Day 4: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
2:35 p.m. — Things are getting really interesting with less than 30 minutes of fishing remaining. Jason Christie still shows in the lead on BASSTrakk, but Dakota Ebare just filled his limit and moved into the unofficial second-place spot after locking back into the Columbus pool. BASSTrakk shows the margin between first and second is just 11 ounces.
And don't forget about Seth Feider, who is barely more than 1 pound out of the lead.
2:02 p.m. — Seth Feider needs a 3- or 4-pounder to feel comfortable, so his latest catch doesn’t provide much certainty, but it does help him cull up by a few ounces. Anglers’ estimating (and potentially sandbagging) abilities may play a role our understanding of today’s outcome.
1:59 p.m. — Dakota Ebare has to get back, but he had a few minutes outside the lock before it closed for good. That was enough time for fish number four. Too little too late?
1:52 p.m. — Iaconelli has five. They’re not big, but you would’ve thought the last one had clinched a Bassmaster Classic. He pleaded with the fish gods to let it measure, and when it did he truly went Ike.
1:47 p.m. — For all of the success he’s had in his career, it’s hard to believe that Seth Feider has yet to win a regular season Elite Series blue trophy. Will today be the day? Check out Chase Sansom’s gallery of the Llama’s effort to fill that spot on the mantel.
1:43 p.m. — Jason Christie is trying to close out another Bassmaster win. Check out Shane Durrance’s gallery of his final push.
1:30 p.m. — Jason Christie just gave himself a little extra padding by landing a 2-pounder that allowed him to cull out a 1-4. However, it's still not a lock, as Seth Feider and Wesley Gore have a lot of room to grow by simply filling their limits.
1:18 p.m. — Championship Sunday weigh-in promises to be exciting: Jason Christie just took back the lead from Seth Feider after catching a 2-pounder.
The reality is that several anglers still have a chance at nabbing the win. For instance, Seth Feider and Dakota Ebare are sitting in second and third, respectively, on BASSTrakk and neither has a limit. So they have a lot of room to grow their bags if they can limit out.
So with less than 2 hours of fishing remaining, things could really get interesting if an afternoon bite materializes.
1:15 p.m. — It’s been a trying day for Jordan Lee who currently is sitting on three fish, according to Bassmaster photographer Solomon Glenn. "Unfortunately, it’s been one of those days where he should have had a decent bag, but he couldn’t get them to the boat," Glenn reported.
Lee is also tired of jumping stumps.
“I can’t remember a place worse than this for stumps,” Lee told Glenn.
1:08 p.m. — Seth Feider just landed his fourth fish, a 2-pounder that pushed him into the unofficial lead on BASSTrakk. And the catch had him pumped up.
"Let's go catch a 5-pounder now," Feider said after boxing the bass.
12:45 p.m. — With a little over 2 hours before check-in, four anglers are unofficially within 2-10 of the lead, and there of those anglers don’t have a limit. Even the 10th place angler is just about 12 pounds back – and he has empty livewells. At least in theory, everyone is still in it. They all likely think they’ve blown it, but realistically that’s not the case if you look at the numbers.
12:35 p.m. — John Garrett, who entered the day leading the AOY race, may improve his position today, even if he doesn’t win. Per BassTrakk, he’s the only angler in double digits so far today and sits in 3rd place. That’s a three-point gain over 6th, where he started the day.
12:32 p.m. — Dakota Ebare just unofficially moved into second place, a little more than a pound behind Christie, with his third keeper. He still has two more spaces in his livewell, but he’s working against the clock. He’ll need to lock back through, so he has about an hour of fishing time left.
12:26 p.m. — Jason Christie hasn’t added a fish to the livewell since 9:24 am. He has to assume that he’s been passed by at least one member of the field. He hasn’t – yet. He's been outside of his key area for an hour without a bite, and is giving it another 100 yards. If he doesn't get a a bite in that stretch, he's pushing all of his chips to the center of the table on his starting area.
12:18 p.m. — Photographer Shane Durrance reports that Tucker Smith only has four fish. He’s struggling to complete his limit, plagued by a relentless string of short fish.
12:02 p.m. — This week’s Bassmaster event on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is a dream come true for Columbus, Mississippi, native Justin Atkins. You see, Atkins grew up fishing the river with his dad — and 23 years ago it was an experience on the Tenn-Tom that sparked the fire leading to his Elite career.
“I was 13 years old, and they were have a Bassmaster Open,” he explained. “We were at Luxapilila, and (his dad) asked if i would want to watch the boats coming out of the locks.”
What teenager would pass up an opportunity like that? So they were soon waiting for the flotilla of anglers to exit the lock.
