The Alabama Bass Trail Tournament Series Championship, presented by Phoenix Boats, will award $50,000 to the winning team at its no entry fee event October 16-17, 2026, on Lake Eufaula at Lakepoint State Park. The two-day championship features over $100,000 in total payouts and will be hosted by the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce.
Ewing Minor of Tennessee won the 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship presented by Native Watercraft with 292.75 inches, defeating Wyatt Hammond to claim the $20,000 prize and Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year title.
Justin Kerr from Lake Havasu City, Arizona won his second WON Bass U.S. Open title at Lake Mead with 26.30 pounds, earning a 2026 Ranger Z520R and $70,000. Sean Coffey finished second with 26.22 pounds, while Matthew Keats won the AAA Division with 24.15 pounds. The event was shortened to two days due to Tropical Storm Rachel.
Tyler Nelson and Sawyer Reynolds of Bandys High School finished third at the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship on Kentucky Lake and earned an additional $6,250 through Yamaha's Power Pay contingency program, which rewards anglers using Yamaha outboards at participating tournaments.
Nick LeBrun won the 2026 Ultimate Angler World Championship on Lake Guntersville with a three-day total of 69 pounds, 2 ounces, earning $500,000. Coming from 10th place, LeBrun weighed 28-2 on the final day in rainy conditions using a Frog Factory Ribbit Top Toad around pads and grass mats.
Mercury pro Ott DeFoe prepares for World Bass Enterprises' The Champions at Old Hickory Lake, a $3.25 million total prize pool event with a $1.25 million top payout. DeFoe emphasizes keeping all options open until official practice, noting that summer-to-fall transitions drastically change conditions on Cumberland River impoundments.
Drew Gill of Illinois won the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Championship on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, earning his sixth career victory and $100,000 top prize with a final-day limit of 31-13. Levi Kohl finished second and Bobby Bakewell took third place. The 2027 season begins next February at Lake Murray.
Major League Fishing announced the launch of MLF Brazil, its first international division in South America, beginning in 2027 under Executive Director Beatriz Vinas. The inaugural MLF Brazil Expo will debut in September 2027 in Manaus, Amazonas, featuring peacock bass competition and plans for national expansion through 2030.
The 1st Annual FWC Pensacola Lionfish Invitational Tournament and Festival takes place Sept. 24–27 at Plaza de Luna, Palafox Pier in Pensacola, Florida. The event combines competitive lionfish removal with family-friendly festival activities to raise awareness about invasive species management and marine conservation.
Major League Fishing announced an exclusive licensing agreement with Blackbass Clube de Portugal to operate MLF-sanctioned tournaments, providing Portuguese anglers a pathway to compete internationally through the MLF Toyota Series Championship under the leadership of José Miguel.
Mud Hole Custom Tackle and Mighty River Recovery are hosting the Mud Hole St. Johns Showdown, a two-angler team bass tournament on Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida on November 22, 2026. Entry is $150 per boat with 100 percent payback, and all sponsor funds and raffle sales support Mighty River Recovery's St. Johns River restoration efforts.
Cody Morgan of Green Cove Springs, Florida, won the MLF Phoenix Bass Fishing League Super Tournament at St. Johns River with 61 pounds, 9 ounces over two days, earning $3,920. Danny Hinton of Saint Cloud, Florida, won the co-angler division with 17 pounds, 12 ounces for $1,810.
Gamakatsu pro staff angler Trey McKinney won the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title at age 21, becoming the youngest angler ever to claim the championship and surpassing Kevin VanDam's previous record. McKinney finished the nine-event season with 735 points and earned a $100,000 prize, pushing his career earnings past $900,000.
Hall of Fame angler Bill Dance will serve as ambassador for World Bass Enterprises' inaugural "The Champions" tournament, featuring a record-setting $3.25 million purse. The event will be held October 28-November 1 on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee, featuring 50 top anglers from Major League Fishing's Bass Pro Tour and other leading bass fishing organizations.
The Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's National Walleye Tour presented by Progressive returns to Lake Sakakawea in Garrison, North Dakota, August 27-29, 2026, featuring the top 40 professional and co-anglers competing for the championship title and Progressive Angler of the Year awards.
The Alabama Bass Trail's 2027 tournament series is sold out with 450 teams and 900 anglers competing across North and South divisions. The amateur series features nearly $1 million in payouts and will culminate in a championship at Neely Henry Lake with a $50,000 grand prize.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Garrett and NFL Pro-Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson won the inaugural Bassmaster Randy Moss Pro-Football Hall of Fame Pro-Am presented by Lippert with 21 pounds, 10 ounces. The one-day derby at St. Lawrence River teamed NFL legends with Elite Series professionals, with Garrett and Jackson edging Joe Thomas and Jay Przekurat by 5 ounces.
The 1st Annual FWC Pensacola Lionfish Invitational Tournament and Festival takes place Sept. 24–27 at Plaza de Luna, Palafox Pier in Pensacola, Florida. Teams compete to remove invasive lionfish while raising conservation awareness. Registration closes Aug. 21, with teams limited to four participants.
CCA Louisiana's Ride the Bull XV, the world's largest kayak fishing tournament, returns to Grand Isle August 28-29 for its 15th anniversary. The 100% catch-and-release bull redfish competition features a record $18,000 prize table, live music from Honey Island Swamp Band, and supports Louisiana's redfish restocking program.
The 2026 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River promises record-breaking smallmouth weights, with 2022 Rookie of the Year Jay Przekurat expecting totals between 104-107 pounds. The Aug. 27-30 event will also decide the tight Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race between Trey McKinney, Drew Cook, and Cory Johnston.