Elite

Big bass of Pasquotank River 2026

Jason Christie corrals Pasquo-tanks to climb up all-time victory list.

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Captions by
Mike Suchan
While there were no 10-pounders or Century Club belts during last week’s Maxam Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound, it was still a big bass beatdown. In the forward-facing sonar event, Oklahoma’s Jason Christie caught the second heaviest fish and had the best average in winning his 10th B.A.S.S. tournament and second of 2026. Take a look at the catches that made a difference.
Matt Robertson kicks off the big hit parade with an 8-pound, 5-ounce fish. The problem was the Kentucky angler only managed two others on Day 1 and stood 37th with 13-2. He ended the event in 36th. That did move him up to 24th in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, in good shape to make the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
Oklahoma’s Luke Palmer landed the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of Day 1, an 8-14 that earned him a $1,000 bonus. He too only had three and stood just inside the cut then fell to 81st when he only brought in two bass. On Day 1, 62 of the 98 anglers caught limits, with the average fish weighing just under 3-0.
Kyle Patrick provided plenty of entertainment for Bassmaster LIVE viewers on Day 1, including a late 8-0 that gave him 22-7 to start in seventh. He added 16 pounds each of the next three days to finish ninth. Earning 93 points, Patrick moved up 10 spots to 70th in AOY with 316 points. He will need two great finishes in his home state of New York to reach the projected Classic cut of 44th. The estimate to gain is 484 points.
Cody Huff of Ava, Mo., had a 7-0 in his 23-1, one of 11 bags topping 20 pounds on Day 1. Despite 17-9 on Day 2, Huff moved up two spots to fourth in what has been a disappointing season so far.
Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat was more consistent in his 23-6, the fifth best on Day 1. He went on to total 55-0 and finish 12th, which continued his climb into the AOY Top 10. He currently stands eighth, 60 points back of the lead. In his previous four Elite seasons, Przekurat has finished fourth, seventh, sixth and 10th.
Arkansas’ Stetson Blaylock shows off a pair of 6-plus pounders that helped him weigh 23-8 and start in fourth. On Day 2, Blaylock added 18-12 to total 42-4, good for the lead but only by 4 ounces.
Justin Hamner was back hammering bigs that gave him the third-place weight of 24-0. However, the Alabama pro couldn’t muster limits the next two rounds and fell to 31st. He did climb to 49th in AOY as the 2024 Classic champ seeks a fifth championship appearance.
Christie, who won in March on the Tombigbee River, started off in second with 24-1, bolstered by an 8-9 and another approaching 8. Getting few bites after his lengthy runs to the Chowan River, Christie slipped to sixth on Day 2 with four for 15-8.
Chris Zaldain was throwing a big swimbait around bridges in the Pasquotank River to great success. With a pair of 6-pounders, the Texas pro led after Day 1 with 25-8. After 15-2 dropped him to third, Zaldain added 20-1 then 16-14 to finish seventh. That improved his AOY standing 17 spots to 53rd as he vies for his 10th Classic berth.
John Crews, a day after his 48th birthday, needed one more to grow on. He caught a late 8-4 but only had four fish in Day 2’s 15-13. He wound up 53rd, just 12 ounces from making Semifinal Saturday.
Brandon Lester, who finished second here last year, recovered from a subpar Day 1. With 24-1, he climbed 41 spots to 19th then ended up 26th. The Tennessee pro moved up seven spots to 40th in AOY as he seeks an 11th Classic appearance.
Jordan Lee, a two-time Classic champion, was 78th after Day 1, but behind this 8-4 weighed 24-10 to improve 57 places. Just two fish on Day 3 knocked him back to 43rd, and he dropped four spots to 16th in AOY, still in great shape to make his eighth Classic.
Mississippi’s Cliff Pace took Day 2’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass bonus with this 8-9, helping him weigh 19-6 and climb 26 spots to 40th.
After 19-6, Hunter Shyrock of Ooltewah, Tenn., added 20-9 to stand fifth. He made Championship Sunday with 16-8, although he was 10 pounds behind the leader. There were another 11 bags topping 20 pounds on Day 2, when 76 caught limits and the average fish was a skoosh above 3-0.
On moving day, rookie Fisher Anaya made a big one. Starting 68th, Anaya scoped up enough bigs to weigh 26-9 and catapult to 12th. The pro from Eva, Ala., who won in his second Elite entry in February on Lake Martin, added 26-12 on Semifinal Saturday to start Day 4 in fourth place, 3-11 off the lead.
The biggest mover was JT Thompkins. The South Carolinian busted the day’s best of 27-8, rising to 24th after starting 91st. Thompkins added 21-2 on Day 3 to finish 16th. He rose 13 places to 38th in AOY as he pursues a fourth Classic bid and his third in a row since taking the 2023 Elite Qualifier AOY title.
Trey McKinney, who also qualified to the Elites in 2024, came to the Pasquotank second in AOY points to Cory Johnston, whose brother Chris edged McKinney for AOY the past two seasons. After Day 1, Cole Sands held a 10-point lead in AOY, but with 21-5, McKinney rallied from 34th to 17th to regain the top spot.
