Between the Bass Pro Tour, Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and Toyota Series, Banks Shaw has fished a lot of tournaments in 2026 – 15 to be exact, with at least four to go.
But ever since the unveiling of The Champions, a first-of-its-kind tournament that will be hosted by World Bass Enterprises Oct. 28-31 on Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake, he’s been looking forward to that event more than any other.
“As soon as it came out, I knew that was probably the biggest fishing tournament ever, for a single angler at least,” Shaw said. “To have a chance that good to win over a million dollars in one tournament, I was like, dude, I have to make that.”
Shaw no longer needs to worry about qualifying for The Champions. His comeback win at Stage 6 on Grand Lake secured him a spot in the field. Now, he’s planning to “go all-out” to position himself to win the biggest top prize in bass fishing history – $1.25 million.
Coming off back-to-back national wins, that could be a scary proposition for the rest of the field.
Shaw has stayed red hot since taking his career national in 2025. In less than two years, he’s won five events plus the Angler of the Year title on the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals last season. He’s leading the Pro Circuit points again this year with one event to go. He’s cashed more than $800,000 before turning 23 years old.
That’s already enough to make him one of the favorites for The Champions, even amid a loaded field that will include the Top 25 Bass Pro Tour finishers in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings plus stage winners. But Shaw will also be competing in his home state. While he doesn’t have extensive history on Old Hickory, he fared well there in some high school tournaments and thinks the lake will suit his strengths.
“I think it’ll be one of those comfort lakes that are a little grimy, and I feel like those lakes are kind of right up my ballpark,” he said.
The event’s format also has Shaw licking his chops. Anglers will be allowed to use forward-facing sonar one of the first two days (they will be able to choose which day). Weights will zero for Day 3, and the Top 15 anglers will be allowed to use forward-facing sonar for half that day as they duke it out for the title.
That reminds Shaw of the Invitationals last year, when anglers were allowed to use forward-facing sonar on Days 1 and 3 but prohibited from doing so on Day 2. He put together a historically dominant season, making the Top 10 in all seven events and winning one. Had only Day 2, with no forward-facing sonar, counted toward the points, he still would have won Angler of the Year.
“That’ll be right up my alley,” he said. “Those are my favorite kind of tournaments. I know I can out-fish a lot of those guys that might not be as good at fishing for forward-facing fish without it. I feel like I can catch a lot of those same fish I do with (forward-facing sonar) without it.”
Even with all of that working in his favor, Shaw plans to spend as much time as possible on Old Hickory in the coming months. Between the end of the Bass Pro Tour season and the off-limits period for The Champions, he plans to “literally live out there.”
“I just want to go over there and get to know the lake and kind of relate to it like I’m back home – somewhere I’m really, really comfortable fishing as much as I possibly can,” Shaw said. “It seems like whenever I can do that at a fishery, it just completely goes down. I just know my exact moves and when it’s going to happen and exactly what’s going to happen. So, I’m going to live over there and get to know that lake better than these other guys and put in more work than these other guys, and that will give me some confidence and momentum knowing that there’s probably no way that I got outworked.”
One of the few accomplishments Shaw hasn’t already achieved is winning a championship trophy. While he hasn’t even competed in REDCREST yet (he’s already locked up a spot on Logan Martin Lake in 2027), he barely missed at the Invitationals Championship last fall. He finished second on the Upper Mississippi River, 1-5 back of Steve Lopez.
Especially after watching close friend and former University of North Alabama teammate Dylan Nutt win the Bassmaster Classic this year, Shaw is chomping at the bit for another shot at a championship. Add in the $1.25 million payday for the winner, and he’ll be more hyped at blast off for The Champions than any other event he’s ever fished.
“I couldn’t imagine being in contention to win and hooking a giant one – say like a 5-, 6-pounder – and pretty much knowing that’s probably the one that’s going to seal the deal,” he said. “Dude, I wouldn’t even want to fish another bass tournament again, because you couldn’t ever have that feeling again no matter how big of a tournament you’re fishing. Reeling one in and you know that’s probably the one that’s going to do it for over a million dollars, I don’t think you could ever match that feeling.”