2026 DISTRICT 16 NATIONAL SEMI-FINALS MASSACHUSETTS AND VERMONT

The Vermont Bass Federation and the Massachusetts Bass Federation held the TBF Division 16 National Semi-Final tournament on Lake Champlain out of South Hero, Vermont.  The tournament was launched at the John Guilamette boat ramp.  The tournament dates were September 12th and 13th.  After a great pizza party on Friday night, launch instructions for all the boats were discussed.  All the TBF tournament rules were read to the anglers.  The pairings were given out.  Boaters and Co-Anglers talked about what their plan of attack would be and what rods and tackle the Co-Anglers would be using.  Fast forward to Saturday morning.  All the boats were in the water right on time for the tournament take off.  The weather was going to be sunny with winds 5 to 9 mph out of the south.   Of course, if you know anything about Lake Champlain fishing that 5 to 9 miles per hour wind could be added up, it’s usually going to be around 14.  And guess what, it was!  There were some nice 3-foot waves out there for the anglers to navigate through.  All the boats made it in on time for the weigh-in with no problems.  The wind actually was as high as 20 mph at times on Saturday.  We should now move on to Sunday but that did not happen.  The wind was again out of the south 25 to 30 with gusts predicted to be close to 40 as the day went on.  It was determined that the tournament was over in the interest of safety.

Here are the top five Boaters and Co-Anglers.

 Boaters

Jacob Swanson            5            20.01 Lbs

Bruce Jones                   5            17.79 Lbs

Justin Taylor                   5            17.71 Lbs

Corey McKennedy      5            17.52 Lbs

Nick LaBombard         5            16.92 Lbs

Co-Anglers

James Sugden              3            10.93 Lbs

Bobby France                3            10.45 Lbs

Harrison Whitman      3            9.20 Lbs

Joey McKinnon             3            8.95 Lbs

Tim Russell                    3            8.90 Lbs

*The 2026 Boater TBF District 16 Champion is Jacob Swanson.

*The 2026 Co-Angler TBF District 16 Champion is James Sugden.

*Jacob double qualified allowing the second-place boater to advance to the Nationals.

*James Sugden is a High School angler.  Awesome job for both anglers.

From the Vermont Bass Federation, Tom Waltz, Boater, and Harrison Whitman, Co-Angler, will be going to the 2027 TBF National Championships.

From the Massachusetts Bass Federation, Bruce Jones, Boater, and James Sugden, Co-Angler, will also be going to the 2027 TBF National Championships.

Thanks to all that attended!  Special thanks to Peter MacLellan and Tommy Glynn for all their work running the tournament and Brian Murphy for all the great pictures!

Alabama 2026 National Semi-Finals Tournament

TBF / Alabama National Semi-Finals Tournament was held on 5-6 September 2026 on Wilson Lake, Safety Harbor, Town Creek, AL.  The event was hosted by Alabama Bass Federation and Florence / Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau.  Alabama Bass Federation Anglers and Co-Anglers competing in the tournament braved two days of high heat weather advisories.

Upon closing on the scale on Day-2, Keith Glasgow of Alabama Ranger Club is the winning Angler with a two-day weight of 25.03 and will advance as an angler to the 2027 TBF National Championship Tournament.  Finishing in second place is Walter Orr, of Coosa River Hookers with 25.02.  Chad Sykes of Tennessee Valley Bass Club is third place with 24.14. Finishing in fourth place is Larry Franks Jr with 24.12. Rounding out the top of the Anglers is Rusty Burroughs of Shotgun Sports Supply with 22.12.

Finishing in top honors of the Co-Anglers is Marcus Jeffreys of Alabama Range Club with 16.11.  Taking second place is Jake Childers of Alabama Ranger Club with 16.11. Tie breaker rule of the heaviest single day catch of 11.02 on Day-1 by Jefferys was used to determine the first-place position. In third place was Roy Galbraith of Tennessee Valley Bass Club with 16.03 and Eli Smith of Alabama Ranger Club is fourth place with 14.07. Jackie Quillen of Tennessee Valley Bass Club rounded out the top five Co-Anglers with 12.11.

Since Marcus Jeffreys average weight per fish caught was greater the first-place Angler, Keith Glasgow, Marcus was given the opportunity to advance to the 2027 TBF National Championship Tournament.  Marcus chose the opportunity to advance to the TBF National Championship as an Angler.  Therefore; Jake Childers and Roy Galbraith will also advance to the 2027 TBF National Championship tournament as Co-Anglers.

