Poke South Wins 2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula Presented by Battery Tender!

Poke South Wins 2nd BASS Open in 2026 and claims Eufaula with last day 31lbs limit!

By Christopher Decker, BASS Press Release

EUFAULA, Ala. — Pake South was a last-minute entrant to the 2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Lake Eufaula presented by Battery Tender. He knew very little about the lake other than his buddies Fisher Anaya and Jace Lindsay were both fishing the event too and on paper, it set up for how he likes to fish. 

Did it ever.

The Winnsboro, Texas pro wrote another chapter in the B.A.S.S. history books, claiming back-to-back Opens titles with a three-day total of 84 pounds, 1 ounce, the third-heaviest winning weight in Opens competition behind only to his own record at Sam Rayburn (96-15) and Scott Martin at Okeechobee in 2024 (90-6). 

“It was one of those weeks where it all just kind of happened. I wasn’t really on them that great (after practice), I just found them during the tournament,” South said. “It feels great. This is the first one I have won outside of (Texas). I just showed up. The feeling of winning like this will never get old.”

He also becomes only the fourth angler to win multiple Opens in a single season, joining Randall Tharp, Terry Scroggins and Easton Fothergill in that exclusive club. 

In 10 Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender or Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops events, the 21-year-old has two victories, six Top 10s and eight Top 25 finishes. 

Opening the tournament in second-place with 28-0, South caught 24-10 on Day 2 to move into the lead before blasting 31-7 on the final day, the biggest bag of bass that local and Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Kyle Welcher has ever seen caught on Lake Eufaula. South’s smallest bass in his Day 3 limit was a 5 3/4 with the rest weighing over 6 pounds. 

Happy Easter

 

Wishing all our readers a very special Easter. 

B.A.S.S. Disqualifies Angler for Life!

BASS Press Release

B.A.S.S. has disqualified angler Yuming Gao from the upcoming Lake Eufaula Bassmaster Open following a violation of the Bassmaster Code of Conduct. After a thorough review, B.A.S.S. determined that an attempt was made to track a fellow competitor’s movements in order to gain a competitive advantage, which is strictly prohibited.

Due to the severity of the infraction, the violation has been classified as a Level 4 offense. This ruling was appealed and upheld by the appeals committee, a group of two independent anglers and one B.A.S.S. staff member. As a result, Mr. Gao has been banned from participation in all future B.A.S.S. events, effective immediately.

B.A.S.S. is committed to maintaining the integrity of competition and ensuring a fair playing field for all anglers.

Jason Christie Wins 2026 Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway!

“It’s funny, in the previous Elite tournament (Lake Martin), I finished dead last and I win this one. Last year, I finished dead last (in another trail) and then I won.” — Jason Christie (Photo: Andy Crawford/ BASS)

BASS Press Release
COLUMBUS, Miss. — Despite his 30-plus years of tournament fishing, Jason Christie was delighted to admit he was wrong about the Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

Nevertheless, the decorated pro from Dry Creek, Okla., pulled off a nail-biting win to claim his ninth Bassmaster title with a four-day total of 58 pounds, 2 ounces.
“I thought there was zero chance I’d win,” Christie said. “When I was idling in, I figured somebody had caught ’em.

“It’s funny, in the previous Elite tournament (Lake Martin), I finished dead last and I win this one. Last year, I finished dead last (in another trail) and then I won.”
Tackling a tough, riverine fishery known as the Tenn-Tom, Christie started Day 1 by running north, locking twice and catching a limit of 12-5 that left him tied with Brandon Cobb for 37th place. The second round saw Christie change strategies and fish closer waters where he’d catch a limit of 16-10 and rise to fifth.

On Semifinal Saturday, Christie returned to his Day 2 spot and moved into the lead with another bag of 16-10. A painfully slow Championship Sunday saw Christie holding a small limit into the early afternoon, but two key bites — a 2-pounder at 1 o’clock and a 3-12 at 1:30 — lifted his final limit to 12-9 and pushed him across the finish line.

2026 Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Day 3: Jason Christie Jumps into Lead!

Canadians Gustafson 17th, Cory Johnston 24th, Chris Johnston 28th,  Gallant 86th & Kung 101st

BASS Press Release

COLUMBUS, Miss. — His opening game plan may not have panned out, but after a second day of impressive consistency, Jason Christie took over the Day 3 lead in the Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway with a three-day total of 45 pounds, 9 ounces.

