Pro Circuit Momentum Reaches A New Level Heading Into 2026
Major League Fishing announced today that the 2026 Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by MillerTech is officially full, with 150 professional anglers committed to all six stops for the upcoming season. The roster includes pros from 32 states that have collectively fished 10,450 MLF tournaments and amassed more than $30 million in tournament winnings from Major League Fishing alone. Nineteen pros hail from Tennessee, followed by Alabama with 17 and South Carolina with 15. The oldest competitor is veteran pro Nick Gainey of Charleston, South Carolina, at 81 while the youngest is 18-year-old Cason Sanchez of Flintville, Tennessee. Forty-nine pros are in their 20s, while 53 are veterans who have each fished 100 or more MLF tournaments. The field also includes eight current Bass Pro Tour anglers. Check out more details here.
Boats, ornaments, and beyond:
Lance Newton leads Vexus® with a servant’s heart
Nine summers ago, the son of a rural school superintendent walked into a 14-acre hay pasture full of ticks alongside Forrest L. Wood’s grandson, Keith Daffron, his longtime close friend, and together they began staking out boundaries for an ambitious dream to build their own state-of-the-art boat manufacturing facility in Flippin, Arkansas. Today, Lance Newton serves as V.P. of Operations for Vexus® Boats, working daily to lead nearly 200 dedicated teammates to build the highest quality fishing boats in the business, in a manner that is not only highly efficient, but also considerate of treating teammates with respect and appreciation throughout the process. “I can’t help but be proud of the fact we literally started Vexus from the ground up by pounding PVC stakes in the ground that summer day, and have turned it into one of the most respected fishing boat brands in the world, while working with friends and family,” says Newton, who grew up in nearby Viola, and earned a mechanical engineering degree from Arkansas Tech in 2002. As the ticks take a breather and the leaves disappear from the local Ozark Mountain landscape each autumn, Lance Newton’s heart for serving others takes on an additional focus as he creates the design for the company Christmas ornament, of which close to 500 will be laser cut by Precision Technologies in Ft. Smith, and sent to treasured friends of Vexus along with a card signed by numerous Vexus employees. “It’s something we’ve been doing since our first Christmas at Vexus for all of our employees, boat dealers, industry partners, and even the local community, like the folks down at Flippin City Hall,” smiles Newton. “Everybody seems to love getting one, so now it’s an expected and fun tradition,” he adds. This year’s design, shown in the accompanying photo, features a jumping largemouth with a Vexus logo where its eye is located. You can also see several of the ones Newton has designed in previous years in the photo. Look even closer, and you’ll note they’re resting on the original CAD-created blueprints he produced in 2017 to build the state-of-the-art factory. “We based the factory design on our long-term production goals. Our goal is not to build the most boats, but instead, to build the best boats, and with input from so many people with decades of boat building experience, we’ve definitely learned what not to do, and to make the next new model even better than the last,” says Newton, who loves to drag a football jig on Bull Shoals and pheasant hunt with treasured friends, when he’s not leading the charge at Vexus. “I think to be a great leader, you’ve got to be a great listener, as well as a great servant,” says Newton. “I’m here to make the lives of our employees and boat buying customers better through compassionate guidance. I believe that leads to us producing boats our customers are really proud to own.” Certainly, the premium quality boats being built by Newton and his team nearly a decade after he and Daffron waded through ticks with a dream is all the proof necessary he’s a man of his word. But if you need a little added confirmation, look no further than the branches of Christmas trees owned by longtime friends of Vexus, and you’ll see reflections of his kind heart and creative mechanical mind there too. To learn more about the quality fishing vessels he and his team build, please visit https://vexusboats.com/
The latest addition to the proven lineup of DT series crankbaits, the Rapala DT12 Series Crankbaits are precisely engineered to quickly dive down to 12 feet and stay in the strike zone longer than any other crankbait on the market. Crafted with a premium balsawood construction, the Rapala DT12 Series Crankbaits feature carefully placed internal weights, a tapered fuselage, and a thin tail design to produce the ultimate fish-catching action. Fitted with an internal baritone rattle chamber that creates high-pitched rattling acoustics, the Rapala DT12 Series Crankbaits take attraction to new heights with premium finishes and 3D holographic or painted eyes. Armed with two size #4 razor-sharp VMC black nickel round-bend treble hooks, the Rapala DT12 Series Crankbaits are tank-tuned to swim perfectly straight out of the box with an ultra-thin, high-vibration, polycarbonate lip that dives rapidly to the desired depth. Check out the full selection here.
