Fantasy Fishing: Changes aplenty to begin 2026 Elite Season

Written by

Kyle Jessie

Arkansas

The 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season is right around the corner, so that mean it’s time to get back in the mindset of making your picks for Rapala Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing, Falcon Rods Bassmaster Drain the Lake Challenge and T-H Marine Bassmaster Pick ‘Em Challenge. This year, the beginning of the Elite Series season comes with some changes. For the first time since 2018, the season is kicking off in the state of Alabama rather than Florida, or Louisiana like 2024.

Even more notably is the change of rules as it pertains to the usage of forward-facing sonar. The decision was made to only let the Elite anglers use forward-facing sonar in a limited number of events. These specific events were based on a random coin flip back in September. Click here to see the results for which events will feature forward-facing sonar and which events will not. This will be important information when it comes to making your Fantasy Fishing picks for this season!

The season opener at Lake Guntersville will be a no FFS tournament, which will certainly make things interesting. The north Alabama fishery has been putting out incredible weights in tournaments over the last few years, but a lot of the damage has been done using live sonar. Without it, it’s safe to assume that we might see more anglers capitalize on the traditional grass bite with baits like a lipless crankbait, vibrating jig and a jerkbait in addition to offshore fishing on roadbeds and other hot spots.

I’m not exactly sure how the event will play out given the extreme cold temperatures that are predicted the week prior to the event, but I do know one thing – I am absolutely pumped that the Bassmaster Elite Series is back!

BUCKET A: FEIDER

As always, Bucket A is full of great choices, especially with a couple of locals in Jordan Lee and Tucker Smith that are taking up over 50% of the player percentage in the Bucket. However, I’m going with a lower percentage pick in Seth Feider who has a history of success at Lake Guntersville. The Minnesota pro is going to be a player when submerged grass is in the equation, and Guntersville has plenty of it. Look for Feider to start the season off with a statement.

Solid secondary selection: Tucker Smith flat out catches them everywhere, but he’s a different animal on Lake Guntersville. The pressure will absolutely be on him as one of the favorites, but he’s already proven that he doesn’t need FFS to catch them out there and I don’t see that changing this time around.

BUCKET B: FOTHERGILL

For the most part, I’m not buying into the idea that “the young guys can’t catch them without forward-facing sonar”. I’ve had the pleasure of covering Easton Fothergill through his time on the Strike King Bassmaster College Series and watched him catch them plenty without FFS. I still expect him to be the Easton Fotherill that we saw all of 2025. Hopefully his Elite Series season will get off to a better start in 2026 than it did in 2025.

Solid secondary selection: Bucket B is loaded with great options, but don’t overlook Wes Logan. In two Elite Series events at Lake Guntersville, Logan has a 4th and a 2nd place finish on his resume. I realize those were different times of the year, but it’s not a reach to say he’s comfortable on this pond.

BUCKET C: GARRETT

John Garrett came out of the gates hot in 2025 but faded down the stretch and eventually missed qualifying for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic. I expect that to motivate the Tennessee pro to start fast in 2026 and stay steady through the rest of the season. Garrett should feel right at home on the Tennessee River and should know the right moves to make regardless of what crazy weather comes his way.

Solid secondary selection: If you don’t mind the high player percentage, Justin Hamner seems to be a safe bet in Bucket C. It’s no secret that Hamner is an expert jerkbait fisherman, and the jerkbait has played big in past Guntersville events early in the year, including Hank Cherry’s 2020 Bassmaster Classic victory.

BUCKET D: BROWNING

Beau Browning is one of the best Chatterbait fisherman on earth as far as I’m concerned, which gives me extreme confidence that he will find a way to make that work. Even if the weather gets so cold that the vibrating jig bite is affected, the fact that he spent a good bit of time there in pre-practice should serve him well.

Solid secondary selection: The more I look over Bucket D, the more I realize it is loaded with anglers that could easily win this event, but I’ll focus in on both hometown heroes – Gerald Swindle and Randy Howell.

BUCKET E: ZALDAIN

Chris Zaldain should be extremely motivated in 2026 after a less than stellar season in 2025. Additionally, Zaldain has a great track record at Lake Guntersville. This famed body of water allows him to fish to his strengths.

Solid secondary selection: Matt Robertson has some solid tournament results on Lake Guntersville, but ultimately this pick is based on his Tennessee River roots.