114 reasons Bassmaster should come back
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher When Bassmaster brought a national field of 173 anglers to the eastern basin of Lake Erie in August, the smallmouth bass fishing set a record with the most 20-pound bags ever recorded in a single Bassmaster event. On Day 1, there were 114 anglers that weighed in 20-pound-plus limits.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher A professional tournament is far more than boats launching at daylight. Anglers, families, tournament staff and spectators need hotel rooms, restaurants, fuel, groceries, tackle, boat service, entertainment and places to spend money when they're not holding a fishing rod.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher When Bassmaster brought a national field of 173 anglers to the eastern basin of Lake Erie in August, the smallmouth bass fishing set a record with the most 20-pound bags ever recorded in a single Bassmaster event. On Day 1, there were 114 anglers that weighed in 20-pound-plus limits.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Fisher A professional tournament is far more than boats launching at daylight. Anglers, families, tournament staff and spectators need hotel rooms, restaurants, fuel, groceries, tackle, boat service, entertainment and places to spend money when they're not holding a fishing rod.
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There are bass fishing tournaments, and then there are "those amazing" bass fishing tournaments that make people across the country stop what they’re doing and say, "Wait a minute. Where is that?"
Western New York just had one of those. When Bassmaster brought a national field of 173 anglers to the eastern basin of Lake Erie in August, the smallmouth fishing was, frankly, ridiculous. Ridiculously good. On Day 1, there were 114 anglers that weighed in 20-pound-plus limits -- the most 20-pound bags ever recorded in a single Bassmaster event. WNY made history. It took an average of 23 pounds, 5 ounces per day just to make the Top 10. New Yorker Alex Korol won with 75 pounds, 9 ounces over three days.
Here’s the number that ought to get the attention of every fishing professional considering a return trip: Twenty pounds finished 114th. No, not a typo. That’s a WNY wake-up call to Bassmasters.
For professional anglers traveling from Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Wisconsin, California and beyond, this isn’t just another northern stop. Lake Erie has become a destination where a fisherman can realistically believe he has found the next big bite -- and where one more good fish can mean the difference between a check, a championship berth, or packing the boat.
Bassmaster’s 2026 experience also showed something else: Western New York can produce the kind of story professional fishing needs. There were huge catches, tight leaderboards, technology versus traditional tactics, weather and wind, bait balls, deep-water smallmouth and enough fish to make even seasoned pros wonder if they had accidentally discovered the bass-fishing equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet. It was exciting.
What the pros were throwing was simplicity. The 2026 Lake Erie Open offered a pretty good peek inside their professional tackle boxes:
• Drop-shot rigs -- especially Berkley Flat Worms, Berkley Maxscent Hit Worms, Strike King Half Shells and Megabass Hazedong.
• Jighead minnows -- including Deps Sakamata Shad and Strike King Z-Too.
• Urchin-style baits -- Hideup Coike, Strike King Mag Tumbleweed and Bass Mooch Gumball.
• Football jigs -- paired with compact craw-style trailers.
• Zoom Boot Tail Minnow and Micro Speed Craw.
• And also, homemade jig heads and finesse presentations.
The message from the pros was clear: WNY smallmouth can be caught several ways. The fish aren’t simply waiting for one magic bait -- although somebody will inevitably claim his magic bait was the reason everybody else caught fish.
What about FFS?
For anglers wondering about forward-facing sonar, that’s an important part of the modern tournament equation. Bassmasters permitted FFS at the 2026 Lake Erie Open, and anglers openly used electronics to locate and target fish.
One caution for 2027: the recent (Sep. 8) Bassmasters schedule announcement establishes the 2027 Elite venues and dates, but did not (yet) publish a 2027 event-by-event FFS policy. The 2026 Elite rules limited FFS to five of nine regular-season events, with one live transducer and a maximum of 55 total screen inches.
In other words, WNY bass anglers should expect plenty of technology -- but the exact 2027 rules will need to be confirmed when Bassmasters releases them.
A professional tournament is far more than boats launching at daylight. Anglers, families, tournament staff and spectators need hotel rooms, restaurants, fuel, groceries, tackle, boat service, entertainment and places to spend money when they’re not holding a fishing rod.
A Clarkson University study of a previous Bassmaster event in upstate New York estimated $1.03 million to $3.38 million in visitor expenditures, with spending reaching lodging, food and beverages, retail, fishing equipment and gasoline.
More recent events demonstrate the potential. The 2023 Bassmaster Classic generated more than $35 million in economic impact for Knoxville, while a 2026 Lake Murray Elite event was expected to generate more than $1 million in regional economic activity.
WNY doesn’t have to be a one-hit wonder, and we are not. The fish have made the case. The anglers have seen it. The numbers are on the scoreboard. The future looks good.
Also on this day, today, we pause with humble respect and sadness to remember the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and the families, first responders and communities whose lives were forever changed that day. God bless America. Tight lines everyone.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
Sept. 12: NYSDEC Hunter Ed, Erie County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 21 South Grove St., East Aurora, taught by Robert J. Avery, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., register at: https://decals.events.east.licensing.app/em/events/190, or call 585-226-5463.
Sept. 12: Combined Trap/Skeet Tournament, benefit for Great Falls Council Scouting America (Buffalo office); 8:30 registration, 9 a.m. shooting starts; team, adult and youth categories; East Aurora Fish/Game, 1018 Luther Road, East Aurora; Info: 716-876-7735.
Sept. 12: NYS Bowhunter Education Class, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls; Register at: https://decals.events.east.licensing.app/em/events/459/registrations/new, or call DEC Hunter Education at 585-226-5463.
Sept. 12: Western NY Walleye First Responders and Military Veterans Fishing Day, register with Rick Malik, 716-548-8219, or Dennis Young, 716-316-4974.
Sept. 12: Southern Tier Bassmasters tourney, Chautauqua Lake -- Long Point State Park, $35 entry, visit www.southerntierbass.com or call 585-314-7142.
Sept. 12-13: Dunkirk Sportsman Show, 30 Lakeshore Drive (Clarion Hotel), Dunkirk; will feature gun sales, hunting and fishing gear, boat displays and sales, live seminars, food, crafts, outdoor TV show hosts/personalities; Info: Josh Larsen, 716-490-4226.
Sept. 13: All Deer 3-D Archery Shoot, 8 a.m. to noon, 18 deer targets, $20, Allied Sportsman, 12846 Clinton St., Alden; info: 716-725-5822.
Sept. 13: NYS Hunter Education Class, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls, must register at: https://decals.events.east.licensing.app/em/events/460 or call 585-226-5463.
Sept. 13: Muzzleloader Shoot, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., West Falls, 10 a.m. start, $5 members/ $8 nonmembers, metal swinging targets. Info: 716-652-4650.
Sept. 14: West Falls Conservation Society, monthly meeting, 8 p.m. start; 55 Bridge St., West Falls. Potential new members are invited to attend. Free dinner. Info: 716-652-4650.