Ken Smith put a Hideup Coike to the test with a little customization experiment to see if he could make a good thing even better. Let’s just say it didn’t go exactly as planned! Check it out here.
New Section: Press Pass! Get insider fishing news before it hits the mainstream—right here in Best on Tour.
(Want to include your company’s press releases here? Reach out to info@bestontour.net)
ACA Mid-Season Rankings Review For College Fishing
With the fall semester drawing to an end, that also means we’ve reached the halfway point for the 2025-26 Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. College anglers from across the nation have competed in dozens of events, earning thousands of valuable points for their respective schools. As the final points earning tournaments of the fall have now concluded, the Association of Collegiate Anglers will review the current standings for college fishing’s only all-encompassing National Rankings system. Check out the full article here.
PRESENTED BY: Denali
Freedom Flyer Has Landed
Missile Baits, a leader in innovative soft-plastic lure design, is excited to announce that the highly anticipated Freedom Flyer 4.25 Minnow is officially here and now shipping to dealers across the globe.
Engineered for ultimate action and versatility, the Freedom Flyer 4.25 Minnow brings a new level of performance because of it being the easiest minnow to elicit the fish catching rolling action. The rear mounted side up-pitch elevators cause the easy rolling action. They are manufactured with a patented 3D printed mold cavity process that allows for the totally unique angles and details. “Anglers want a minnow that is easy to roll because that is the fish catching action,” said John Crews of Missile Baits. “The Freedom Flyer 4.25 is exactly that because of the up-pitch elevators in the rear. There is no other minnow out there like it.” The Freedom Flyer 4.25 Minnow is available in a wide array of proven fish-catching colors specially selected to match baitfish across all regions. Each bait is poured with Missile Baits’ premium soft-plastic formula, ensuring durability, action, and unmatched attention to detail.
Key Features of the Freedom Flyer™ 4.25 Minnow:
· Realistic minnow profile with integrated up-pitch elevators on the rear
· Designed for jig heads, Chatterbaits, weightless, and more
· Packaged in a protective clam so all baits are perfect
· Available in multiple proven fish catching colors
· Made in the USA
Dealers around the world have already begun receiving shipments this week, and anglers can expect to find the new Freedom Flyer 4.25 Minnow on store shelves and online tackle shops immediately at www.missilebaits.store.
Who’s Out, Who’s In, and Why the Field Looks Different Heading Into 2026
The 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series field is officially set, and after weeks of speculation, we finally know which anglers were cut, which ones chose to leave on their own, and which new (and familiar) faces are joining the trail next season. In this detailed article we provide a full breakdown of cuts, departures, rookies, and returning former Elites—now confirmed. Check it out here.
You Only NEED These Two Baits This Winter!
Bryan New shares information about cold water cranking. This is the time of year that we all get to do it! Here are the baits to cover all scenarios you may encounter this fall and winter! Check it out here.
What size screen do you think is the best for Forward Facing Sonar?
https://bestontour.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Best-On-Tour-Logo-1920-minified.png8141920Jordan Babcockhttps://bestontour.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Best-On-Tour-Logo-1920-minified-300x127.pngJordan Babcock2026-01-02 10:35:472026-01-02 10:35:47No more rumors: The final 2026 Elite Series field explained (Issue 355)
