Banks Shaw Goes Back-to-Back on AOY Titles - Water Wire

Tennessee pro Banks Shaw believed that with a 2026 berth on the Bass Pro Tour he might have to ratchet back his efforts on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit, where he'd won both the Rookie of the Year and Angler of the Year titles in 2025.

"I figured I'd mostly focus on the BPT circuit this year," he said. "It provides the opportunity to make more money and get more exposure against more experienced pros."

Well, even with divided attention he's still a world beater. He didn't make it look quite as easy as he did last year, but while compiling a killer record on the Bass Pro tour – including a win at Grand Lake – he managed to once again win the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit AOY.

"It felt different than it did last year," he said. That's partially because last season he didn't have a single finish outside of the top 10. This year he started off with an uncharacteristic 35^th place finish at Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes. He followed that up with a top 10 at Santee Cooper and a win at Wheeler, but then stumbled a bit at Douglas Lake, temporarily losing the lead in the AOY race.

A late season surge and a final day clutch performance left no doubt that he earned the title, joining just a trio of anglers who've gone back-to-back in this forum.

And he just turned 23 last Wednesday.

Learning from the Competition.

"After Harris I thought AOY was out of the question," Shaw said. "I didn't realize that you can have what for me was a rough tournament and climb back up."

While he would have liked to have cruised into the finale with an insurmountable lead, the young pro is wise enough to know that sometimes a hard-fought race provides dividends down the road. The next time, it might be closer, or he might be the one chasing a distant leader, and he'll have to dig deep to rely upon the competitive talents that carried him this year.

"I knew we were going to Eufaula, Alabama," he said of the season's penultimate tournament. "It was likely to be a shallow, muddy water event and anything could happen. I knew guys could stumble."

Some did stumble, and Shaw won by a narrow margin, claiming the $100,000 top prize and reclaiming the AOY race lead.

"That put the pressure on the other guys," he said. "I knew that they would pretty much have to run me down."

He entered the season finale at Lake Champlain with a plan that showed wisdom beyond his years. He wanted to rely upon proven areas and proven tools to get the job done.

"I was going to keep it simple, fish super-obvious places and dial them in," he explained.

It took until he final day to seal the deal, but that strategy carried him to the trophy. He finished 3^rd in the event, another in his seemingly unprecedented run of top tens and won the title as well.

Key Tools for Back-to-Back Titles

Shaw revels in being a versatile and adaptable angler, able to excel with or without forward-facing sonar, in water that's deep or shallow, muddy or clear. But despite his fast track to success, he has taken a deep dive into his tackle selection to make sure that he always has the proper gear. He's used the full array of Rapala®, CrushCity™, VMC®, Sufix® and 13 Fishing® products to get the job done, but some played outsized roles.

The first is the CrushCity CEO, an urchin-style lure that won the Best of Show award for the Freshwater Soft Lure category.

"Last year, when I won the AOY by a crazy number of points, that bait was a big key," he said. "The thing that makes it different is the fall rate, and I had it dialed in. It was exactly what I wanted and you don't need to add any weight because of the glass powder core. You just put a hook in it and you're good to go. I've been using some prototype VMC hooks and they are bad to the bone, I can't wait for them to be released later this year"

He fishes the CEO on a 6'10" medium light 13 Fishing Myth spinning rod paired with a Shyft spinning reel coming soon. The latter is spooled up with a main line of 10-pound test Sufix 832 braid with a leader of 14-pound test Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon.

But when he needs to cover water, Shaw ties on a vibrating jig, which must have as a trailer a 4.25-inch or 5.25-inch CrushCity Freeloader on the back.

"It has those flat sides and flat top to make it roll," he explained.

He fished them on a pair of 13 Fishing rods – a 7'2" medium-heavy Myth when he's making short casts to tight cover and a 7'4" medium-heavy Oath when he needs more distance. In either case, he utilizes a 13 Shyft baitcasting reel (7.1:1) typically spooled with 17-pound test Sufix Advance.

Finally, the Freeloader itself, typically on a 1/8 or 3/16 ounce VMC tungsten jighead, consistently puts dollars in Shaw's bank account. While all of the colors get a spin, Green Shad is a reliable go-to. He fishes the jighead minnow with the same gear as utilizes for the CEO.

Indeed, if you've noticed a trend in Shaw's tackle, it's that not only does he rely heavily on rods under 7', but also that the 6'10" medium light Myth spinning rod is consistently in his arsenal.

"A lot of guys like multiple spinning rods for different baits," he said. "I really only need about three for what I do. Either a Myth or Enzo, 6'10" medium-light handles just about everything. It's right in my wheelhouse and I'm super-confident in them. I have eight rigged up in my boat right now. I feel like with the 6'10" you can work a bait a little better and you get a better hook-up ratio. The only time I go to a longer rod, typically 7;1" is when I'm throwing a super-light bait and need to get more distance."

On a pro staff full of world-beaters like Jacob Wheeler, Dustin Connell, Seth Feider, Ott DeFoe, Kyle Welcher, Gerald Swindle, Bob Downey, Carl Jocumsen and Davy Hite, Banks Shaw represents the next wave of Rapala/CrushCity greatness. Along with fellow young gun Fisher Anaya, they're showing the old guard that learning and product development never stop.