NASHVILLE — Matt Robertson won a record $1.25 million as the top angler at World Bass Enterprises (WBE) “The Champions” tournament Saturday. Robertson, a B.A.S.S. professional angler from Kuttawa, Ky., brought in a five-fish total weighing 20 lbs., 2 oz. on the final day of competition, besting 14 other anglers who qualified for the final day of fishing on Old Hickory Lake.
Two Chattanooga-area anglers finished in the top five. They included:
2nd – Pake South (B.A.S.S. angler from Winnsboro, Texas, $500,000 prize)
3rd – Wesley Strader (MLF angler from Spring City, Tenn., $300,000 prize)
4th – Trey McKinney (B.A.S.S. angler from Carbondale, Ill., $200,000 prize)
5th – Michael Neal (MLF angler from Dayton, Tenn., $100,000 prize)
In addition, Cole Sands from Calhoun, Tenn., came in 12th. WBE’s inaugural World Bass Championship featured a record-setting total purse of $3.25 million.
The Champions tournament brought 60 of the world’s top anglers and two “Average Joes” to Old Hickory Lake for three days of competition, culminating in a showdown among the top 15 anglers on Championship Saturday. The lineup of competitors included anglers from the United States, Canada and Japan.
The field was separated into “Team Stripes,” which included anglers from the MLF Bass Pro Tour, and “Team Stars,” comprised of anglers from the B.A.S.S. Elite Series. Team Stars won bragging rights, with 10 anglers qualifying for Championship Saturday, compared to five from Team Stripes.
“It’s freaking insane, I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. I just won the biggest tournament ever in bass fishing,” Robertson said immediately after his win. “$1.25 million will drastically change my life. This was an awesome experience, this is the Super Bowl of Bass fishing, I don’t care what anybody says, I know because I stood on the Super Bowl stage.”
(L-R) Wesley Strader, Matt Robertson, and Pake South celebrate with their winning checks during the 2026 World Bass Enterprises – Champions’ Dinner in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
“Man, this is unbelievable, I’ve fished for 25 years and this is one of the greatest venues I’ve ever been a part of,” Strader said after finishing third. “I feel like Phil Mickelson at the Masters, and I didn’t even win, so it’s pretty awesome. Two great things happened this year, we (University of Tennessee football) beat Alabama, and I got third place and won $300,000.”
Wesley Strader, 3rd place winner – throws hats to the crowd during day three of the 2026 World Bass Enterprises – The Champions Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Other Chattanooga-area anglers finished as follows:
20th place – Banks Shaw, Harrison, Tenn.
22nd place – Jacob Foutz, Philadelphia, Tenn.
28th place – Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala.
30th place – Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala.
43rd place – Jacob Wheeler, Birchwood, Tenn.
45th place – Andrew Loberg, Guntersville, Ala.
51st place – Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn.
56th place – Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala.
Wheeler, currently ranked as the No. 1 professional bass angler in the world (according to BassFan.com), posted the following on Facebook:
“I left it all out there on the water this week. Ran around, fished hard, and really felt like I had some things in my back pocket that could produce some big bags. Unfortunately, the fish just didn’t cooperate, and I didn’t make all the right decisions.
“On another note, I can’t say enough good things about this inaugural Champions Event,” continued Wheeler. “Brian and the entire WBE team absolutely knocked it out of the park. One of the best-run tournaments I’ve ever been a part of! The energy around this event has been incredible, and I truly believe this is something our industry needed. Super thankful to have been a part of it and excited to see where it goes from here!”
A NEW BUSINESS MODEL
Organizer Brian Bird went out on a limb with the business model for this historic bass tournament. Rather than depending entirely on sponsorships and anglers’ entry fees (all anglers competed for free), Bird based the event’s financial success on selling online livestream subscriptions.
To watch all the action and festivities, fans had to either attend the tournament in person or purchase a livestream package (approximately $50, plus tax).
Eric Giessing from Farmington, Mo. (left) and Kyle Carr from Gatesville, Texas (right) won the WBE Sweepstakes, which means they won the opportunity to fish the WBE Champions Tournament as “Regular Joes.” (Photo courtesy WBE)
As an added incentive, Bird held a drawing among people who purchased the livestream package. The two “Average Joes” selected in the random drawing to compete in the event were Kyle Carr of Gatesville, Texas, and Eric Giessing of Farmington, Mo. Carr finished 54th out of 62 anglers, while Giessing finished 57th.
Covering the $3.25 million total purse would have required the sale of approximately 65,000 livestream packages. No sales figures have been released. However, Bird has previously indicated that he expects a second WBE Championship to be held in 2027.
