Ever since the big split, the debate over which professional bass fishing circuit is the best has been hotly contested. For years, infighting between Major League Fishing and the Bassmaster Elite series created division in the sport, and ultimately, it was the fans who suffered.
The Classic lost some of its luster, and some of the best names in the game were absent at Redcrest. There was no way to know which angler was the true champion of competitive bass fishing.
Thanks to a new organization, World Bass Enterprises, we’re about to find that out. It has accomplished the seemingly impossible by bringing the top anglers from both circuits to compete against one another. And the prize purse is record-breaking.
Obviously, this is some of the biggest news to ever hit the bass fishing industry. I received a general overview of the tournament, which I’ll provide below. But, if you’re like me, it’ll leave you with a million questions.
Fortunately, I also had a chance to sit down with Brian Bird, Founder and CEO of World Bass Enterprises. I was able to get a few more details in a Q&A sit-down with him, covering format, the qualifying field, and more.
The Champions Tournament Overview
Who Will Be There
The Champions tournament will have a field of approximately 50 anglers (more on that in the Q+A), with approximately 25 coming from the Bassmaster Elite Series and 25 coming from Major League Fishing’s Bass Pro Tour.
The field still isn’t set. That’s because qualification will be based on tournament results from the 2026 season.
What’s at Stake
Tensions will be high as anglers fight for the largest first-place purse in bass fishing history, $1.25 million. Second place will take home $500,000, and third place will earn $300,000. Total payouts for the entire tournament exceed $3 million, with every angler earning a check.
That is colossal, and it makes the payouts for the Classic and Redcrest look cute. The payouts alone make this a historic event. Where did the money come from? Are there entry fees? More on that in the Q+A.
Tournament Location and Event
The event runs from October 28 to 31 on Old Hickory Lake in Nashville, Tenn. Weigh-in and take-off will be at Sanders Ferry Park.
However, the fun won’t end on the 31st. On Nov. 1, the top 15 anglers from the Champions tournament will participate in a Pro Am tournament with celebrities and legendary anglers on nearby Percy Priest Lake.
The family-friendly multiday event will include a fireworks show, a flyover, interactive games, fishing activities for all ages, food and beverage vendors, and multiple musical acts, including a to-be-named Friday night headline musical act.
Similar to the Bassmaster Classic, there will be an expo at the nearby Gaylord Opryland resort. The resort will host a number of ancillary events, including the tournament’s media day and opening ceremonies, as well as the Official Expo of the Champions, featuring 70,000 square feet of expo booths from top brands across fishing, hunting, and outdoor sports.
Q+A With World Bass Enterprises Founder and CEO, Brian Bird
Note: Quotes have been cut and edited for brevity and clarity. The overall context remains unchanged.
Question 1: Making It Happen
Morgan Nowels: This has always seemed impossible. How did you do this?
Brian Bird: You know, as an entrepreneur, I built an electrical construction company that was started off with just me and built it to 600 full-time employees, and I’ve just been able to kind of have a way of pulling things off that people didn’t think were possible.
I called the attorney that I used in Dallas. He connects me to an attorney that’s in the sports world in L.A., and then they introduce me to Excel Sports Management, which, there’s a lot of stuff I didn’t know about this, right? But it’s just like all the stars aligned, and one guy that worked for me, knew somebody that knew J. Wheeler, and then a lot of things just happened. Then we were able to pitch what we were wanting to do, and everybody loved the idea.
We’re still working with Chase at a B.A.S.S., and I’ve met with Boyd at MLF, and talked to both of them several times. They both want to somehow potentially be part of this thing. It seems like I’ve made it further than anybody ever thought I would.
Question 2: League Participation
Nowels: Was there much pushback? My immediate thought was, I don’t know why B.A.S.S. would allow their anglers to participate because this is probably going to be a damper on the Classic. Same thing with Redcrest. Did the leagues try to prevent anglers from participating?
Bird: Well, legally, they can’t. They [the anglers] are just like contractors. They can participate in any event they want to, so they [the leagues] really couldn’t stop them. That’s the reason why it’s able to be done.
I mean, I looked into that before we decided to go ahead with it, because you never know what kind of pushback you might get from them. And I see your point. But, my vision is that if we can get everybody to come together, we can use this event to help them raise money for the Classic and for Redcrest, so that they can even make more.