“I just remember sitting out there on the point and seeing them coming out of the lock,” Atkins said. “It was an absolute freeforall coming out the locks.”
And at the head of that pack was Kevin Short in a camo-wrapped 520 VX Ranger.
“That was the beginning of the boats getting wrapped, and I just though, 'That is the coolest freakin’ person on the whole planet,’” Atkins recalled. “I just remember he had an aura over him going down the lake. I just remember thinking, ‘That’s what I’d love to do.’”
Short went on to win the event, and Atkins made sure he was at the weigh-in to get a picture of himself on the pro’s boat.
“He was the first guy to conquer the river, and he did it in a way that I didn’t know anything about,” Atkins said. “It blew my mind.”
From that moment on, Atkins set his full focus on becoming a professional bass fishing, and he reached the pinnacle of a the sport by qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2021.
And he received a note from Short this week.
“I thought that was really cool that he had the awareness,” Atkins said. “That was meaningful to me. For him to reach out, that was cool. I’ve always looked up to him.”
11:55 a.m. — Gore is up to three fish, slowly pecking away at Christie’s lead.
11:22 a.m. — Dakota Ebare, who so far has the big bag of the week, also appears to have the big fish of the day, a late-morning 4-10 that puts him less than 4 pounds behind leader Jason Christie – and Ebare still has three spots to fill in his livewell while Christie will have to cull.
11:15 a.m. — Christie has decided to make a move, tired of an inability to upgrade. He fully expects to come back around 1pm, when things may have settled, but after “a million circles in here, it’s time to change.”
11:12 a.m. — Ike and his flame shoes aren’t done yet. He just landed another solid keeper on his vibrating jig, not enough to take the lead, but enough to make his voice crack. He’s clearly excited and makes the show exceptional. There will never be another pro so able to entertain and educate.
11:00 a.m. — Breaking down the BassTrakk data, 11am-1pm has been the best two-hour window for 3-pound-plus fish so far this week. Lots of fishing left to go, perhaps some scoreboard shuffling, too.
10:30 a.m. — After three and a half hour of fishing, a mere 22 bass are safely ensconced inside our 10 livewells – well, 9 actually, as Mark Menendez has yet to land a scoreable bass. Jason Christie is the only one with five keepers, but he may have to cull all or most of them in order to seal the deal.
10:10 a.m. — Jason Christie: “I probably just need one good bite to lock me in.”
9:50 a.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn reports that Dakota Ebare is running through his milk run of cypress stretches as he has in days past. Ebare said that it’s all a timing deal and that he just needs to be at the right place at the right time.
9:46 a.m. — Wesley Gore is on the board with a 2 ½ pound fish using his bright chartreuse swim jig. That mean everyone is off of zero except Mark Menendez, who just released a bass that barely missed measuring.
9:42 a.m. — Cole Sands has not only changed his hat, he’s changed his tactics. On a week full of classic power fishing techniques, he’s pulled out a spinning rod and it’s paying off with a couple of critical keepers.
9:30 a.m. — Through two and a half hours of fishing, our field of 10 anglers has put 15 legal bass in the livewell. Of course, some of them are running, so the number may be deceptive, but it’s tough out there. Feider left the area he was sharing with Christie – with the intent to return later – and the move seems to have paid off. He quickly missed two fish and then caught a keeper.
9:22 a.m. — Dakota Ebare became the 8th member of the top ten to land a keeper – with the holdouts being Wesley Gore and Mark Menendez. Ebare’s first fish came on a spinnerbait, albeit one with willowleaf blades unlike Christie’s Colorado favorite.
9:05 a.m. — Tucker Smith started the day over 5 pounds back, but he might be the angler with the best chance to beat the Day 3 leader. He just caught his second quality keeper – like the first one it had his swim jig “in the crushers.”
9:02 a.m. — Photographer Shane Durrance reports that Christie’s fourth keeper of the day put him an estimated 6 pounds and 11 ounces in the lead. He is still throwing the half ounce spinner bait with a gold blade and using that as his primary lure. As of now, Christie has the entire bay to himself.
9:00 a.m. — Feider is finally on the board after two hours. It’s not a giant, but he likely knows that Christie has more than that so it has to be a huge mental boost.
8:45 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom reports that the backwater Christie and Feider are sharing has seen major swings in water temps.
“Seth told me yesterday when he first got here in the morning the temperature was 57 and by the end of the day yesterday it was 68,” Sansom said. “This morning it’s not nearly as cold but the temperature yet again dropped. I do believe Seth is about to make a move out of this backwater shortly according to what his camera guy Mitch is telling me. He knows he’s got ground to make up and so he’s going to swap the game plan this morning for a bit. He’ll return when the water warms up.”
