After starting the season by visiting two of the most popular tournament fisheries in the country, the Bass Pro Tour is throwing anglers – and Phoenix Fantasy Fishing Presented by 13 Fishing players – a change up at Champion Teamwear Stage 3 Presented by MillerTech.
The third event of the 2026 season will take the 51-angler field to Lakes Whitney and Waco in Texas. Neither fishery has ever hosted a national tour-level event, so there’s not very little history to lean on when selecting your Fantasy Fishing roster. But we were still able to glean a few clues about what to expect, both from the one past MLF event on the two lakes and the two Waco natives on the BPT. Here is everything you need to know to pick a winning lineup on Waco and Whitney.
Local advantage for the Joneses?
While Waco might not be a regular tournament hotspot, it’s home to one of the first families in pro bass fishing. Alton Jones and Alton Jones Jr. both live in the area. This event will mark the first time the father-son duo has ever gotten to sleep at home while competing in a national-level event.
While the Joneses have downplayed their chances of enjoying a significant advantage, the fact that so few other anglers have even seen the two fisheries before, much less competed on them, has to give them an edge. At minimum, they’ll have an understanding of how the fisheries set up and where they can find similar pieces of habitat should they get on a pattern, which will speed up their decision-making process. It would be hard to leave them out of a fantasy lineup.
One prior event of interest
We teased that there has been one past MLF event on these two fisheries. The 2021 Heritage Cup put anglers on Lake Waco for the Sudden Death Round and Lake Whitney for the Championship Round.
While that event occurred in the fall, meaning there won’t be a ton of crossover with Stage 3, a few anglers who performed well merit strong consideration for your lineup. Tops on the list is Ott DeFoe, whose win in that event is just part of his stellar track record in Texas. Three of the Tennessean’s five Bass Pro Tour victories have come in the Lone Star State.
Jeff Sprague finished second to DeFoe, and he’s another angler with a strong track record in Texas (which makes sense considering he lives there). Sprague should be in his shallow, power fishing wheelhouse for this event. Lastly, Brent Ehrler finished fourth. He’s a solid bet just about anywhere, having made the Knockout Round at seven of his past events dating back to last year.
The usual suspects
An event in which fewer competitors have an edge based on location or history seems like even more reason to stick with the Bass Pro Tour pros who have shown an ability to get it done all over the country. Headlining that list is, of course, Jacob Wheeler. You shouldn’t need us to tell you to pick Wheeler for your Fantasy Fishing team. Same goes for Banks Shaw, who is two-for-two on Top 10s to start his BPT career.
Both Wheeler and Shaw are looking up at Jacob Walker in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. After opening his rookie season with consecutive runner-up finishes, Walker clearly deserves to be on the list of lineup locks, too. And even though Drew Gill is coming off a rough South Carolina swing, it would make me very nervous to fade him. He’s still finished in the Top 10 more often than not at tour-level events.
Shallow standouts with momentum
Given the time of year and the fact that anglers will, as usual, only be able to use forward-facing sonar for one of three periods per day, I expect to see a lot of shallow-water power fishing in his event. That should play into the hands of Zack Birge, who continues to fish great. He’s finished in the top 15 at seven of his past eight BPT events, with three of those being top fives. Justin Cooper has gotten off to an even hotter start in 2026. He’s made the Championship Round at each of the first two tournaments of the season, and his home in Western Louisiana isn’t too far from these fisheries – about a 4-hour drive. I’m sure he’s at least laid eyes on them. Same goes for Nick LeBrun, who in the past two weeks has won a Toyota Series event on Sam Rayburn and finished 13th on Hartwell. Lastly, Mark Daniels Jr. is off to a great start to the season, and it’s not hard to envision him locking a crankbait in his hands on Whitney and keeping it rolling.
Other anglers to consider
Edwin Evers: This is a gut-feel pick based mainly on the fact that Evers is due to bounce back from a rough start to the year with finishes of 31st on Guntersville and 48th on Hartwell. A mad, motivated Evers is a scary proposition.
Ron Nelson: In an event where a lot of anglers are going to have to figure out the fishery on the fly, I like Nelson’s chances of contending. He has a knack for figuring out a unique bite, and he’s especially good around the spawn, which should be getting close (and might already be underway on Waco).
Dean Rojas: Speaking of anglers who excel around the spawn, I expect Rojas to catch a lot of bass wacky worming, ChatterBaiting and maybe even frogging at this event. He’s another angler who has at least competed on Waco and Whitney before, too, as he made the Championship Round and finished seventh at the 2021 Cup event.
My picks:
Flight 1: Mark Daniels Jr., Ott DeFoe, Brent Ehrler, Drew Gill, Alton Jones Jr.
Flight 2: Zack Birge, Ron Nelson, Banks Shaw, Jeff Sprague, Jacob Wheeler