And it’s no expense to them to where their paydays become even bigger in their internal championships by using our tournament. I have shared ideas with them, and I’m not going to go into detail here. But there are reasons for them to want this to work. I’m trying to share my vision and show them how it would work. It’s a win-win for everybody.
Question 3: Tournament Format
Nowels: So with the two different leagues participating, what is the format of this tournament going to be? Five biggest fish? Every fish counts? A hybrid? What do cutoffs look like?
Bird: It’s a 3-day fishing event. Thursday and Friday are the qualifying days, with the championship being Saturday. We’ll start with 50 anglers, but it could be 53 or 54, since qualifying is the top 25 from the majors and the top 25 from the elites. But also, if you win an event throughout the year, that automatically qualifies you as well.
So it’s hard for us to say when we’re promoting this if it’s 54, 55, or whatever. So for now, we’re just sticking with saying 50 anglers, even though it could be a few more. But anyway, whatever the number ends up being, we’ll narrow it down to 15 on Saturday. It’s a best five fish per day tournament, and the top 15 anglers will fish Saturday for the world championship.
Question 4: The Money
Nowels: Are there entry fees for the anglers, or is this all sponsorship money?
Bird: World Bass Enterprises is prepared to fund the whole operation if we have to. But I don’t think that’s going to be the case. We’re still working through sponsorships now.
There’s no expense to the angler at all. We’re putting them up at the Gaylord Hotel the whole time, from practice to the end. When they get there, they’ll have a nice, welcoming gift basket in their room with all these goodies, and a $3,000 debit card that’s preloaded. That’s for their fuel and meals, although we’ll be feeding them a lot, but there’s $3,000 on that card for them to use however they need to.”
You know, in the Super Bowl or the NBA championship or the World Series, those players, those athletes, are not out a penny. They’re being treated like kings. They’re rolling out the red carpet. That’s what we’re doing, right? That’s what we’re going to do for these anglers. We’re going to give them something they’ve never seen.
So, yeah, no expense to them. Worst-case scenario, if you don’t make it to the top 15 and you have to go home early, you still get $8,000 in payout. You come, and you get to participate in the biggest bass fishing tournament the world’s ever seen, you get the potential to become the world champion, and it didn’t cost you a dime to participate.
Question 5: The Location
Nowels: Why Old Hickory? I mean, that’s right in my backyard. No one comes here. Why not a more storied fishery like Guntersville or Chickamauga?
Bird: Well, that’s it. That’s what I want. I wanted to go somewhere nobody knows.
We’re going public on Tuesday [Feb. 2], right? And the anglers are going to find out about it, and they’re going to be signing a deal saying that they will participate in the event if they qualify. As soon as they sign that, there’s a no-information policy that goes into effect right then. There haven’t been any big tournaments there. Sure, the anglers may have fished it once or twice, but that’s it.
It’s plenty big enough to host the tournament. It can be a tough fishery from what I understand, as well. I just feel like it I feel like going in the championship Saturday, the field’s going to be tight. And I feel like whoever’s in 10th place can still win this thing the way that lake fishes. And those are some of the reasons we chose that lake.
Question 6: Predictions
Nowels: The only other question I’ve got is more of a fun prediction. We don’t know the field, but which league do you think is taking home the trophy on this one?
Bird: Man, I don’t even want to make that prediction. There are so many great anglers in each one, right?
I can tell you this: I think there’s going to be fireworks. I think it’s going to be close, and there’s going to be a lot of drama. I’ve got some people that I think are our favorites, but I’ll keep that to myself right now. I’ll make my prediction Saturday morning when I know who the 15 finalists are, but I’m not going to put my neck out there yet.
Thoughts From the Anglers
It seems like anglers from both fields are just as excited as Brian is. Heck, if you’re fishing for over $1 million, why wouldn’t you be?
“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,” said four-time Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year Jacob Wheeler. “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.”
“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,” said two-time Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year Brandon Palaniuk. “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.”
Final Thoughts
It’s a sign of the bass fishing industry healing. For years, the industry has been in shambles. It’s the worst it’s ever been. Podcasts cover drama, infighting has been rampant, and anglers and fans have been calling for unity.
It just hasn’t happened. I know I, for one, have gotten sick of it. So much so that I almost stopped tuning in. The death of professional competitive bass fishing seemed to be nearing.
With the formation of World Bass Enterprises and the creation of the Champions tournament, things are headed in the right direction. Will it survive? Who knows? Many promises have been made and broken in the industry, but if it all pans out, this is a huge win for anglers. I’ll certainly be attending.
