The 2027 Bassmaster Elite Series schedule is officially out, and it may be one of the more balanced schedules we’ve seen in years.
From Florida grass fisheries to tidal rivers, heavyweight Texas reservoirs, Southern power-fishing lakes and a pair of northern smallmouth events to close the season, the 2027 schedule is going to test just about every skill set an Elite Series angler can have.
The field for 2027 isn’t completely finalized yet, but based on the current roster and the anglers we expect to be there, here are our early Bass 365 picks.
Lake Okeechobee
February 11–14 | Okeechobee, Florida
Winner Pick: John Cox
Dark Horse: Drew Benton
February on Okeechobee usually means shallow water, vegetation and the possibility of major spawning movement. That puts John Cox immediately near the top of the list.
Few anglers are better when a tournament becomes a shallow-water puzzle. Cox is comfortable fishing without relying heavily on electronics and has the ability to keep adjusting as fish move throughout the event.
Drew Benton is another angler we’ll be watching closely. His Florida background and ability around vegetation make him a legitimate threat.
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes
February 18–21 | Kissimmee, Florida
Winner Pick: Drew Cook
Dark Horse: John Cox
One week after Okeechobee, the Elite field stays in Florida for the Kissimmee Chain.
That could create a major early-season swing in the Angler of the Year standings.
Our pick here is Drew Cook. He’s extremely comfortable fishing shallow vegetation, bedding fish and the type of changing Florida conditions that can make or break a four-day tournament.
Cox could easily contend again, meaning he may have an opportunity to leave Florida with a massive AOY advantage.
Bassmaster Classic – Lake Hartwell
March 19–21 | Anderson, South Carolina
Winner Pick: Patrick Walters
Dark Horse: Brandon Cobb
Lake Hartwell is one of those fisheries where versatility matters.
Fish can be caught shallow, offshore, around blueback herring or somewhere in between. That makes Patrick Walters one of our early favorites.
Walters has become one of the most complete anglers in professional bass fishing, and the Carolinas setting only strengthens the pick.
Brandon Cobb is another angler who should be extremely comfortable on Hartwell.
Sabine River
April 8–11 | Orange, Texas
Winner Pick: Greg Hackney
Dark Horse: Bryan Schmitt
This may be our strongest tournament pick of the season.
Greg Hackney and the Sabine River just make sense.
The Sabine typically rewards patience, shallow-water instincts, river fishing experience and the ability to grind out a handful of key bites.
That describes Hackney about as well as any angler in the field.
He has already proven he can win here, and if conditions turn difficult, his stock only goes up.
Lake Fork
April 22–25 | Yantis, Texas
Winner Pick: Lee Livesay
Dark Horse: Dakota Ebare
It’s hard to pick against Lee Livesay on Lake Fork.
Livesay’s experience and understanding of how the lake changes throughout the spring gives him an advantage that is difficult to duplicate.
Fork can produce massive weights, but winning there often requires more than simply finding fish. Anglers have to understand how fish reposition from day to day.
Dakota Ebare is our dark horse. His Texas background, offshore ability and big-fish mentality could make him dangerous.
Lake Seminole
May 6–9 | Bainbridge, Georgia
Winner Pick: Drew Cook
Dark Horse: Joey Cifuentes
Drew Cook gets his second winner pick of the season.
Seminole fits his style extremely well. Grass, shallow cover, spawning behavior and offshore opportunities can all play a role.
Joey Cifuentes also deserves attention after proving he can win on this fishery.
Expect Seminole to be one of the more interesting events of the year because several completely different patterns could potentially produce winning fish.
Santee Cooper Lakes
May 20–23 | Clarendon County, South Carolina
Winner Pick: Patrick Walters
Dark Horse: Drew Cook
If Patrick Walters is anywhere near the top of the AOY standings entering Santee Cooper, this event could become extremely important.