Pace, of Ovett, Miss., found his rhythm and had another great day, weighing 24-0 to take 18th. Pace moved 17 places in AOY to 42nd, where he’s in line for a ninth Classic.
South Carolina’s Bryan New was in jeopardy of missing the Top 50 cut but caught 19-5 then 19-7, aided by this 8-13, to finish 21st. New remains alive for his fifth Classic at 54th in points, but he’ll need two good outings on the Northern Swing to Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River in August.
After two for 12-2 put Pake South 48th, the Elite rookie got in a groove. The Texan, who’s won two Opens this year, made the cut with 15-12 then added 24-2 to finish 19th. South moved north eight spots to 36th in AOY with hopes of making his first Classic.
Pat Schlapper of Eleva, Wis., also got healthy for a sixth Classic by finishing 13th. He opened outside the cut then weighed 23-12 and 19-4, including a 7-pounder. While winning twice last year and double qualifying for the Classic, Schlapper was on the bubble at 43rd but moved well inside the cut to 31st in points.
Tyler Williams, who moved from Maine to Missouri, was steady Eddie all the way to Championship Sunday. After 16-9, he posted 19-pound days in the middle rounds and finished 10th. Adding 92 points improved his AOY standing 12 places to 28th.
Alabama’s Wesley Gore was also consistent in making the final round. He started ninth with 21-15, moved to second with 20-1 then suffered his worst day with 15-14, although this 7-pounder helped him advance. Gore, who took fifth on the Tombigbee but had three finishes 70th or worse, finished eighth and breathed some life into his Classic aspirations, moving 15 spots to 59th.
Kyle Welcher, who set the record margin of victory (45-7) in winning here last year with 118-12, nearly matched his weight from the first two days with Day 3’s 27-10. The 2023 AOY finished 14th and moved into the Top 10 in points at ninth. On Day 3, 39 limits were caught, including 12 over 30 pounds, and the average fish rose half a pound to 3-8.
McKinney brought in 19-12 on Day 3 to finish 11th, just 5 ounces from making Sunday. With Sands dropping to 23rd and Cory Johnston 47th, McKinney left the Pasquotank atop the AOY leaderboard with 554 points. Johnston is second with 538 and Sands is fourth with 533.
Despite a 7-8 helping Blaylock weigh 20-4, the Arkansas pro dropped to fifth, 3-15 from the lead heading into Championship Sunday. Blaylock only managed four on Day 4 for 17-0 to finish sixth. His bid for a seventh Classic seems secure as he improved 14 places to 14th in points.
Huff added 22-15 on Semifinal Saturday and stood third with a legitimate chance to win, entering the final round 2-14 from the lead. Huff added 21-7 on Sunday to take fourth with 85-0. Improving 16 spots to 57th in AOY, Huff needs a strong finish to salvage the season with a fifth Classic berth.
Georgia’s Drew Cook lurked with 19-11 in each of the first two rounds then found a mess of 5- to 6-pounders in his 25-14 limit that put him second. He went into his second consecutive Championship Sunday just 2-4 back of the lead. His lowest day of 17-0 left him fifth, but he moved up four notches to third in AOY with 537 points, 17 points off the lead.
Christie recovered from Day 2’s slip with the second-best limit on Day 3 at 26-14. The active wins leader at B.A.S.S. took the event lead as well as the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass with this 9-7.
Anaya stole that away on Championship Sunday. His 9-9 took the daily and overall Phoenix Boats Big Bass bonuses of $3,000 total and helped the 20-year-old weigh 24-5. Last year’s EQ AOY who also won the Team Classic Fish-Off, couldn’t overtake the lead, finishing second with 87-1. Anaya came into the Pasquotank 58 points behind Caleb Hudson in the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race, but combined with Hudson’s 52nd, cut his deficit to eight.
Shryock made a great run on Sunday, pulling three big bass from one brushpile just minutes apart. In one of the most emotionally stirring catches on LIVE, Shryock, who had just landed a 7-8, added an 8-6 that gave him the Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag of the Pasquotank. His 30-3 helped him finish third, which jumped him 14 spots to 20th in AOY.
It was Christie, however, who would steal the show. Although only getting six or seven bites, he landed a 7-11 and another comparable to weigh 26-0 and win with 92-7. On Day 4, the average fish rose to 4-0. Christie, whose 19 bass averaged 4-14, joined a select group of anglers with 10 or more Bassmaster victories.
Christie moved up to seventh on the all-time win list, pulling away from a tie with Shaw Grigsby and Aaron Martens. The top six B.A.S.S. winners are: Kevin VanDam 25; Roland Martin 19; Denny Brauer 17; Rick Clunn 16; Larry Nixon 15; and Edwin Evers 11. Christie, who also won 10 FLW events, reached double digits wins in 139 Bassmaster events, less than half the entries of most ahead of him.

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