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.
Hudson clinched the title while sitting out the final round of Live coverage
Entering the season-ending tournament, Hudson led Anaya by 12 points. Anaya briefly overtook him on Day 1, sitting 9th while Hudson languished in 54th place. Hudson rallied on Day 2, climbing to 37th, then surged again on Day 3 with more than 25 pounds of smallmouth bass, moving up to 19th. Anaya rose to 8th but needed to reach at least 6th to steal the title; he fell to 9th instead, despite catching his first Century Belt.
Hudson said he avoided checking live standings during the final round. "I never looked at BassTrakk until the end of the day," he said. "I didn't even know who was in the Top 10 because I never pulled it up."
A 91-point lead shrank to eight points mid-season
Hudson opened the year with five straight checks before finishing 81st at Santee Cooper and 52nd at the Pasquotank, cutting his lead from 91 points to just eight. He said shallow largemouth fishing was never his strength, calling those two events plus the Tennessee-Tombigbee "survival" tournaments. He returned to form once the schedule shifted to smallmouth-heavy waters.
Hudson cashed seven checks in nine events and reached the final-day group of 10 anglers three times, on Lake Martin, the Arkansas River and Lake Murray. Anaya matched his check total but posted more Top-10 finishes, including a win at Lake Martin and a runner-up finish at the Pasquotank.
Hudson also finished seventh in the season-long Angler of the Year standings
Hudson had already qualified for the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic through Elite Qualifier points. He said he now hopes to compete for the overall Angler of the Year title in future seasons, once veterans like Trey McKinney and the Johnston brothers retire.