Final 10 pros now set for Championship Sunday finale with top prize of $125,000 on the line
WACO, Texas (March 7, 2026) – When the Knockout Round at Champion Teamwear Stage 3 Presented by MillerTech took the 24-angler field to Lake Waco on Saturday, not many knew what to expect. The 8,000-acre fishery has never hosted tour-level competition before, and most of the Bass Pro Tour pros spent the majority, if not all, of their official practice scouting Lake Whitney, the site of the Qualifying Round.
The cover-studded fishery shone in its BPT debut. Lake Waco delivered a bevy of big bass and compelling races both for the top spot on SCORETRACKER® and the last few places above the Lucas Oil cut line.
Talala, Oklahoma, pro Edwin Evers led the way with 44 pounds, 11 ounces on 18 scorable bass. Right behind him was fellow Okie Zack Birge of Blanchard, with 44-3, also on 18 bass. Reigning back-to-back REDCREST champion Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, likewise cracked the 40-pound mark, and Bass Fishing Hall of Famer Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Arkansas, got to 38-13 before using the final two hours to practice for Sunday’s Championship Round. Meanwhile, three anglers who found themselves outside the top nine at various points during the third period fought their way back inside the cut line, with Hot Springs, Arkansas’ Spencer Shuffield rallying from 22nd place at the start of the final frame to claim the ninth and final spot with 33-8.
Link to Day 3 Photo Gallery: A storm’s brewing in more way than one on Lake Waco for Stage 3’s Knockout Round
Link to Day 3 Photo Gallery: Bass Pro Tour Stage 3 moves to Lake Waco for Knockout Round
Link to HD Video of Highlights from Day 3 Competition
Evers did use part of his official practice time on Lake Waco, albeit not much – only about half of one of the three allotted days. But that was all he needed to find a hard-to-reach backwater loaded with bass.
“I came over here in practice and stayed here until 1 o’clock and found that area, and I knew that was where I was going to go,” he said. “I didn’t need to look at any more of the lake.”
It took Evers a little bit to figure out exactly where the fish were positioned Saturday and how to get them to bite. He caught just three scorable bass for 7-0 in the first period, which had him outside the top nine and more than 22 pounds back of Davis at the first intermission. But once he dialed it in, he climbed SCORETRACKER® in a hurry. Evers stacked up 10 scorable bass totaling 26-3 in the second period.
At that point, he figured he’d safely distanced himself from the cut line, and he started shaking off some of the bass that bit. He added a few more fish to his total during the afternoon while further exploring the area and playing “defense,” as Birge fished the same water.
“I was just trying to keep pace with what everybody else was doing, truthfully,” Evers said. “I had a lot of bites, and I shook a lot of fish off. Then I had some company in there, and I was trying to defend it a little bit and hoping he wasn’t going to make the cut, but he did. It just is what it is.”
Evers never bothered to turn on his forward-facing sonar transducers Saturday. In fact, he spent much of the day fishing water so skinny that they were raised out of the water. That was just fine by the Oklahoma native, who’s at home picking apart cover in shallow, dirty water.
“I love it,” Evers said. “That’s how I made a career fishing. I know how to do that kind of fishing and have been successful at it in the past.”
Evers believes there are still plenty of bass in his area but said “they’ve been educated pretty good.” So, he’s not sure what to expect on Championship Sunday. He thinks it’ll take upwards of 50 pounds to earn the win.
While the ultra-competitive Evers would of course love to lift his first Bass Pro Tour trophy since 2019, he’s tickled just to be back in the Top 10 after an uncharacteristically slow start to the season that saw him finish 31st at Lake Guntersville and 48th at Lake Hartwell.
“It’s just a huge blessing,” he said. “I’m not trying to brag, but in my career, I’ve not had too many back-to-back events where I didn’t get paid. And it hurt bad. It’s just crazy how your confidence can swing so high and low in this, and it’s definitely good to have a successful event and to have things go in the right direction.”
