro Shops REDCREST Presented by Shore Lunch on Lake Norman Day 3: Bryan Thrift Leads!

Bryan "Smoke" Thrift showed out yet again on his home pond of Lake Norman.
Photo by Phoenix Moore.

Tyler Brink

BASS PRO TOUR

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As soon as Lake Norman was announced as the site of Bass Pro Shops REDCREST Presented by Shore Lunch, all eyes looked towards North Carolina’s own Bryan Thrift. He was the preeminent favorite to win as soon as the location was announced in July, and today he showed why, after catching a leading limit weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces.

That tally is the best of the tournament so far and it feels like Thrift is taking things up a notch as he took an early 2-8 lead over two-time Bally Bet Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler.

Thrift quickly caught limits each morning the first two days of competition and appeared to be in cruise control for much of the day. He did just enough to advance to the Knockout Round by placing 19th in the Qualifying Round, possibly finishing that low only because he was aware that weights started at zero today.

There’s no reason to hold back anymore, as a cumulative three-day total will decide the 2023 REDCREST winner and Thrift is in the pole position in the home of NASCAR.

Thrift’s one-two punch paying off

Mixing it up with two largemouth and three spotted bass, Thrift showcased a consistent bite throughout the day. His largest fish was a 4-9 and smallest a 2-14, with the other three in the 3-pound class. To get there, he’s relying on his extensive knowledge of the lake and mixing it up with two patterns.

“Today was a good day and most came doing what I’ve been doing all week; the big ones just ate a little bit better today,” he said. “I’m starting by fishing a little drain with a Damiki underspin to get a quick limit each morning. That helps me calm down, and I can start fishing for bigger ones.”

2022 Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits: Lucas Scores Championship Round Berth with 181 Pounds at Stage Six

by Tyler Brinks

BASS PRO TOUR PRESS RELEASE

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – The hits keep coming at the Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits on Cayuga Lake as the lake continues to kick out big bass. Anglers in both competition groups are proving that they can catch them a multitude of ways, Cayuga is further cementing itself as one of the best largemouth fisheries in the country.

The bite slowed down some Monday, but it’s too soon to tell if that trend will continue for the remaining three days of the event. It could be the fishing pressure catching up with areas or the changing weather conditions. We’ll know for sure in the next few days, but the big totals posted through the first three days show it will take some serious weight to win this event during the finale on Thursday.

Lucas Advances to Championship Round

The Championship Round got its first entrant as Justin Lucas added 16 bass for 54 pounds on Monday, bringing his total to 181-1 over two days.

Even with a 19-pound lead to begin the day, Lucas knew he was not safe since the man right behind him was Jacob Wheeler. The start of the day hinted at a shootout as Wheeler got off to a fast start and the two took turns with the lead. It appeared that whoever caught the last bass of the day would win the round, but it ended up being settled earlier in the day.

The bite slowed for Wheeler and he was forced to start idling and looking for more areas once Lucas appeared out of reach. But Lucas sweated it out to the end and was thankful to advance.

“That dude is dangerous,” Lucas said of Wheeler. “I’m thankful I could get past him, but he’ll probably be out here again during the Championship Round. You have to make it there first to have a shot at winning, so I’m very thankful to make the final day.”

2022 Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits: Neal Grabs Lead as Fish Continue to Chew on Cayuga Lake

by Tyler Brinks

BASS PRO TOUR PRESS RELEASE

UNION SPRINGS, N.Y. – Following a spectacular kickoff Saturday to the Fox Rent A Car Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits on Cayuga Lake yesterday, Day 2’s results – while still excellent – almost seemed like a breather. That’s how good Cayuga Lake is, where five anglers over the 70-pound mark on the second day means slightly slower action than the day prior.

Six anglers racked up 70 pounds or more the first day of competition, led by Justin Lucas and Jacob Wheeler over the 100-pound mark. But looking past the Top 10 tells the tale of how consistently excellent the largemouth and smallmouth fishing is right now on Cayuga: Chris Lane holds the 20th spot in Group A with 42-12 in Group A and his brother, Bobby, holds the 20th spot in Group B with 36-13.

No matter how you analyze it, the numbers say that Cayuga is showing out.

The action was consistent on Day 2, with plump largemouth and smallmouth steadily ringing up SCORETRACKER® throughout all three periods and red hot Michael Neal taking the lead after catching 21 bass for 83-3.

