2026 Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/ Albmarle Sound Day 2: Arkansas pro Stetson Blaylock has taken the lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 48th, Chris Johnston 57th, Gustafson 79th, Kung 83rd & Gallant 94th

Arkansas pro Stetson Blaylock has taken the lead on Day 2 of the Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound with a two-day total of 42 pounds, 4 ounces. Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

BASS Press Release

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Stetson Blaylock has never liked vast tidal fisheries like the Albemarle Sound. Success seems to find him anyway. 

The Arkansas pro leads the 2026 Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound with a two-day total of 42 pounds, 4 ounces. Blaylock added 18-12 to his 23-8 Day 1 limit to take a 4-ounce advantage over Alabama’s Wesley Gore heading into Semifinal Saturday.

“Anytime you are in contention, it is a good thing. But you want to be in contention with bass you know are getting better, and I’m not sure if they are getting better. I have a lot of decisions to make before takeoff, but I’m in a good spot.” 

Fishing was noticeably better across the system on Friday. Multiple bags over 24 pounds hit the scales, including one limit over 26 and another over 27 pounds. 

Blaylock’s first Elite Series victory came at Winyah Bay in 2019, another coastal system along the Carolina coast. In that tournament, he was able to focus on one tactic most of the tournament. So far this week, the six-time Classic qualifier has been able to lock in on a pattern once again.

“I keep saying I don’t like these types of fisheries because there are so many things you can do,” Blaylock said. “There’s going to be someone tomorrow who scraps their plan, does something different and catches a big stringer. That is something I struggle with. At Winyah Bay, I was able to stay in one area all four days. That’s what has been best for me, not running around.”

One area far from takeoff in Elizabeth City has produced the bulk of Blaylock’s limit. With higher salinity across the system, Blaylock has tried to find the freshest water possible. Along with a good population of bass, there’s a plethora of baitfish in the area as well. 

“It is a well-kept area,” he explained. “The trick here right now is finding fresh water. I’m going way way back in this river, and I feel the further back you get, the better opportunity you have to catch a big fish.”

Fisher Anaya Wins 2026 Lippert Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin with 54-06Lbs

By Christopher Decker

BASS Press Release

Thanks to a dazzling Championship Sunday performance, the 20-year-old rookie from Eva, Ala., earned his first Elite Series victory at the Lippert Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin with a four-day total of 54 pounds, 6 ounces. 

 Opening the tournament with 11-6, Anaya worked his way into the Top 10 on Day 2 with a limit weighing 12-13 before claiming the Day 3 lead with a sack weighing 14-7. Entering the day with a 2-ounce lead over Brock Mosely, Anaya landed the biggest bag of the tournament on Championship Sunday, a 15-12 limit of spotted bass to secure the title.

His Championship Sunday limit was the biggest bag he’s ever weighed on Lake Martin. 

“This feels awesome,” Anaya said. “I didn’t know if I’d ever win one of these. My buddy Gerald Swindle always tells me it’s not easy to win one of these, so if you get a shot to win, you better make it work. I knew this one would set up in my wheelhouse, I just had to get the bites and land them.”

After winning the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier presented by Bass Pro Shops Angler of the Year, Anaya made his much-anticipated debut last week at Lake Guntersville. That ended with a disappointing 65^th place finish. 

Lake Martin has always suited Anaya’s fishing style, however, thanks to a lot of time on Lewis Smith Lake. He was able to get even more dialed into the Tallapoosa River impoundment by winning a tournament before the off-limits period went into effect. 

“I won a small local tournament here that paid $5,000, and won Phoenix money,” he explained. “I had right at 15 pounds with all spotted bass and thought, ‘Maybe I can make something work down here.’ I fished the same exact way, just in different areas.” 

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.

Chris Johnston Wins 2025 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches!

By Jody White, Invitations Press Release

MASSENA, N.Y. – Technically, the Johnston family is not inevitable on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, but this weekend, they looked pretty hard to beat. On Lake Ontario, Cory and Lynn Johnston won the Thousand Island Open out of Kingston – with more than a 5 1/2 -pound average per fish. Meanwhile, running nearly to Lake Ontario every day, Chris Johnston weighed 76 pounds, 1 ounce over three days to win Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches in fine style. 

