Hey there, this is Artificial Lure with your bass fishing rundown, and let me tell you, the waters are heating up in some serious ways right now.
First off, Minnesota's about to become the place to be come late summer. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society just announced that Leech Lake is hosting the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Championship from August 20th through the 22nd. This is huge because it's the first time this prestigious collegiate event has ever touched Leech Lake's legendary waters. According to B.A.S.S., this third-largest Minnesota lake spans over 112,000 acres with nearly 200 miles of shoreline, and while it's world-famous for walleye, the largemouth and smallmouth bass populations are seriously impressive and growing. Glenn Cale, B.A.S.S. Tournament Manager, says competitors should expect classic northern patterns with thick grass, docks, and rock structure all playing key roles. If you're thinking about heading up there in August, expect some serious competition and even more serious fish.
Now, let's talk about what's happening on the water right now. Down in Texas, things are absolutely bonkers. Travis McCollough from Abilene just smashed a new waterbody record at Fort Phantom Hill Reservoir by landing a 14.35-pound largemouth after only two and a half hours of fishing. He was crawling a Strike King football jig across the rocks, his signature move, and it paid off big time. Over at Toledo Bend, things are equally wild. Ethan Sims, a 27-year-old from Many, Louisiana, caught an 11.54-pound bass on Valentine's Day that he thought was a stump when it first showed up on his forward-facing sonar. The guy made three blind casts with a custom LSU rod and Texas-rigged plastic, and the third cast was the charm. He released the fish alive as part of the Toledo Bend Lunker Program and will get a replica mount later this spring. These pre-spawn conditions are absolutely loaded with potential right now, especially with warmer weather pushing fish into staging areas.
Speaking of interesting catches, twin brothers in Arkansas landed back-to-back lunkers at DeGray Lake recently. Trace caught an 11.16-pound beauty, then minutes later, his brother Levi hooked into a 12.63-pounder that turned out to be 13 years old. That's incredibly rare for a southern largemouth. The fish had even been caught and released by another angler previously, which tells you something about trophy bass behavior and the importance of catch-and-release practices.
Here's something cool for you cold-weather warriors out there: largemouth bass remain totally active under the ice during winter, even though their metabolism slows down significantly. They hold tight to structure like drop-offs, submerged timber, and weed edges. If you're an ice fishing fan, landing a heavyweight through a tiny hole is apparently incredibly satisfying.
Looking ahead, Lake Hartwell in South Carolina is getting ready to host Stage 2 of the 2026 Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour, bringing 51 of the world's best professional anglers to the lake. This is the first time Lake Hartwell has hosted a Major League Fishing event, so it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.
The takeaway here is that whether you're watching college kids compete for a national title, chasing trophy bass in Texas right now, or heading out for some ice fishing action, American bass waters are absolutely loaded with opportunity and drama right now.
Thanks for tuning in, and make sure you come back next week for more breaking bass fishing news and reports. This has been an Artificial Lure production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.
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