Walters knows how to catch fish in South Carolina, and Santee rewards anglers who can combine electronics, offshore fishing and traditional shallow-water techniques.
Drew Cook also has a strong history here and will be another angler to watch.
Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway
June 17–20 | Columbus, Mississippi
Winner Pick: Jason Christie
Dark Horse: Bill Lowen
River systems often turn into decision-making tournaments.
When that happens, Jason Christie becomes very dangerous.
Christie is exceptional at figuring out how bass relate to current, cover and changing water conditions. He also has the ability to abandon a plan quickly when conditions change.
Bill Lowen is another veteran river fisherman who could quietly put together four consistent days.
Lake St. Clair
August 5–8 | Macomb County, Michigan
Winner Pick: Cory Johnston
Dark Horse: Joey Cifuentes
August on Lake St. Clair immediately brings the Canadian smallmouth specialists into the conversation.
Cory Johnston is our early favorite.
His ability to locate and stay with roaming Great Lakes smallmouth makes him an obvious contender whenever the Elite Series heads north.
Cifuentes is another angler whose electronics game could put him in position for a huge week.
Expect this one to be dominated by forward-facing sonar, roaming smallmouth and extremely small differences between winning and finishing 20th.
Mississippi River
August 19–22 | La Crosse, Wisconsin
Winner Pick: Pat Schlapper
Dark Horse: Seth Feider
The season finale could be one of the most unpredictable tournaments of the year.
The Mississippi River around La Crosse offers grass, backwaters, current, largemouth, smallmouth and endless decision-making opportunities.
Pat Schlapper gets our winner pick.
His experience on Wisconsin waters and familiarity with river systems make him extremely dangerous here.
Seth Feider is another angler who should feel right at home.
Our Three Strongest Picks
If we had to circle three winner predictions right now, these would be the ones.
Greg Hackney – Sabine River
The fishery matches his style almost perfectly.
Lee Livesay – Lake Fork
Local knowledge combined with his ability to catch giant Texas bass makes this difficult to ignore.
Cory Johnston – Lake St. Clair
Great Lakes smallmouth in August puts Johnston squarely among the favorites.
Early 2027 Angler of the Year Pick: Patrick Walters
Our early Bass 365 pick for the 2027 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year is Patrick Walters.
The biggest reason is simple: there isn’t an obvious weakness on this schedule.
Walters can compete offshore or shallow. He can utilize forward-facing sonar when necessary but doesn’t have to depend on it. The schedule also includes multiple events where his Carolina experience should come into play.
Our early AOY Top 5:
- Patrick Walters
- Cory Johnston
- Drew Cook
- Jason Christie
- Brandon Palaniuk
The Biggest Wildcard: Florida
The first two Elite events may determine more about the AOY race than people realize.
The Elite Series opens on Lake Okeechobee February 11–14, then moves directly to the Kissimmee Chain February 18–21.
Two Florida events in eight days could create huge separation.
An angler who correctly follows two spawning movements could leave Florida with two Top 10s and an enormous points advantage.
An angler who struggles twice could spend the rest of the season trying to recover.
Then the schedule completely flips late in the year.
Lake St. Clair and the Mississippi River will reward anglers who can transition from Great Lakes smallmouth fishing to a sprawling river system.
That is why the 2027 schedule looks so interesting.
Bass 365 Take
Winning the 2027 Bassmaster Elite Series Angler of the Year title is going to require versatility.
This does not look like a schedule where an angler can rely exclusively on forward-facing sonar.
It doesn’t favor only shallow-water fishermen.
It doesn’t favor only offshore specialists.
And it doesn’t favor only the northern smallmouth crowd.
The eventual champion is probably going to be the angler who survives Florida, avoids disasters on the Sabine, capitalizes on the big-fish opportunities at Fork and Santee, then finishes strong when the tour heads north.
And right now, Patrick Walters is our guy to beat.
Bass 365 will continue updating these predictions as the 2027 Elite Series field takes shape.
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