Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
With the NPFL season ending, all focus is on 2026.
Professionally that means scheduling, sponsors and speaking engagements. Obviously, I’ll be back with The League but I’m also looking at other tournament schedules—both local and “Triple A.” Thankfully, most of my sponsors have already committed to next year and I’ve added at least one new company I’m pretty excited about.
As always, we are open to adding more.
And then there are the speaking engagements. I don’t do a ton of them. I wish I could do a few more. Churches, schools, fishing seminars, etc. They are just another outlet that is part of this lifestyle.
Another thing that has to be done is the trading of boats. I’ve already ordered my new Bass Cat Puma for next year, and my Eyra is looking for a new home. If you’re in the market for a year-old boat, I can hook you up! (Shameless plug, I know!)
Looking towards 2026 at home means preparing for the new baby girl and planning our year of traveling. Traveling with two toddlers has been challenging at times. Adding a newborn to the mix will come with its own set of challenges, I’m sure. But I am so thankful my family gets to travel with me. It’s a true blessing. Next year our trips will take longer and the houses we rent might need to be a little bigger. We will make it work like we always do.
Of course, this year isn’t over yet. There are still a few fish to be caught. Andrea and I have a championship in a few days, and dad and I have one in December. I also just finished up a two-day benefit tournament over the weekend that was a lot of fun. I fished it with my father-n-law, which is something we haven’t gotten to do much. We caught a bunch of fish, finished third and had fun.
I’m even thinking of doing something I never do. I’m considering fishing a winter series. Winter has always been my break from the fishing scene. I’m not sure I’ll fish this winter, but it’s on my mind. We’ve got a local lake that has improved significantly over the last few years and it’s just fun to fish. It will probably depend how my next two months of hunting go.
Thanks for stopping by to keep up with my corner of the bass fishing world. In the words of my pastor, “Our best days are just ahead!”
Catch y’all next week!
Hunter Baughman – Angler Profile
