Lefebre authors epic ending with Heavy Hitters win plus $100,000 big bass on Orange Lake

Dave Lefebre is going home $200,000 richer after topping the field with 31-3 on seven scorable bass and also making the biggest single catch of the day, a 9-3 largemouth.
Photo by Tyler Brinks.

By Mitchell Forde

Bass Pro Tour Press Release

OCALA, Fla. — Dave Lefebre never publicly announced whether he’s retired as a professional angler. He’s not sure if Kubota Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops will mark his last event. 

But this much is clear: He saved his best performance for what was likely his final Bass Pro Tour event.

Lefebre not only topped the field on Florida’s Orange Lake to win the Heavy Hitters championship belt and $100,000, he also caught the Berkley Big Bass during the Championship Round – a 9-pound, 3-ounce lunker – to earn a second $100,000 paycheck. He’s now the second angler in the history of Heavy Hitters to walk away with $200,000, joining Jordan Lee at the inaugural Heavy Hitters event in 2020.  

Lefebre’s total of 31 pounds, 3 ounces on seven scorable bass topped Ron Nelson by 3-12. His first Bass Pro Tour win and first national victory since 2015 just might go down as a storybook ending to his 23-year pro career.

“It’s been an emotional, spiritual battle for the last five years,” Lefebre said. “And it feels like God’s way of telling me I’m doing the right thing by getting out – going out this way.”

Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:

1. Dave Lefebre – 31-3 (7)

2. Ron Nelson – 27-7 (5)

3. Jake Lawrence – 24-2 (4)

4. Mark Davis – 21-1 (5)

5. Marshall Hughes – 18-7 (3)

6. Alton Jones Jr. – 10-2 (3)

7. Brent Ehrler – 7-2 (2)

8. Bobby Lane – 6-3 (1)

9. Cole Floyd – 3-1 (1)

10. Jeff Sprague – 3-0 (1)

Full results

Rallying to make the Championship Round

With three FLW Tour wins and a victory at the 2009 Toyota Texas Bass Classic, Lefebre has enjoyed plenty of success during his career. But it had been a while

2026 Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake Day 1: Derek Lehtonen & Alex Davis Tie for Lead!

 It's a tie at the top after day one of the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake.

Justin Brouillard- Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons 

NPFL Press Release

A tie atop the leaderboard highlights a tight Day One as changing conditions and scattered fish make consistency hard to come by at the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3.

Day One of the Work Sharp NPFL Stop 3 at Lay Lake is complete and it’s shaping up how most expected. Fish are spread out, with some still shallow while others are starting to move deeper. When the dust settled, it was more about surviving than separating. A couple anglers managed to figure it out just enough to get to the top, but it’s tight across the board.

Derek Lehtonen and Alex Davis lead the way with 19-5, each putting together solid limits to set the pace. Both anglers had completely opposite days, with Lehtonen catching his fish early and Davis running around a bit more before culling to his final weight.

Just an ounce back, Patrick Walters sits in third with 19-4, keeping things close heading into Day Two. In fourth, Drew Cook caught 18-9, while Ryan Satterfield sits in fifth with 17-7, anchored by the Day One Big Bass weighing 7-10.

PowerBait MaxScent ‘Moeba Brings Berkley’s Proven Scent Technology to Popular Urchin Profile Market

 

COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 19, 2026) – MaxScent takes on a new shape. Introducing the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent ‘Moeba, a new finesse soft bait designed to stand out in today’s high-pressure fisheries. The PowerBait MaxScent ‘Moeba delivers subtle, natural movement with minimal rod input, flares naturally on the fall, and maintains a lifelike presence even when dead-sticked, all while pairing that distinct profile with Berkley’s proven MaxScent technology to give fish something they haven’t seen, and can’t ignore.

In today’s sonar-driven environments, anglers are constantly competing for fish that have seen it all. Success now hinges on leveraging fish senses. Enter MaxScent. Whether targeting suspended fish or those relating to the bottom, the ‘Moeba excels by combining Berkley MaxScent dispersion with ultra-natural movement to expand the strike zone, drawing fish in and keeping them engaged when others fall short.

Chris Johnston Wins 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes : Cory Finishes 4th!

