With only two Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments left on this year’s schedule, I can’t afford any slipups. The Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points are so tight that one bad day in the final events could drop me right out of the 2026 Classic.
That fact really hit home at the last tournament on Lake Tenkiller. After the first two days of that event, I had climbed to 19th in the tournament and 19th in the AOY standings. I was right on track for a good finish.
The next day I caught only four bass that weighed a little over 8 pounds. That dropped me all the way down to 48th in the tournament and 29th in AOY points. To make matters worse, Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer gave me a load of grief on stage about being the only angler in the tournament who failed to catch a limit.
My practice at Tenkiller was so terrible, I would have been happy with 60th place. I had an opportunity to do much better than I did, but it also could have been much worse.
I spoke with Bassmaster LIVE commentator Ronnie Moore after Tenkiller to get a handle on how many points it’s going to take to qualify for the next Classic. He’s really dialed in about things like that.
He said it took 505 and 515 points to qualify for the previous two Classics but estimated it will take 526 points this year. I have 436 points right now. If I average 50th place at the next two tournaments, I should make it. That’s much easier said than done.
For some reason, I’ve been fishing by the seat of my pants all season, scrambling to catch limits. I just haven’t been able to get into my normal groove.
I’m looking forward to the next tournament at Lake St. Clair. I love fishing for smallmouth. It seems like I haven’t fished the Great Lakes area in forever. That will definitely be a forward-facing sonar event.
Then we go to the final tournament on the Mississippi River, where fishing shallow for largemouth and smallmouth will dominate. I’ve never been to that fishery. I plan to spend some time there before the cutoff. I want to check all three pools we’re allowed to fish in the tournament and see how long it takes to get through the locks.
The best case for me is to make the Top 10 at St. Clair. With 90 points or more from that tournament, I could go to the Mississippi River without being overly stressed about qualifying for the Classic.
I’ve said it before, but once you fish one Classic, you never want to miss another. I’ve made the last three and badly want to be there for number four.
The 2026 Classic is on the Tennessee River out of Knoxville. I fished my first Classic there. I think I finished second to last. Even though I had a dreadful tournament, I really like that fishery. Tennessee River tournaments are grinders, and I like grinder tournaments.
Before I head to St. Clair and the Upper Mississippi to scout them before the cutoff, I’ll head back home to Canada to enjoy some time with my friends and family. My brother Colin and his wife, Courtney, are about welcome a new baby to the world. I don’t want to miss that. I’ll also enjoy celebrating the 1-year-old birthday for Brook, my brother Tanner’s son.
When I leave home after that short reprieve, I hope to be refreshed and fully focused on qualifying for the Classic and winning a blue trophy. To make either happen, I can’t afford any blunders.
