Day 3: Toledo Bend

2:00 p.m. - Overall, the day has been on the slow side. High skies and calm conditions are making it even harder to get the big ones to commit. Brody Robison didn’t catch a keeper till almost 1 o’clock but said he’s seen more big ones today than any other day. Within the hour, he has put a 16-pound limit in the boat. 

No one really seems to think they have it, but a few kickers have started to show up late, like a 7-4 from Jace Lindsay.

12:09 p.m. - Blog from Dalton Tumblin.

Ethan Fields finally lands fish number 3, and it barely made the cut. He made his way further north in order to try and fill his limit. So far, it has still been very slow… but at least he’s getting some bites now. Fields is still searching for fish with his live sonar and switching back and forth between a jig head minnow and urchin style bait.

10:07 a.m. - Blog from Chase Sansom.

Yui Aoki has made a charge up the leaderboard this morning as he came into today in 10th. He now sits in 3rd with the biggest bag of the day currently, with 15-0. Maybe the only angler catching a good number of fish in the morning. He’s in the same area Brody Robison has done most of his damage in the afternoon as well, so assuming his bite will only get better as the day moves along.

10:00 a.m. - Blog from Chase Sansom.

Lots of picking the trolling motor up and down this morning for Riley Harris. Seems like the common theme all this week has been the fish don’t really fire up until the afternoon. Riley has only boated 4 small ones this morning and is awaiting his afternoon bite to come around.

9:18 a.m. - Blog from Dalton Tumblin.

Fishing is extremely slow this morning for Ethan Fields, still with only 2 fish in the live well. Fields has started moving around a lot. He’s moved spots about 8-10 different times so far, fishing everything from docks on the bank to flats out in open water. Fields hasn’t switched up baits or technique though, as he’s still using live sonar to locate fish and throwing a jig head minnow and urchin style bait.

7:57 a.m. - Blog from Chase Sansom.

Buddy just boated #3 this morning and it’s a 3 pounder. Not a great giant one but one he wasn’t expecting otherwise this morning.

“I actually didn’t expect to get any bites this morning, but they have bit pretty good this far. Just need to run into some 5 and 6 pounders now”

7:56 a.m. - Blog from Dalton Tumblin.

I’m seeing a different part of the lake today with Ethan Fields, but still the same fishing style. Fields is north of the ramp, cruising down the bank and targeting fish with live sonar. He’s been swapping between a jig head minnow and an urchin style bait. So far, he’s still holding the lead on BassTrakk with 2 fish in the live well with one of them being a 5+ pounder.

7:37 a.m. — Blog from Bassmaster photographer Chase Sansom:

Buddy Benson has decided to stick close to takeoff this morning. He hasn’t hooked into a good one yet, but he has got two in the livewell.

Day 2: Toledo Bend

Noon – Blog by Mike Suchan

The Opens/EQ anglers are assaulting B.A.S.S. record books this year.

In February’s Sam Rayburn Open, Pake South’s 96-15 set Bassmaster’s heaviest total for a three-day tournament by 5-9. Riley Harris, who had 30-10 yesterday, recorded the heaviest one-day total with 36-15 on Rayburn's first day, while South’s 34-10 on Day 3 and 34-3 on Day 2 stand next on the biggest bag list.

The Rayburn results knocked Scott Martin’s 90-6 total and 33-2 Day 1 limit down the lists. Luke Palmer’s 32-14 yesterday now stands fifth.

As for individual fish, Riley Harris’ 11-14 at Rayburn is second in Opens competition to Kyle Fox’s 12-5 at Kissimmee in 2007, and Rylan Hamlin’s 11-7 at Rayburn is sixth.

At Rayburn, there were five Dirty Thirty limits over the three days. With three on Day 1, Toledo Bend could top that.

11:30 a.m. -- Blog by Mike Suchan

With his second 6-plus pounder, Ethan Fields is backing up his Day 1 weight of 28-2. The young angler from Breese, Ill., has 24-15 on BassTrakk for a two-day total of 53-1 and a lead of almost 10 pounds.

Others topping 20 pounds so far include Evan White, whose 22-0 puts him 10th after starting the day tied in 74th. Bailey Gay’s 19-15 has him second while Norfork winner Kaden Buckmann has 19-9 to take over third place.

