PORT ARANSAS, Texas — The playing field is vast and Capt. Travis Land expects to see competitors reaching beyond the norm when the 2026 edition of the Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter returns to Port Aransas, Texas.
Competition days will be Nov. 6-8 with daily takeoffs from Fisherman’s Wharf at 7 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at the wharf at 3 p.m. With a catch-weigh-release format, each team will be allowed to bring in two redfish per day within the 20- to 28-inch Texas slot limit.
Land and his partner Nicky Savoie finished third in the inaugural Redfish Cup Championship, held in early November 2021 at Port Aransas. This is the fourth year that “Port A” has hosted the event and, as Land points out, coastal composition favors a fish-rich region.
“This is a great fishery because of its proximity to three different Gulf outlets — Port O’Connor (north), the one right there at Port Aransas, and the one to the south, Port Mansfield,” Land said. “That offers easy corridors to our estuaries, with easy access to the Gulf.”
Tournament boundaries start at the Port O’Connor Jetties and extend down to South Bird Island Basin in the sprawling Laguna Madre. Within this vast area, anglers find a diverse array of habitat features from oyster bars and mangrove edges, to Gulf jetties and expansive grass flats.
Past events at Port-A have seen most of the field focusing on various parts of the Laguna Madre, but while Land is confident that region will again play a significant role, he’s also looking for other areas to shine.
“I think most guys will go south just because of what they’ve seen historically, but that area north of Port Aransas toward Port O’Connor is a very good place to fish when it gets right,” Land said. “That area could come into play this year.”
As Land explained, the region around Port Aransas and northward presents what he considers optimal habitat for growing big, chunky redfish. While classified as a saltwater species, redfish also thrive in brackish zones, so this area’s influx of freshwater creates diverse feeding opportunities.
“We have the Guadalupe River Delta (flowing into San Antonio Bay), which is our biggest freshwater influx north of Port Aransas and then the Nueces River flows into Nueces Bay right before Corpus Cristi Bay (just below Port Aransas),” Land said. “Those freshwater influxes are very important to those bay systems, especially for producing fat redfish.
“Brackish water redfish always seem to be bigger no matter where you go. They have their regular saltwater forage of crabs, shrimp, mullet and menhaden, plus freshwater shiners and bluegill. It’s where everything comes together.”
Tournament format will allow each two-person team to weigh two redfish between 20 and 28 inches daily. The team with the heaviest cumulative three-day weight will earn the top prize of $75,000.
The 10-boat field includes six championship caliber redfish teams and four hybrid teams, which will pair a redfish pro with a Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series angler. Representing the Elites are Easton Fothergill, Justin Atkins, Brandon Palaniuk and Justin Hamner.
The 2026 Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter field includes:
Ryan Rickard & Justin Atkins
Robbie Hunziker & Brandon Palaniuk
Clark Jordan & Easton Fothergill
David Christian & Justin Hamner
Fred Myers & Carter Myers
Mike Laur & Jesse Craddock
Tony Vercillo & Darren Frost
Recie Tisdale & Jeremy Reeves
Bo Farve & Mark Robinson
Chris Smith & Mark Trevino
Fothergill experienced his first taste of redfishing during last year’s event, when he and Texas pro Clark Jordan Jr. finished second. Fothergill said he enjoyed expanding his fishing base and looks forward to another round of redfish action.
“It was a great experience; that was my first time fishing for redfish and I had a blast,” Fothergill said. “I think it’s super beneficial to chase other species because it opens your mind and helps you make decisions faster.”
While Fothergill quickly realized a major difference between bass and redfish, he also learned an encouraging similarity.
“It was very much like bass fishing, as you pattern the fish, but with a saltwater twist,” he said. “Last year, Clark told me that it’s more seasonal movements than day-to-day movements.
“There were some differences between bass fishing and redfishing, but excited to learn more about it. When you find them on a certain piece of structure, you can go find them elsewhere doing the same thing.”
Fothergill said he expects to see anglers throwing a lot of jig heads with paddletail swimbaits, as well as popping cork rigs. Other likely options include weedless spoons, topwaters and shrimp imitators.
A major element of successful tournament strategy will involve targeting the larger redfish that measure right at the 28-inch mark. These “high slot” fish typically weigh around 7 1/2 to 7 3/4 pounds in purely saltwater areas, but brackish waters could produce even heavier slot fish.
Last year’s Port Aransas champions, Tony Vercillo and Darren Frost, turned in daily two-fish limits of 15 pounds, 6 ounces, 13-5 and 12-6 for a winning total of 41-1. Notably, Fothergill and Jordan led the first two days with huge limits of 17-3 and 16-8. The final day produced another 8-pounder, but it measured just over the 28-inch maximum, so it did not count.
Contemplating a potential winning weight, Land said that will depend on where anglers catch their fish. Jumbo reds definitely frequent the Laguna Madre, but with Texas receiving a lot of rain this year, Land believes an impressive three-day total could come from one of the major estuaries.
“Knowing the conditions, it would not surprise me to see a couple of limits of all 8-pounders,” Land said.
Fothergill said he left Port Aransas throughly impressed with the area’s potential. This year, he’s looking forward to picking up where he left off.
“The fishery was amazing; tons of fish and when you’re around them, you’re absolutely covered in them,” Fothergill said. “Overall, Port Aransas is just a giant fishing town. You saw fishing boats everywhere, people fishing from shore.
“It was cool to be part of that big fishing community and I’m super excited to get back there.”
All of the action can be found live on Bassmaster.com.
This event is being hosted by Port Aransas Fisherman’s Wharf.