8:41 a.m. — Sophomore pro Tucker Smith has landed the first quality fish of the day after just a handful of bare keepers from the entire field. The past Elite winner might be considered a “scoper” by the uninformed, but he won a major non-scope tournament last fall at Guntersville and is getting the job done once again this week.
8:38 a.m. — Photographer Dalton Tumblin reports that Wesley Gore is sticking to his main starting area but isn’t spending too much time in on particular spot before bouncing around to the next one. He’s quickly picking apart grass mats with a couple of different lures including a swim jig and a flipping bait. He told Tumblin: “I may only get 3 bites today doing it, but I’m only fishing for 5 of the right ones. We’re going for it.”
8:33 a.m. — Bass number four is in Christie’s boat, but it’s another one he had to mention. “We need something to go on the big side,” he said, referring to his livewells. He doesn’t know that he has more fish and more weight than the other nine anglers combined.
8:18 a.m. — Christie has three fish now. None of them are big, but he’s settling in, proving that his area is still productive, and adding to his lead.
8:11 a.m. — John Garrett becomes the third angler to get on the board on Championship Sunday.
7:58 a.m. — With fish number two, Mike Iaconelli is rocking the dad jokes: “This place is spot on.”
7:39 a.m. — Tournament leader Jason Christie has been engaged with a little friendly trash talk with Seth Feider, who is sharing the same area. Christie takes the first shot across the bow with a spinnerbait keeper. A few casts later he added a line-burner. He had to measure it to make sure it would keep, but it clearly did.
7:38 a.m. — Ike is now locking through to get to his main area, with the lone fish of the day so far in his livewell.
7:28 a.m. — Mike Iaconelli is first on the board with an estimated 2-pound spotted bass – after missing one and breaking one off. He’s made an adjustment, trading a crankbait for a chatterbait that gets a little deeper. “I love this game,” he said. “This is such a great game.” He chose to fish rocks on the main river rather than locking through immediately.
7:08 a.m. — Best headwear award for the week goes to Cole Sands.
6:56 a.m. — Seth Feider: “I think one of us is going to win in there.” He's sharing a backwater with tournament leader Jason Christie.
6:53 a.m. — Anglers who are in the top ten today who are also in the top ten in AOY: John Garrett, first in AOY (261 points), 6th in the tournament; Dakota Ebare, fourth in AOY (251 points), 4th in the tournament; and Cole Sands, eighth in AOY (231 points), 10th in the tournament.
6:32 a.m. — Jordan Lee (14 bass, 39-13) is the only member of the top ten who hasn’t caught a limit every day. Even with an extra plain pound and a half keeper on Friday, he’d be four spots closer to the lead.
6:30 a.m. — As Championship Sunday prepares to begin, our remaining 10 anglers are tightly packed. The difference between 1st and 5th is 5 pounds 2 ounces, but the difference between 1st and 10th is a not much more – just 5-14. That means that everyone has a chance to win, but almost as importantly valuable AOY points can be lost or gained via ounces.
Day 3: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
1:54 p.m. — As Jason Christie was leaving his area, photographer Chase Sansom observed him but trolling over to chat with Seth Feider before he left. They’ve shared a pocket all day.
Christie told Seth he’s got over 15 pounds and told him to go over to the side he was on and upgrade. Seth accepted the invitation and slid over to try to upgrade.
1:51 p.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn reports that Jeff Gustafson’s 5-pounder this morning should turn into a blooper video -- his rod broke on the fish and he had to hand line it to the boat. Gussy is targeting isolated grass patches and some wood with a wim jig and flipping bait. He just left his area in the lower pool to make it back to weigh in.
1:25 p.m. — It took a long time, but Wesley Gore has finally filled out his limit. Fish number five was pretty clearly over the minimum size limit, but he measured it anyway, just to be sure. It’s almost certain that there will be several anglers just outside the ten cut, so ounces are going to matter. One or two culls could provide a ticket to his first Elite win.
1:18 p.m. — Photographer Seigo Saito found Mark Menendez fishing in a small pond he has all to himself. He came in here with only two fish, but has added four more, culling once. Most notable was the estimated 7-pounder. He still needs to cull out one a few ounces under 2 pounds and believes that he needs at least a 2 ½ pounder to fish on Sunday.
12:59 p.m. — Seth Feider is another angler who took a while to close out his limit, but he’s done it. In this case patience and persistence paid off, as he’s stayed in the same small backwater all day, fishing a limited stretch.
