Benton, KY– Major League Fishing (MLF), the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced significant enhancements to the payout structure of the Bass Pro Tour for the 2026 season. The adjustments, driven by angler feedback, mark another step in establishing the Bass Pro Tour as the most competitive and rewarding circuit in professional bass fishing.

Next season, the Bass Pro Tour roster will feature 51 anglers, creating the most exclusive and challenging field in the history of the sport. With the most accomplished lineup ever assembled, every cast, every fish and every decision will carry even greater weight.

For 2026, MLF is expanding the cut line at each event. Previously, the top 20 anglers advanced from the Qualifying Round to the Knockout Round and Championship Round, with the round winner advancing directly to the Championship Round. Beginning next season, the top 25 anglers will advance – the round winner continuing to advance directly to the Championship Round, while 24 advance to the Knockout Round.

The shift means that every angler who reaches the Knockout Round will also finish “in the money.”

Another notable change comes at the top and bottom of the payout scale. In 2025, event champions earned $150,000, with the last checks paying $10,000. For 2026, the anglers voted to adjust the distribution:

• First place will pay $125,000 – still the sport’s most lucrative top prize.
• The $25,000 difference has been redistributed to boost the “last checks.”
• Anglers finishing 21st through 25th place will now earn $15,000 each – the highest minimum payouts ever awarded in pro bass fishing.

“This was an angler decision,” said MLF President and CEO Boyd Duckett. “The group wanted to make sure that if you make the cut, you’re rewarded in a meaningful way. The additional $5,000 to each spot at the bottom of the payout is unprecedented in our sport and shows the anglers’ commitment to sustainability and growth.”

MLF is also investing more directly into its anglers’ success. Beginning in 2026, MLF is adding an additional $250,000 to payouts for a total league contribution of more than $74,000 per angler, by far the sport’s largest, and a direct result of MLF’s strategic shift to a 50-angler field of the world’s top pros.

The full 2026 Bass Pro Tour roster will be announced in October. With the new structure in place, the circuit is positioned to continue the momentum from a tremendous 2025 season and deliver the toughest competition and most rewarding paydays in professional bass fishing history in 2026.

For complete details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Bass Pro Tour, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF’s social media outlets at Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing

Major League Fishing is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery, Discovery+, Discovery GO, Animal Planet, Outdoor Channel, VICE, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and Game & Fish TV, and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 20 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.