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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Paul Marks Wins 2026 Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray!

Marks masters Murray for second Bassmaster Elite Series win

Georgia pro Paul Marks has won the Tedy's Team Bassmaster Elite at  Lake Murray with a four-day total of 90 pounds, 14 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/BASS)

BASS Press Release

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Paul Marks’ day did not begin the way he’d wanted, but it ended the way he’d dreamed. The difference — a gut call that changed his trajectory and put a second blue trophy on his mantle, this one from the Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.

Marks, who makes his home in Cumming, Ga., highlighted his rookie season by winning the 2025 Bassmaster Elite at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. A little more than a year later, a four-day total of 90 pounds, 14 ounces delivered blue trophy No. 2, along with a $101,000 top prize.

“Today was just spectacular, it was one of those days you dream of,” Marks said. “Everything went perfectly.”

Speaking of perfect, Marks told Bassmaster Emcee Dave Mercer the significance of winning on May 10, 2026: “You said I needed to bring the motherlode for Mother’s Day and I did. Happy Mother’s Day, mom.”

Notably, Marks notched both of his Elite wins on “herring lakes” — water bodies where blueback herring are the dominant forage. These fast-paced baitfish greatly impact predatory behavior, most noticeably increased pelagic tendencies and decreased consistency.

Marks, who guides on Georgia’s Lake Lanier, another noted herring lake, said his deep immersion in this style of fishing prepared him for a week of changing weather and finicky fish. After Day 1 brought clouds, rain and wind, the rest of the week brought a mix of clouds, sun and varying wind, concluding with Championship Sunday’s sunny, still makeup.

Marks said a lifetime of fishing the techniques relevant to Lake Murray provided the insight he needed to effectively adjust his locations, baits and presentations based on his understanding of herring fish preference.

2026 Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray Day 3: Brandon Cobb Jumps into Lead!

Canadians: Kung 22nd & Gustafson 31st

South Carolina pro Brandon Cobb has taken the lead on Day 3 of the Tedy's Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a three-day total of 67 pounds,3 ounces. (Photo Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release

COLUMBIA, S.C. — If we compared Brandon Cobb’s day to a cookie, it would be an Oreo — two good things with something really sweet in the middle.

Spoiler alert: we’re talking three big bites that helped put the South Carolina pro into first place in the Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a three-day total of 67 pounds, 3 ounces.

“Believe it or not, I fished the exact same places I fished yesterday, but while I couldn’t get them to bite yesterday, today was biting conditions,” Cobb said. “On these (blueback) herring lakes, what you do is run a bunch of places, but what I’m doing is a little bit different.

“I don’t have a ton of places with fish on them, but I’m not sitting anywhere. If they don’t bite in four to seven casts, I’ll go try another one and I’ll come back to it later.”

Employing that rotation strategy yielded plenty of action punctuated by three big bites — a 5-pounder shortly before 9 a.m., a 7 around 9:30 and one just over 5 1/2 in the final hour of fishing.

2026 Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray Day 2: Bryant Smith Scores Lead!

Canadians: Kung 14th, Gustafson 45, Gallant 66th, Cory Johnston 70th & Chris Johnston 75th 

California pro Bryant Smith has taken the lead on Day 2 of the Tedy's Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46 pounds, 6 ounces. (Photo: Seigo Saito/ BASS)

BASS Press Release

COLUMBIA, S.C. — One of the oldest and most revered angling axioms states: “Don’t leave fish to find fish.”

Honoring that timeless truth, Bryant Smith of Roseville, Calif., sacked up a five-bass limit of 24 pounds, 7 ounces and improved to first place at the Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray with a two-day total of 46-6.

Smith, who placed 13th on Day 1 with 21-15, heads into Semifinal Saturday with a lead of 1-9 over Paul Marks.

“It was just an amazing day,” Smith said. “I’ve been really fortunate to get the right bites at the right time.”

Days 1 and 2 saw Smith starting on the blueback herring spawn, which typically lasts only an hour or two past daybreak. The first day saw the dimmer lighting of cloudy, rainy conditions extending that activity longer, but with Day 2’s sunnier start, the baitfish congregations concluded as normal.

Knowing that the bass would remain in the general area and continue feeding whenever more herring crossed their radar, Smith committed his day to a focused strategy.

“I’ve been starting in the same spot both mornings and, between two points, I can usually get a limit with a couple good ones,” Smith said. “I know where they’re sitting and that’s the whole key. I’m using my Lowrance ActiveTarget to see if they’re up there.

“You have to be patient. I probably sat and Power-Poled down for an hour, then I’d rotate around, come back and sit there again.”