12:59 p.m. — Solomon Glenn shot a gallery this morning of new father and trophy meanmouth specialist Dakota Ebare. Click here to check it out.
12:48 p.m. — AOY leader John Garrett has filled out his limit. Last year he was leading AOY after three tournaments and ultimately did not qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. He’ll need to keep making cuts to avoid that fate again. He fished Classics in 2017 and 2025 and doesn’t want to suffer through another eight year gap.
12:31 p.m. — Jason Christie is unwilling to let off the gas. As several anglers made big leaps and threatened or briefly usurped his lead, Christie landed another and made a solid cull.
12:20 p.m. — Photographer Shane Durrance has sent in an early gallery of Day 2 leader Wesley Gore. Check it out here.
12:20 p.m. — Look at the smile Mark Menendez is sporting, along with an estimated 7-pound bass. On a day when many anglers are struggling to go past the 2-pound barrier, or even catch fish, that’s a true unicorn. Menendez once held the Bassmaster record for the largest fish caught in a tournament – from 1997 to 1999, before many of the current top competitors were born.
12:02 p.m. — Despite only catching four keepers yesterday, Jordan Lee is having a better day today under tough conditions. He’s sharing water with Dakota Ebare, mixing in a Chatterbait and also flipping the cypress trees. Lee is on the move now. As he was leaving, he told photographer Solomon Glenn: “Let’s see if we can knock a prop off. Gotta risk it on Day 3.”
11:58 a.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn reminds us that navigation may and should play a role in the outcome this week. “This river is not for the faint of heart,” he said. “It’s definitely treacherous. But when every fish matters and time is of the essence pros are giving it their all to maximize fishing time, even if that includes cutting across a stump flat.”
11:02 a.m. — Chase Sansom reports that Kyoya Fujita is working the dam around Columbus. He’s got three fish and is just right outside the top 10. The Japanese pro is flipping a beaver style bait around some of the hard cover on the main river.
10:58 a.m. — Shane Durrance reports that the water in Jason Christie’s area is falling and is exposing some new structure that he has not fished all week. He’s throwing a half ounce spinner bait with a gold blade and a swim jig. It’s likely the same Booyah Covert spinnerbait or at least something very similar to what he used to win at the Sabine River in 2022.
10:24 a.m. — Jason Christie is culling – and it’s not just the spinnerbait doing damage. He’s mixing it up with a dark-colored swim jig and seems to have the bite dialed in more than anyone so far today.
10:15 a.m. — Ike has a longer Elite top ten drought that Gussy. His last one came at Seminole in February of 2023. He took a few years away from the tour, but his antics and explanations today are a good reminder of what we all missed. We've gotten a college-level tutorial in creature baits today, explaining how subtle changes can make a big difference in the quantity and quality of the bites in cold front conditions.
10:15 a.m. — Mike Iaconelli just caught the first potential game-changer of the day, a 4-pounder – and in classic style he “went Ike.”
“That’s two fish in one,” he said, referring to the tough conditions.
He was so excited and demonstrative that he heated up and had to shed his rain jacket, saying that he was suffering from “male menopause.”
10:01 a.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn reports that despite the cold front Dakota Ebare continues to get plenty of bites, but so far size has been an issue. He’s boated more non-keepers than keepers by targeting points with cypress trees and grass with a spinner bait and a flipping bait. When he gets one, he can usually catch one or two more on the exact same spot.
9:57 a.m. — Jeff Gustafson unofficially becomes the first angler over 10 pounds, with four bass for 11-4. A top ten here would be a huge boost for the Canadian pro, who has not made one since he won the 2023 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville.
9:51 a.m. — Limits are slowly starting to show up, but we still have no bags over 10 pounds. Lots of room for movement and jockeying.
9:45 a.m. — Andy Crawford took a great gallery of our start today. Check it out here – 10 of these anglers will still be fishing tomorrow.
9:38 a.m. — Mike Iaconelli’s second bass bite produced his first keeper. “Slow and steady wins the race,” he said. He’s been flipping beaver-style lures, but said that he’s switched to something more subtle, with fewer appendages (“a non-action beaver”). He also said that MaxScent can make a big difference in these conditions.
9:35 a.m. — Per BassTrakk, no one has hit double digits or a limit yet. There is lots of room for jockeying and a single 5-pounder or a couple of 3-pounders will be early difference-makers.
9:22 a.m. — Jason Christie has unofficially moved up into 2nd place in the clearing-water area he’s sharing with Seth Feider. A cold front, spinnerbait-friendly conditions, and a tough and changing river set up well for his first win since the 2022 Elite at Chickamauga.
