OCALA, Fla. — The annual Heavy Hitters tournament has become a highlight for Bass Pro Tour anglers. Throughout the regular season, it’s common to hear pros talk about finding a “Heavy Hitters fish” to qualify for the all-star event.
The 2026 edition could see the heaviest bass in the history of the big-fish-focused event – if Mother Nature cooperates. Heavy Hitters is slated for May 16-21 on Florida’s Orange Lake. Orange Lake has been on fire in recent years, kicking out lunker bass at a better clip than any other fishery in the Sunshine State and almost anywhere else in the country. Bass Fishing Hall of Famer and Ocala native Shaw Grigsby called it “a tremendous big-bass lake.”
“That lake has put out some beasts,” he said. “I don’t think it put out a 15 last year, but it put out a 15 for like three straight years – over 15, like high 15.”
However, as of this writing, Orange Lake is 2 to 3 feet low. That’s significant for a fishery that has an average depth of 5.5 feet and a maximum depth of 12 feet at full pool. Whether or not the water level rebounds will determine what type of event we see at Heavy Hitters.
What to expect
As of early February, Grigsby said Orange Lake is so low that it would be nearly impossible to even launch a fiberglass boat. He doesn’t expect that to be the case come May – there’s a new boat ramp under construction that should be completed by then, and he’s optimistic spring rains will raise the water level. But it seems likely the lake will still be below full pool.
How that impacts the fishing remains to be seen. Grigsby said it’s possible the low water will concentrate the postspawn bass, making for an offshore slugfest. The fact that forward-facing sonar use isn’t restricted during Heavy Hitters since anglers will be competing out of identical, league-issued boats could help that bite.
“With the water low and the fish offshore, they might have them concentrated, and it could be a stunning event to see that play out,” he said.
If the water gets back near full pool, fans could see a lot more close-quarters power fishing amid the lake’s ample vegetation.
“At a normal time, you would have a lot of flipping, pitching, punching,” Grigsby said. “You’d have frogging. Catching some offshore. You might be throwing a big worm offshore, stuff like that. So, you’ll have a little bit of everything.”
Regardless, Grigsby expects the lake to fish well. It’s rare to see a high-level tournament in Florida during the postspawn, but he said it’s one of the most fun times of year in the Sunshine State, especially since the Bass Pro Tour’s catch-weigh-release format means pros won’t have to stress about keeping bass alive in the warm water.
“May is a tremendous time,” Grigsby said. “It’s the postspawn – a lot of topwater activity, definitely can get into schooling activity. It should be a real fun one, because when you start getting into that topwater time, it gets to be ridiculous.”
Grigsby doesn’t just anticipate flurries of topwater bites but big ones. After all, that’s what Heavy Hitters is all about. There’s huge money up for grabs for the angler who catches the biggest bass each day – $10,000 during each of the four Qualifying Round days, $30,000 during the Knockout Round and $100,000 during the Championship Round.
Orange Lake has already offered MLF fans a taste of the caliber of bass that live there. The Fishing Clash Team Series spent three days on the lake at the Team Series Championship in the fall of 2023, and two anglers caught bass over 10 pounds – with zero practice on the fishery. Wesley Strader boated a 10-12, while Ryan Salzman landed an 11-6.
Grigsby expects at least one 10-plus pounder to hit SCORETRACKER®.
“You’re talking double digits, definitely,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to go by without a double digit. And it could be 11, 12, even into the 13-pound range.”
Storylines to watch
- A reminder that Heavy Hitters features a different competition format than regular-season Bass Pro Tour events. The 32-angler field will be split into Group A and Group B, with Group A taking the water on Day 1 and the two groups alternating throughout the four-day Qualifying Round. The top eight anglers from each group will then come together for the Knockout Round, and the Top 10 will qualify for the Championship Round. All six days will be streamed live on MLFNOW!.
- Three former Heavy Hitters champions will seek their second title belt, including a father-son duo – Alton Jones, Alton Jones Jr. and Ott DeFoe. Jeff Sprague, who has twice caught the $100,000 big bass of the Championship Round, including last year on Smith Mountain Lake, is also back in the field.
- This will mark the final national-level event for Skeet Reese, who retired after the 2025 BPT season but qualified for Heavy Hitters. He will try to follow in the footsteps of fellow Hall of Famer Kevin VanDam, who caught the $100,000 bass in his farewell event at Heavy Hitters 2024, which took place just a couple hours away on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes.