Steve Kennedy is one of my favorite people on the Bassmaster Elite Series. He always has been — back to the days when he first discovered swimbaits and his Jack Russell Louie rocked a sombrero.
So, I have no one but myself to blame for trusting him.
Yesterday, he told me that there was no way that the weights would double over two days at the 2026 Mountain Dew Bassmaster Elite at Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. There simply aren’t enough bass in this system, he said, and the ones that are ready to bite had already been sore mouthed. The big game of nautical musical chairs meant that we’d seen the best of this fishery.
But if he and his peers have proven one thing in two decades of Elite Series competition, it’s that the cut weight goes up as often as it goes down.
Technically, he was right – and I’m sure Kennedy wouldn’t let you forget it, but his apocalyptic tone was a little too alarmist. Yesterday, 50th place was 11 pounds, 5 ounces. Doubling that would put the cut at 22-10. If you thought you’d be hard-pressed to see a bass or two today, your early dinner reservations went unmet as the weigh-in showed off one quality limit after another. Maybe the three-time Bassmaster winner and noted Auburn fan was thinking of the stock market, which did indeed plummet today, but the weights are apparently more resilient than that.
JT Thompkins hit the target weight and landed in 48th. The two anglers immediately behind him had 22-8 and 22-7, respectively. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a spit up crawfish or two from double.
“These guys are incredible, no doubt about it,” Kennedy said. Even in his 21st year on the tour, he’s still susceptible to that sense of wonder. It’s one of the things that makes him one of the sport’s most treasured characters, and one of the elements that make the tournaments worth watching from start to finish.
The Tenn-Tom remains a mystery, but don’t be surprised if we see more big bags tomorrow. There’s still lots of water, lots to learn – and apparently lots of fish to catch.
Here’s what I learned on Day 2 from this first-time Elite venue:
Big Movers – Dakota Ebare, riding the baby pattern as long as he can, caught a tournament-best 18-6 and jumped from 16th to second, just 2-7 behind leader Wesley Gore. John Garrett caught 17 pounds and moved from 25th to third.
The Power of Youth – Yesterday, we had three 50-somethings at the very top of the leaderboard. Today youth got back on top, as leader Wesley Gore caught a scope-free 17-15, four months short of his 26th birthday. But he’s outnumbered in the Top 10 by the 70s babies: Bill Lowen (10th, 28-4), Randy Howell (eighth, 28-7) and Mike Iaconelli (seventh, 28-12) are still there, and they’re now joined by Buddy Gross (fourth, 29-3) and Jason Christie (fifth, 28-15).
No Injury Timeouts – Drew Benton (43rd, 23-10) caught 9-3 today, more than 5 pounds less than he weighed yesterday. He could have been mad about that, but he was mostly thankful that he got to fish at all. After a car accident last year, he has a damaged disc in his back and setting the hook yesterday he twisted awkwardly and tweaked it. “It felt like a knife in your back,” he said. “I couldn’t walk after dinner until the ibuprofen kicked in.” He went to bed thinking he’d be able to fish but woke up this morning in searing pain again. A hot shower loosened him up to fish and he made the most of the opportunity. “I shouldn’t feel like an 80-year-old man at 37,” he said. He likewise almost missed a day on the water a few years ago due to a kidney stone, but when he heard his roommates’ roommates’ trucks warming up in the morning, he got going. It’s a good reminder that this sport has no on-call trainers. No injured list. Either you fish, or you take a medical hardship for the rest of the season. “You can’t miss a day and make the Classic,” Benton said. “You can’t miss a day and be in contention for Angler of the Year.”
Ikeism of the Day – “Mixed media grass.”
Ups and Downs – Of our current Top 10, five caught more today than they did yesterday. Anglers one through five all went up, and six through 10 all went down. Ebare had the biggest jump, a delta of 4-14. Lowen dropped the most, with a difference of 7-4 from Day 1 to Day 2.
Wesley Gore — “Yesterday I noticed these fish don’t like the wind.”
Costanza-Speak – Today Pake South (ninth, 28-6) introduced us to the term “boat shrinkage” when a fish somehow shrunk between strike and landing: “14-and-a-half-incher and I thought it was a 3-pounder,” he said.