8:39 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom is 26, the same age that leader Wesley Gore will be in a few months. Buddy Gross is from a different era, about twice as old. Upon learning Sansom’s age he said, “I got readers older than you.”
8:35 a.m. — Jason Christie is fishing the same area as Feider and also throwing a spinnerbait. He just caught a bass that didn’t get the memo on Ozempic availability – fat but not particularly long. He and Feider are commiserating about the water being too clear. Davy Hite commented that “the grass is always greener.”
8:27 a.m. — The swim jig is still playing heavily this morning, but perhaps due to the wind we’re also seeing more spinnerbaits. Seth Feider is casting and pitching one to his key areas.
8:05 a.m. — Wesley Gore continues to switch between two different swim jigs as he aims for his first Elite Series victory.
7:55 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom has followed Buddy Gross to a little backwater area inside an island about 3 or 4 miles from takeoff.
“This backwater has been a hot spot this week,” he reported. “Yesterday I was in here with Mark Menendez who caught three or four off the nest, Pake South also attempted to get in here and now Buddy Gross is in here this morning. The backwater has a little bit of depth and hard bottom and from the looks of things it seems like there are more fish pushing in here.”
7:25 a.m. — Gore now has two fish on the black and blue bait. He said that once he gets five he’ll switch to a chartreuse jig, which he believes gets fewer but bigger bites.
7:25 a.m. — Leader Wesley Gore is on the board early. Not a huge fish, but he’s getting started much earlier today than he did yesterday. He noted that he switched to black and blue, which he believes works better in cold conditions. The water is 8 degrees colder in his starting area.
7:22 a.m. — This is the first 50 cut of the 2026 Elite Season for four members of the top ten heading into today: Wesley Gore, Buddy Gross, Randy Howell and Bill Lowen. The only members of the top ten who’ve made all three cuts are John Garrett and Dakota Ebare.
7:12 a.m. — First man on the board is veteran Buddy Gross. He’s catching his fish on a Scottsboro Tackle Arkie style jig. “I ain’t caught one that early all week,” he said, thankful for the 2-4 largemouth.
7:10 a.m. — Pake South: “I don’t think anybody in the top 20 is really out of it.”
6:52 a.m. — Buddy Gross has gone through a tough stretch of angling and desperately needs a top ten this week – his last one was in 2022, when he won at the Harris Chain. The TVA expert started the year with an unexpected 94th place finish at Guntersville.
6:42 a.m. — Yesterday leader Wesley Gore told us that Wesley Gore “these fish don’t like the wind.” He’s likely hoping that he misspoke or assessed incorrectly today because they got plenty of it last night, and should get a heavy dose throughout this chilly day.
6:22 a.m. — Day 3 brings with it a major change for our reduced field of anglers. I big front swept through during the weigh-in yesterday. The Chamber of Commerce weather evaporated and brought cool temperatures and heavy winds. It’ll be in the forties this morning. Put away the shorts and hope that it doesn’t put the fish into a funk.
Day 2: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
2:27 p.m. — Randy Howell is looking for his first Bassmaster win in 11 years. Photographer Solomon Glenn compiled this gallery of Howell’s second day on the Tenn-Tom.
1:45 p.m. — Who says bass fishing is not a contact sport? Randy Howell just took a major spill setting the hook – an episode that’ll live in highlight reels for years.
1:40 p.m. — Wesley Gore is still culling by ounces. “Every little bit counts,” he said.
1:12 p.m. — Can Bill Lowen retain the lead? We sent photographer Dalton Tumblin to find out – check out his gallery of Lowen’s day so far.
1:07 p.m. — Mark Menendez is picking away at a little backwater section just north of Tibee creek. He just caught a small one that didn’t help.
“This has been a much different day than yesterday. The place I caught them in yesterday was no good this morning. I didn’t get a bite until 9am, but I’ve worked a few areas on my way back towards takeoff and filled out a pretty decent limit.”
12:45 p.m. — It took most of the day, but the once-struggling Justin Atkins has filled out his limit.
12:25 p.m. — Wesley Gore just made the cull he needed, exchanging a bare keeper for a 3 ½ pound largemouth. “That’s like a kid’s meal for a Double Whopper,” said Davy Hite.
11:55 a.m. — It wouldn’t be fun without a bit of a challenge. Day One leader Bill Lowen showed off his true turtle credentials and entered the snake-infested waters to replace a drain plug that had gone missing.
11:38 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom caught up with Mike Iaconelli and his retro flame jersey this morning. Click here to check out the gallery.
