ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Could the 2026 Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound be even better than the record-setting 2025 event? Local tournament angler and guide Matt Greschak believes it could definitely match those standards, albeit in a much different fashion.
“The way it is setting up, it is going to be good. There will be big weights caught again,” Greschak, who runs Avery’s Guide Service, said. “If someone brings back 35 pounds one day, I won’t be surprised and another bass over 10 pounds will be weighed in, I think.
“Someone should get a (Century) belt, if not a couple people.”
Tournament days are set for June 11-14. Waterfront Park in Elizabeth City will host daily takeoffs starting at 6:30 a.m. ET and weigh-ins at 3 p.m. The full field of 98 pros will compete the first two days of the tournament before the field is cut to 50 anglers on Semifinal Saturday. The Top 10 anglers will then compete on Championship Sunday for a chance at $100,000 and a coveted blue trophy.
The Albemarle Sound is an overwhelmingly large fishery with multiple freshwater river branches flowing into it. Although coastal, and brackish in the Sound itself, it does not experience tidal influence like Winyah Bay or Chesapeake Bay does. Water levels are all wind and rain driven.
The area has experienced an unusually dry spring, and as a result, some of that brackish water has made its way further up the rivers than normal.
In its maiden voyage to Elizabeth City, the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series added new chapters to the record book. Alabama’s Kyle Welcher stayed close to takeoff in the Pasquotank River and caught 118 pounds, 12 ounces of spawning largemouth during the four days of competition, beating second-place Brandon Lester by a historic 45-7 margin.
“He caught 13 bass over 7 pounds,” Greschak recalled. “That was a good thing for the area. So many more people have been coming to fish. It gave it the exposure the city was looking for.”
Seasonally, things will be much different this time, but the quality of bass is still off the charts. Summer is setting in, and over the past few weeks, it has taken 34 pounds, 28 pounds and 32 pounds to win three local events the last several weeks. One of those was won by Turtelbox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender pro Ryan Lachniet.
Those were won in the Chowan River and Perquimans River to the west of takeoff. Those two rivers, and the Roanoke River to the far southwest are where Greschak expects most of the top finishers to find their bass.
“Everything to the west of Elizabeth City has been playing (this year). The Chowan has been putting them out and the Perquimans has been fishing really well.” the North Carolinian said. “The North River towards the Outer Banks hasn’t been as good and the Alligator River has been fishing tough too.”
As it stands, the wind forecast is favorable, with winds out of the west at 5 to 10 mph. That could change, but those conditions make for a more manageable run across the Sound than anglers experienced in 2025.
Forward-facing technology is allowed in this tournament, which is a big deal Greschak added. Finding isolated offshore hard spots and wood cover will be a primary pattern and has resulted in many big bags over the past several years. Shad and herring drive the western bite while bluegill and crawfish are the primary forage towards the east.
“The Chowan and the Roanoke have drains in them that pour fresh water in constantly,” Greschak explained. “That helps keep the salinity lower, and the bass do better in those conditions. River herring are also in the Chowan like nowhere else.”
Urchin-style baits like the Hideup Coike and jighead minnows will play a big role in this pattern as well as jerkbaits, big swimbaits and glidebaits.
A shallow water flipping and frogging bite in lily pad fields will also present itself, although the low water in the Roanoke River will limit the high-end potential of that bite in that river.
“The river doesn’t have a lot of current right now. It is still good, but a lot of the lily pad fields I thought would be good are kind of dry right now,” Greschak said. “You’ll still see guys catch them on a frog, but I don’t think that will be the winning deal.”
The Pasquotank where Welcher won in 2025 still has winning potential as well, but Greschak notes that the area has received a lot of fishing pressure over the past year, which will make it harder to replicate success.
Canadian pro Cory Johnston leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 483 points followed by Illinois pro Trey McKinney in second with 463 points and Texas pro Dakota Ebare in third with 455 points. Tennessee’s Cole Sands is fourth with 454 points; South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb is fifth with 446 points; Tennessee’s John Garrett is sixth with 443 points; Georgia’s Drew Cook is seventh with 440 points; Georgia’s Caleb Hudson is eighth with 430 points; Minnesota’s Bob Downey is ninth with 426 points and Alabama’s Justin Atkins is 10th with 411 points.
Hudson leads the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race followed by Alabama’s Fisher Anaya in second with 372 points and Texas’s Pake South in third with 322 points. Tennessee’s Tristan McCormick (306) and Kentucky’s Matt Messer (233) round out the Top 5.
Live coverage of the 2026 Maxam Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound will be available starting June 11 and 12 at 8 a.m. ET on Bassmaster.com and the Roku Sports Channel through 3 p.m. ET. FS1 takes the reins on June 13 and 14 starting at 8 a.m. ET and will carry coverage through 12:30 p.m. Live will resume on Bassmaster.com beginning at 1:30 p.m. and continue until weigh-in the final two days.
Weigh-ins will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com each day starting at 3 p.m. ET.
The Elizabeth City Hooked on the Harbor Festival will be held in conjunction with the final two days of the Elite Series event. A number of local vendors and food trucks will be showcased at Waterfront Park from Noon to 5 p.m.
Visit Elizabeth City is hosting the tournament.