The dust has settled on a colossally entertaining Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series finale at the St. Lawrence River. Of course, Trey McKinney’s Bassmaster Angler of the Year title has garnered much of the attention over the past weeks, but there’s plenty to analyze as we head into the offseason and the Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers.
What are the burning questions heading into 2027? Here’s a look at some of the early storylines for next season.
Does McKinney tighten his hold on the Elite Series?
If not for a couple of rookie mistakes in 2024 and one terrible tournament in 2025, McKinney would have hoisted his third AOY trophy this year. Now that he has won it, is there anyone who can stop him from winning it again in 2027? Of course, like any sport, bass fishing cannot be gambled on with 100% accuracy, but McKinney has been a sure bet all three seasons as a professional. Is this the start of a VanDam-esque run?
Of course, the Johnstons will have something to say about that. Chris took the title in 2024 and 2025, while Cory pushed McKinney to the brink this year. Cory will be on a mission to claim the title he came so close to capturing in 2026.
Then there’s Patrick Walters, Jay Przekurat and Drew Cook. All three are seemingly in contention for Angler of the Year every year but haven’t been able to seal the deal. After an up-and-down 2026, could Easton Fothergill or Dakota Ebare rise to the top of the rankings?
A very important year for the 2026 Rookie Class and returners
If you ask anyone in the 2026 Bassmaster Rookie of the Year class not named Caleb Hudson and Fisher Anaya, they would likely describe it as a subpar first year. The standings bear that out. Of the 11 newcomers/returners, only three made the Bassmaster Classic while seven finished 60th or worse in Angler of the Year.
Nick Trim, Austin Cranford, Matt Messer and Aaron Jagdfeld finished below 80th.
In terms of career average and Elite Series requalification, this puts many of them in a precarious position if they can’t rebound and finish above 70th in points in 2027. After an incredible EQ run in 2025, longtime pro Russ Lane struggled mightily in 2026. His Elite Series average did not reset upon his requalification, and he will need to finish above the cutline to avoid relegation.
Even if they finish above 70th, this group will want to finish as high as they possibly can to improve career averages.
The 2027 schedule
After a quick look at the schedule, anglers who love to live shallow should thrive in 2027, especially if the Florida swing isn’t marred by cold fronts and bad weather. Three true rivers and the Florida swing should have powerfishing grinders champing at the bit. While Lake Fork and Lake Seminole have lots of offshore options, there will be opportunities to excel up shallow too.
Santee Cooper Lakes will be a real wild card where offshore and shallow strategies could play, especially if forward-facing sonar is in play. In 2026, a large population of largemouth was still spawning in mid-May. A warmer spring in 2027 will have the spawn wrapped up sooner. Offshore grass and brushpiles may have even more of an impact this upcoming year, while a sneaky ledge bite could reveal itself.
However, you can never ignore cypress trees on Santee Cooper.
Way too early favorites for the Classic
When Jason Christie won at the Pasquotank River, he said the Lake Hartwell Classic wouldn’t feel right without him there. Well, he punched his ticket officially at season’s end, and that is a scary proposition for the rest of the field.
Right now, Christie is tops the list of favorites for the Hartwell Classic. He won in 2022 at the upstate reservoir, finished seventh in an Open in 2020 on his way to requalifying for the Elite Series. He also finished third in the 2018 Classic at Hartwell
McKinney has finished second in the Classic two years in a row. He ended his bridesmaid streak in AOY; can he also do it in the 2027 Classic? He has only fished one event at Hartwell, but it was an 11th-place finish in the 2025 Elite. He also has two Top 10s at Lake Murray, which sets up similarly.
South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb will be coming off a fourth-place finish in AOY and will certainly be looking to redeem his 34th-place finish in the 2022 Classic. Patrick Walters won the aforementioned 2020 Hartwell Open, and herring fisheries seem to fit his style. His Classic finishes have been up and down, but he finished 12th in 2022 and will be dangerous in this one.
Then there are three Surge Squad members — Paul Marks, Emil Wagner and Tucker Smith — who seemingly are always in contention when blueback herring enter the equation.
If an extra warm spring triggers an early spawn, Drew Cook will be dangerous as well. Other South Carolinians and Georgians currently qualified for the Classic include: Caleb Hudson; JT Thompkins; and Shane LeHew.
Sneaky picks: Kyle Welcher, Cody Meyer, Bryant Smith, Tyler Williams, Cody Stahl (Opens).
Household names who will be at the Classic Expo (at least before the EQs)
- Brandon Palaniuk
- Greg Hackney
- Justin Hamner
- Taku Ito
- Scott Canterbury
- Matt Arey (medical exemption)
- Steve Kennedy
- Gerald Swindle
- Randy Howell
- John Crews
EQ anglers to watch
- Dylan Nutt
- Connor Jacob
- Cody Stahl
- Dillon Falardeau
- Ryan Lachniet
- Fred Roumbanis
- Brody Robison
- Bailey Gay
- Trey Schroeder
- Jeremy Lawyer
- Jeremiah Kindy