11:19 a.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn is on Randy Howell: “One thing I’ve noticed with Howell getting bit on the cypress trees is how many casts he makes and angles he hits on each tree. When he gets bit, it always seems to be on the perfect cast that gets super-close to the base of the tree. A cast like this is easier said than done as the line often gets tangled in the many low branches. Howell has now decided to lock back down to the pool he was in yesterday and see if he can upgrade.”
11:15 a.m. — Brandon Palaniuk appears to have locked down into a section of the remote Amazon River. He’s working diligently to get further into a backwater, but without the benefit of power tools, he’s struggling. “Sometimes in river bassing, you just have to be willing to push a little bit farther than the next guy," he said.
11:10 a.m. — Pake South is culling in full view of the competition. He set the hook as fellow rookie Aaron Jadgfeld went by. Each bit is helping South amass what he’ll need to keep his top 10 streak going – Lake Martin, Sam Rayburn (Open victory) and now at the Tenn-Tom.
11:07 a.m. — Brandon Palaniuk just caught a 2-pounder, which puts him ahead of where he was yesterday. He’s in good spirits, but not overly optimistic, as he put the fish on the “big side” livewell. “It would be a respectable limit at the Sabine, but not here yet,” he laughed.
10:47 a.m. — It’s almost noon, and with only a limited percentage of anglers reporting, we don’t have a teen-class bag yet. We’ll almost certainly have some by the end of the day (if we don’t already), so that means you can’t rely heavily on what we’re seeing on BassTrakk. Expect someone who is off the charts right now to be top 10 or 20 by the end of weigh-in.
10:20 a.m. — We just witnessed Randy Howell “negotiating” with the lockmaster to ensure a favorable or at least semi-certain schedule. There’s traffic and he’s waiting for a call back to get some understanding of his timetable. Per BassTrakk he has four fish for about 8 pounds. He’s also rocking headgear reminiscent of last year’s Tenn-Tom Opens winner Trey Schroeder.
9:53 a.m. — Brandon Palaniuk is running a new windshield picked up during the Bassmaster Classic. The windshield is filled with signatures, and he said it all began with a Skeeter-Yamaha fundraising campaign for St. Jude's "Love Bass, Cure Cancer" Partner in Hope program. The initial intended was to get all the Classic competitors to contribute $1 and sign it. The initiative took on a different life, and soon fans were contributing and putting their John Hancocks on the windshield.
There were two windshields being signed on the floor of the Classic Expo, and one was given to St. Jude patient Alexander Bolding. Palaniuk asked if he could use the second windshield for the rest of the 2026 Elite season.
By the end of the Expo, $2,000 had been raised for St. Jude.
9:45 a.m. — After landing in second place yesterday, Randy Howell has switched up strategies and pools. Yesterday’s fish were all bed fish and he felt that he wouldn’t be able to replica that bite. He’s stayed closer to takeoff fishing backwaters primarily with a chartreuse spinner bait around grass and cypress trees. After a slow first couple of hours, Howell has caught four keepers in quick succession.
9:35 a.m. — Photographer Shane Durrance asked Brandon Palaniuk why he decided to not lock through this morning. Palaniuk replied that he caught just as many fish on the upper pond as he did after he locked through yesterday. He figured the time saved was going to be well worth it. He also said that his two biggest fish yesterday came from the area he is fishing now.
9:08 a.m. — With a 3-10, Bill Lowen is clearly inside the cut to tomorrow, and now has plenty of time to cull up and hold the lead. He weighed the fish three times to know exactly what he’s dealing with.
9:03 a.m. — We've already featured a few of Craig Lamb's drone shots as a teaser this morning, but here's a full gallery he took of the race to and through the Tenn-Tom's locks.
8:53 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom drew the choice assignment of following Mike Iaconelli this morning. He locked through and made a long run but wasn’t completely able to evade the competition. Iaconelli is sharing a section of sea wall with Pat Schlapper and Cory Johnston who are also capitalizing on a shad spawn bite.
8:46 a.m. — We saw Brandon Palaniuk speculating on Live that the bass have seen too many white swim jigs, so he switched to something more offbeat. Then the coverage switched to Bill Lowen, who was complaining that his area was devoid of fish. He thought maybe he’d caught them all yesterday. But upon switching back to a white swim jig, he immediately got a bite, and landed a solid keeper. “We ain’t gonna zero,” he said. He noted that his Zoom Speed Craw trailer makes a difference. Also, he’s just winding, not shaking. “He hit it like a pissed-off teenager.”
8:22 a.m. — Craig Lamb got some amazing drone shots of anglers leaving the locks and hightailing it for their preferred fishing areas. The lock schedule is predictable this week, but that doesn’t mean it’s not nerve-wracking to sit and wait while you know that others are cracking on bass closer to home.