Finishing second (again!) Hayden O’Barr tallied 68-8 on the week, and Banks Shaw, Brent Anderson and Clay Reece all got over 67 pounds, but nobody was really close to Johnston after he sailed through Day 2. The win is Johnston’s second at the FLW Tour or Invitationals level, his first coming back in 2018 on the Harris Chain. For this win, he pocketed $80,000 and burnished his already sterling record on the big river. 

Quick recovery puts Johnston on top 

After making a long run on Day 1, Johnston wasn’t exactly feeling the love from his favorite river early on. 

“I went to some spots that were new to me, to be honest,” he said. “I found them in practice and made a long run to them, and they were pretty loaded in practice. I was pretty excited. And, I had four spots where I thought they were all 4 1/2-plus, and there were five to 10 fish per spot. 

“Some of them were gone, some wouldn’t bite, and the wheels started spinning,” he said. “It was 11:00. I had two hours left to fish. And I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get out of this area.’”

Luckily, Johnston is long on experience on the St. Lawrence, and he had some good backup stuff in the tank. 

“I went to a different section of the river, and I landed on a couple spots, and they were biting every spot,” he said. “I just stayed in the other zone where I caught them at the end of the day, and it produced every day. I probably shouldn’t leave that area again, to be honest.”

TOP 10 BELOW

Jacob Wheeler Wins 8th BASS PRO TOUR Event on Dale Hollow!

MITCHELL FORDE 

BASS PRO TOUR

Before making a cast in the Championship Round at PowerStop Brakes Stage Three Presented by Mercury, Jacob Wheeler knew he was about to send Dale Hollow Lake’s bass into a feeding frenzy. He even warned MLFNOW! viewers not to expect much commentary from him, as he planned to be too busy boating bass.

It took less than two minutes for Wheeler to make good on his promise with a 3-pound, 7-ounce largemouth. That sparked a bass barrage for the ages.

Wheeler followed that fish with another 3-pounder, then a 2-3 and a 2-8 — all in the first 10 minutes. In the opening hour, he stacked 14 scorable bass for 43 pounds, 3 ounces on SCORETRACKER®. By the end of the first period, he’d amassed 70-6, all but burying the other nine anglers on the water.

Wheeler would cruise to a 116-6 total on 39 scorable bass – more than 30 pounds clear of Michael Neal in second place. The victory marked the second of the season for Wheeler, who also took home the title at Stage Two on Santee Cooper. He also added to his Bass Pro Tour-best win total, hoisting his eighth trophy since the inception of the league in 2019 and doing so on one of his favorite lakes in the country.

“This is like my lake; this is my home away from home,” the Harrison, Tennessee, native said of Dale Hollow. “My wife literally jokes that we should have moved to Dale Hollow, you like it so much, like giving me crap about it. And I just love it, man. … First big, national tournament on the lake, to get that win, it means a lot.”

Here’s how the Top 10 anglers finished up the Championship Round. Complete results can be found here.

1. Jacob Wheeler — 116-6 (39 bass)
2. Michael Neal — 85-10 (28)
3. Spencer Shuffield — 85-5 (29)
4. Drew Gill — 78-8 (27)
5. Alton Jones Jr. — 74-0 (23)
6. Marshall Robinson — 61-14 (21)
7. Dustin Connell — 60-14 (20)
8. Justin Lucas — 38-4 (13)
9. Keith Poche — 36-12 (14)
10. Alton Jones — 20-7 (7)

Capitalizing on an epic morning bite

Wheeler sowed the seeds for his Sunday morning blitzkrieg days earlier. As noted above, he spends quite a bit of time fun-fishing on Dale Hollow, so he knew to check the area during practice — which he described as a flat, main-lake drain protected by an island cluster. The islands act like a funnel, concentrating baitfish, and the flatter topography serves as fruitful spawning territory, making it a bass magnet.

2023 Acedemy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic Day 2: Jeff Gustafson Continues to Lead with 35-11lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 7th, Chris Johnston 31st & Cooper Gallant 52th.

Five more to go! Is what Canadian Jeff Gustafson needs to close 
out the 2023 Classic. (Photo: James Overstreet/BASS)

By Brain Brasher 
BASSMASTER PRESS RELEASE

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Since the opening moments of the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson has been counting down.

