2026 SPRO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain Day 1: Carl Jocumsen Scores Lead!

Canadians: Cory Johnston 6th, Chris Johnston 8th, Cooper Gallant 13th,  Jeff Gustafson 21st &  Evan King 87th! 

David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The question was asked repeatedly and Carl Jocumsen answered conclusively. Will largemouth bass play a significant role in the SPRO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain?

That would be a “yes,” perhaps followed by the traditional “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi!”

Sacking up a limit of big Champlain green ones that weighed 23 pounds, 2 ounces, the pro from Toowoomba, Australia leads Day 1 by a margin of 1-6 over Drew Cook.

“That was pretty fun, but it didn’t come easy” Jocumsen said. “I didn’t make some good decisions at the start; I ran all over the place trying to get a big bite and ended up making a big long run (to the south end).

“They don’t start biting until later in the morning anyway and I was boat 97, so I had a long day. It all lined up for me to test my stuff here and then go. I left the upper end at 9:30, got down there and started getting bites right away.”

This picturesque natural lake straddling the New York/Vermont border has long enjoyed a reputation for diversity, with lots of big largemouth and a much larger population of big smallmouth (the brown ones). Over the past decade or so, the latter have dominated most Champlain tournaments.

Smallmouth like to roam and chase baitfish schools, often over deep water, so the lake offers much more area for these fish to do what they do. Largemouth, on the other hand, tend to be homebodies that rarely move far from whatever grassbed, rock point, laydown or dock they favor.

Zark Birge is the 2026 Bass Pro Tour Fishing Clash Angler of the Year!

A fourth-place finish in the Knockout Round sealed the deal on Birge claiming his first Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title. Photo by Phoenix Moore. 

Mitchell Forde, Bass Pro Tour Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Zack Birge will be the first to admit that everything has seemed to break his way in 2026.

“Every turn I made, it seemed like I ended up in a good place,” the Oklahoma pro said.

But when he faced the opportunity to cap his dream season by clinching the Bass Pro Tour Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title during Saturday’s Knockout Round at Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, it sure didn’t come easy.

The wind whipped up big waves on Lake Erie, and Birge spent all day bobbing up and down on the deck of his Bass Cat. His closest pursuer in the points race, Jacob Wheeler, rocketed out of the starting blocks with 57 pounds in the opening period, virtually assuring himself a spot in Sunday’s Championship Round. Thus, Birge knew he had to finish 11th or better Saturday to avoid giving Wheeler – the AOY winner four of the past five years – an opening.

Around the midpoint of Period 3, Birge slipped as far back as ninth. Between the relentless waves and the pressure to clinch his first AOY crown, Birge threatened multiple times Saturday afternoon to throw up on MLFNOW!. But, as he’s done each day on Erie and just about every day all year, he came through in the clutch. He boated five scorable bass for 13-9 in the last 80 minutes to climb to fourth place and seal the Angler of the Year victory, which will earn him $100,000.

Justin Lucas Wins 2026 Bass Pro Tour Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches

Mitchell Forde, Bass Pro Tour Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio –– After six years and so many high finishes without a tour-level victory, Justin Lucas started to doubt whether he would ever hoist another trophy. Turns out, all he needed to do was return to the site of his last national win.

Prior to Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, the last time a national MLF trail visited Lake Erie was the 2020 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Super Tournament. That also marked Lucas’ last victory – he edged Jacob Wheeler by 1 ounce.

This week, the final standings once again read Lucas first, Wheeler second. But Lucas didn’t allow for near as much suspense.

Putting together one of the most impressive days of smallmouth fishing you’ll ever see in terms of both quantity and quality, Lucas racked up 98 pounds, 11 ounces on 25 scorable bass during Sunday’s Championship Round. He boated six smallmouth over 5 pounds, including the Berkley Big Bass of the day and the event – a 6-11. He topped SCORETRACKER® for nearly every minute, ultimately besting Wheeler by 19-6. 

In the moments after lines out, he struggled to wrap his mind around what had just transpired.

“I feel like I’ve been in a dream for the last hour and a half,” Lucas said. “Just big ones, just biting.” 