8:09 a.m. — Photographer Seigo Saito reports that Pake South has his backwater all to himself. He has four small fish in the livewell, but with all of that real estate there’s no rush. He has a long day to cull up with his frog.
8:05 a.m. — Wesley Gore is building a BAG with the Alabama Shake. He only has two fish, but they’re both over 4 pounds. A shot across the bow for the young guns presumed to all be scopers.
7:52 a.m. — Per BassTrakk, Seth Feider is the first angler to a limit today. They’re not big, but they should get him inside the cut easily and he has a long day to cull and build a big bag – with room to take some chances.
7:42 a.m. — Wesley Gore had a 4-15 largemouth yesterday and just caught one almost that big. After weighing it, he smiled and said he’d call it a four, but you should it expect it to be heavier on the official scales. In a tournament where the “seniors” hold the top three spots, he’s holding down the fort for the twentysomethings.
7:32 a.m. — Just because your favorite angler isn’t pinging on BassTrakk yet doesn’t mean he’s struggling. Instead, he still may be on the move. Lots of contenders still locking through.
7:11 a.m. — Ronnie Moore: “A lot of the local history, it doesn’t pay off yesterday. It pays off today or tomorrow.”
6:47 a.m. — Big surprises at the bottom of the scorecard: Caleb Sumrall (97th, 3 bass for 4-11)) and Greg Hackney (98th, 2 for 4-6). Short of a tournament-best bag, it seems unlikely that either will be progressing to Saturday. Meanwhile, 75th place is an even 10 pounds, so it’s not unreasonable to expect some anglers currently in the seventies or eighties to compete tomorrow.
6:42 a.m. — Andy Crawford shot yesterday’s weigh-in gallery which is loaded with healthy looking fish and anglers who know that they have to back it up today to move forward.
6:39 a.m. — Welcome to Mississippi moving day. Anything’s possible, but with the weights packed so tightly, I’d expect a lot of flip-flopping. We saw nine bags of 15 pounds or more yesterday, but only 14 under 9 pounds. The random or unexpected 3- or 4-pounder makes a huge difference.
Day 1: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
2:19 p.m. — Lots of runnin’ and gunnin’ on this expansive waterway. Check out this gallery from Shane Durrance showing our anglers on the move.
1:15 p.m. — Dalton Tumblin and Steve Bowman have put together a gallery of Steve Kennedy’s successful day – Click here to check it out.
1:12 p.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn reports that Justin Atkins is making good use of his experience on this body of water. It’s a timing game and convinced that he has a decent start, he called the lockmaster and is starting to work his way back toward the take off site.
1:07 p.m. — Some pros without Marshals worth watching: Trey McKinney (2nd in AOY heading into this event); Cliff Pace (Mississippi resident); Jacob Powroznik (shallow water river expert).
1:02 p.m. — With less than a full field reporting, our top three – Randy Howell, Bill Lowen and Steve Kennedy – are all over 50 and all original Elites. Howell left on a “field trip” for a few years, but the latter two are true iron men of the tour. Mark Menendezhttps://www.bassmaster.com/angler/mark-menendez/ (7th) is also an “original” and never left, but has missed some periods of his Elite career to deal with medical hardships.
11:35 a.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn reports that Randy Howell has culled up over 12 pounds in a backwater pond and is slowly fishing his way around it with a full arsenal of lures. He continues to get bites, but most are missing the lure, and Howell thinks there are several good ones spawning in this pond. He still has two small ones and has plenty of room to upgrade.
11:24 a.m. — Mississippi pro Brock Mosley just culled out a bare keeper with a bass that looked to be in the 4-pound range. He’s been annoyed by short strikers this morning and keeps on saying that he prefers pre-spawn and post-spawn fish to those actually in the act of making babies.
10:54 a.m. — Photographer Shane Durrance reports that rookie Pake South has a limit for about 12 pounds. South wisely shook off a bunch of fish off on a frog in practice and most of those fish were still there this morning. Some of them are now in his live well.
South said the cypress trees are the key to keeper fish. There are some fish in the grass, but they tend to be smaller. Much of this area has such a soft bottom and the cypress stumps give the spawning fish a hard surface upon which to bed.
10:41 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom reports that Tucker Smith has a decent limit after he capitalized on an early morning shad spawn bite. He’s working the same area in the gravel pit as much of the field but switching things up with a lure that’s a slightly different color than what the others are using.