The decorated veteran from Dry Creek, Okla., made a big first-day run that included two locks and caught a limit of 12-5 that left him tied with Brandon Cobb for 37th place. Day 2 saw Christie adjust his focus to closer waters where a limit of 16-10 lifted him to fifth.

Repeating his program on Semifinal Saturday, Christie added another bag of 16-10 and moved into the top spot. Heading into Championship Sunday with a margin of 1-4 over Day 2 leader Wesley Gore, Christie said he’s doing his best to capitalize on unpredictable opportunity.

“I’ve just been lucky and getting a few good bites,” Christie said. “You don’t know when that’s gonna happen, or where it’s gonna happen. All I know is I’m putting my bait in front of the right ones and I’m landing them.

“I think that’s gonna be key tomorrow. Whoever wins is gonna get two or three good bites, he’s gonna land them and he’s gonna win $100,000. Hopefully, it’s me.”

Christie, who has eight Bassmaster wins to his credit — including the 2022 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Hartwell — said location was the key to faring well on this system known as the Tenn-Tom.

2026 Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Day 2: Wesley Gore Claims Lead with 34-07lbs!

Canadians Cory Johnston 31th, Chris Johnston 41st, Gustafson 42th, Gallant 86th & Kung 101st

Bass Press Release

COLUMBUS, Miss. — Wesley Gore knew he had options, but his commitment to local waters delivered a limit of 17 pounds, 15 ounces that moved him atop the leaderboard at the Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

After placing fifth on Day 1 with 16-8, the Clanton, Ala., pro went on to tally 34-7. Gore heads into Semifinal Saturday with a lead of 2-7 over Dakota Ebare.

“I had another great day on the water,” Gore said. “It was a grind. I had seven keeper bites again, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing to win.”

While many of his competitors locked up and down from the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway’s Columbus Pool, where the tournament is based, Gore again took locking off the table and afforded himself maximum fishing time.

“I really wasn’t on anything,” Gore said of his practice results. “I felt like I could run down to Aliceville and catch 8-10 pounds, but I felt like if I stayed in Columbus, I might not catch a limit, but I would catch one or two big ones.

“I took that gamble the first day and slowly but surely, we have put it together every day. Hopefully, we can put it back together tomorrow and see where it goes.”

Gore said his day was a mix of yesterday’s water and a few new spots.

“I made a slight adjustment today and I moved areas,” Gore said. “The place I caught them yesterday, I only left there with two fish, but they were both 5-pounders.

2026 Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Day 1: Lowen Grabs Early Lead with 17-14lbs

Canadians Gustafson 42th, Chris Johnston 51st, Cory Johnston 61st, Gallant 100th & Kung 101st

Indiana's Bill Lowen has taken the lead on Day 1 of the Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway with a total of 17 pounds, 14 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

Bass Press Release

COLUMBUS, Miss. — Bill Lowen may not have the full picture in sight, but the Brookville, Ind., pro found enough clarity to sack up a 5-bass limit of 17 pounds, 14 ounces and lead Day 1 of the Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

Holding a 2-ounce lead over Randy Howell, Lowen said this week’s fishery, aka the “Tenn-Tom,” fits squarely in his wheelhouse.

“I don’t know if I figured it out; I’ve never been here before,” Lowen said. “The first day of practice, I just (randomly selected an area) and just fished where I know the fish are going to.

“My first three spots I fished in practice, I had a lot of bites. I went to two of those today and caught what I caught. I didn’t feel like I needed to go to the other stuff because I didn’t want to burn any just keeper bass.”

Lowen locked up from the local pool and stuck with two main areas where he was able to fish in solitude. He didn’t catch a significant number of fish, but he managed to find glimmers of quality.

“It was a fun day; I love fishing rivers, I love fishing shallow and I’m fishing the way I love to fish,” Lowen said. “I was fortunate to get three of the right bites. It’s not easy to get those big bites.

“The biggest fish I caught in practice was probably not even 3 pounds. So to get three of those bites today, I was pretty surprised.”

Essential to that goal was Lowen’s comfort level. Knowing he’d have to break down a new and sprawling fishery, Lowen put himself in familiar territory.

Classic Winning Bait Revealed! Berkley's New Lab Series!

