The 2026 Elite Series season, which split the events into two tranches – with and without forward-facing sonar – saw lots of the usual suspects amongst the top finishers’ tools. There were minnow baits for pinging, flipping baits for heavy cover and a heavy dose of vibrating jigs. The big story, however, was the rise of the urchin, starting with the Hideup Coike, which produced multiple victories.
Lost in that noise was the fact that swimbaits continue to produce top tens in many events. Perhaps not giant 9-11” glides, but the occasional smaller glide and plenty of soft plastic models.
They didn’t contribute to any wins, and may not have been the anglers’ primary tools, but in several cases they contributed. Here are the ones that showed up in galleries.
Lake Guntersville (Scottsboro, Ala.)
February 5-8
Matt Robertson (3rd, 85-13)
Stetson Blaylock (2nd, 86-14)
Lake Martin (Alexander City, Ala.)
February 12-15
Chris Zaldain (6th, 46-14)
Bass Mafia Daingerous Loaded Swimbait
Easton Fothergill (4th, 50-11)
Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic – Tennessee River / Knoxville, Tenn. (Fort Loudoun and Tellico Lakes)
March 13-15
Andrew Loberg (23rd, 39-5)
Patrick Walters (21st, 41-5)
Arkansas River (Muskogee, Okla.)
April 16-19
None
Lake Murray (Columbia, S.C.)
May 7-10
None
Santee Cooper Lakes (Clarendon County, S.C.)
May 14-17
Justin Hamner (6th, 85-10)
Pasquotank River / Albemarle Sound (Elizabeth City, N.C.)
June 11-14
Kyle Patrick (9th, 71-15)
Bass Mafia Daingerous Unloaded Swimbait
Chris Zaldain (7th, 77-9)
Bass Mafia Daingerous Unloaded Swimbait
Hunter Shryock
Lake Champlain (Plattsburgh, N.Y.)
August 13-16
None
St. Lawrence River (Clayton, N.Y.)
August 27-30
None
Compared to 2025, the swimbait selection might not have been quite as varied, but I was surprised by some of the places these baits showed up. I wouldn't necessarily have bet on a treble-hook swimbait being part of Jacob Foutz's winning Tenn-Tom arsenal, for example.
The bigger takeaway is that swimbaits don't have to be giant glides to earn a place on the deck. Soft plastics, prerigged swimbaits and smaller glides all have their applications.
With Lake Fork on the 2027 schedule – and a split FFF/no-FFS schedule once again -- I'm curious to see whether swimbaits get a little more attention next season.
Discover the swimbaits used by Bassmaster Elite Series pros in 2026, from soft swimbaits to glide baits. Find tournament-tested lures for your tackle box that the top guns use to cash checks.