Lucas’ second career Bass Pro Tour victory earned him $125,000 and moved him up to third in the final Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Justin Lucas – 98-11 (25)

2. Jacob Wheeler – 79-7 (27)

3. Michael Neal – 68-7 (24)

4. Cole Floyd – 64-9 (25)

5. Brent Ehrler – 53-14 (17)

6. Jeff Sprague – 34-0 (11)

7. Marshall Hughes – 33-2 (10)

8. Ott DeFoe – 30-0 (9)

9. Jesse Wiggins – 22-3 (7)

10. Zack Birge – 20-12 (6)

Complete results

2026 Bass Pro Tour Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches: Day 1 Jeff Sprague Score Top Spot!

Mitchell Forde Bass Pro Tour Press Release

SANDUSKY, Ohio — For the first couple hours of Suzuki Marine Stage 7 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, it looked like the lone Ohio resident in the Bass Pro Tour field, Cole Floyd, might turn the Qualifying Round into a rout. Floyd blasted 87 pounds even on 31 scorable largemouth in the first period Thursday – the most prolific single period in Bass Pro Tour history.

At that point, Jeff Sprague, Floyd’s nearest pursuer, trailed him by more than 40 pounds. But while Floyd stalled as he started scouting for new schools, Sprague used a steady barrage of smallmouth to erase the deficit and then some.

Sprague stacked up 97-1 on 29 scorable smallmouth to take the top spot on SCORETRACKER®, 7-5 ahead of Floyd. Jake Lawrence sits third with 72-5. Complete results can be found here.

Sprague surprises himself with smallmouth

A Texas native best known for his shallow, power fishing prowess, Sprague has joked this season about how he usually doesn’t jive with deep, clear water. Thus, he initially planned to fish for largemouth on Erie. But after he spent a few days targeting green fish before the fishery went off-limits last month, he figured that wouldn’t be the way to win, and he switched gears.

“I came here and pre-practiced for largemouth and decided I was not going to attempt those,” Sprague said. “So, I went looking for smallmouth, and to be honest with you, I got lucky, for lack of better words. I can’t say that, but I did. I literally put my trolling motor down and started figuring out what depths that they wanted to be in.”

Berkley's New Swamp Lord Jr.

Compact frog delivers the same legendary hookup ratio in a bite-size profile

COLUMBIA, S.C. (August 4, 2026) – Anglers asked for a smaller frog that doesn’t sacrifice performance, and Berkley listened. Enter the new Berkley Swamp Lord Jr. A compact 2.25-inch version of the award-winning Swamp Lord built for when bass are keyed on smaller forage, under heavy pressure, or require a more subtle presentation. Available exclusively in the standard model, the Swamp Lord Jr. is designed to dominate where other frogs fall short.

 

The original Swamp Lord earned its reputation by solving one of frog fishing's biggest frustrations: missed strikes. The Swamp Lord Jr. carries that same DNA into a compact package, delivering the elite hookup performance anglers expect while providing a scaled down profile that's equally as effective walking across the surface or skipping around cover. Featuring the same ultra-soft, collapsible body, sealed construction, paired perfectly with optimized and angled Fusion19 hooks, the Swamp Lord Jr. turns explosive blowups into more fish in the boat.

Ryan Clark and Christian Clancy Win the 2026 American Baitworks Thousand Islands Open & Bass Cat Boat!

By Luigi De Rose

Kingston ON-  The 2026 American Baitworks Thousand Islands Open, the premier open bass tournament event in Canada, didn't disappoint this past weekend. This three day event on the legendary waters of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River is an open field of the country's top teams. The winner's purse of $20,000 CDN with an the extra bonus of a grand prize draw for a fully-rigged Bass Cat & Mercury boat package with at value of $83,000 CDN!

Each of the 97 2-person teams fought to catch their largest 4-bass limit each day. None could best the young gun team of Ryan Clark and Christian Clancy who topped the field with 67.27 lbs. for 12 bass besting 2nd place team of Loudon and Fox who netted 65.01lbs. Loudon and Fox also won big fish with a 7.01lb behemoth smallmouth. The team of Vandermeer and Lacey secured 3rd with a total of 64.89lbs. 

Ryan Clark and Christian Clancy were blessed twice as they held the lucky number in the Bass Cat Bass Boat draw prize which vaulted them to a truly winning weekend. 

Full Results 

ICAST 2026: Great Lakes Finesse Perfects Skirted Ned Head

Ned rigging demands slow presentations, at times with the bait left in place in a key location, so any offering’s stationary behavior becomes critical. Most finesse jigs fall onto a side when stopped, and this creates a major problem for natural appeal. Great Lakes Finesse excels at solving problems that hinder the performance of other finesse offerings, and they have done so again with the GLF Skirted Ned Head.

 

The innovative, easy-lift head design prevents the Skirted Ned Head from rolling on its side, with it instead standing upright with the trailer and fine-cut skirt wavering enticingly. Matched with a Snack Craw, Juicy Hellgrammite or other premium finesse plastic, the Skirted Ned Head is ideal for casting to boulders or other specific fish-holding targets and working the bottom slowly or even dead-sticking the bait to entice strikes from the finickiest of fish.