 Small batch-poured baits combine MaxScent and PowerBait with a new MaxScent Rapid Release Slime, for a proprietary blend designed and crafted to trigger bites from pressured fish

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Mar. 24, 2026) – Berkley, the only science-based developer of fishing products in the world, is announcing its first line of products under the banner of Lab Series - a clear homage to the place where the world’s most advanced fishing products are conceived and brought to life - Berkley Labs in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The first products revealed under this new series are soft baits borne out of a decades-long project to combine the best of the company’s scientifically-proven technologies into one soft bait, the first to capitalize fully on a fish’s senses by delivering uncompromising color, action, scent and taste.

 

Built to meet the demands of modern fishing pressure, Lab Series baits are engineered to trigger bites from fish that have seen it all. Through a small-batch layered pouring process, Berkley combines a MaxScent layer, a proven PowerBait taste layer, and a MaxScent Rapid-Release Slime that provides an explosion of fish-attracting scent the moment it hits the water. This bait platform represents a breakthrough from the leader in scent and taste, as it is the first time MaxScent and PowerBait have been combined into a single bait, allowing for a myriad of translucent color options. The small batch pouring process allows for the delivery of technique-specific finesse actions. The result of this combination is a series of baits that is built to get more fish to commit, bite and hold onto the bait.

 

“Lab Series is the result of a number of projects converging into one singular mission to deliver a bait to anglers that eliminates compromise,” said Nathan Ragsdale, Senior Product Manager – Freshwater Bait at Berkley. “For the first time, we’re able to combine the scent dispersion of MaxScent, the proven taste of PowerBait, and new scent activation technology in the same bait while maintaining the exact profile, action, and colors anglers demand. It allows us to approach bait designs and techniques that simply weren’t possible before.”

 

The Berkley Lab Series Platform

 

At the core of the Lab Series soft bait platform  is a multi-stage scent delivery approach that works both immediately and throughout the life of the bait. A rapid-release powder is applied to the bait at the end of the manufacturing process. This powder is derived from the same fish-attracting formula as the proven MaxScent material. The powder activates instantly when the bait hits the water, creating a scent-producing slime that begins dispersing scent immediately. As that slime wears off throughout use, the poured MaxScent layer takes over, providing sustained scent dispersion over time. The PowerBait layers deliver the taste that convinces fish to hold on longer.

Bank Shaws Wins 2026 third Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech with 62 Lbs!

Shaw comes from behind for another Tennessee River win

Banks Shaw proved unstoppable once again this week at Wheeler Lake.
(Photo by Jody White)

By Jody White, Tackle Warehouse Press Release 

DECATUR, Ala. – Banks Shaw looked mortal at the last Bass Pro Tour event, where he finished 48th at Lake Whitney in Texas. A couple weeks later, fishing on the familiar Tennessee River, Shaw has righted the ship, knocking down the win Saturday in Stop 3 Presented by Suzuki Marine on Wheeler Lake.

With 21 pounds, 1 ounce on the final day of the third Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech regular-season event, Shaw totaled up an even 62 pounds to cash in for $100,000. It’s his second MLF win of the year, and his ninth Top 10 on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals or Pro Circuit since the start of 2025. Behind Shaw, Broderick Luckey surged from 11th place to second with 61-5, Drew Boggs finished third with 60-12, and Matt Becker slipped down the leaderboard to fourth. The leader going into Day 3, Cal Lane only managed one keeper and dropped down to 18th – luckily, still good for a $10,000 payday.

This event also produced some serious shake-ups in the points standings, as the three leaders heading into the week all turned in rough finishes. With the win, Shaw moved into the lead for 7 Brew Angler of the Year, and Ryan Lachniet and Carter Nutt both have 556 points in second and third respectively.

 Shaw takes advantage of the opening

Going into the final day of the event, Lane and Becker were both ahead of the field by a decent margin, and with a good day, either could have walked to victory. However, both struggled to various degrees – Lane couldn’t generate bites, and Becker never connected with a kicker.

“I didn’t think I had a shot with what I had, I thought possibly, if I had 22 pounds, I could have a shot if these guys stumbled,” said Shaw, who started the day in fourth. “I had a feeling throughout the day, it seemed like it was a little tougher. I was like, ‘Man, I know this place.’ It can easily happen where you only catch 15 pounds. I knew that’s what I needed those guys to catch – if Matt just caught one more, or Cal put a limit in the box, they could have easily won.”

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