Neal Continuing Impressive Run

Fresh off his second consecutive Angler of the Year title on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, Neal is back in contention for another win. Beside Wheeler, nobody has been able to consistently shine and find themselves at the top of the standings across varied fisheries as much as Neal has in the past few years. Sunday was just another example of that and Neal will carry a nearly 8-pound lead over second place angler Mark Daniels, Jr. going into their group’s next fishing day on Tuesday.

Neal finds himself at the top doing something right in his wheelhouse – fishing offshore and utilizing his electronics. His success Sunday came after an early morning adjustment.

2021 MLF Bass Pro Tour Lake Champlain: Wheeler’s Drop-Shot Dominates for Knockout Round Win

Jacob Wheeler will fish in the 13th Championship Round of his career
after a win in the Knockout Round on Lake Champlain. Photo by Phoenix Moore

By Mason Prince

Bass Pro Tour Press Release

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – While the Knockout Round didn’t earn him another $100,000 check for the season, it’s safe to say that Jacob Wheeler, once again, has as good of a shot as anyone to take home another win in the 2021 season. Wheeler totaled 32 Lake Champlain bass for 107 pounds, 2 ounces to beat Brent Ehrler by 27-7 in the Knockout Round of the Toyota Stage Six Presented by Googan Baits.

Wheeler—a four-time winner on the Bass Pro Tour—will head into the Championship Round as the only angler besides Group A winner, Matt Lee, to have a 100-pound day on Champlain. The Tennessee pro spent most of his day in deeper water working a drop-shot catching both smallmouth and largemouth.

The Googan Baits pro will have to go toe-to-toe Tuesday with some hammers who have Champlain figured out in their own right, but he heads into his fourth Championship Round of the season with tons of confidence thanks to another solid day of fishing.

COMPLETE RESULTS

“This place is unbelievable even though it’s taken me a little longer than usual to dial it in,” Wheeler mentioned. “Every time I fish here it’s different, and this time I’m starting to get it. It’s one of the best lakes in the country and this lake has got ‘em. I’ve got my work cut out for me tomorrow, but it should be a lot of fun.”

Turning an eye to the Angler of the Year race, four of the top five anglers in the standings will compete on Tuesday. Ott DeFoe (first), Brent Ehrler (second), Wheeler (third) and Lucas (fifth) are all in a dogfight as they head into the Championship Round and then into the final event of the season on Lake St. Clair. Thanks to his 10-point lead over Ehrler, even if DeFoe finishes in 10th place and Ehrler finishes first, the two would be tied for first in AOY heading into Stage Seven. As for Wheeler and Lucas, they will be looking to not only win Stage Six, but hope for Ehrler and DeFoe to struggle with the changing conditions expected on Champlain tomorrow.

Wheeler Breaks Two-Day Weight Record for Group A Win; Robinson & Coulter K.O. KVD at the 2021 Bass Pro Tour St. Lawrence River

MASON PRINCE 

BASS PRO TOUR Press Release

 

MASSENA, N.Y. – It was another record-setting day for Jacob Wheeler on the St. Lawrence River while Stage Four champion Kevin VanDam fell short of a chance to go back-to-back on the Bass Pro Tour. It wasn’t the same level of production for Group A during their second day of fishing in the General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley, but the 40 pros competing still caught an impressive amount of fish.

Wheeler Back to His Winning Ways

Wheeler has his name scattered all over the Bass Pro Tour record book, and you can go ahead and etch his name in another spot after Sunday. The Tennessee pro set the MLF record for highest two-day weight total with 66 bass for 222 pounds, 1 ounce, just two days after he set the record for highest single-day weight total with 165-1.

“I was catching bass in all three stages of the spawn today and that’s been my key over these first two days,” Wheeler said. “I caught my fish on a Rattlin’ Ned from Googan Baits on a drop-shot and a Ned rig, those two were the deal for me. It’s been really good out here for me.”

There have been 21 events in the history of the Bass Pro Tour, and Wheeler has now earned a spot in the Championship Round in 11 of them. The Googan Baits pro separated himself from second-place Brent Ehrler by more than 31 pounds and more than 44 pounds ahead of third-place Justin Lucas. Wheeler now has a chance to set another Bass Pro Tour record, by winning his fourth event if he can pull it off on Wednesday.