Not to a five-bass daily limit, but to the three-day limit of 15 he needs to be crowned a Classic champion. 

After Saturday, he can say, “Ten down, five to go.” 

Using the same moping technique he used to win a regular-season Bassmaster Elite Series event here on the Tennessee River in 2021 — and to take the lead in this Classic on Friday with 18 pounds, 8 ounces — Gustafson added five more smallmouth Saturday that weighed 17-3 and now holds a commanding lead with a two-day total of 35-11. 

His closest competition going into Championship Sunday will be Florida largemouth specialist John Cox, who sits almost 6 pounds back in second with 29-15. 

“I’ve just got to go out and get it done tomorrow,” said Gustafson, who has now led all six days of the two tournaments he’s fished here on Fort Loudoun and Tellico lakes. “I don’t have any good backup plans. I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing.” 

Cody Pike Wins 2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Tour on the St. Lawrence River!

Cody Pike scores 82-12lb to score win on the St. Lawrence!
(Photo: MFL)

TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT

Press Release

Shocking – that pretty much summed up the final day of the  Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers on the St. Lawrence River.

When the Top 10 took off this morning, everyone pretty well knew the outcome. Joey Cifuentes would ride his near 7-pound lead to victory, while the rest jockeyed for second place. Some 10 hours later, Cody Pike stood on the stage, massive check leaned against his leg, big trophy by his side, struggling to hold back tears and find words for what had just happened.

Because in those 10 hours, what happened was Pike putting together his best bag of the tournament (22 pounds, 3 ounces) while Cifuentes unfortunately put together his worst (12-5). And in one of the most unlikely endings to a season finale, it was the rookie, Pike, who weighed in 82-12 total to take home the win at Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia.

“That doesn’t happen,” said Pike of his come-from-behind win. “I was blasting off today thinking it was a two-tournament-type deal: How bad Joey was going to beat us by and who could finish second. I was just trying to finish second. So, I had no pressure. It was out of reach, or so I thought.”

Pike and most everyone else thought wrong.

While both Pike and Cifuentes were fishing deeper structures in similar areas, Pike’s spots were tucked away in between the islands near Eel Bay whereas Cifuentes utilized areas more along the main channel down near Clayton. That proved to be a huge difference, as for whatever reason, Cifuentes and many other pros noticed today the current was less, the water had dropped a little and the wind was pushing out of the east to make conditions difficult to drift the main-river spots.

2021 Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite on Lake Fork Day 2: Card Clobbers Them for Lead with 1: Walters Whacks 32-14lbs!

Canadians Gustafson 15th, Chris Johnston 18th & Cory Johnston 27th

BASS Press Release

(Photo: BASS)

Brandon Card of Salisbury, N.C., committed to a spot he called the “Hammer Hole” and nailed down a limit of 28 pounds, 1 ounce to lead Day 2 of the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Lake Fork.

 

Rising from third place, Card bolstered his Day 1 weight of 27-6 for a two-day total of 55-7 that leads Quentin Cappo of Prairieville, La., by 11 ounces.

 

Working in Little Caney Creek, Card’s key spot was a subtle point adjacent to multiple spawning pockets with a creek channel in close proximity. What’s interesting is that Card encountered this fish-laden staging area on his way to inspect other spots.

 

“I’m really fortunate I found this spot,” he said. “It didn’t look like much when I saw it on my side scan, but it looked like just enough to make me want to make a cast in there.

 

“I caught them at the mouth of Little Caney really good (during the Elite event) in 2019. I had two giant schools, so I checked that out and they weren’t there. So, I just kept going farther in there.”

 

With two fish over 6 pounds in his bag, Card did most of his work with a Yo-Zuri 3DB 110 jerkbait. He also caught fish on a 3DB 110 Deep, a Yo-Zuri Hardcore Crank 3+ and a 4-inch hand-poured swimbait on a 1/2-ounce lead head.

 

“Changing angles and trying to stay fresh on the baits was important,” he said. “I’m just thinking, ‘What else can I throw out there?’ I’ll rig up some new stuff tonight.”

