Elite Analysis – Day 3 Lake Guntersville

If your 2026 bingo card included “53-year-old throwing a minnow on a spinning rod in a non-FFS tournament,” you’re in luck.

Might as well buy a Powerball ticket, too.

That’s because Jamie Hartman, left for dead by some bass fishing fans, is atop the leaderboard at Guntersville. And he’s doing it with tackle that’s presumed to be only for scopers born after he’d turned 30.

But don’t think the 20-year-olds aren’t primed for action, too. Defying the internet’s nattering nabobs of negativism, Trey McKinney (10^th, 59-14), who will be of legal drinking age in less than three weeks, had 24 pounds, 4 ounces today, and didn’t need the latest in technology to do it.

So, check your expectations at the door. It’s mass hysteria, cats and dogs living together, and a banana in the tailpipe rolled into one. It’s why it’s far easier to report after the fact than to predict what’ll happen tomorrow. So, we’ll be back, watching and analyzing.

In the meantime, here’s what I saw, heard and thought as North Alabama warmed up and so did the bite:

Starting Off on the Right Foot – Anglers in the Top 10 this week who crashed and burned in 2025: Hank Cherry (6^th, 61-0), Matt Robertson (4^th, 63-9) and leader Jamie Hartman finished 80^th, 89^th and 91^st in the AOY race last year.

Twenties – Hartman and Wes Logan (second, 65-2) are the only two anglers who had 20 pounds plus each day. Justin Atkins (seventh, 60-15) missed making them a trio by 1 ounce today. The top seven anglers all had at least two days of 20 pounds or more. Two anglers who had two 20-plus days missed the cut: Hunter Shryock (11^th, 58-11) and Caleb Kuphall (17^th, 56-6).

Kiefer Sutherland Division – Three anglers had 24 pounds or more today: Dakota Ebare, Trey McKinney and Wes Logan. The strong days propelled Ebare and McKinney from 38^th and 42^nd, respectively, up into the Top 10. It’ll be Ebare’s first Elite Top 10. Last year his best finish was 16^th at Tenkiller, after he started the season with five straight missed cuts. We still haven’t had a 25-pound bag. No one will be surprised if we see one or more tomorrow, or even 30 pounds.

Ups and Downs – Wes Logan is the only member of the Top 10 whose weight has gone up every day. None of them have seen their weights go down every day, saved by the fact that Brandon Card (ninth, 60-6) had the same weight yesterday and today (19-4).

Davy Hite on Guntersville and last week’s icy weather – “As long as you can access this place you can catch fish.”

Consistency – Brandon Card is the only angler who has been in the Top 10 all three days. He’s also the sole survivor, the only member of Thursday’s top 10 who will compete tomorrow. He’s still looking for his first Elite Series win.

Cut Weight Math – Trey McKinney claimed 10^th place with 59-14, averaging just a touch under 20 pounds today. There were not a ton of anglers knocking at that door. Eleventh place finisher Hunter Shryock was over a pound behind, and 12^th and 13^th were more than 2 pounds back.

Hartman’s Lead – When Jamie Hartman won here in 2019, he was 46^th on Day 1, 17^th on Day 2, and came from 10^th place after Day 3 to win. He was 7 pounds 2 ounces behind the leader entering Sunday. Hartman caught 14-13, 20-10, 20-4 and 23-15.

Logan’s Second Chance – When Frank Talley won the Fall 2020 Elite here at Guntersville, Wes Logan thought it was going to be a chance for him to gather some hardware. After landing in 21^st on Day 1 with 14-4, he had a day’s best 18-10 on Day 2 and jumped to 2^nd. Then he took the lead on Day 3 before stumbling on the last day and falling to fourth.

Now he wants revenge. He said he might’ve had more weight today, but boat traffic limited his ability to maximize his area. He didn’t blame the locals who shared his area, as many as 15 boats full of them at a time. “It’s Guntersville, so it is what it is,” he said. They were courteous, but he simply couldn’t let his best stretches rest long enough to reload.

Blaylock Comes Back – After qualifying for six straight Bassmaster Classics, Stetson Blaylock (third, 64-5) finished 61^st in the AOY race last year and will sit out this year’s event in Knoxville. It was an odd season, with a few big ups and some serious downs. The former were Top 10 finishes at the Sabine and the Upper Mississippi, but he suffered through twin 100^th place finishes at the St. Johns River and Lake Fork. He went on an incredible tear this morning, amassing an estimated 19 pounds before some of his fellow competitors had fully defrosted. He eventually culled up to over 22 pounds with his Yum Money Minnow.

This is clearly a much better way to start the year and his campaign not to miss another Classic.

Limits Today — 40/50.

Wes Logan – “We may not catch many, but they’re going to be good ones,” he said after catching a 6-pounder fairly early. He’d lost a comparable fish on his first cast, which in some quarters is considered bad luck.

Merch Drop – Surge Squad shirts.

Drew Cook (20^th, 56-1) — “It’s such a grind, but it’s such a fun grind.”

Haters Step Back – So much for “Trey McKinney can’t catch ‘em without his FFS.” The young phenom, who finished second in the AOY race twice in two years on tour, hasn’t missed a step. He started today in 42^nd place and ended it in 10^th. Asked about the perception that he couldn’t catch fish without a forward-facing sonar crutch, he remained restrained and talked about how much he enjoys traditional power fishing, but he did admit that there was pressure to perform when he was expected to fail.

Taku the Luddite – “I don’t think I need a fish finder anymore….Now I’m the Japanese John Cox Taku.” The fan favorite caught most of his fish this week on a Nories Hula Chat, a JDM bladed jig, with a 7-inch trailer and finished 24^th with 54-10.

Just a Bit Outside – The first five anglers outside of the cut to Sunday were Hunter Shryock, Nick Trim, Cory Johnston, Brandon Lester and Drew Benton. It’s probably at best a small consolation, but they’ll have Sunday free to start getting ready for Lake Martin down the road. That may include adding spinning rods to their arsenal and firing up the old FFS.

Cory Johnston (13^th, 57-4) – “I had one good spot. I caught three or four real big ones there the first day but I haven’t caught one on it since then.”

Ebare’s Strong Start – Dakota Ebare’s Elite Series career started with five straight missed cuts last year, including three tournaments where he finished in the fifties. It seemed like on several occasions he was in position to make a cut and then bombed when push came to shove. He started 2026 with a far different approach – leaping from 43^rd after Day 2 to eighth.

Swindle’s Old School Cranking Reference – David Fritts and a Poe’s 300

New Lures You Need to Buy – Amidst the legions of lipless crankbaits we saw this week, two new ones showed up often in the Bassmaster Galleries and on anglers’ lips: The Rapala Snare and the Berkley Jack.

Dave Mercer Switched From Trousers to Shorts – “This will be a quick weigh-in because I just realized I underdressed for today.” Fellow Canadian Jeff Gustafson was nonplussed by the weather: “I’m from Canada. I think this is nothing. I hope it stays cold next week, too,” he said.

Too Early for an AOY Comeback? – Anglers who I presume will be in the AOY race at season’s end who dug a hole for themselves by missing the cut: Brandon Palaniuk (53^rd), Patrick Walters (55^th), Kyoya Fujita (69^th), Tucker Smith (78^th), Jordan Lee (83^rd).

Everyone who’s still fishing has a chance to win. Roll Tide. War Eagle. Try the veal and tip your waitress. It’s going to go down to the wire.