 

Wire-tied for durability, the fine-stand skirt is precisely trimmed to a dual-length finesse profile but left slightly long to allow for customization. Premium features of the Skirted Ned Head include powder-coat painting to prevent chipping, matte finishes to minimize glare, a wire keeper and a Gamakatsu 604 1/O hook.

 

The GLF Skirted Ned Head comes in 1/8- 3/16- and 1/4-ounce sizes and 10 carefully selected colors.

 

MSRP: $6.99

Five New Major League BPT Anglers Added to 2027 Season!

Points picture finally complete, five new faces headed to the Bass Pro Tour 

There was a lot of excitement to go ’round at weigh-in. Photo by Rob Matsuura

By Jodi White, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Press Release

With the final event of the regular season wrapped up, Shaw put a bow on his second 7 Brew Angler of the Year title, and Ryan Lachniet took home Rookie of the Year. As for the Bass Pro Tour berths, that went down to the wire.

In the end, after every fish was weighed on Day 3, Lachniet, Connor Jacob, Carter Nutt, Brody Campbell and Will Harkins earned invites to the big show. The five qualifiers all put together fantastic years, and each will bring exciting talent and personality to the BPT. Finishing eighth in the points, Lane was the first man out of the cut, though hopefully his winner trophy and $100,000 check will help him get over the miss.

 Top 10 in the standings

1. Banks Shaw – 1141 points – $252,100 season winnings
2. Ryan Lachniet – 1126 – $72,100
3. Drew Gill – 1096 – $146,600
4. Connor Jacob – 1087 – $64,300
5. Carter Nutt – 1075 – $147,000
6. Brody Campbell – 1073 – $75,600
7. Will Harkins – 1072 – $57,900
8. Cal Lane – 1058 – $159,600
9. Ethan Fields – 1054 – $62,000
10. Dylan Nutt – 1049 – $76,900

BPT invites in italics 

Complete standings

Zack Birge Wins 2026 MillerTech NPFL Stop Five on the St. Lawrence River!

Oklahoma pro adjusts on Championship Saturday to secure MillerTech NPFL Stop Five victory.

By Justin Brouillard, NPFL Press Release

Despite the lock schedule, despite the long runs, despite barge traffic, and despite watching the fish leave his primary areas, Zack Birge prevailed at the MillerTech NPFL Stop Five on the St. Lawrence River, hosted by the Town of Massena, New York. Going wire-to-wire against one of the strongest fields in professional bass fishing, the Oklahoma pro weighed a three-day total of 70-4 to claim his second NPFL victory of the 2026 season, and third national win.

Birge set the tone on Day One with 24-12 before backing it up with 22-1 on Friday to carry a 3-7 lead into Championship Saturday. But the shallow bladed jig pattern that had carried him through the opening rounds was beginning to fade as fish continued to move, forcing Birge to trust his instincts one final time.

Finishing the event in second place, Florida pro John Cox steadily worked his way up the leaderboard all week, improving from ninth after Day One to fourth after Day Two before finishing runner-up with a three-day total of 65-12. A shallow-water expert, Cox spent the week targeting smallmouth he could see, rotating between roadbeds, flats, and other hard-bottom areas while picking off individual fish with finesse presentations. He weighed limits of 21-5, 21-1, and a final-day 23-6, earning his best finish of the 2026 season and providing a much-needed boost after a slow start to the year.

Wesley Gore rounded out the top three with a three-day total of 64-15, backing up a strong opening two days with a final-round limit of 21-9 to secure his best finish of the 2026 season. Kristopher Queen finished fourth with 64-7, while defending St. Lawrence River champion Drew Cook rounded out the top five with 61-14, putting together another consistent three-day performance.

Mike Quinlin claimed Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with a 6-pound smallmouth on Day One, the largest bass weighed during the three-day event. Darrel Robertson earned the final check of the tournament, climbing to 38th place with a Championship Saturday limit of 19-15 to finish with 51-10. 

A special happy 80th birthday to legendary angler Rick Clunn. The Hall of Famer marked the occasion with another solid finish in New York, finishing 22nd with 56-10.

Birge’s Final Day Adjustment

Rather than force a bite that was disappearing, Birge leaned on a crankbait pattern on Showdown Saturday that had produced during practice, though not with the same quality as his bladed jig. The shallow pattern carried him to a tournament-best 25-5 on Day One and another solid 21-8 on Day Two, but by Saturday morning he knew those fish were beginning to move. Rather than chase a fading bite, Birge trusted the crankbait program he had kept in his back pocket all week, and it proved to be the right decision.