Whenever a new Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series schedule comes out, I’m always eager to see where we’ll be fishing. This year, when the 2026 schedule was released, I immediately noticed something that’s going to be a problem for me — the tournament at Lake Martin.
My family has a cabin on Martin, and we’ve been going there for years to fish, ski and wake surf. Not only do we enjoy family outings, but we also enjoy bringing friends and business associates.
The rules allow me to visit upcoming tournament lakes until the official off-limits period, but that’s not my main concern. Once the schedule is announced, I can’t discuss fishing on any of the lakes that we’ll visit.
Everyone knows that I fish the Elites, but it’s hard to predict what someone might say when we’re on the water. We all love to talk fishing, but if someone accidentally says something about fishing on Lake Martin before the tournament, that could put me in jeopardy of unintentionally violating the no-information rule.
I know we have to have rules, especially the off-limits rules, otherwise we’d have a lot of people finding ways to gain an advantage on the lakes that we’re scheduled to fish. I just wish we had a shorter no-information period.
Here’s why I say that. All my life, I’ve enjoyed fishing and sharing the sport with other people. A big part of doing that is taking people fishing. I know I can do that on other places in addition to Lake Martin, but we have a lot of history on that lake, and it’s just a special place for me to spend time with family and friends.
There are 100 other voices out there in addition to mine, so I’m not any more significant than others, but I’ve been fishing professionally for over 20 years and I’ve seen the various no-information rules. If it were me, I think we should go back to a 30-day period.
Honestly, that has nothing to do with any desire to acquire information on upcoming tournament lakes. For me, it’s all about the ability to take people fishing and share what I love.
A lot of great connections are made and a lot of new relationships are built on the water. I’m definitely looking forward to fishing Lake Martin in 2026, but it’s really tough having to limit my time there with friends outside of my immediate family until after the tournament.
I’m not complaining; I just feel very strongly about this point. Otherwise, I’m very thankful for my Elite career.
My family has always been about the travel, and we’ve been all over the country chasing bass at some of the best fisheries at the best times. By far, the St. Lawrence River is my favorite. You have great fishing, incredible people and lots of touristy things.
Based on my Angler of the Year points average, I can keep fishing the Elites for the next 10 years without worrying about qualifying. Thankfully, I don’t feel like I have any health issues. In fact, I feel like I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, so I have time to keep pursuing my goal of winning the Bassmaster Classic.
I’ve finished second at the Classic (Lake Conroe, 2017), and I was second in the 2006 AOY. Overall, the Elite Series fits my personal style and my preference for hunting big fish, but that sometimes ends up costing me.
I’ve given up on winning AOY because I like to throw big baits for big fish and, doing that, I’m going to get burned a few times. That’s the tradeoff, but along the way I’ve had some incredible moments, like winning the 2007 Elite event on Clear Lake with 122 pounds, 14 ounces, which was the heaviest four-day winning weight at that time.
I’ve also won a couple of BASSY awards for amazing bites, including a big spotted bass last year at Smith Lake. All of these moments keep me passionate about the sport of bass fishing and my desire to help other people experience time on the water.
Maybe someday I’ll be fishing with my family and friends on Lake Martin and reliving a dream-come-true moment of holding that Classic trophy. Until then, I just want to spend as much time as I can sharing what I love with the people in my life.