 

Noting that he had his weight by about 9:45 a.m., Card said, “What a morning. There wasn’t much to speak of after the morning. I did catch a 4 1/2-pounder that didn’t help, but I couldn’t get on anything (productive) after I left the Hammer Hole.

 

“Hopefully, that place keeps reloading. It’s a pretty magical spot.”

Scott Burns and Wayne Misslebrook Win 2020 CSFL Lake Scugog #2 with 17.42lbs!

COMPETITIVE SPORT FISHING LEAGUE

LAKE SCUGOG | PORT PERRY, ON

SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2020

1. SCOTT BURNS & WAYNE MISSELBROOK, 17.42
2. GEOFF DAVIS & SAM DAVIS, 15.26
3. STEVE ROWSWELL & COLE VARDY, 14.34
4. MIKE SLOCKI & JOHN HAWLEY, 13.78
5. DOUG MONAHAN & ERIC MACHOLD, 13.52
6. GREG ELCICH & PAUL LEBLANC, 11.78
7. GARRY MANSHOLT & TYLER MCCLURE, 11.76
8. MIKE BRAYFORD & RYAN ARCHIBALD, 11.56
9. EVAN KUNG & ANDRUS KUNG, 11.26
10. MIKE WILLIAMS & DUANE JACOBS, 11.22
11. JEFF TRIPP & ADAM SINCLAIR, 11.14
12. VINCE REYNOLDS & ROB CHAU, 11.06
13. DANNY GOBOITSIOS & SOTIRI THEOFILAKTIDIS, 10.83
14. CALEN HOGBEN & DAVE HOGBEN, 10.14
15. SEAN PALMER & MATT HUBBLE, 9.66
16. COOPER GALLANT & COLBY BAKER, 9.34
17. MURDOCK GRAHAM & JAYSON SALIBA, 9.24
18. SAM LISTRO & JAYDEN KEISSLING, 9.06
19. JOE FORD & LINDA FORD, 6.74
20. TOM TSATSKAS & CARLO PUIATTI, 5.92

FULL STANDINGS

Carl Jocumsen Wins 2019 BASS Elite on Lake Tenkiller with 54-15lbs!

Canadian Cory Johnston 3rd and 3rd for BASS AYO! 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Molix football jig key to Carl's first BASS win!
(Photo: BASS)

Relentless determination and commitment to his game plan paid off big for Carl Jocumsen, who turned in a catch of 19 pounds, 12 ounces on Championship Sunday and scored a career-defining victory at the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller.

His four-day total weight of 54-15 was worth $100,000 and made a nice birthday gift for the Queensland, Australia angler, who turned 35 Sunday.

Jocumsen said his first Elite win — which is also the first by an Aussie — has been a lifelong dream.

“Since I was four years old, I’ve loved fishing and I’ve dreamed of the day I would do this,” Jocumsen said. “Today is that day. This is a lifetime of work; a lifetime of passion and loving this sport with every ounce of my body.”

Yesterday, after placing third and trailing leader Kyle Monti by 4-8, Jocumsen boldly stated that he believed he was on the fish to win. He predicted he needed five keepers to have a legitimate shot, and he blew away that expectation with a limit of 19-12 that ranked as the tournament’s heaviest single-day catch.

Jocumsen’s winning program stood out from much of the field, in that he committed his tournament to fishing offshore. Relying heavily on his electronics to break down the lake and identify the most promising spots, he targeted six different offshore drop-offs with brush and other cover.

2019 BASS Elite Lake Tenkiller Day 3: Monti Moves into Lead with 39-11 lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 4th, Gustafson 36th & Chris Johnston 46th 

By David A Brown

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Off-shore key to top weights on stingy Tenkiller.
(Photo: BASS)

A key adjustment early on Saturday enabled Okeechobee, Florida’s Kyle Monti to stay with his offshore game and move into the lead of the Cherokee Casino Tahlequah Bassmaster Elite at Lake Tenkiller with a three-day total of 39 pounds, 11 ounces.

After placing third Thursday with 14-4, Monti slipped to fifth with 23-2 Friday. On Saturday, he added 16-9 — the event’s heaviest catch so far. His Day 3 bag included four largemouth bass and one spotted bass.

For two days, Monti fished an offshore sandbar with isolated hard spots and caught his fish on a drop-shot rig. Saturday, he shifted gears and caught most of his bass on a wobblehead jig.

