If you’re a fan of tournament bass fishing, or just bass fishing in general, all your prayers have been answered. Announced today, World Bass Enterprises (WBE) is launching the ultimate bass fishing tournament dubbed “The Champions,” tournament, which will bring the 50 best bass anglers in the entire world together to compete for a record-setting $1.25 MILLION prize for the winner. We’re talking the 25 best anglers from the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour, and the 25 best anglers from the Bassmaster Elite Series, all competing together for the largest purse is bass fishing history.
The five-day event, with three days of competition, will kick off on October 28th, right outside of Nashville, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake at Sanders Ferry Park. Old Hickory is a 22,000-acre reservoir on the Cumberland River, about 25 miles from Nashville. The record-setting purse of more than $3 million will offer up a $1.25 million payout to the winning angler, which is good enough for the largest ever in a bass tournament. Second and third place finishers will receive $500,000 and $300,000 payouts, respectively. Prize money steps down from there with even the last place angler taking home a check for $8,000. For perspective, the top angler at last month’s Bass Pro Tour stop on Guntersville took home $125,000. For more perspective, you can fish at the top level for a decade and not make over a million dollars. We’re talking life changing amounts of money for these fishermen.
Additionally, World Bass Enterprises will hold a pro-am derby on Sunday, November 1st at Percy Priest Lake, another popular Nashville-area lake, which will feature the top 15 anglers from “The Champions” tournament fishing alongside legendary anglers, celebrities and more.
World Bass Enterprises Founder and CEO, Brian Bird, calls the tournament an opportunity to crown a true world champion:
“As a longtime bass fishing enthusiast, I have always marveled at the incredible skill of the world’s top anglers and believed they deserved a marquee platform to showcase their talents to the world. And there is no better way to crown a true world champion than by bringing the two biggest tours together to fish on the same lake. We’re thrilled to introduce this world class event that will unify the sport, establish an annual tradition, and increase exposure to pro fishing by welcoming in new audiences.”
MLF Bass Pro Tour defending champ, 4x Angler of the Year, and quite inarguably the best angler in the world right now, Jacob Wheeler, echoes that sentiment, saying all the friendly banter between Bassmaster and MLF anglers will get a chance to prove itself on the water:
“There has always been friendly competition and banter between the anglers on each tour, but no way to actually settle the score on the water. The opportunity to crown a true world champion across the entire sport is something our anglers have wanted for a very long time, and we’re thrilled to finally have that chance this October in Nashville. The fact that there is more than $3 million in total prize money is remarkable and a true testament to the elite nature of this competition.”
Wheeler also explains that points from the current 2026 season will help determine the 25 anglers from each pro series, and the 7 anglers that win a Bass Pro Tour event will automatically get in (Drew Gill’s win on Guntersville already has him locked in). The guys who win the 9 events in the Elite Series will also qualify automatically. Wheeler also confirms that the tournament will be a 5-fish limit and that there will be forward facing sonar limitations.
Two-time Elite Series champ, Brandon Palaniuk, calls the tournament a great opportunity to energize the bass industry.
“The entire bass fishing community is energized to see who is the best of the best, and have the opportunity to chase a $1.25 million grand prize. And while we will be competing individually for the purse, I know the rest of the anglers on The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series will be fired up to try to bring home the first-ever Champions Cup to our tour.”
Honestly, this sounds incredible… as an avid fishing fan, and bass angler myself, I am always watching every tournament on both the Bass Pro Series and the Elite Series, and you can’t help but wonder who would dominate if they were fishing in the same tournament. Fans and anglers talk about the Bassmaster Classic being the “Super Bowl” of bass fishing, but it doesn’t really feature all the best anglers in the world right now. This is really the first time in a long time that we’ve had a true “Super Bowl” of bass fishing… and the prize money to match it. Plus it’ll be televised, there will be tons of fan events and other ways to get involved, you’re in Nashville, there’s a Pro-Am derby which is always fun (if you’re looking for a Z-list celebrity blogger on behalf of Whiskey Riff, give me call), the entire thing is just such a great way to grow the sport, and truly what it has been needing.
I love both tours, but they’re different… they have different anglers, different rules, and there does feel like an disconnect in the industry at times. This should help bring it all together. I’m PUMPED.
