Written by David A. Brown
He called it love at first sight, and that instant attraction, deepened by its subsequent bond-building, delivered Bryan Schmitt’s third blue trophy with his four-day winning total of 81 pounds, 7 ounces in the SPRO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain.
Original photo by Shane Durrance
The heat is on. While the 90+ degree temps have kept a lot of bass anglers off the water, the young anglers of the Shoals Youth Bassmasters braved the heat and fished Pickwick on August 8, where the trophy winners bagged 80.46 lbs.
Division winners.
On the Tennessee River, you don’t find bass where you want them. You find them where the water lets them live. Learn the two numbers that rule every cast from Pickwick to Guntersville.
Every Tennessee River angler knows the feeling. It’s 95 degrees in Florence, Pickwick is flat slick, and the graph is lit up at 30 feet — but nothing bites. We blame the moon, the TVA current, the fishing pressure.
New Team Registration for the Alabama Bass Trail (ABT) opens Saturday, August 15, giving anglers their next chance to lock in a spot on the highly anticipated 2027 Tournament Series presented by Phoenix Boats.
August 9, 2026 • Mitchell Forde • Bass Pro Tour
SANDUSKY, Ohio –– After six years and so many high finishes without a tour-level victory, Justin Lucas started to doubt whether he would ever hoist another trophy.
Justin Lucas won Stage 7 on Lake Erie with 98 pounds, 11 ounces on 25 scorable bass. Photo by Phoenix Moore. Angler: Justin Lucas.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is finalizing a process to develop a statewide Black Bass Management Plan and is inviting the public to provide input on the Tennessee Black Bass Management Plan.
Wheeler Lake proved stingier than Pickwick — and the leaderboard showed it.
The ALA-TENN Bass Club hit Wheeler on August 8th, shortly after a Pickwick Lake tournament where 13.79 pounds was enough to win with a three-fish limit. On Wheeler, it was more of a grind.
Wheeler Lake Sections Map
Think your choice of lure is the most important factor in catching bass? Think again.
Long before a bass ever spots your crankbait, its behavior is being dictated by an invisible force from above: atmospheric pressure.
