REDCREST 2026 Preview: Anglers to Watch at Table Rock

The biggest event on the Major League Fishing calendar is almost here. Bass Pro Shops REDCREST 2026, presented by Mercury and Lowrance, descends on Table Rock Lake in the Missouri Ozarks from April 17-19. Thirty-five of the best bass anglers on the planet will compete for a $300,000 top prize, a total purse exceeding $700,000, and the seventh REDCREST Championship trophy. With the free REDCREST Outdoor Sports Expo running simultaneously at Bass Pro Shops' national headquarters in Springfield, this is shaping up to be the must-watch fishing event of the spring.

Here is everything you need to know heading into REDCREST week -- plus six anglers who could walk away with the title.

Why Table Rock Lake Changes Everything

Table Rock Lake is not your typical REDCREST venue. This is one of the only fisheries in the country where anglers can realistically catch all three black bass species -- largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass -- on the same day. That three-species diversity plays directly into MLF's catch-weigh-immediate-release format, where every scorable bass counts toward an angler's running total on SCORETRACKER.

According to Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologists, Table Rock's spotted bass population is at an all-time high right now. High water events in 2020 and 2021 also produced strong year classes of largemouth that have grown into the 17- to 18-inch range, yielding solid 2- to 4-pound fish throughout the lake. Add in a healthy population of Ozark smallmouth, and the recipe is there for high-volume, multi-species bags.

The mid-April timing puts this event squarely in the pre-spawn to early spawn transition. Water temperatures should be in the upper 50s to low 60s by tournament week. Fish in the upper reaches of the James and Kings river arms will likely be the farthest along in the spawn cycle, while bass in the clearer main-lake sections near the dam will still be staging on points and channel swings. That split creates a fascinating strategic decision for every angler in the field: commit to the warming shallows or grind offshore staging areas for bigger bites?

Anglers will launch each morning at 7:15 a.m. from Long Creek Marina in Ridgedale, Missouri.

Six Anglers to Watch

Pro angler casting toward rocky Ozark bluff on Table Rock Lake

1. Dustin Connell -- The Three-Time Champion

@dcfishing | Clanton, Alabama

The defending REDCREST champion is also the most decorated competitor in the event's history. Dustin Connell won his first REDCREST title at Lake Eufaula in 2021, added a second at Lay Lake in 2024, and then made it three straight appearances on the trophy by winning REDCREST 2025 at Lake Guntersville with 87 pounds, 11 ounces on 27 scorable bass. That performance -- which included a gutsy 70-mile run to the Nickajack Dam tailrace -- put him in historic company alongside Kevin VanDam and Rick Clunn as one of only three anglers with three or more tour championship titles.

Connell admitted that his early 2025 season was rocky (55th at Harris Chain, 36th at Lake Murray), but he turns it on when the stakes are highest. His ability to locate big fish in pressured water and make bold tactical decisions makes him the clear favorite heading into Table Rock. The question is whether anyone can finally dethrone him on the championship stage.

2. Jacob Wheeler -- The Table Rock Specialist

@wheelerfishing | Birchwood, Tennessee

If there is one angler in this field with a proven Table Rock Lake pedigree, it is Jacob Wheeler. The four-time Angler of the Year won his very first Bass Pro Tour event at Table Rock Lake during the 2019 Stage Seven, catching 213 bass for 315 pounds, 9 ounces over the course of the event and 56 fish for 84 pounds in the Championship Round alone. Wheeler used a combination of swimbaits, shaky heads, and drop-shot rigs to dominate that event, and his understanding of this fishery's three-species dynamics is second to none.

Wheeler enters 2026 as one of the most dominant competitors in modern bass fishing, with 10 career BPT victories and a resume that speaks for itself. His finesse skills and ability to catch numbers of fish in the MLF format make him a serious threat on a volume-oriented fishery like Table Rock.

3. Jake Lawrence -- The Rising Star

@jakelawrencefishing | Paris, Tennessee

The breakout story of the 2025 Bass Pro Tour season, Jake Lawrence put together one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in league history. He posted five Top-10 finishes in his first eight events and earned his first career BPT win on a dramatic last-cast buzzbait fish that edged out Jacob Wheeler at Lake Nickajack. Lawrence finished as the 2025 AOY runner-up, making him the third consecutive BPT newcomer to win an event and finish in the top two in points during a debut season.

Lawrence is a Tennessee product who grew up fishing Ozark-style clear-water impoundments, and his comfort with finesse presentations in clear water should translate well to Table Rock. At just the beginning of his career, a REDCREST title would be a statement win for the ages.

4. Ott DeFoe -- The Versatile Veteran

@ottdefoe | Blaine, Tennessee

A 2019 Bassmaster Classic champion and four-time BPT winner, Ott DeFoe brings a rare blend of power fishing aggression and finesse precision to every event he enters. DeFoe won on the Potomac River during the 2025 BPT season with a wacky-rigged Stik-O, proving he can win on subtle presentations just as easily as with a crankbait or swimbait.

