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.

Cal Lane Wins 2026 Stop 6 Presented by VOSKER on the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech!

Cal Lane earned the win with three spectacular days on Lake Champlain.
Photo by Rob Matsuura.

By Jodi White,

Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Press Release

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Cal Lane spent most of the 2026 season coming about as close as possible to winning without actually winning – a theme for him in 2025 as well. On Sunday, that all went out the window. Lane put together one of the best tournaments ever witnessed on Lake Champlain to take down Stop 6 Presented by VOSKER in style and close the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech regular season with a bang.

Weighing more than 20 pounds every day of the event, Lane caught a three-day total of 65 pounds, 7 ounces, which broke the record for largest three-day catch at Lake Champlain in MLF/FLW history, eclipsing the 64-1 Kyle Cortiana caught in the 2024 Toyota Series event there. His 23-15 on Day 2 was the third-heaviest five-fish bag in Champlain history for MLF/FLW, and for his efforts, he took home $100,000 as well as a spot in REDCREST 2027, which happens to be in his home state.

Finishing second, Matt Becker weighed 63-16, and also fished a basically perfect Champlain event. Banks Shaw cracked nearly 22 pounds on the final day to move up to third and also ice down his second consecutive 7 Brew Anger of the Year title.

Exploration earns Lane the win

For a few years, the theme on Champlain has been LiveScope, LiveScope and more LiveScope; as open-water and smallmouth have yielded the majority of the multi-day wins on the lake. If there’s a secondary trend, it’s that tournaments can be won all over the lake, maybe more than has ever been possible. Lane proved that at Stop 6 with a perfectly executed combo of smallmouth and largemouth.

On the first day of practice, Lane stuck to the Inland Sea (a historically excellent area) and put up terrible results. His second practice day, fighting big wind and a bad prior day, he expanded.

TOP 10 BELOW

ICAST 2026 WINNER: BUZBE Basic Deep- Urchin Box

The hottest new bait style finally has a storage solution built for it. Featuring custom wire-post organizers, lock-in dividers that won’t shift, and BUZBE’s rugged waterproof construction, the Urchin Box keeps baits secure, protected, and ready to fish. 

ICAST 2026 WINNER: GARMIN USA Spy Pole Mount

Take command of your sonar with Spy Pole, the revolutionary motorized sonar control system that allows anglers to precisely and wirelessly steer LiveScope and GT360UHD transducers independently of their trolling motor. Stay locked on targets even while anchor-locked with Spy Lock technology or automatically sweep back and forth to find fish in SpyScan mode. SpyLink mode synchronizes Spy Pole with the speed and direction of the trolling motor to simplify sonar control when you stalk fish.

ICAST 2026 WINNER: AMERICIAN BAIT WORKS Synch Fishing Artisan Wake & Crank 130

The Synch Fishing Artisan Wake & Crank is a subsurface wake bait built from the vision and craftsmanship of in-house artist Andrew Gardner. Based on the popular Artisan Gill platform, the Wake & Crank features a three-piece body and added bill design. Premium components include BKK treble hooks, heavy-duty swiveling hook hangers, UV glow glass eyes and soft plastic fins and tails to give a lifelike profile. The Artisan Waking Crank is a true blend of handcrafted artistry and modern performance.

ICAST 2026 WINNER: ST. CROIX TRIUMPH FRESHWATER RODS

 

Combining premium materials & North-American manufacturing excellence, the reimagined & expanded TRIUMPH Freshwater series delivers St. Croix performance & quality at an appealing price. Including 29 models, TRIUMPH features proven SCII carbon fiber blanks strengthened with FRS tech, modernized stainless-steel guides, all-new contoured natural cork handles & a 5-year warranty. 2-piece models feature ART and proprietary Slim Ferrule Design for multi-piece convenience with 1-piece performance.

ICAST 2026 WINNER: GARMIN USA LiveScope 2HD

 LiveScope 2 HD gives anglers Garmin’s clearest live sonar yet, delivering unprecedented clarity, smoother images and simplified installation. Now with 20% greater resolution and improved image stitching, anglers can see real-time views of fish, bait and structure out to 125 feet with 50% more detail at closer ranges than the previous model. Plus, it features a new simplified setup that eliminates the need for a black box.

ICAST 2026 WINNER: Seaguar BRAWLr High-Performance Monofilament

 

Seaguar BRAWLr High-Performance Monofilament – Advanced Knot and Tensile Strength. Low Stretch with Enhanced Sensitivity. Engineered and manufactured by Seaguar, the inventor and innovator of premium fishing lines.