The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series is the highest level of professional bass fishing tournaments. Competitors must qualify for the series through the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens or the B.A.S.S. Nation, and anglers who are already on the Elite Series must re-qualify each year by maintaining enough points throughout the season. The pro anglers compete all season for the opportunity to win points toward the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year award and to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic.
The series was founded in 2006. Its predecessors were the Bassmaster Tour, Top 150 and Top 100.
The Latest
Crowd courtesy with Brandon Palaniuk
Now that the scales have settled following Palaniuk’s incredible performance on Lake Okeechobee and dozens of stories have been published covering this victory from every which way, there is one...
Do you know Ned?
Have you ever met Ned? I’m of course referring to the Ned rig. When the Ned rig came out, it quickly became a hot technique, and when I saw it,...
A good start to the 20th Elite season
I was really looking forward to the start of the 2025 Bassmaster Elite Series season, and I had a good start, but we’ll get to that in a little bit. What...
Palmer’s Florida staples tacklebox
See the bait rotation that Elite Series pro Luke Palmer relies on for fishing in Florida.
Getting ready for Texas
Just like that, the first two Bassmaster Elite Series events of the 2025 season are over. Those two weeks just flew by, as our tournament weeks usually do, and I’m...
The DeBAIT: Chunk vs. craw jig trailers
Jigs have been a staple in the bass angler’s tacklebox for decades, but what goes on the back of them is where this DeBAIT topic centers. As the years have...
Building the new
Competitive anglers don’t typically treat change kindly. New technology, new rules, new formats … all are usually looked at with a furrowed brow and downward slant toward the corner of...
Palaniuk Gets Paid with Yamaha Power Pay
What a weekend it was in The Sunshine State. With a multitude of environmental factors at play, Yamaha pro Brandon Palaniuk managed to catch 95 pounds, 4 ounces in the...
Big bass of Lake Okeechobee 2025
Gaston lands biggest bass in Big O Elite while Palaniuk busts best bag there in victory
Redemption and camaraderie
Florida has been my Achilles’ heel as an angler for a long time, and within Florida Lake Okeechobee has probably been my biggest nemesis of them all. I don’t typically...
Mad respect for Scott Martin
Like most sportswriters, I got into this business because I was a sports fan. I still am today — and like every pro fishing fan with a pulse, I wanted...
Tackle Tip Tuesday: How Palaniuk won at Lake Okeechobee
In this Tackle Tip Tuesday, Brandon Palaniuk breaks down the three baits that he relied upon to win the Bassmaster Elite Series event at Lake Okeechobee. Utilizing just one spot,...
Top lures at Lake Okeechobee 2025
See the lure lineup used by the top finishers for prespawn largemouth on Lake Okeechobee.