The top nine pros that now advance to the Championship Round on Lake Waco at Champion Teamwear Stage 3 Presented by MillerTech are:
1st: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 18 bass, 44-11
2nd: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 18 bass, 44-3
3rd: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 10 bass, 40-2
4th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 13 bass, 38-13
5th: Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., 14 bass, 38-4
6th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 11 bass, 38-2
7th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 12 bass, 35-8
8th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 13 bass, 35-6
9th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 11 bass, 33-8
*QR Winner: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
Eliminated from competition are:
11th: Dean Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., 10 bass, 29-4, $15,900
12th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 11 bass, 28-1, $15,800
13th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., nine bass, 27-3, $15,700
14th: Bradley Roy, Lancaster, Ky., nine bass, 25-5, $15,600
15th: Alton Jones Jr., Lorena, Texas, eight bass, 24-0, $15,500
16th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., seven bass, 19-4, $15,400
17th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., seven bass, 19-0, $15,300
18th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 10 bass, 18-14, $15,200
19th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., five bass, 13-7, $15,100
20th: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., six bass, 12-0, $15,000
21st: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $15,000
22nd: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, four bass, 7-3, $15,000
23rd: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., three bass, 6-3, $15,000
24th: Takahiro Omori, Tokyo, Japan, two bass, 5-12, $15,000
25th: Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., three bass, 5-2, $15,000
A complete list of results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Overall, there were 219 bass caught weighing 600 pounds, 15 ounces, caught by the 24 Bass Pro Tour anglers on Saturday.
The $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award on Saturday went to pro Dustin Connell of Clanton, Alabama, who caught an 8-pound, 8-ounce largemouth during the third period on a fuzzy dice bait. Berkley awards $1,000 to the angler who weighs the heaviest bass each day.
Hosted by the City of Waco, the Greater Waco Sports Commission and the Waco Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID) , the four-day event features a field of 51 of the top professional anglers in the world competing for a $125,000 top prize and their share of the $600,000 purse, along with valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points in hopes of qualifying for the MLF Heavy Hitters all-star event and REDCREST 2027, the Bass Pro Tour championship.
The full field of 51 anglers competed in the two-day Qualifying Round on Thursday and Friday. After the two-day Qualifying Round was complete, the pro with the heaviest two-day total – Chris Lane – advanced directly to Sunday’s Championship Round. Anglers that finished 2nd through 25th competed in Saturday’s Knockout Round. In the Knockout Round, weights were zeroed, and the remaining anglers competed to finish in the top nine to advance to Sunday’s Championship Round. In tomorrow’s final-day Championship Round, weights are zeroed, and the highest one-day total wins the top prize of $125,000.
The final 10 anglers will arrive at 6:15 a.m. to Twin Bridges Park, located at 3201 N. State Hwy. 6 in Waco, Texas. Anglers will return to Twin Bridges Park following the end of competition at 3:45 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the launch and takeout event and also encouraged to watch the event live online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® livestream and follow along with SCORETRACKER® coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com .
The MLFNOW!® broadcast team of Chad McKee and J.T. Kenney will break down the extended action live on Championship Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT. MLFNOW!® will be livestreamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
On Sunday, March 8, from 3 to 6 p.m., MLF invites fans of all ages to Twin Bridges Park, located at 3201 N. State Hwy. 6 in Waco, Texas, for the MLF Fan Experience & Watch Party. Fans can watch the Bass Pro Tour pros live on the MLFNOW!® big screen, enjoy free food for the first 100 fans, enter hourly giveaways, browse MLF merchandise and the bargain bait bin, and cheer on their favorite anglers. Youth of all ages can take part in a fishing derby (gear and bait provided, weather permitting) and casting contest. Top 10 angler interviews and the trophy presentation begins at 5 p.m., including autographs and photos with Bass Pro Tour finalists. The first 50 kids ages 14 and under will receive a free rod and reel.
The Champion Teamwear Stage 3 at Lake Whitney and Lake Waco Presented by MillerTech features anglers competing with a 1-pound, 8-ounce minimum weight requirement for a bass to be deemed scorable. The MLF Fisheries Management Division determines minimum weights for each body of water that the Bass Pro Tour visits, based on the productivity, bass population and anticipated average size of fish in each fishery.
The 2026 Bass Pro Tour features a field of 51 of the best professional anglers in the world, competing across seven regular-season tournaments around the country for millions of dollars and valuable points to qualify for the annual Heavy Hitters all-star event and the REDCREST 2027 championship.
Television coverage of the Champion Teamwear Stage 3 at Lake Whitney and Lake Waco Presented by MillerTech will premiere as a two-hour episode starting at 7 a.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 5, on Discovery. New MLF episodes premiere each Saturday morning on Discovery, with re-airings on Outdoor Channel.