Erik Brztowski has moved up from 73rd to 12th with 20-11, which includes the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of 8-0.

Ty Faber’s 9-0 on Day 1 holds the overall big bass for now, and there were at least seven 8-plus pounders brought to the scales yesterday. They include: Colton Trotter 8-11; Bryson Osteen 8-8; Garrett Smith 8-6; Lucas Lindsay 8-5; Jace Lindsay 8-3; Nathan Quince 8-2; and Jordan Hartman 8-2.

Quince just topped 20-0 to move into eighth. Leader Luke Palmer has fish but has not recorded any on BassTrakk as of yet. That's the same case for Riley Harris, who was second with 30-10, and Buddy Benson, third with 30-3.

There were a number of big fish caught in the afternoon yesterday, and anglers like Brody Robison (below) have said they were biding their time until that bite window. Yeah, expect bigger things.

11:02 a.m. — From Bassmsater photographer Chase Sansom:

Brody Robinson's bigger fish might be activating. This 5 1/4-pounder was his fourth fish of the day. He’s had a few close calls with some big ones here and there, but he finally got one to commit.

10:55 a.m. — A blog from Bassmaster photographer Dalton Tumblin:

Currently in 6th in the EQ standings, Cody Abbott is working to keep his spot. With only about 13 pounds in the livewell so far today, Cody has a steady start but a lot of work left to do. Abbott is working around the south end of the lake, roaming stump fields with his live sonar and a spike ball.

10:25 a.m. — Blog from Chase Sansom:

“I’m just wasting my time out here until 11 o’clock.”

Brody Robison claims he’s thrown at more fish over 7 to 8 pounds than he can count, but none have been willing to commit. He said he thinks a lot of those big fish he’s thrown at this morning he can go back to and have a good chance at this afternoon when his bite fires up. He claimed yesterday he didn’t catch most of his weight until later in the day.

10:05 a.m. — A blog from Bassmaster photographer Chase Sansom:

Riley Harris boats a 7 pounder: It’s been a slow go, it’s Riley's second bite thus far was a good one. He seemed to think the spot he just ran to has a better population of fish than he has seen all morning. I would expect him to do most of his damage in the new area.

10:00 a.m. — Day 1 leader Luke Palmer told Bassmaster photographer Andy Crawford before weigh-in that yesterday's nearly 33-pound stringer was a surprise.

"I was going for a 17- to 18-pound stringer," Palmer said. "I'm fishing in the dirt, and during practice I was catching 4-pounders. Yesterday, the 6-pounders showed up."

Well, it appears those big fish have moved on again. Dalton Tumblin reports the Elite Series pro has four bass in the livewell but that he's yet to catch a big bass.

9:05 a.m. — Blog by Mike Suchan

After Chase Sansom blogged on the EQ points, we dug further. Sure, there’s only been four of nine fishing days completed and plenty more can and will change, especially after today.

After Day 1 at Toledo Bend, Norfork winner Kaden Buchman and Bryson Osteen are tied atop the standings with 235 points. That’s an average of 117.5 points per event, roughly a 13th-place finish.

Last year, Fisher Anaya won the EQ Angler of the Year by averaging ninth place in the three events, and last-man in Brock Reinkemeyer averaged 23rd-place finishes. Of course, we have 28 more competitors this time around.

Dalton Head and Chase Clarke were tied for the last Elite spot with 215 points. That’s 107.5 points per event, extrapolating to 322 points or averaging 24th-place finishes to make the 2027 Elite Series.

8:45 a.m. — Kaden Buchmann is keeping the momentum rolling at Toledo Bend after securing the win at the first EQ of the season at Norfork Lake. The North Carolina angler brought 21-7 to the scales on Day 1 at Toledo Bend, which put him in 22nd place headed into today.

Buchmann is one of the first anglers to register a limit on BassTrakk early on Day 2 and has culled his way to 17-10. Among his five fish he has a 2-12, so there's plenty of room to improve on his excellent start.

8:35 a.m. — Blog from Chase Sansom:

Obviously the points standings are not official until the end of the event, but I was curious where the points stood after Day 1 at Toledo Bend and decided to take a look at the standings this morning.

I certainly wouldn't have guessed this, but by the looks of it, not a single angler inside the Top 10 in points is over the age of 30. A group of young bucks at the top of the standing is a bit surprising even after a non FFS event and one day here at Toledo Bend.