Michael Neal from Rhea County holds up his fish after his weigh-in during day three of the 2026 World Bass Enterprises – The Champions Tournament held on Old Hickory Lake. Neal placed 5th, winning $100,000. (Photo by Carly Mackler/Getty Images)
Asked about Bird’s business model, Michael Neal said, “I think this year (Bird) understands that it’s probably not going to be profitable. But he’s really done his homework. Once this first event goes off I think it’s going to be a big hit. Then, going down the road, it could definitely stand a chance for it to be profitable and sustainable.”
At the conclusion of this year’s event, Bird said, “We set out to host the biggest and baddest tournament the bass fishing community has ever seen, and we did just that. I want to send a huge congratulations to our winning angler, Matt, and the full field of participants. To the fans and all of Nashville, thank you for your support. This has been a fantastic few days celebrating the best in the world.”
WBE The Champions – Final Standings (Fish totals from Championship Saturday only
Matt Robertson (Kuttawa, Ky.) (20-02) (5 fish)
Pake South (Winnsboro, Texas) (13-07) (4 fish)
Wesley Strader (Spring City, Tenn.) (11-02) (5 fish)
Trey McKinney (Carbondale, Ill.) (11-00) (5 fish)
Michael Neal (Dayton, Tenn.) (10-10) (5 fish)
Ron Nelson (Berrien Springs, Mich.) (9-13) (2 fish)
Fisher Anaya (Eva, Ala.) (9-13) (5 fish)
Cody Meyer (Eagle, Idaho) (9-12) (5 fish)
Bob Downey (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) (9-00) (5 fish)
Kyle Welcher (Valley, Ala.) (8-08) (4 fish)
Takahiro Omori (Tokyo) (6-02) (3 fish)
Cole Sands (Calhoun, Tenn.) (5-01) (3 fish)
Chris Johnston (Peterborough, Ont.) (3-09) (2 fish)
Jason Christie (Park Hill, Okla.) (3-07) (2 fish)
Bryan Thrift (Shelby, N.C.) (3-03) (2 fish)
Remaining Field (weights from the first two days of competition)
Mark Rose (Wynne, Ark.) (21-01)
Jay Przekurat (Stevens Point, Wis.) (21-00)
Alton Jones Jr. (Lorena, Texas) (21-00)
Jordan Lee (Cullman, Ala.) (20-15)
Banks Shaw (Harrison, Tenn.) (20-11)
Brent Ehrler (Redlands, Calif.) (20-09)
Jacob Foutz (Philadelphia, Tenn.) (20-03)
Patrick Walters (Summerville, S.C.) (20-03)
Jacob Walker (Springville, Ala.) (20-03)
Bryant Smith (Roseville, Calif.) (20-01)
Cole Floyd (Leesburg, Ohio) (19-13)
Mark Daniels Jr. (Shorter, Ala.) (19-11)
Chris Lane (Guntersville, Ala.) (19-11)
Drew Gill (Olney, Ill.) (19-10)
Justin Lucas (Guntersville, Ala.) (19-09)
Nick LeBrun (Benton, La.) (19-06)
Tyler Williams (Belgrade, Maine) (19-02)
Cory Johnston (Peterborough, Ont.) (18-12)
Stetson Blaylock (Benton, Ark.) (18-12)
Dustin Connell (Clanton, Ala.) (18-10)
Zack Birge (Blanchard, Okla.) (18-09)
Drew Cook (Cairo, Ga.) (18-07)
Paul Marks (Cumming, Ga.) (18-05)
Spencer Shuffield (Hot Springs, Ark.) (17-09)
Caleb Hudson (Lincolnton, Ga.) (17-04)
Bryan Schmitt (Deale, Md.) (17-03)
Brent Chapman (Lenexa, Kan.) (17-02)
Jacob Wheeler (Birchwood, Tenn.) (16-11)
Jesse Wiggins (Logan, Ala.) (16-00)
Andrew Loberg (Guntersville, Ala.) (15-02)
Brandon Cobb (Greenwood, S.C.) (14-11)
JT Thompkins (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) (14-09)
Nick Hatfield (Afton, Tenn.) (13-12)
Jeff Sprague (Point, Texas) (13-04)
Evan Kung (Pickering, Ont.) (12-15)
Matt Becker (Ten Mile, Tenn.) (12-14)
Hank Cherry Jr. (Lincolnton, N.C.) (12-01)
Keith Carson (Debary, Fla.) (12-00)
Kyle Carr (Gatesville, Texas) (11-15)
Adrian Avena (Marmora, N.J.) (11-04)
Jacob Wall (New Hope, Ala.) (10-03)
Eric Giessing (Farmington, Mo.) (9-10)
Seth Feider (Bloomington, Minn.) (9-06)
John Garrett (Union City, Tenn.) (8-08)
Mitchell Robinson (Landrum, S.C.) (8-02)
Ott DeFoe (Blaine, Tenn.) (5-15)
Jeff Gustafson (Keewatin, Ont.) (4-06)