I recently competed in an event called the Ultimate Angler Championship at Lake Guntersville, where I finished fifth. Earning a top 10 in a large event was definitely rewarding, but this event gave me a partial preview of the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series season.
This event was a no forward-facing sonar format and, even though the first event of next year’s Elite schedule will take place at a totally different time of year, that event at Guntersville will also not allow forward-facing sonar. What the Ultimate Angler Championship allowed me to do was the same thing I hope to do next February — establish a game plan based on fundamentals and stick to it.
That recent event had nearly 200 anglers, while another local event added several hundred more, so I knew I needed to have a really big practice. I needed to be able to change everyday, and I needed a lot of different techniques to play because of the pressure.
To maintain my diversity, I fished three different ways in three different areas all three days of the tournament. I started the first day by frogging thick mats on the north end of the lake and punching a Sixth Sense Prawn on a 4/0 BKK Heavy Cover Flipping Hook with a 1 1/2-ounce Sixth Sense tungsten weight.
The next day I went back to that area and caught a couple of keepers, but it wasn’t happening, so 9 or 10 o’clock I went downlake to where had some offshore milfoil and hydrilla. I found one particular patch of grass on a big flat and caught my fish on a Sixth Sense Swank crankbait and a vibrating jig and caught all my weight there.
Going down there saved my day and put me in good position going into day three. I started the final round on that offshore grass and caught a few on a vibrating jig and a 6-pounder on a new Sixth Sense Grass Pump — a big gizzard shad imitating crankbait with the L-shape bill.
About 11 o’clock, I continued downlake and caught a 5-pounder off a piece of wood. After that, I fished an isolated mat and caught a 4 and a big 3 on back-to-back casts with a frog to end my day.
Honestly, it felt good to fish old-school techniques and mentally put together a plan, and it just worked out right. That really helps the mental preparation for next year’s Elite season.
Of course, the first week of February could be 10 degrees at Guntersville, but I get along with that lake fine. I’ve been there six times, and I’ve made the top 10 three or four times, so I’m looking forward to starting there next year.
A big part of that is what I enjoyed about fishing without forward-facing sonar this year — you didn’t have to worry about guys floating around in the middle of the lake and catching giant bags. That’s always going to make it more complex.
It gets you back to the old-school instincts of fishing where you’re developing a feel for the lake and the conditions. It’s going to make the morale better on my end, and it’s going to make it more interesting to watch.
It should be good for TV, it should be good for the anglers and it should be good for the fans.