8:10 a.m. — Blog from Dalton Tumblin:

Luke Palmer is on the board early this morning as he lands keeper number one. Palmer went back to the South end of the lake to fish the same area that produced his 32 pound, 14 ounce bag yesterday.

He’s keeping an urchin bait in his hand and fishing water no more than 3-feet deep. Live sonar is also playing a big role for him as he’s able to target fish around stumps and other submerged structure along the bank.

The Oklahoma pro is fishing all three EQ events in hopes of making the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic. A win here would get the job done.

7:35 a.m. — Blog from Chase Sansom:

We are starting with Riley Harris this morning who had a great day yesterday with 30-10 which had him sitting in second place coming into Day 2. He’s around the Housen Creek area targeting brush piles with FFS. As of right now it looks like the minnow is the way to go. We just got here but excited to see what’s in store.

7:15 a.m. — Toledo Bend showed out as expected on Day 1 with three bags over 30 pounds with Luke Palmer leading the way with 32 pounds, 14 ounces. The entire Top 10 had over 25 pounds. Plenty of action ahead on one of the most legendary fisheries in the country.

7:00 a.m. — Day 2 of the 2026 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Toledo Bend presented by Bass Pro Shops is officially underway!

Day 1: Toledo Bend

1:30 p.m. - Lucas Lindsay is working on a mega-bag right now on Toledo Bend. The former Auburn Tiger currently has 24-4 with only four fish on BassTrakk. The bag is anchored by an 8-8.

Will we see a 30-pound bag come across the stage today?

11:37 a.m. - Blog from Dalton Tumblin.

Brody Robinson finally lands fish number 5, and it’s a 7-pounder. He hasn’t really changed anything up, just stayed patient and persistent to finally get one of the big ones he’s been seeing to eat. This is a huge move for him both on the leaderboard and the EQ standings. Robinson is now focusing on culling out the 1- and the 2-pounder he still has in the live well. 

11:17 a.m. — Blog from Chase Sansom:

One observation I will take away from the day is that the northern area of the lake seems almost barren of anglers. I’ve seen roughly 10 or 15 boats today.

A lot of the boats are in the southern portion of the lake which is where it seems like it is going down. The northern sections also seems to be turning over a bit and has the fish all spread out. Not many guys in the Top 12 are fishing up this direction.

11:06 a.m. — Blog from Mike Suchan:

Midway through Day 1, three anglers recently eclipsed 20 pounds. Kollin Crawford of Broken Bow, Okla., moved atop the BassTrakk leaderboard with 21-7, then at 11:05 he caught an 8-1 for a hyper jump to 26-6. Crawford’s best took over Phoenix Boats Big Bass by an ounce.

Tanner Hadden of Appling, Ga., has no individual fish weights but stands second with 21-0 while Ethan Fields, behind a 7-13, has the Breese, Ill., angler in third with 20-1.

Rick Harris of Carlsbad, N.M., had the Phoenix Boats Big Bass with his 8-pounder at 10:20 a.m., which moved him into fifth place in the unofficial standings with 19-8.

Jordan Hartman of Benton, Ky., led much of the morning with 19-8, bolstered by a 7-5. He's now in fourth.

10:50 a.m. — Blog from Chase Sansom:

Alabama's Fisher Anaya lands number five which gives him 18 pounds he said with three bass under 3 pounds. Like most anglers, he's expecting heavy weights to be brought in to weigh-in, so he believes he'll need to do some culling to stay inside the Top 10. A hot start for the young pro.

It's worth noting that both Fisher Anaya and Pake South are jack-potting this tournament, so in the event that either of them were to pull off the win, the Classic berth would work down the Progressive Bassmater Elite Series Angler of the Year standings which means Bryan Schmitt would make the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic.

Click here to read Mike Suchan's Daily Limit piece on this very topic.

10:13 a.m. — Blog from Dalton Tumblin:

We have made our way over to Brody Robison, who came into this tournament sitting in 12th in the EQ standings and just won the 2026 Bassmaster College Classic Cup presented by Lew's at Wilson Lake a couple of weeks ago.