“I caught one right off the bat that clued me in that the fish were still there, but I caught it on a bait that I haven’t caught a fish on all week,” Monti said. “That clued me in on how to catch them without dropping straight down to them with a drop shot.”

Monti said this proved crucial to his success, as he would have had a difficult time executing the drop-shot technique he had employed for much of Days 1 and 2.

2017 B1 Port Colborne Lake Erie Tournament Cancelled Due to High Winds!

Due to inclement weather, the B1 Port Colborne event will be postponed to Saturday August 19th & 20th.

Stanley Sypeck Jr. Wins 2017 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 1!

Story day shakes final day standings. 

By Andrew Canulette

BASS PRESS RELEASE

The smallmouth bite on Oneida Lake was incredible.

Big largemouth win at smallmouth fest.
(Photo: BASS)

The smallies already were fat, and yet they still were hungry. Just about every angler in the field was hammering them, and it was that bite that figured to make or break an angler's chances of winning the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Northern Open No. 1 presented by DICK's Sporting Goods.

Stanley Sypeck Jr. had other plans, though. From the start of the three-day tournament, he figured largemouth bass would be key to winning on Oneida. It certainly wasn't the most-popular strategy, but it definitely was the most effective.

Sypeck weighed the big bag of the tournament on Saturday when he presented a five-bass limit that tipped the scales at 20 pounds, 7 ounces. That was enough to vault Sypeck from seventh place into first, and it sealed the victory for the Pennsylvania pro here in upstate New York.

Brandon Palaniuk Wins 2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest!

Brent Ehrler 2nd and wins tundra truck for big bass
By Bryan Brasher
BASS PRESS RELEASE

Big worm and Neko rig grabs win for Brandon. (Photo: BASS)

It’s not like Brandon Palaniuk had never won a Bassmaster Elite Series event.

Coming into this week, the 29-year-old pro from Idaho had already claimed Elite Series trophies in 2012 and 2013 and came close to raising that win total with three other second-place finishes.

But for an intense competitor known as the “prodigy,” the four-year victory drought was an itch he desperately needed to scratch — and he did it during this week’s Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Palaniuk caught 24 pounds, 7 ounces of bass during Wednesday’s opening round and followed with 23-2 and 24-7 the next two rounds. Then he caught he caught 21-12 on Championship Sunday to push his four-day total to 93-12 and hold off a late charge by California pro Brent Ehrler.

Ehrler, who led the first two days, finished second with 91-12.

“I never found a school in practice where I could just go and pound on them and catch multiple fish in one spot,” said Palaniuk, who earned a $100,000 first-place prize and an automatic berth into the 2018 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented DICK’S Sporting Goods. “It wasn’t until the tournament started to roll around that more and more fish started to transition out and school up on spots.

“I was just far enough ahead of the fish.”

It was a sign of things to come for Palaniuk when he started Wednesday’s opening round with his biggest fish of the tournament — a largemouth that weighed 8-4. Palaniuk caught the bass in deeper water than what was being fished by most of the field.

2017 Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest Day 2: Ehrler Leads Only by 2 Ounces!

Tight race on Rayburn
BASS PRESS RELEASE

After two days, the Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest benefiting the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has turned into an all-out slugfest with some of the biggest names in professional bass fishing at the top of the leaderboard.

The Top 10 anglers have all averaged more than 20 pounds apiece the first two days on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, and the top two pros have averaged better than 23.

Jerkbait pattern key to Ehrler's lead.  (Photo: BASS)

California pro Brent Ehrler holds the top spot for the second day in a row with a two-day mark of 47-11. He caught 22-5 Thursday in the 90-degree Texas heat to maintain a slim lead over Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk, who is just 2 ounces back with 47-9 after catching 23-2 Thursday.
Ehrler also still holds the lead for Toyota Big Bass of the week with a 9-1 he caught Wednesday. The winner of that award will receive a Toyota Tundra pickup valued at $50,000.

“I didn’t really find any new stuff today,” Ehrler said. “I checked one spot where I thought I could catch a good one, and I caught about a 4 1/2-pounder later in the day. But I still didn’t get that real clear feeling for what I’m going to do the rest of the week.”