ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. — A welcome warmup should have the bass moving towards prespawn staging areas for the 2026 Lippert Bassmaster Elite at Lake Martin, according to 2025 Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens presented by Battery Tender Division I champion Lucas Lindsay. The difference between a middle of the pack finish and a great finish, however, will be two or three quality largemouth bites.
“There will be a push to prespawn staging areas,” the Auburn, Ala., native said. “We’ll be dealing with a Lake Martin with a lot of clear water. Catching a 4-pounder each day of the tournament will be paramount and getting above 12 and 13 pounds will be incredibly important.”
Tournament days are scheduled for Feb. 12-15 with daily takeoffs and weigh-ins taking place at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City. The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pros will launch at 7 a.m. CT each day and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m.
The full field of 101 anglers will compete the first two days of the tournament before the Top 50 advances to Semifinal Saturday. Only the Top 10 anglers after three days of competition will fish on Championship Sunday and fight for a coveted blue trophy and the $100,000 first-place prize.
An impoundment on the Tallapoosa River, Lake Martin spreads across 44,000 acres and includes over 750 miles of shoreline, making it one of the largest man-made lakes in the country. Spotted bass dominate the fishery, but largemouth are still plentiful. Finding quality largemouth is more difficult than it may seem, however.
“There are so many largemouth but finding one over the 2-pound range is kind of difficult,” Lindsay said. “There’s a lot of healthy spotted bass in there over 2 and 2 1/2 pounds.”
The Elite Series last visited the fishery in 2018, an early February event won by Takahiro Omori with 59 pounds, 8 ounces. In that event, Omori caught over 18 pounds the first day before backing it up with 14-9, 12-13 and 14-0. Lindsay said he can envision a similar scenario playing out this go-round.
“Historically, Lake Martin has been a relatively tough fishery,” he said. “You have a ton of spotted bass and your kicker is going to be a largemouth most of the time. I think there will be a lot more that plays around midlake this time around. We have learned so much more about these bass.”
Forward-facing sonar will be allowed in this tournament, which will unlock an offshore bite for suspended spotted bass. Those bass will largely be chasing threadfin shad, but there is a small population of blueback herring that could factor if an angler can find them.
Still, that pattern has a definitive ceiling on weight, and it is only about 10 pounds. Anglers wanting to seriously contend for a victory will need to venture towards the bank and hunt the largemouth and spotted bass that feed on bluegill and crawfish or switch back and forth between patterns.
A multitude of docks line the shores of Lake Martin, a piece of cover Lindsay believes will draw plenty of attention from the Elite Series anglers.
“Big fish live shallow year-round in that place. We are going to see a lot of dock fishing, whether that is floats or brush on docks or just the bass suspended on the posts,” he said. “That is where you will find your better largemouth and even some bigger spotted bass.
“Something that wasn’t as popular back (in 2018) was big swimbaits,” Lindsay added. “Skipping something like a Berkley Cull Shad under docks or a Berkley Chop Block is going to be common.”
Shallow brush and rock also draw heat, which will attract prespawners looking to warm up their eggs. Water clarity is an important piece of the equation on Lake Martin. Most of the reservoir is clear, although one end of the lake leans clearer than the other.
That will make a big difference in water temperature and how the bass react to lures.
“The water will heat up quicker in the (dingier) water than in the clearer water,” Lindsay said. “The bass will be way ahead in the pattern in places like Wind Creek, Elkahatchee Creek and Madwin Creek. In places like Parker Creek or Kowaliga Creek, there’s ultra clear water. Without wind, it is hard to mask your boat and sonar.”
Along with swimbaits, Lindsay believes Neko-rigged worms, shaky heads and jigs will be common baits on the decks of those who make the Top 10.
“I think there will be guys who catch some that they will be looking at, not necessarily on the bed, but roaming down the bank,” Lindsay added.
Bassmaster LIVE will be available all four days of the event, starting on Bassmaster.com and Roku Feb. 12 and Feb. 13. FS1 will host the morning session on Feb. 14 and Feb. 15. from 8-11 a.m. ET before heading to Bassmaster.com. All weigh-ins will be available live on Bassmaster.com starting at 4 p.m. ET.
The tournament is being hosted by Explore Lake Martin and Tallapoosa County Tourism.
2026BassmasterEliteSeries Title Sponsor: Progressive
2026BassmasterEliteSeries Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2026BassmasterEliteSeries Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Humminbird, Mercury, Mountain Dew, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2026BassmasterEliteSeries Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Lew’s, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, VMC, Yokohama
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, Turtlebox Bassmaster Opens Series presented by Battery Tender, Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series, TNT Fireworks Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
