Story by Ken Duke
By now, I hope you’ve scrolled through the photo gallery of the 42 anglers who will be vying for the 2026 National Professional Fishing League Championship on Lewis Smith Lake, February 26-28, 2026.
It’s an impressive group. You certainly realized that when you saw names like Canterbury, Casey, Cherry, Christie, Cobb, Cook, Cox … and those are just the Cs.
But today I want to take a step back — to where the names on the backs of the jerseys get a little fuzzy … a little hard to read. I want to take a macro look at the field for the Championship so that we — you and I — can get a good look at how strong this group really is, irrespective of the star power of the individuals.
First, I want you to know that 13 states are represented in the 42-angler field. There are seven anglers each from Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina; four each from Georgia and Tennessee; three each from Florida and Texas; two from Oklahoma; and one each from Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
Second, six of the 42 anglers are competing in their third NPFL Championship, which means they’ve qualified for every Championship in NPFL history. Thirteen others are fishing in their second Championship, and 23 are making their Championship debut.
Third, the field includes the last three NPFL Anglers of the Year and the winners of 15 of the 32 previous tournaments in league history.
And since the NPFL is the “newest kid on the block” and is often compared to the other major leagues, I’ll point out that 22 of the 42 anglers in the field have qualified for a Bassmaster Classic and those 22 have been to 145 cumulative Classics. Two of those anglers have won half the Classics over the past six years.
There are also four Bassmaster Anglers of the Year in the NPFL Championship field, and they’ve combined to win five AOY titles.
Eighteen (18) of the anglers fishing this year’s NPFL Championship previously qualified for the Forrest Wood Cup — the big championship for the circuit formerly known as FLW. Those 18 anglers combined to fish 68 Wood Cups and to win three of them.
One angler in the Championship earned FLW’s Angler of the Year award.
Then there’s Major League Fishing and their Redcrest championship. Well, three anglers in the NPFL Championship have been to the Redcrest a total of five times.
Those numbers are stout … impressive. If you don’t think the NPFL stands tall next to BASS and MLF, you’re not being honest with yourself … or the facts.
And the field is experienced on Lewis Smith Lake, not that that’s always a big advantage. Six of the anglers live less than 90 minutes from the ramp at Smith Lake. Others — out of state — have fished multiple national tournaments there and won.
It’s a great field for what promises to be a great and challenging event.
