The scouting report on Alabama's Lay Lake predicted bass would be holding deep along river ledges, to escape the brutal summer heat. But George Cochran knew better. The 26th annual Bassmaster Classic was held Aug. 8-10, 1996.
| rnk | name | wgt | money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Cochran | 31.14 | $100,000 |
| 2 | Davy Hite | 30.14 | $16,000 |
| 3 | Mickey Bruce | 26.15 | $10,000 |
| 4 | Bud Pruitt | 23.6 | $9,000 |
| 5 | Ray Sedgwick | 23.4 | $6,500 |
| rnk | name | st | pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edwin Evers | OK | 430 |
| 2 | Skeet Reese | CA | 405 |
| 3 | Kevin VanDam | MI | 393 |
| 4 | Ishama Monroe | CA | 386 |
| 5 | Alton Jones | TX | 380 |
| rnk | name | st | pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Lester | TN | 511 |
| 2 | Chris Lane | AL | 508 |
| 3 | Greg Vinson | AL | 503 |
| 4 | Glenn Browne | FL | 499 |
| 5 | David Mullins | TN | 468 |
| rnk | name | st | pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Browning | AR | 187 |
| 2 | Wesley A Strader | 186 | |
| 3 | Ken Iyobe | 185 | |
| 4 | Randall Tharp | 184 | |
| 5 | Mike Pedroza | 183 |