Tournament Season Preview 2026
The Grand Rapids show kind of signifies the switch for me. Ice fishing is done and the transition to open water is on. I'm too busy actually fishing all winter to be worried with what is going on with the local bass world. But in between helping people out with the Humminbird Xplore units and Minn Kota trolling motors in the booth, the bass world is front and center.
Most years it's more of the same but this time around there are some big changes especially to the D&R circuit. One of them is pretty controversial for sure and they are going to take some heat for it. Everyone's got an opinion when they aren't running the circuit and you can't fault a trail for making changes if they think it will help turnouts and are acting in their best interest. The big change I'm talking about is obviously D&R’s decision to close the channels off in their events. Here's my take on it, it doesn't really matter. We're all still fishing the same lake and it's also not going to shake up the leaderboard. I do think it takes away some of the mystique of Lakeshore tournaments though. The risk/reward of the channel is something every competitor has to wrestle with and it's something unique to West Michigan. While I'd prefer to not have to channel be a big player. It will be strange not having it as an option.
The next big change was that D&R announced the classic already and I'm a big fan of that. It's staying local this year with one day on Muskegon and one day on the Grand. It should end up being a super interesting and potentially challenging event. The no travel classic also opens it up to attend the WMB Classic, which happens to be on one of my favorite classic venues…Houghton Lake. One other thing that D&R did this year that I really like is that they are offering some incentive for AOY finish. Some cash and it also will determine your boat numbers at the Classic. 2 other new rules that show up this year are. The use of drones, electronic tags or other such devices used to locate fish are prohibited during practice and tournaments and The use of an elevated platform (IE: ladder, step stool, box, etc) other than the boat deck is prohibited to use during practice and tournaments. You can find all this information and a whole lot more at https://westmichiganbass.com/Page/dr-series-rules. This is the series you will see Trevor and I putting most of our effort into.
The contingencies look great for this season also and they are clearly out for everyone to read. I see a few new products, which I am going to acquire to be eligible for the contingency. Also I want to remind everyone to support those that are making this such a great series. If you are going to purchase products to qualify for these incentives please consider D&R Sports (the spring show is a great time to stock up) or at the very least another Michigan retailer.
Then there’s our Monday night series, which is getting even bigger this year. It’s gone through a rebrand to the 2K Jigs Lakeshore Shootout and the amount of extras is just crazy. One Step Up Landscaping, Nick Holtrop/Blu House Properties, Style Installation Group, Todd Elliott Farm Bureau Insurance, and 2K Jigs are all kicking in legitimate extras this year. There’s nothing to tournament fisherman like free money! This year also features a 2 day Classic. Which I’ll be honest, I’m not thrilled about 2 more events during salmon jigging season. But it is hard to argue when you can fish for a bunch of extra money. 2 other notable changes are that the entry fee went up to 50 dollars per event and that tournament waters are now off limits the day of the event (that is a long overdue change).
The HOTD series is a great schedule too, I just don’t have time to do it all. I do hope to hop into a couple events but the D&R Series is the priority for me. They start on the bay at the end of May and then are local the rest of the season. I did not see or hear about any changes to HOTD.
It’s also just great to see all my friends at the show. We had a great time this year and some epic laughs, plus Trevor gets 2 birthdays a year now. The show is always a grind by day 3 or 4 but there is a great crew of sales reps, vendors, show attendees, and pro staffers that make the world go round. Plus the girls made an appearance this year which was fun. They even hit the trout pond up this year and even though they didn’t land one they got quite a few to react with the secret technique they figured out. It was an intense 5 minutes for them and it is game on next year. It was also fun to have my buddy Traver there with his Diver Dock display and seeing him have a successful show with his product.
Lastly I’ll be at The Outdoorsman this Saturday March 21st from 10-2 for a high school fishing event. I’ll be joining 2 great fisherman in Kyle Borst and Aaron Mast in giving a seminar to all the up and coming high school tournament kids. I hear it is really well attended and I am looking forward to sharing some knowledge during the seminar and talking with everyone during the event.
