B.A.S.S.

Clayton, N.Y. – September 03, 2026 -- Georgia pro Caleb Hudson has won the 2026 Pro-Guide Batteries Elite Series Rookie of the Year title, finishing the season with 621 points and a $10,000 bonus.

The 24-year-old edged Alabama's Fisher Anaya by just two points, with Pake South of Texas finishing third at 569 points. Hudson took the points lead after the circuit's second stop and held it through the rest of the season, but the race stayed tight until the final day on the St. Lawrence River.

Clayton, N.Y. – September 03, 2026 -- Trey McKinney, a 21-year-old pro from Carbondale, Ill., has become the youngest angler ever to win the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title, finishing the nine-event season with 735 points.

McKinney clinched the title with a second-place finish at the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River, edging Canadian pro Cory Johnston by four points, 735 to 731. The previous record for youngest AOY winner belonged to Kevin VanDam, who was 24 when he first won in 1992.

McKinney earns a $100,000 bonus and pushes career earnings past $900,000

The AOY title comes with a $100,000 check, bringing McKinney's career earnings to more than $900,000 after just three seasons on the Bassmaster Elite Series. Johnston earned a $50,000 bonus for his runner-up finish in the standings.

CLAYTON, N.Y. -- September 01, 2026 -- Evan Kung, a Canadian pro fighting to keep his roster spot on the Bassmaster Elite Series, won the 2026 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River on Aug. 30 with a four-day total of 109 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch set a new Bassmaster record for the heaviest winning weight made up entirely of smallmouth bass. The win also locked in Kung's berth at the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, set for next March.

Kung's total overtook the previous mark of 105 pounds, set by Patrick Walters at the same river in 2023, and made him a first-time member of the Bassmaster Century Club. "This is by far my biggest win," Kung said. "It was a tough year for me, so it was great to end it like this. I couldn't think of a better ending."