Johnston Coike’s his way to victory at Santee Cooper Lakes

Canadian pro Chris Johnston has won the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a four-day total of 113 pounds, 12 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Ever since joining the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, Chris Johnston has wanted to win a tournament centered around southern largemouth. 

The Peterborough, Ontario native achieved that goal this week by winning the Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a four-day total of 113 pounds, 12 ounces, breaking away from second-place Brandon Palaniuk to earn his second blue trophy and the $100,000 first-place prize, a margin of victory of 19-12.

“I’ve been pegged as a smallmouth guy up north, but I have been very consistent with these southern fisheries and had some close calls with Bassmaster,” Johnston said. “So, to win one in this fashion is unbelievable. To have the week I had, catching 5-,6- and 7-pounders the whole time, you couldn’t ask for anything more.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been that dialed in a tournament ever.”

Not only is it Johnston’s second career Elite Series win, his first coming at the St. Lawrence River in 2020, but he also earned his second career Century Belt and became the third angler to earn a belt on both a smallmouth fishery (St. Lawrence River in 2023) and a largemouth fishery. 

Lakes Marion and Moultrie have now produced nine Century Belts since the inaugural 2006 Elite Series season, and Johnston’s four-day total is the second-highest winning weight after Preston Clark’s 115-15 beatdown in 2006. 

2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes Day 3: Chris Johnston Splashes into Lead!

Canadians Cory Johnston 4th & Kung 17th

Canadian pro Chris Johnston has taken the lead on Day 3 of the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a three-day total of 82 pounds, 13 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Not much went right for Chris Johnston on Day 3 of the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes. He got hung up a lot, fell in the lake and left a pair of sunglasses and a flip flop in the water, but what he took out of the lake was much more important.

The Peterborough, Ontario pro caught 29 pounds, 2 ounces on Day 3 to claim the lead with 82-13. He will carry a 3-2 advantage over second-place Brandon Palaniuk into Championship Sunday. 

“It felt like I couldn’t do anything wrong other than falling in the lake. Maybe that’s good juju, I don’t know. I smell like Santee Cooper for sure,” Johnston said. 

The tournament lead has changed every day so far, and multiple anglers have a chance at breaking the century mark this week on Lakes Marion and Moultrie. If he can keep pace for one more day, this will be Johnston’s second Elite Series win and potentially his second Century Belt. 

“It would be awesome to win here, especially catching all of these giants,” he said. “This is the way to do it. You are having so much fun, but it stresses me out when they are going crazy jumping and swimming around the wood. Getting them in the boat is a feat all its own.” 

2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes Day 2: Brandon Palaniuk Scores Big Lead!

Canadians Chris Johnston 2nd, Cory Johnston 4th, Kung 16th, Gustafson 53rd & Gallant 96th

Rathdrum, Idaho pro Brandon Palaniuk has taken the lead on Day 2 of the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a two-day total of 59 pounds.(Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Brandon Palaniuk’s Santee Cooper Lakes hot streak continued on Day 2 of the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes. The Idaho native landed 29 pounds, 15 ounces to take the lead with a two-day total of 59-0. 

“The Prodigy” anchored his limit with an 8-6 postspawn largemouth, a bass that helped him build a 4-5 advantage over Canadian pro Chris Johnston. The gap from Johnston to third-place Carl Jocumsen is 5-15. 

“I was nervous after practice, to be honest, that I was gonna blow the good reputation I have here,” Palaniuk said. “Today was unreal. I didn’t see it coming yesterday and I didn’t see it coming today.”

Palaniuk has yet to miss a Championship Sunday cut, let alone a Day 3 cut, at Santee Cooper Lakes in three attempts. He’s 4/4 now with Semifinal Saturday’s and in prime position again to make the final day. 

So far this week, Palaniuk has called one broad area of Lake Marion home, targeting postspawn largemouth around particular pieces of cover. One bait has generated most of his bites so far. While the one area has stayed the same, the eight-time Bassmaster champion said the same pieces of cover have produced bites two days in a row. 

2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes Day 1: Cory Johnston Sack 29-6lbs!

Canadians Chris Johnston 16th, Kung 50th, Gustafson 74th & Gallant 95th

Canadian pro Cory Johnston has taken the lead on Day 1 of the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes with a total of 29 pounds, 6 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS Press Release

CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — On paper, there are few similarities between southern Canada and the Lowcountry of South Carolina, but Cory Johnston feels at home one way or the other. 