Barely Missed It – A total of 18 anglers missed the cut by 2 pounds or less, with six of them missing it by a pound or less. Brandon Lester was the first man outside, 4 ounces short. John Cox was 52nd, 9 ounces short of the cut, and he only had nine fish over the two days. He reported catching multiple line-burners or near line-burners, but after getting penalized for a short fish at Guntersville (and ending up with negative weight for the day) he decided not to take a risk.
Cliff Pace (21st, 26-2) – “We should only fish rivers. That’s my vote. Just pick nine of these.” Notably, his Classic win came on a lake.
Other Pakes — The most prominent person outside of bass world named Pake is Pake McEntire (born Del Stanley McEntire), an American country music artist, rodeo performer, and older brother of Reba McEntire.
The Joy of Ike – After a tough 2025 season, Mike Iaconelli (seventh, 28-12) reminded us today on Live of how much he changed the sport through an ability to openly emote and educate. “I’m not a shrink or a psychiatrist,” he said. “I’m from Philly. We don’t do that, but I probably should have went to one. I put a lot of unjust pressure on myself last year but knowing that this is my last year, I don’t want to feel that anymore. Letting go has felt amazing.” He’s a natural showman and said that the camera adds the right kind of pressure: “It pumps you up. You know fans are watching and they get to participate in your highs and lows throughout the day. I had both of those today. Growing up, we didn’t have LIVE, but I remember watching Denny Brauer and Tommy Biffle and other heroes of the sport, watching their cycle of the day. That’s why I got into the sport. I loved it.”
Bill Lowen (10th, 28-4) – “The whole key this week has been to wind that jig as slow as I can.”
Teen Spirit – Yesterday there were 27 bags over 13 pounds apiece. Today there were 24 more, including the two biggest bags of the event so far – 18-6 and 17-15. Both days had three limits of 17 pounds or more. Only six anglers have had 13 or more both days, and Gore is the only angler to top 14 each day. He had 16-8 yesterday and 17-15 today.
Shane LeHew (13th, 27-11) – “You can’t complain when you get to crack ‘em on a 7’3” heavy and 50 lb. braid.”
Double Doubles – Brandon Palaniuk (28th, 25-1) is the top-ranked angler who did not have at least 10 pounds each day. He fell 24 places from Day 1, with 8-2 today.
Boat Issues, Boat Solutions – At some point around midday, Bill Lowen’s bilge pump started running and wouldn’t kick off. It turned out he’d lost his drain plug to a grabby stump, and after searching the boat for another, realized that he didn’t have a spare – so he improvised with the float from a boat keychain. Fortunately, there was a boat ramp there so he poled down and got in the drink, choosing not to strip down because there were a few houses with a direct sightline. Installing it wasn’t a huge issue, but then he realized that it extended outward a bit too far and might be susceptible to another stump’s reach. It took longer to trim it down than it did to get it in.
Justin Atkins – “It got tougher than woodpecker lips on me for a long time today.”
Home Cooking – Both Mississippi residents in the field will fish tomorrow: Cliff Pace (21st, 26-2) and Brock Mosley (35th, 24-6). Former Columbus local Justin Atkins is in 12th with 27-12.
International Contingent – Kyoya Fujita, presumed to be exclusively a “scoper” by many fans, is the top-ranked international angler in this no-forward-facing sonar river event, in 27th with 25-8. Both Johnstons, Gussy and Carl Jocumsen will also compete tomorrow.
Forward-Thinking (not Forward-Facing) Ronnie Moore — “A lot of the local history, it doesn’t pay off yesterday. It pays off today or tomorrow.”
Columbus, Mississippi Unofficial Nickname — Possum Town
Caleb Sumrall (95th, 14-10) on the Upcoming Muskogee Event – “I promise you this. I’m not going to miss twice on rivers.”
Deserves an Invitation to Night of Champions – Jimmy the Lockmaster.
Steve Kennedy will be fishing tomorrow, and I will be writing, so neither of us will have a chance to say “I told you so” until the late afternoon. Still, it’s a wide-open ballgame, and while things may get tougher, this group always lights up the scales. Two more days.
