Banks Shaw's Wild Period 3 Rally Wins MLF Stage 6 at Grand Lake
Banks Shaw authors the greatest comeback in Bass Pro Tour history
Grand Lake gave MLF fans an instant classic. At Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota in Grove, Oklahoma (June 18-21), 22-year-old Tennessee rookie Banks Shaw turned a runaway championship into one of the most dramatic finishes the league has ever streamed — erasing a deficit of nearly 30 pounds in the final period to win his first Bass Pro Tour title.
For most of the Championship Round, this looked like a two-man fight between Oklahoma's own Zack Birge and Alabama's Dustin Connell. The two multi-time winners traded the top spot on SCORETRACKER® and built a lead of more than 20 pounds over the rest of the field heading into Period 3, with Shaw sitting fourth at the end of Period 2 (27-5 on 11 bass). Then the kid caught fire. Shaw stacked 55-10 on 17 scorable bass in the final period — including nearly 25 pounds in the last 30 minutes alone — to leapfrog the field and finish with 82 pounds, 15 ounces on 28 scorable bass, topping runner-up Dustin Connell by 8 pounds, 13 ounces and pocketing the $125,000 top prize.
It was the largest final-period deficit (roughly 28-9) any angler has ever overcome to win a Bass Pro Tour event — eclipsing Ott DeFoe's prior benchmark (a 19-7 rally at Lake Athens in 2020). Punctuating the run was a 6-pound, 15-ounce largemouth that claimed the Berkley Big Bass Award and stood as the biggest fish caught all week. The loss stung for Connell, who entered Stage 6 with a reputation as the tour's best closer thanks to his three REDCREST titles and seven career BPT wins.
Photo by Phoenix Moore / Major League Fishing, used by permission
How he did it: deep, shallow and everything between
Grand was a true junk-fishing event, and Shaw mixed power and finesse to match the changing, high-water conditions. He started his days firing up fresh offshore schools with a Rapala DT 20 crankbait (disco shad), then leaned on a 3/4-ounce football jig dressed with a Rapala CrushCity Cleanup Craw — fishing that same craw on a Carolina rig as the schools got more pressured. He saved his forward-facing sonar for the final period each day, throwing minnow-style baits including a 5.25-inch CrushCity Freeloader on a 3/16-ounce VMC RedLine Tungsten swimbait ballhead — the rig that fueled the closing flurry.
The win was Shaw's fourth MLF victory of 2026 and capped a remarkable young career arc; he reportedly added around $225,000 in a pair of June events in Oklahoma. Worth noting for scale: Jake Lawrence's Day 1 total of 112-7 was the single best day any BPT pro posted all season, a reminder of just how loaded Grand Lake was.
Standings watch: the Fishing Clash AOY race tightens with the finale looming
With Stage 6 in the books, the season comes down to one event — Stage 7 at Lake Erie (Aug. 6-9). Entering the Grand Lake stop, Zack Birge held the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year lead on the strength of a win and five Top 10s in six events, with only a 15th-place result counting as a "miss." Lurking right behind is Jacob Wheeler, who has won the AOY crown in four of the past five seasons (including each of the last two). A $100,000 award and a place in the record book go to whoever wins the title in Sandusky. Birge's home-water performance and Shaw's late-season surge ensure the Erie smallmouth showdown will carry real stakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won MLF Bass Pro Tour Stage 6 at Grand Lake? Banks Shaw, a 22-year-old rookie from Tennessee, won Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Toyota with 82 pounds, 15 ounces on 28 scorable bass, beating Dustin Connell by 8 pounds, 13 ounces.
Why is Shaw's win considered historic? He overcame a final-period deficit of nearly 30 pounds — the largest comeback to win in Bass Pro Tour history — sitting fourth at the end of Period 2 before catching roughly 25 pounds in the last 30 minutes.
What baits did Banks Shaw use to win? He ran a Rapala DT 20 crankbait (disco shad) on fresh offshore schools, a 3/4-ounce football jig with a CrushCity Cleanup Craw (also on a Carolina rig), and a 5.25-inch CrushCity Freeloader on a 3/16-ounce VMC RedLine Tungsten swimbait ballhead with forward-facing sonar.
How much did Shaw win, and was this his first MLF title? The top prize was $125,000. It was his first Bass Pro Tour win, but his fourth MLF victory of the 2026 season overall.
What's next on the Bass Pro Tour schedule? The 2026 season concludes at Stage 7 on Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio, Aug. 6-9, where the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title will be decided.
That's your roundup for the week. The Bass Pro Tour heads north for a smallmouth slugfest on Lake Erie next, with an AOY crown on the line — we'll have it all covered. Tight lines from BassFishing.World.