The 41-year-old from Peterborough, Ontario brought in a limit weighing 29 pounds, 6 ounces to take the Day 1 lead at the 2026 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Santee Cooper Lakes. Johnston holds a 5-ounce advantage over second-place Brandon Palaniuk.

“I love fishing shallow. That is kind of my deal,” Johnston said. “It really fishes a lot like home. It may not look like it, but with the grass and everything it does feel like home.”

It is a two-man breakaway at the stop of the standings on Day 1. The gap between Palaniuk and the third-place tie between Bob Downey and Justin Hamner is 5-6. In total, 28 anglers caught over 19 pounds on Lakes Marion and Moultrie and nearly the entire field reached a limit. 

Both Johnston and Palaniuk have dueled at the top of the Santee Cooper leaderboard before. When “The Prodigy” won in the fall of 2020, Johnston finished third while each earned a Top 10 finish in 2022.

Monsoor prevails in fish-off to win Nation title at Mississippi River

By Andrew Canulette, 

BASS Press Release

LA CROSSE, Wis. —  As the saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades. 

Exact ties, however, count in a lot of places, including the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance.

Ties, of course, are meant to be broken, and so it was on Sunday afternoon when 30-year-old Justin Yenter, who led this tournament from Day 1, was pressed into a sudden-death tie-breaker by Tom Monsoor, the hard-charging 77-year-old local who knows this stretch of the mighty Mississippi as well as anyone.

With both anglers deadlocked with three-day totals of 54 pounds, tournament by-laws directed them back to the water immediately following the Day 3 weigh-in at La Crosse’s Veterans Freedom Park Boat Launch. And by the same tournament rules, the first man to catch a regulation bass would win the tournament. 

In this case, it was the veteran Monsoor who made the first strike, and it proved to be the one that earned him a surprise win late Sunday afternoon.

Monsoor motored some 15 minutes from the Veterans Freedom Park before stopping to fish a spot where he’d caught bass earlier in the tournament. The winning catch was a 3 1/2- pounder, and it came on one of the same brown swim jigs Monsoor has made for decades. B.A.S.S. officials rode as witnesses with both Yenter and Monsoor in the fish-off.

Monsoor earned $11,948 for the win and he qualified for the 2026 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance, scheduled for Nov. 18-21 at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina.

Carter Nutt Wins 2026 Stop 4 Presented by Phoenix Boats Tackle Warehosue Pro Circuit on Douglas Lake.

Carter Nutt got it done in style this week. Photo by Jody White.

Jody White, Tackle Warehouse Press Release

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. – There are a number of historically notable sets of brothers in bassin’, and some are very much in action today. But there probably isn’t a hotter set than twins Carter and Dylan Nutt, who have made it look easy most times they launch their boats. In Stop 4 Presented by Phoenix Boats of the Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech, the pair finished 1-2 at Douglas Lake, and their biggest competition was each other.

Earning his first Pro Circuit win, Carter weighed a massive 18 pounds, 8 ounces on the final day for a 48-0 total and the $100,000 payday. Finishing second, Dylan racked up 17 pounds on the final day for a 47-10 total and a $23,900 payday.

The win also qualified Carter for REDCREST in 2027, and he took over the lead in the 7 Brew Angler of the Year race, ahead of fellow University of North Alabama angler Banks Shaw. While the Nutt brothers stuck offshore, Keith Poche finished third with 47 pounds that he caught off the grid, and Will Harkins fished docks to catch a big bag on Day 3 and moved into fourth.

Offshore skills fuel Nutt

Growing up in Tennessee, Carter is well-versed in the offshore game. He learned it in high school before forward-facing sonar, and he’s perfected it in college. This week, the depth of knowledge that both brothers have was on full display. Each day, Carter caught the majority of his fish on a crankbait, and most of his weight in the event came with minimal aid from LiveScope.

“I was running the whole lake every day, from the dam to pretty far up the river,” he said. “I was just running around, scanning a bunch of stuff, trying to find places where they were set up good. Run and gun, and stumble on a couple places where they were biting.”

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