GROVE, Okla. (July 14, 2025) – Major League Fishing (MLF) announced the schedule for the eighth season of professional bass fishing’s most competitive circuit, the 2026 Bass Pro Tour, last week, and local fans and anglers will be very excited to see Grand Lake on the list once again.
Grove, Oklahoma, and Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees will play host to Stage 6 of the 2026 Bass Pro Tour season, June 18-21. Hosted by the City of Grove and the Grove Convention & Tourism Bureau, the event will showcase a field of 51 of the world’s top professional bass anglers competing for the sport’s largest payouts – including a top prize of $150,000 at Stage 6, and a season-long purse of millions of dollars in earnings and valuable points in the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) race and qualification into REDCREST 2027.
“We host many tournaments each year, but having the best of the best come to our city and lake is truly something special. It’s an incredible opportunity to showcase our amazing fishery and the natural beauty that makes Grove a top destination for anglers,” said Brent Malone, Convention & Tourism Director for the City of Grove. “We’re also super excited to show off our brand-new, 50,000-square-foot Expo Center located right in the heart of Wolf Creek Park. This state-of-the-art facility is a game-changer for our community, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it during this premier event.”
The event will mark the second time that the MLF Bass Pro Tour has visited Grand Lake. When MLF last visited the fishery for REDCREST 2022 in March 2022, Florida pro Bobby Lane claimed the REDCREST championship with a final-day championship round total of 10 bass weighing in at 29 pounds, 14 ounces.
“Our 2026 schedule showcases everything we love about the Bass Pro Tour – challenging new waters, high-stakes competition and a roster of the most accomplished anglers in the sport,” said Kathy Fennel, MLF Executive Vice President & General Manager. “We’re excited about several new stops on the Tour next season but also looking forward to returning to some of our most successful venues from the past, including Grand Lake. There’s never been a better time to be a fan of the sport of professional bass fishing.”
A key storyline entering the 2026 season is the Bass Pro Tour’s transition to a 51-angler field – the final step in a strategically planned two-year restructuring of the league’s competitive format. The next evolution is designed to create a more streamlined, sustainable model that elevates the profile of each competitor, improves storytelling for fans and sponsors and maximizes the league’s evolving digital broadcast strategy.
As in 2025, each Bass Pro Tour event will feature the full field of anglers competing in the Qualifying Round on Days 1 and 2, followed by the Knockout Round on Day 3 and then the Championship Round on Day 4. The league’s signature catch-weigh-release format ensures immediate fish care and maximum fan excitement, with every fish scored and streamed live on MLFNOW! via the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), Rumble, and at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
With a field of the world’s best anglers ready to make history, the 2026 Bass Pro Tour promises more action, more surprises and more big bass moments than ever before.