Congratulations to the new Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers for 2026!
The path to the Elites through the Elite Qualifiers Series was no easy task and brought out the best of the best in that tough series and against a tough field.
They weren’t picked from a list of names but had to work hard to earn the right to get on the Elite stage with emcee Dave Mercer.
When you look at that field of new qualifiers, you realize how strong the youth movement is within the Bassmaster ranks. It’s a credit to the strength of this country’s high school and college bass fishing programs that are producing a lot of outstanding anglers.
Of course, I’d be remiss to not acknowledge there was an “old-timer” among the qualifiers, as Russ Lane, a former Elite angler, worked his way back into the best pro circuit in America.
The average age of those who qualified has dramatically dropped from what it was when I qualified. Some of the new Elite anglers are in their 20s, and despite their young ages, have a lot of tournament experience under their belts. That wasn’t the case in the 1990s when I was fishing professionally.
Another reason these young guys are so good is they spend countless hours on the water. A lot of them don’t have family or sponsor obligations like the veteran pros do, so if they’re not fishing in a tournament, they are fishing somewhere, for something.
That’s a huge benefit. I know when I was a kid I spent every available hour on the water fishing for whatever I could get to bite. I lived in the country and there was nothing else to do. I credit those hours on the water while studying fish and how they react with helping prepare me for the long career I enjoyed.
Of course, those young guys are very adept at fishing with electronics, especially forward-facing live sonar technology. But don’t get the idea that’s all they know; several of them have proven they have solid experience with fishing, whatever techniques are required.
We will find out next year when FFS can’t be used in four of the nine regular season tournaments. We already have a lot of great anglers who don’t rely on FFS, so it will be interesting to see how it shakes out. That will make the 2026 season even more intriguing.
I think the youngsters will be very competitive, and it wouldn’t surprise me if one or two wind up holding a blue trophy within the next couple of years.
It’s going to be a fun 2026 Elite season!