He’s looking to continue his run for that Elite Series qualification as he’s currently sitting in 9th on BassTrakk with only 4 fish in the livewell. He told me that even filling his limit isn’t going to be enough, and that he definitely needs some upgrades. "This place is so frustrating," he said. "I’ve thrown at 35 pounds this morning, but they’re just so smart and it’s hard to get them to bite.”

Robison is roaming up and down the bank, throwing a glide bait and an urchin style bait while using his live sonar to locate fish.

9:47 a.m. - Blog from Dalton Tumblin.

Before rolling out to make a long run, Jordan Hartman pulled out the big fish of the day for a photo op. I’d say the photo doesn’t even do it justice. He told me that he’s going to leave the fish alone in this area because he believes the bait change he had to make is the reason he can’t get them to bite anymore. He lost all 3 of his Coike’s this morning which forced to switch to some other brand, which seems to not be working. Therefore, he’s going to go explore some of the other stuff he found in practice to try and upgrade the 2 pounders he still has. He said, “Tomorrow, I’ll have some more Coike’s in the boat for this spot."

9:24 a.m. - Blog from Chase Sansom.

I'm with Fisher Anaya now. I’ve yet to see a bass get caught but I’m hoping that changes with Fisher. When we pulled up here, he said, “This morning was pretty good. I got a 7 and 1/2 pounder, a 5 and two 2 1/2 pounders.” He’s off to a firing start just fishing down the bank looking for the occasional roamer with FFS.

The Elite Series angler is no stranger to catching giant bags so he will be one to watch this week.

He’s off to a firing start just fishing down the bank looking for the occasional roamer with FFS

9:18 a.m. - Blog from Dalton Tumblin.

Jordan Hartman has an entertaining approach to watch this morning. With roughly 20 pounds in the live well and currently sitting in first on BassTrakk, Hartman told me he’s caught all his fish in about 2 ft of water and all have been on the spike ball. That's including his nearly 8-pounder. He’s still utilizing his live sonar and fishing around submerged stumps along the bank. Hartman has been roaming back and forth in this area all morning and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon, as he’s still seeing plenty of big ones with his live sonar.

8:37 a.m. — Blog from Dalton Tumblin:

Found Adam Rasmussen for my second stop of the day as he was landing keeper number 4. His four keepers go for 7-2 unofficially which puts him just outside the Top 10 on BassTrakk. He will need to make serious upgrades by the time weigh-in starts this afternoon.

The Wisconsin angler is currently roaming around a stump field, using live sonar and a jig head minnow to target fish on the stumps. 

8:20 a.m. — As predicted, the big bass are showing up early at Toledo Bend. Just over an hour into competition on Day 1 of the 2026 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Toledo Bend presented by Bass Pro Shops, and four anglers have already registered fish over 5-pounds on BassTrakk. Kentucky's Jordan Hartman is at the top of the unofficial leaderboard currently with two keepers for 12-5. A 5-0 and a 7-5 is a good way to start your day!

8:11 a.m. — Blog from Dalton Tumblin:

We made the run down to Six Mile and Housen creek this morning and caught up with Brett Hite to start the day. This end of the lake seems to be off to a solid start, as expected, with 5 of the current Top 12 anglers on BassTrakk fishing it. Hite doesn’t have any keepers at the moment, though. He is fishing a little ways off the bank, using live sonar and fishing with a jerk bait and bladed jig.

7:47 a.m. — Look for some big bass to cross the stage this week. Bassmaster photographer Andy Crawford talked to several people who caught or visually saw double-digit bass.

"I caught my personal best," Jack Dice said. "It was a 10 1/2-pounder."

7:41 a.m. — One would think local anglers like Darold Gleason would have a leg up on the second Elite Qualifier here on Toledo Bend, but forward facing sonar makes all the knowledge gained from years of fishing the massive reservoir of little value.

"History doesn't matter," said Gleason, who guides on Toledo Bend. "It almost hampers you. They're catching fish in different areas (with FFS). They are so good at putting themselves around fish."

So what's a local to do? Gleason said he's going to turn his live scope on and hunt big dots with the rest of the field.

7:20 a.m. — While full live coverage will begin at 7:00 a.m. ET on Friday, you can click here to watch the Angler Live Streams!

7:00 a.m. — Day 1 of the 2026 Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Toledo Bend presented by Bass Pro Shops is officially underway! Click here to watch the EQ anglers preview Day 1 at historic Toledo Bend.