DECATUR, Ala. — Ninety-nine of the nation’s top high school anglers gathered for the fifth annual Skeeter Boats Bassmaster High School Combine over the past weekend in Decatur, Ala. The Combine provides an incredible opportunity for the next generation of anglers to plan for their future and meet one-on-one with some of the best fishing colleges and coaches in […]
Category: Press Releases
B.A.S.S. announces 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens schedule, Live Sonar rule change and EQ qualifications updates
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. officials today unveiled the schedule for the 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, eight tournaments spread across two divisions that will challenge anglers on some of the country’s most iconic fisheries. The Opens have long served as a proving ground for aspiring pros, and in 2026, the trail will once […]
B.A.S.S. announces 2026 Elite Series Television Broadcast Schedule on FOX and FS1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— B.A.S.S., the worldwide authority on bass fishing, has announced the 2026 television schedule for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series and the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. This season delivers 12 hours of live bass fishing on FOX broadcast television, reaching more than 200 million U.S. households, along with almost 60 hours […]
B.A.S.S. announces Live Sonar rule change for 2026 Elite Series
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— B.A.S.S., the worldwide authority on bass fishing, today announced an update to its forward-facing live sonar (FFS) policy that will take effect during the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season. Beginning in 2026, forward-facing live sonar will only be permitted in up to five of the nine regular-season Elite Series events. Which events […]
Long reach leads Howell to Bassmaster Open win at Leech Lake
WALKER, Minn. — The only thing that stood taller than Laker Howell was the fishing rod he used to win the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN. At 6-foot-5, the pro from Guntersville, Ala., armed himself with a 7-foot-9 Daiwa Kage medium swimbait rod and leaned on his largemouth prowess to tally a two-day […]
Seasonal movement critical in Bassmaster Elite finale at Upper Mississippi River
LA CROSSE, Wis. — To catch fish, you have to know where they are. But looking past that obvious truth, knowing where they are often requires an understanding of where they’re going. Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Pat Schlapper said that principle will factor keenly into the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River. […]
Healthy Leech Lake will demand diligence for Bassmaster Opens anglers
WALKER, Minn. — In the Ojibwe language, the name translates to “lake abundant with blood suckers,” but anglers competing in the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Leech Lake presented by SEVIIN will find this vast northern Minnesota fishery abounding in rod-bending opportunity. Competition days will be August 14-16 with daily takeoffs from Walker Public Dock at 6 […]
McKinney puts finishing touches on wire-to-wire victory at Lake St. Clair
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — The Yokohama Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair certainly hasn’t been difficult for Trey McKinney, but after three days of competition the second-year pro didn’t know how many big smallmouth were left in his best area. His questions were quickly answered on Championship Sunday as McKinney caught a 6 pound, 2-ounce smallmouth within the […]
McKinney maintains Day 2 lead, takes control of AOY race
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — Trey McKinney has been more nervous during the Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair than any tournament in his short career. Country music helps ease that anxiousness, and it seemed like on Day 2, the smallmouth enjoyed the sound of fiddles and steel guitars too. “Country music makes me fish better, especially when […]
McKinney unlocks the right cadence to lead Day 1 at St. Clair
MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. –— In his first three years as a Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series angler, Trey McKinney has come to realize a northern smallmouth bass is smarter than a southern largemouth. On Day 1 of the Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair, McKinney found the right cadence to trick five big brown […]