Lake Champlain is about to become the center of the professional bass fishing world.
The Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit regular-season finale runs July 24–26, and the stakes could not be much higher. Angler of the Year will be decided, five Bass Pro Tour invitations will be awarded and the Top 40 anglers will advance to the season-ending championship.
At the center of it all is Banks Shaw.
The Hottest Angler in Bass Fishing
Shaw enters Lake Champlain with four victories in 2026, including wins in his last two starts.
His latest came at Grand Lake, where he erased a massive deficit during the final period to capture his first Bass Pro Tour victory. Now he has an opportunity to secure a second consecutive Pro Circuit Angler of the Year title.
A Top 10 finish should be enough to close the door.
That sounds simple, but nothing is simple at Champlain.
The lake is massive, the weather can change quickly and anglers must decide whether to chase roaming smallmouth or make a potentially tournament-saving run for largemouth.
Shaw has been nearly unstoppable this season. Champlain will test whether he can finish the job.
The Big Decision: Brown Fish or Green Fish?
Most of the field is expected to target postspawn smallmouth around offshore structure, rock and roaming bait.
That will likely produce steady limits and plenty of 3- to 4-pound fish.
But Champlain has another personality.
The lake’s largemouth live around grass, shallow cover and the southern end near Ticonderoga. Making the run south can burn valuable fishing time and become dangerous when the wind rises, but the reward could be a heavier bag and less pressure.
It is the classic Champlain gamble.
Do anglers stay north and chase smallmouth with the crowd, or run south looking for the kind of largemouth weight that can win the tournament?
The answer could decide the championship.
The Three-Hour Electronics Chess Match
The Pro Circuit’s forward-facing-sonar rule adds another layer of strategy.
Anglers can use forward-facing and 360-degree sonar during one continuous three-hour period each competition day.
That means every competitor must decide when to activate the window.
Some will use it immediately to locate and catch roaming smallmouth before the fish scatter. Others may save it for the middle or end of the day, when fish become harder to track and fishing pressure increases.
Once the window closes, anglers must rely on traditional sonar, mapping, visual targets and areas they already located.
At Champlain, three hours can disappear quickly.
The winner may not be the angler who uses forward-facing sonar best. It may be the angler who knows exactly when to stop using it.
Why Is Dustin Connell Here?
Dustin Connell is making his only Pro Circuit appearance of the season, and that immediately makes him one of the most interesting names in the field.
Connell does not need to fish this event for points.
He is here to win.
His record on northern smallmouth fisheries is among the best in the sport, and few anglers are more efficient at finding and catching offshore bass with forward-facing sonar.
The limited electronics window will force Connell to adjust, but it will not remove him from contention.
If he starts quickly, the rest of the field could be chasing him.
Five Anglers Who Could Win
Banks Shaw
Four victories in one season. Two straight wins. Another Angler of the Year title within reach.
Shaw enters as the favorite until someone proves otherwise.
Drew Gill
Gill has posted consecutive Top 10 finishes at Lake Champlain and remains one of the most dangerous young electronics anglers in the sport.
Alec Morrison
Local knowledge matters on a body of water this large. Morrison understands the lake’s seasonal movements, weather patterns and the smallmouth-largemouth decision better than most.
Matt Becker
Becker owns four national Top 10 finishes at Champlain. He has the versatility to fish offshore smallmouth or make the largemouth gamble.
Dustin Connell
Connell is making a one-event appearance with no reason to play conservatively. That makes him dangerous.
More Than One Championship Is Heating Up
The Pro Circuit is not the only tour entering a critical stretch.
On the Bass Pro Tour, Zack Birge leads Jacob Wheeler by 12 points heading into the Lake Erie season finale.
Wheeler has extensive Great Lakes experience and a long history of winning major championships. Birge controls his own destiny, but one poor round could open the door.
On the Bassmaster Elite Series, Trey McKinney leads Cory Johnston, Drew Cook and Cole Sands. Only 21 points separate first through fourth entering the northern swing.
Johnston could be especially dangerous once the Elite Series reaches Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River.
The Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race is even tighter, with Caleb Hudson leading Fisher Anaya by only eight points.
One bad tournament could decide everything.
The Northern Swing Is Here
The next month could reshape every major professional bass fishing circuit.
Upcoming events include:
- Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit at Lake Champlain, July 24–26
- Toyota Series at the St. Lawrence River, July 30–August 1
- Bass Pro Tour at Lake Erie, August 6–9
- Bassmaster Elite Series at Lake Champlain, August 13–16
- Bassmaster Open at Lake Erie, August 20–22
These events will feature long runs, changing wind, roaming smallmouth and major championship pressure.
Electronics will matter. So will decision-making, weather management and the ability to survive when conditions change.
Final Word
Banks Shaw enters Lake Champlain with the hottest hand in professional bass fishing.
He has won four times, captured his first Bass Pro Tour title and put himself in position to secure another Angler of the Year championship.
But Champlain does not care about momentum.
It rewards commitment, timing and the willingness to make the right gamble.
Shaw may only need a Top 10 to finish the job.
The rest of the field needs to beat him.
