Story by Ken Duke
We’re just more than a month away from the 2026 NPFL Championship on Lewis Smith Lake out of Cullman, Alabama. It will be the third Championship in League history and the first in the Heart of Dixie.
That’s right! It’s almost time for another Championship. The 2025 season ended with a Championship and the 2026 season will begin with the next. That might be unusual, but it’s also a great way to get the year started with a bang.
As we get closer to the Championship, we’ll take much deeper dives into the event, its history, the weather and water conditions, and—most especially—the field of 42 anglers.
Smith Lake is a historic fishery. It covers 21,000 surface acres, was impounded in 1961 and produced the first recognized world record spotted bass. The offspring of its waters have produced every world record spot since then (though they have come from California waters, where Smith Lake spots were transplanted about 50 years ago). Spotted bass still dominate the lake, and that tells us a few things.
First, the fishing and the catching should be—weather permitting—off the hook (pun intended). Expect all NPFL Championships for catch rates to be obliterated. Previous Championships were on Lake Amistad out of Del Rio, Texas and Lake Hartwell out of Anderson, South Carolina. The fishing at both of those venues was excellent, but the catching at Smith Lake is likely to be even better. We should expect lots of limits.
Second, although the fish are likely to be extremely plentiful, the Championship record for big fish (10 pounds, 9 ounces by Jesse Wise from Amistad in 2024) is not likely to be challenged. Largemouths of that size may swim in Smith Lake, but they are few and far between.
Third, because the catching will be good and giants are not expected, the tournament will be extremely close with ounces—not pounds—separating the winner from the rest of the field. That means high drama and a contest that’s not over until the last angler weighs in.
You can’t ask for much more than that in a bass tournament.
But if you did, you’d get it because the field for the 2026 Championship is the most star-studded in Championship history. Along with defending Champion Scott Hamrick, you’ll see 2025 NPFL Angler of the Year Patrick Walters, 2024 AOY Kyle Welcher, 2023 AOY Todd Goade, 2024 Championship winner Brandon Perkins and all the anglers who won regular season events in 2025: Jason Christie, Greg Hackney, Scott Canterbury, Chad Marler and Drew Cook. Plus, you’ll see regular columnists from this site: Corey Casey, Hunter Sales, and Andrew Upshaw.
Six anglers in the field have qualified for all three NPFL Championships: 2024 winner Brandon Perkins, Barron Adams, Nick Brown, John Cox, Todd Goade and Patrick Walters. More than half the field (24 anglers) will be making their Championship debut, including Hank Cherry, Brandon Cobb, Caleb Kuphall, Bill Lowen, K.J. Queen, Gerald Swinde and 2025 Rookie of the Year Derek Lehtonen.
Let’s put it all together.
The best anglers in the world will be fishing traditional methods on a legendary fishery.
If that doesn’t whet your appetite, you might want to check yourself for a pulse!