Angler big fish for Day-1 is Marty Rogers of Tennessee Valley Bass Club with 4.06. Day-2 Angler big fish is Keith Glasgow of Alabama Ranger Club with 3.13. Day-1 Co-Angler big fish is Marcus Jeffreys of Alabama Ranger Club with 5.01, and Day-2 Co-Angler big fish was Jake Childers with 4.00.  Marcus Jefferys and Marty Rogers both received Davis Bait Company Big Fish bonus certificates.

Boat Total Weight side pot for Day-1 completion was found by combined weight of Angler/Co-Angler, Tim Winsdor / Terry Pinkard with a weight of 18.03. Day-2 Boat Total Weight was Walter Orr / Terry Quates with combined weight of 15.08.

Finishing is fifth-place Co-Angler Jackie Quillen and Angler Rusty Burroughs both received $150.00 gift card presented by Discount Tackle.

Alabama Bass Federation Anglers and Co-Angler advancing to the 2027 TBF National Championship Tournament are Alabama Bass Federation Angler / Co-Angler of the Year, Bill Spicer and David Davis.  Keith Glasgow and Marcus Jefferys advance as Anglers. Co-Anglers that are advancing are Jake Childers and Roy Galgraith.

TBF Member Appreciation Sweepstakes!

Beaty and Coburn Win 2026 TBF Junior World Championship on Lake Dardanelle

Final 15 TBF junior teams all awarded scholarships and prizes

Tension was high as division champion anglers took off from Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ar., for the final day of the world championship event. Anglers were greeted with one more day of heat blasting off the lake’s shores. Weights were zeroed, the playing field even, making the final day a whole new tournament. All 15 final teams received scholarships, prizes, and trophies for their efforts this week. One team went home with all of that plus much more: the 2026 TBF Junior World Championship titles.

Caleb Coburn and Brooks Beaty

The Louisiana Bass Federation anglers, Brooks Beaty and Caleb Coburn, were crowned champions this week on Lake Dardanelle. The team caught a three-bass limit and the biggest bag of the tournament, weighing 14 pounds 3 ounces to secure the titles. They also reeled in tournament big bass at 5 pounds 11 ounces and received two new Lew’s reels.

The Calvary Baptist Academy Jr. Cavaliers were in third after day one with 13 pounds. They paired that with 10 pounds 5 ounces on day two to make the final day cut with 23 pounds 5 ounces. They remained steady in the third and fourth place slots with solid limits both days. On the final day, they came out swinging and landed the heaviest bag of the three-day tournament.

Caddo Lake is the duo’s home lake, which straddles the border between Caddo Parish in Louisiana and Northeast Texas. It’s the largest natural freshwater lake in the South and covered in wetlands and moss. The team found fishing in Caddo similar to that at Lake Dardanelle, though not as swampy or covered in cypress trees. Both lakes are somewhat shallow, and that’s where they found fish this week.

Coming in second was the team of Parker Smith and Cooper Anderson representing the Tennessee Bass Federation. Smith and Anderson from the Scotts Hill Jr. Anglers caught a three-bass limit weighing 12 pounds 11 ounces. The team came out in second on the first day with 13 pounds 3 ounces and first place on the second day with 13 pounds 9 ounces.

Anderson and Smith

The third-place team representing the Trader Bills Jr. Fishing Club worked their way up the ranks from seventh place on the first day and ninth on the second to claim third in the championship event. Arkansas Bass Federation anglers Jaxon Livingston and Jake Gaston caught a three-bass limit on the final day, weighing 11 pounds 6 ounces.

Livingston and Gaston

Fourth and fifth place came down to a tie with both teams catching 9 pounds 11 ounces. Hagan Hay and Hank Rowton from the North Louisiana Jr. Fishing League locked in fourth. The Phoenix Jr. Bassmasters team of Levi Woodruff and Ryder Schwoerer came in fifth.

Hay and Rowton

Woodruff and Schwoerer

Lake Dardanelle State Park and Russellville Tourism in Russellville, Ar., welcomed 79 TBF junior champion teams from 29 states across the US to their waters. All anglers received swag bags filled with sponsor merch at registration, and to kick off the event, piles of pizza and ice cream were served lakeside. Anglers battled heat and humidity all week with a short and sweet rain shower that arguably left more humidity in its wake. But they fought and fished hard to prove worthy of advancing from their respective states. At the end, one team rose above the pack to be named the 2026 TBF Junior World Champions.