Banks Shaw Wins His First Bass Pro Tour Title at Grand Lake — A 30-Pound Sunday Rally
Banks Shaw saved the best for last.
Trailing by nearly 30 pounds heading into the final afternoon of the Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota, the 22-year-old rookie from Harrison, Tennessee, did what almost no one thought was possible — he reeled off a furious Period 3 rally, sacked up 28 scorable bass for 82 pounds, 15 ounces, and ran away with his first career Bass Pro Tour title on Sunday in Grove, Oklahoma.
When the dust settled, Shaw had beaten three-time REDCREST champion Dustin Connell by 8 pounds, 13 ounces and pocketed the $125,000 top prize. For a kid who has spent his rookie season knocking on the door of MLF's biggest stage, the breakthrough finally came.
"This is something that I've been thinking about all season since I've been so close," Shaw said.
A 30-Pound Hole — And One Period to Climb Out
The Bass Pro Tour's Championship Round is a pressure cooker by design: ten finalists, one day, a leaderboard that rewards whoever catches the most weight when it matters. Shaw spent most of Sunday playing catch-up, watching the field pile up bass while his offshore schools went quiet in the morning wind.
But Shaw had a plan, and the plan was patience.
Nasty weather made fishing offshore difficult early — and Shaw bet that the same weather would keep recreational boat traffic off the lake in the afternoon. Less traffic meant cleaner water, calmer fish, and a window to fish his best stuff at the best time. He saved his single allotted period of forward-facing sonar for Period 3, when the lake was his.
Tough weather kept boat traffic down and set up Shaw's afternoon window with forward-facing sonar. (Illustration)
It paid off in a hurry. Shaw caught fish in bunches down the stretch, including a 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that earned him Sunday's $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award. By the final horn, a deficit that looked insurmountable at lunch had turned into a comfortable, going-away win.
"It felt different than any other win I've had, being out there on the water and intense," Shaw said.
How Shaw Won It: Offshore Schools, Then Forward-Facing Sonar
Shaw's Grand Lake game plan was built on offshore schools he found in the very first hours of practice — and his confidence in them never wavered.
"I found one pretty quick into practice and based off how that school looked and what I caught, I knew that was 100% going to be the deal if I found more," Shaw said.
His arsenal split cleanly into two phases:
Working the schools — Early in the event, Shaw fired a Rapala DT 20 crankbait to crash the deeper offshore fish and dragged a ¾-ounce football jig tipped with a Rapala CrushCity Cleanup Craw to pick off the bites the crankbait left behind.
The Period 3 closer — When he finally got his window with forward-facing sonar on Championship Sunday, Shaw downsized to a 3/16-ounce VMC RedLine tungsten jighead paired with soft-plastic minnows, including a 5.25-inch Rapala CrushCity Freeloader. That jighead-minnow combo produced his Big Bass and the flurry that sealed the title.
A minnow on a light tungsten jighead did the damage in the final period. (Illustration)
It's a now-familiar formula on the modern Bass Pro Tour — use electronics to find the school, then pick the right bait to make them bite — and on Sunday, nobody executed it better than Shaw.
The Final Standings: Top 10 at Grand Lake
Connell pushed Shaw to the end with 74-2, while Zack Birge rounded out the podium. Here's how the Championship Round finished:
| Place | Angler | Bass | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banks Shaw | 28 | 82-15 |
| 2 | Dustin Connell | 28 | 74-2 |
| 3 | Zack Birge | 21 | 64-5 |
| 4 | Alton Jones Jr. | 20 | 55-5 |
| 5 | Bobby Lane | 18 | 46-2 |
| 6 | Jake Lawrence | 11 | 31-4 |
| 7 | Spencer Shuffield | 10 | 28-1 |
| 8 | Ron Nelson | 10 | 27-8 |
| 9 | Keith Carson | 8 | 24-7 |
| 10 | Brent Ehrler | 8 | 20-11 |
A Rookie Season for the Ages
The Grand Lake win is the headline, but it's only the latest chapter in one of the most remarkable rookie campaigns bass fishing has seen in years.
Shaw arrived on the Bass Pro Tour already red-hot, and 2026 only turned up the heat. Before Sunday, he had already stacked multiple MLF victories on the season — including Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit wins at Wheeler Lake and Lake Eufaula and an Invitational title at Pickwick Lake — all while finishing in the top 10 in the vast majority of his MLF starts dating back to 2025.
What had eluded him, until now, was a win on the sport's premier circuit. The Bass Pro Tour features the best 50-some anglers in the world, and a first BPT trophy is the kind of validation that separates a hot streak from a career.
At 22, with his first Bass Pro Tour title in hand and a $125,000 check to match, Banks Shaw isn't sneaking up on anybody anymore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake?
Banks Shaw of Harrison, Tennessee, won the Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota on Sunday, June 21, 2026. He caught 28 scorable bass for 82 pounds, 15 ounces in the Championship Round, earning his first career Bass Pro Tour title and the $125,000 top prize.
What was the margin of victory at Grand Lake?
Shaw won by 8 pounds, 13 ounces over runner-up Dustin Connell, who finished with 74-2. Shaw trailed by nearly 30 pounds during the day before a dominant Period 3 rally on Championship Sunday flipped the leaderboard in his favor.
What baits did Banks Shaw use to win at Grand Lake?
Shaw fished offshore schools with a Rapala DT 20 crankbait and a ¾-ounce football jig with a Rapala CrushCity Cleanup Craw trailer. In the final period, using forward-facing sonar, he switched to a 3/16-ounce VMC RedLine tungsten jighead paired with soft-plastic minnows, including a 5.25-inch Rapala CrushCity Freeloader.
How much did Banks Shaw win at the Bass Pro Tour Grand Lake event?
Shaw earned $125,000 for the win, plus a $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Award for a 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth he caught in the third period on Championship Sunday.
Where is Grand Lake located?
Grand Lake — officially Grand Lake o' the Cherokees — is a roughly 46,500-acre reservoir in northeastern Oklahoma near the town of Grove. It's a well-known tournament fishery on the Grand (Neosho) River and regularly hosts national-level bass events.
How old is Banks Shaw and is he a rookie?
Banks Shaw is 22 years old and a Bass Pro Tour rookie. His Grand Lake victory was his first win on MLF's top circuit, capping a breakout 2026 season that already included multiple Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit and Invitational wins.
The Bass Pro Tour Zenni Stage 6 at Grand Lake Presented by Toyota concluded Sunday, June 21, 2026, in Grove, Oklahoma. Follow BassFishing.World for continued coverage of Major League Fishing and professional bass fishing's biggest stages.