Tournament News Powered By Lake Drive Marine
Friday, October 10, 2025
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B.A.S.S. Report
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — B.A.S.S. officials today unveiled the schedule for the 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN, eight tournaments spread across two divisions that will challenge anglers on some of the country’s most iconic fisheries.
The Opens have long served as a proving ground for aspiring pros, and in 2026, the trail will once again deliver a diverse slate of fisheries, from Florida grass lakes to Northern smallmouth waters. As always, the stakes are high — the Opens offers competitors a pathway to qualify for the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier Series (EQs) presented by Bass Pro Shops and ultimately the upper echelon of tournament bass fishing: the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series.
Division 1 Schedule
- Jan. 29-31 — Kissimmee Chain (Kissimmee, Fla.)
- Apr. 1-3 — Lake Eufaula (Eufaula, Ala.)*
- Apr. 30-May 2 — Lake Norman (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Aug. 20-22 — Lake Erie (Buffalo, N.Y.)*
Division 2 Schedule
- Feb. 19-21 — Sam Rayburn Reservoir (Jasper, Texas)*
- Apr. 23-25 — Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees (Grove, Okla.)
- May 20-22 — Pickwick Lake (Counce, Tenn.)*
- June 18-20 — Upper Mississippi River (La Crosse, Wis.)
*Forward-facing live sonar will be permitted at these events.
To balance traditional techniques with technology innovation, B.A.S.S. announced several competition updates for 2026. Forward-facing live sonar (FFS) will be limited to two tournaments in each division. B.A.S.S. elected to rotate usage by starting one division with FFS and the other without, alternating each event from there. FFS will be allowed on Lake Eufaula and Lake Erie in Division 1 and Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Pickwick Lake in Division 2.
“Year after year, the Bassmaster Opens provide some of the most exciting and diverse competition in bass fishing,” said Chase Anderson, B.A.S.S. CEO. “With legendary stops like Sam Rayburn and Lake Erie alongside other diverse venues, this schedule ensures our anglers — and fans — will see a mix of techniques and fisheries in 2026.”
In recent years, Opens champions have gone on to make their mark on the Elite Series and the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. Easton Fothergill is the ultimate example. The young Minnesota pro won two Opens events in 2024, qualified for the Elite Series and then won the 2025 Bassmaster Classic. The 2026 slate offers anglers the same opportunity to prove their skills and take the next step in their careers.
Entries and payouts will remain consistent with 2025. However, new incentives raise the stakes: the Anglers of the Year (AOY) from each division’s St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN Divisional Angler of the Year standings and the overall Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year will earn berths into the EQs at no cost. In addition to qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic, if an angler enters all four tournaments in a division and wins one, they will also earn a guaranteed berth into the EQs.
Another important change: anglers who enter only a single event will not receive any AOY points. Only full-division participants will earn points toward the 2026 Bassmaster Opens Divisional Angler of the Year races.
There are also updates to the qualifications to the EQs. Anglers who fish all eight Opens will earn overall AOY points, with the Top 35 in those rankings receiving automatic bids to the EQs. Beyond that, the Top 50 by AOY points in each division (not including anglers who qualified through overall AOY points) will also advance, creating more paths for aspiring pros to chase Elite Series dreams.
Registration for the 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN will open November 4. Details will be available on Bassmaster.com.
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MFL Report
CJ Stamm Michael and Smith put together a pretty good sack at Corey Lake over the weekend to win the Michiana Fishing League tournament.
The winners had 10.06 pounds, helped largely with a 4.70-pound kicker that also got them the big bass prize. They fished jigs around docks in 3 to 6 feet of water.
Corey continued to be stingy with its bass catches and most limits were very small. The winners persevered and things picked up later in the day.
“The bite was tough,” said Smith. “We didn’t have a keeper until around 11:30.”
John Davis and Seth Spaulding finished second with 9.28 pounds and also had a 4.70 kicker, tying them for big bass. However, the tiebreaker was total weight. They also fished jigs on docks.
Ron Spitz was third with 4.60 pounds. No photo was provided.
The critter pot was won by Logan Mullins and Chris Davis with an 8.06-pound northern pike.
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Butchers Baits Report
Jeremy Siler and Brock Howell locked up the Butchers Baits Anglers of Year title Sunday with a win at the Randle Chain.
Siler and Howell fished bladed baits in less than five feet of water to win the tournament with 12.12 pounds.
Manny Schwartz and Dennis Hochstetler were second with 11.10 pounds. They also took home the Big Bass pot with a 4.05-pound largemouth caught on swim jigs in 14 feet of water.
Third place went to Ray Lohr and Charlie Foutz with 9.06 pounds. They caught their fish on plastic worms and jigs in 14 feet. They finished second in the AOY race.
Siler and Howell won the AOY title with 68 pounds, followed by Lohr and Foutz with 66.01 pounds and Gary Butcher and Scott Smith with 61.04 pounds.
Butcher and Smith also had the biggest bass of the year at 5.06 pounds.
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SMAC Report
Gary Butcher and Scott Smith caught one of the few limits weighed in during the Southwest Michigan Anglers Club (SMAC) season finale at Juno Saturday.
Butcher and Smith fished jigs and wacky worms around shallow docks to catch 10.65 pounds.
There were only three limits weighed in by the 14 teams.
Scott Crocker and Terry Smith also fished shallow with jigs and wacky worms to catch a 10.07-pound limit.
Third place went to Mike VanderReyden and Brett Gessinger with a limit weighing 6.13 pounds. They caught their fish by finessing Senkos through weeds in 5 to 10 feet.
Danny Linn and Adam Crocker won the big bass pot with a 3.46 pounder caught on a crankbait in six feet of water.
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Arjay’s Report
A rainy evening on Diamond Lake didn’t hamper Ryan Hershberger as he fished alone and won three of the top prizes in the Arjay’s Weeknight season finale last Wednesday.
Hershberger won the tournament with a limit weighing 10.42 pounds. He also had the biggest bass, a 2.92-pound largemouth, and brought in the Jaywalker Restaurant junk fish with a pike weighing 5.68 pounds. He fished shallow weeds with a jig.
Noah Chambers and Jacob Meeker were second with 10.12 pounds. They fished drop shots and jigs.
Third place with 9.58 pounds went to Justin and Hunter Kosmerick who drop shotted in 8 to 10 feet of water.
Heath and George N Jody Musall were fourth with 8.96 pounds. They fished shallow weeds with jigs. Their biggest fish was 2.16.
The ClearH2O Tackle first out of the money spot in fifth, also with 8.96 pounds, was taken by Chris Yoder and Edward Bontrager. Their biggest fish weighed 2.08 pounds.
Maynard Hochstetler and Marvin Bontrager were sixth, earning the Michiana Outdoors News tackle pack.
Hochstetler and Bontrager won the Str-8 Up Mounts lucky dog pot, John Miller and Jonas Troyer Jonas took home the $50 gas cards and Justin Kosmerick won the 50/50 draw.
John Miller and Ashley Gibson won the season’s Anglers of Year title with the Kosmericks finishing second and Steve Martin was third.