His early 2026 form has been strong -- DeFoe caught 19 bass for 52 pounds on Day 1 of Stage 2 at Lake Hartwell to grab the early lead. Table Rock's mix of species and cover types plays to DeFoe's greatest strength: his ability to shift gears mid-tournament when the bite changes. He is one of the most adaptable anglers in professional fishing.

5. Wesley Strader -- The Unfinished Business Pick

@wesleystraderfishing | Spring City, Tennessee

Wesley Strader came agonizingly close to winning REDCREST 2025, finishing second to Dustin Connell by just 8 pounds, 5 ounces after putting up nearly 80 pounds on 29 bass in the Championship Round at Guntersville. That runner-up finish was the best result in Strader's 26-year career of tour championship events and only the second time since 2018 that the veteran had cracked the top three in a BPT event.

At 50-plus years old and a lifetime of tournament fishing under his belt, Strader represents the old-school contingent that refuses to fade. His willingness to make long runs and commit fully to an area is exactly the kind of approach that can pay off on a sprawling fishery like Table Rock Lake.

6. Jordan Lee -- The Big-Stage Performer

@jleefishing | Cullman, Alabama

Jordan Lee has a resume built for championship moments. He is one of only three anglers in history to win back-to-back Bassmaster Classics, he won the first-ever Bass Pro Tour event at Kissimmee in 2019, and he has claimed two Heavy Hitters titles (2020 and 2024). Lee also won the 2020 Bass Pro Tour Angler of the Year award and the General Tire World Championship in the same season.

Lee's track record on the biggest stages in professional fishing is virtually unmatched. His ability to catch quality largemouth in pressured conditions makes him a dark horse contender at Table Rock, where finding the right population of fish in the right stage of the spawn could be worth more than raw volume.

What to Expect on the Water

Table Rock in mid-April is a transitional fishery. Here is how the lake typically sets up:

Upper river arms (James River, Kings River): Water temperatures warm first in these shallower, more stained sections. Expect bass to be furthest along in the spawn cycle -- some actively bedding, others in late pre-spawn. Largemouth will dominate the catch up shallow around wood cover, laydowns, and spawning pockets. Buzzbaits, swimjigs, and Texas-rigged soft plastics should be primary weapons.
Mid-lake creeks and secondary points: This is spotted bass territory. Table Rock's spotted bass population is booming, and these fish will likely be staging on rocky points and bluff walls in 10-20 feet of water. Drop-shot rigs, shaky heads, and small swimbaits will be the go-to presentations.
Main lake and dam area: The clearest water on the lake. Smallmouth and spotted bass hang above rock cover at around 15 feet. Fish in this zone will be the last to spawn and may still be in a winter-to-pre-spawn transition. Finesse tactics -- Ned rigs, light drop shots, and jerkbaits -- will be critical here.

The anglers who figure out which species and which zone to commit to each day will separate themselves from the field. In MLF's format, catching 30-40 fish per day is realistic on Table Rock, and the margin between first and tenth place often comes down to a handful of quality bites mixed into those numbers.

How to Watch

All three competition days (April 17-19) will be streamed live on MLFNOW! via MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and Rumble. The SCORETRACKER live leaderboard lets fans follow every catch in real time.

The REDCREST Outdoor Sports Expo runs all three days at Bass Pro Shops' national headquarters campus in Springfield, Missouri. The outdoor festival is free and open to the public, featuring pro angler meet-and-greets, gear demos, and family-friendly activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is REDCREST in Major League Fishing?

REDCREST is the annual championship event of MLF's Bass Pro Tour, the highest level of competition in Major League Fishing. It brings together the top 35 qualified anglers from the season to compete for the REDCREST Championship trophy and a $300,000 top prize. Think of it as MLF's version of the Super Bowl.

When and where is REDCREST 2026?

REDCREST 2026 takes place April 17-19, 2026, on Table Rock Lake near Springfield, Missouri. Anglers launch from Long Creek Marina in Ridgedale, Missouri, at 7:15 a.m. each day.

How do anglers qualify for REDCREST?

The field of 35 anglers includes the top 30 pros from the Bass Pro Tour standings, the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals Champion, the Toyota Series Pro Division Champion, the International Division Champion, the All-American Boater Champion, and the highest-finishing member of the College Fishing National Championship winning team from the Toyota Series Championship.

How can I watch REDCREST 2026?

All three competition days are streamed live on MLFNOW! at MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MLF app, MyOutdoorTV (MOTV), and Rumble. The SCORETRACKER leaderboard provides real-time updates on every catch.

Who is favored to win REDCREST 2026?

Three-time defending champion Dustin Connell is the consensus favorite, but Jacob Wheeler's previous win on Table Rock Lake and four Angler of the Year titles make him a strong contender. Rising star Jake Lawrence and veterans Ott DeFoe and Jordan Lee round out the list of top threats.

This is article 1 of our REDCREST 2026 coverage series. Follow BassFishing.World all week for daily updates, angler interviews, and on-the-water analysis from Table Rock Lake.

Sources: Major League Fishing | Table Rock Lake Diversity Preview | Missouri Department of Conservation

REDCREST 2026 Preview: 6 Anglers to Watch at Table Rock Lake