The WON BASS 2026 season is set with five major events that span the year and showcase some of the West’s most iconic fisheries. The schedule kicks off with the new Winter Open at Clear Lake on January 8–10, followed by the Lake Shasta Open on February 19–21 and a return to Clear Lake for the Clear Lake Open on April 16–18. The action continues at the Lake Havasu Open on May 7–9 before culminating with the prestigious US Open at Lake Mohave on October 5–7. All events will run Thursday through Saturday, with the US Open serving as a special Monday–Wednesday championship format. Check out more details here.
Swindle On The Road To Recovery
The 2025 off-season has looked a little different for Team Toyota pro Gerald Swindle. Usually “G-man” and his wife LeAnn are focused on whitetail deer, what the direction is blowing, and which treestand they want to climb into during the break in tournament season throughout fall and winter. This year, the Swindle’s have been focused on rehab and recovery from knee replacement surgery. The 56-year-old Elite Series veteran and fan favorite scheduled to have both of his knees replaced this offseason. Swindle had his first knee surgery immediately following his duties as emcee for the annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament. Thankfully his first surgery was successful and smooth. Swindle has since been working hard to recover and get stronger. Read the full story on Swindle’s off-season maintenance here.
B.A.S.S. Announces Updated No Information RUles
B.A.S.S. has announced an update to its No-Information rule that will apply to the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers presented by Bass Pro Shops (EQs) and the Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens in 2026. The new structure was developed in collaboration with the Association of Bass Professionals (ABP) — a panel of Elite Series anglers elected to represent the field — with the goal of preserving the integrity of tournament competition while giving anglers more freedom to enjoy the sport and discuss fishing outside of the primary competition window — the 28 day period where the water is off limits. Under the revised rule, the No-Information period begins as soon as the Elite Series schedule is announced — or when an angler becomes definitively aware of a tournament location. From that point forward, anglers may not purchase or exchange goods or services for information or waypoints. Get more details on this story here.
Frittside
Another take on a classic design, the Berkley® Frittside crankbait was developed with legendary crankbait angler David Fritts and features the same proven action that helped win him the Bassmaster Classic®. It delivers the subtle, tight wobble of a traditional balsa crankbait, paired with the durability and long-casting performance of a plastic body—making it a go-to option for tough bites. Designed to excel when fish are sluggish or heavily pressured, the Frittside shines in very cold or very hot water, especially in depths under 10 feet where a silent, finesse-style presentation can make all the difference. Check out the full selection here.
In this quick pro tip video, Michael Neal breaks down a simple jerkbait weighting trick that can help you get your favorite jerkbait down to deeper depths, especially in cold water or offshore structure situations. Check it out here.
School Of The Year Standings
In this final article of a three-part series, the Association of Collegiate Anglers will review the Top 5 teams in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia at this point in the season. Here are those teams:
1. Carson-Newman University (Pre-Season Rank: 2)
2. University of Montevallo (Pre-Season Rank: 1)
3. University of North Alabama (Pre-Season Rank: 3)
4. Wabash Valley College (Pre-Season Rank: 9)
5. Lander University (Pre-Season Rank: 11)
Each of the teams currently ranked in the Top 5 were selected inside of the Top 15 for the ACA’s annual Pre-Season Poll entering this campaign. All five teams also finished last season in the Top 15 for the final rankings of the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Two of these five teams have previously finished the year ranked number one: University of Montevallo (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), and University of North Alabama (2014, 2015). As it pertains to the 2025-26 season, three of these teams have secured victories across the three major college trails. Lander University anglers Andrew Blanton & Garrett Smith have won two events. They won the Bassmaster College Series Championship at Cherokee Lake, as well as the latest MLF College Series tournament at Lake Hartwell. Five-time title defending University of Montevallo has secured one major victory. Brody Robison & Peyton Sorrow won the MLF College Series event at Pickwick Lake.
Third ranked University of North Alabama won the second ACA event of the fall. Bryce DiMauro and Tripp Berlinsky took home the title for the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open at Lake Dardanelle. Carson-Newman holds a lead of just under 2,500 points at the halfway mark in this season. The team from Jefferson, TN is pursuing its first-ever title as Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia. Carson-Newman has finished the year ranked third for three straight seasons, and has been in the Top 10 to round out each of the last six years. Along with top-ranked Carson-Newman, both Lander University and Wabash Valley College are seeking their first titles this year. If UNA were to win it all, they would join Montevallo as the only two teams to have ever won the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year presented by Abu Garcia three or more times. View the current rankings here.
PRESENTED BY: Denali
Big Bait FC
Glide baits and swimbaits have seen increased popularity and now there is a choice in fluorocarbon made specifically for them. Big Bait FC was designed to make casting these big baits easier and ensuring when you do get that big strike that the fish ends up in your hands. This 100% fluorocarbon was designed with high tensile strength and abrasion resistance to tackle big fish in heavy cover. It is also manufactured with dynamic shock to avoid break offs when casting heavy baits. This dynamic shock also prevents break offs from aggressive strikes of trophy fish. The line has high surface slickness for improved casting.
Benefits/Features
Designed for casting glide baits and swimbaits
100% fluorocarbon
Manufactured with dynamic shock to prevent break offs from casting heavy lures or aggressive bites
High tensile strength and abrasion resistance
Available in 165yd and 660yd spools. Sizes available are 20lb, 22lb and 25lb.
Best on Tour has streamlined the 2026 season by combining every pro and semi-pro level tournament into one clean, chronological master schedule. Instead of bouncing between multiple websites, anglers can now scroll through the entire season from start to finish, click any event, and jump directly to the official event page. You can bookmark the page for easy reference or quickly access individual schedules for specific tours including the MLF Bass Pro Tour, Bassmaster Elite Series, Pro Circuit, NPFL, Bassmaster Opens and EQs, Toyota Series, and WON BASS. Forward-facing sonar (FFS) rules are clearly noted by event, making it easy to see where it’s allowed — or not — across each circuit. Check it out here.
This Hook Setup Looks Crazy… Until It Works
From Episode 6 of The Best on Tour Breakdown, Jordan dives into the exact Butch Brown rig that produced the massive 11-pound bass you’ve seen sitting behind him throughout the series. Check it out here.