“I did most of my damage in the first hour but they have quit biting around 9 am every day,” Smith said. “Going to go get up shallow here in a little bit and throw a frog”
10:17 a.m. — Justin Atkins thought he had a solid 4-plus, but something seemed off so he reweighed it and realized it was actually over 6 pounds. “He’s clearly spent too much time with Patrick Walters,” Dave Mercer said. “It’s starting to rub off on him.” Either way, that’s a difference-maker on a fishery like this, especially when he was already working on a quality bag.
9:59 a.m. — Davy Hite: "I think we're going to see a lot of limits."
9:56 a.m. — Steve Kennedy just landed a 4-4, which allowed for a 3-pound cull. It’s the biggest fish he’s caught here so far in practice or the tournament, and what makes it even more impressive is that he’s fishing in a crowd. He caught this one about 20 yards from Drew Benton who was fishing the same grass mat. They were throwing towards one another and somehow Kennedy’s offering was more enticing.
9:47 a.m. — Photographer Solomon Glenn is focused on new father Dakota Ebare who has “one of the right ones in the box with a 3-9.” He’s targeting visible cover with a variety of moving lures but hasn’t had the success he expected. “I’m suprised I haven’t got more bites,” he said. “The mornings have been good for me. You can still catch them later, I’ll just have to slow down and flip.”
9:19 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom is getting a “stadium view” of the event. “I’m in the gravel pits right outside of takeoff and I would guess that a quarter to a third of the field is in here,” he said. “It’s hard for these guys to move around and hit water that hasn’t been touched.”
9:15 a.m. — Photographer Shane Durrance is following Chris Zaldain, who made a long run, but so far only has only one fish in the boat. Zaldain reported that during practice he blew through here with multiple power techniques and elicited strikes from multiple 3-pounders but he noted that this lake is full of dead water, so when you find a school, you have to slow down and pick it apart. Zaldain used satellite imagery to find what little clear water there is in this system.
9:05 a.m. — Call it the Early Bird Special if you want, but right now the two oldest anglers in the field are one-two on BassTrakk.
8:58 a.m. — Photographer Chase Sansom reports that Lee Livesay has caught a small limit with one quality fish by staying close to the launch site. Livesay believes that 15 pounds a day should be solid but that it’ll take 18+ a day to win.
8:38 a.m. — Columbus native Justin Atkins understandably got a little bit emotional after boat flipping an estimated 4 ½ pound largemouth. He’s out fishing in the current and has three bass for an estimated 7-14.
8:21 a.m. — A few things to think about as you watch BassTrakk today. First, not every angler has a Marshal, so your favorite angler who is not showing up may actually have a big limit. Second, locking time may deprive some competitors of valuable fishing time, so just because they haven’t lit up the scoreboard yet doesn’t mean they won’t do so later. There may also be pockets where there’s limited connectivity, so even if they’re entering fish, they may not show up immediately.
8:17 a.m. — The day is still young, but Steve Kennedy has moved into the lead on BassTrakk with a limit for an estimated 9 pounds 12 ounces, throwing legions of Fantasy Fishing prognosticators into a state of confusion and/or frustration.
8:11 a.m. — John Cox said that this fishery is “probably in the three most treacherous rivers I’ve fished.” He said that even idling was a struggle in many places as he bounced up and over stumps, and he believes that his aluminum boat will give him an advantage when he gets to his areas. He was boat #3 today, and expects other anglers in his starting spot, but if he can get there first he should be able to get on the juice. Tomorrow the order will be reverse and he expects to have to start elsewhere.
8:05 a.m. — Dakota Ebare is hoping that the legendary “baby pattern” comes into play today, as he celebrated the birth of his son between the Classic and the start of practice this week. “The only way I could be better is if I had him here,” he said. “Trees are blooming, turkeys are gobbling, life is good.”
7:45 a.m. — Greg Hackney fished multiple Bassmaster events here in the early 2000s, before some of the current field was born. He finished 6th in a 2003 Central Open, 21st in a 2004 Central Open and 39th in a 2004 E50. Did he lean on any of that past experience in practice? Little, if at all. “I’m headed in the opposite direction,” he said. “Mostly because that’s where they were won.” He started strong in several of those events, but eventually ran out of fish. Even if he had gone back to old haunts, he said the river has changed substantially since then, as most rivers do. Dying vegetation has silted in certain backwaters, making them unfishable or unproductive.
7:35 a.m. — There weren’t many spinning rods on the competitors’ decks this morning as they headed out – that’s a product of forward-facing sonar being prohibited this week, and also that we’re on a shallow, gnarly river system. But one piece of equipment that was in abundance was push poles. They’ll be used to get into shallow backwaters, but also to get out, or off of stumps and other obstacles lying just beneath the surface. This event may turn out to be a navigational challenge as much as a fishing tournament.