With just two events left in the Bass Pro Tour season, the points standings will be top of mind for many anglers when they head to Grand Lake for Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota. But this year, the pros are not only competing for the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year crown and qualification for REDCREST 2027.
The top 25 finishers in the points at the end of the season will also earn entry into the most lucrative event in bass fishing history – The Champions, hosted by World Bass Enterprises Oct. 29-31 on Tennessee’s Old Hickory Lake. The no-entry-fee event features both the largest first-place paycheck of any bass tournament ever ($1.25 million) and the largest total purse ($3.25 million). The top five finishers will all earn at least $100,000.
That’s a pretty big carrot for BPT pros to chase. So, who already has entry in the field, and who will be fishing for a spot over the final two events? Here’s a rundown.
Tickets punched
It’s not just the top 25 finishers in the points who will earn spots in The Champions field, but the winners of each of the seven regular-season Bass Pro Tour events. That means that, regardless of their position in the standings, all 51 BPT pros still have a chance to earn a spot in the event.
It also means that five anglers have already locked up spots in the field: Drew Gill, Takahiro Omori, Zack Birge, Jacob Wheeler and Cole Floyd.
The qualifying BPT pros will represent half the field at The Champions. The other anglers who have already locked up spots in the event are Hank Cherry, Fisher Anaya, Jason Christie, Jacob Foutz, Paul Marks Jr. and Chris Johnston.
That already guarantees the field will include a Bass Fishing Hall of Famer (Omori), a pair of two-time reigning Angler of the Year winners on national tours (Wheeler and Johnston), three past Bassmaster Classic champions (Omori, Cherry and Christie) and the reigning REDCREST champion (Wheeler).
On the bubble
Each of the top three anglers in the AOY standings – Birge, Wheeler and Gill – has already qualified for The Champions (unlike REDCREST qualification, double qualifiers don’t move the cut line for this event). The rest of the top five – Justin Lucas and Spencer Shuffield – are virtual locks. More than 50 points clear of 25th place, it would take a disaster for either angler to fall outside the Top 25.
Just about everyone else has a chance to fish their way in or out of The Champions qualification over the final two events. The battle around the bubble is particularly tight. Veteran pro Brent Chapman currently holds the 25th and final spot with 285 points. Alton Jones Jr., Brent Ehrler, Chris Lane, Ott DeFoe and Jacob Wall are less than 10 points ahead of him. Meanwhile, Keith Carson, Casey Ashley, Justin Cooper and Bryan Thrift are all just a few points away from moving into the Top 25.
About The Champions
Festivities associated with The Champions – an opening ceremony, a three-day expo, a live concert and a pro-am event contested by the Top 15 finishers and celebrities – will run in nearby Nashville from Oct. 28-Nov. 1. The competition itself will take place over three days and be streamed live.
Anglers will weigh their five biggest bass each day, and weights will be cumulative across all three days of competition. Competitors will be able to use forward-facing sonar on one of the first two days, with each pro able to choose which day to use the technology. It will then be allowed for half of Day 3, when the field is cut to the Top 15.
For more information about The Champions, visit worldbassenterprises.com.