The standard for the 2026 Joe Bass Team Trail Lake of the Ozarks division, sponsored by Window World, has been one of postponements due to ever-changing weather conditions. The re-scheduled event lived up to that standard with perfect spring-like weather on Friday followed by a front moving in on Saturday. Tournament morning dawned with cold temperatures, overcast skies and a strong wind. However, Joe Bass is blessed to host the best anglers in the Ozarks, proven by the heavy bags brought to the weigh-in at beautiful Alhonna Resort.
Mike Mancil and Chris Bolte laid claim to the winner’s circle. They brought in an outstanding bag of bass that pushed the scales to 20.54 pounds. Included in their limit was the second-place big bass that weighed 5.56 pounds. Mike and Chris shared their Window World key to success was working an Ozark’s standard for pre-spawn bass, a crawdad-colored crankbait. They noted they did their damage early with their tournament limit in the boat by 11:00 am.
Veterans of the tournament wars, Justin and Mathew Miller were close behind to take second place. Their best five bass registered a stout 19.61 pounds. Experts with a jerkbait, team Miller used a variety of lures, including a Dave’s Custom Baits rig that proved key in drawing a dozen keepers for the event. They noted they did most of their damage between 10:00 am and noon.
Current Division points leaders Matt King and Kody Yates continued a strong season by rounding out the podium positions. Their best five bass locked the scales at 18.21 pounds. Matt explained they had a flurry early in the day followed by a lull mid-morning. They did a bit of running around to finish strong in the afternoon. Their weapons of choice included a stickbait complimented with an A-Rig.
Joe Bass staffers Mark Thompson and Rusty Darnell wrangled the Top Skeeter award for the day. They put 16.23 pounds of bass in the Skeeter’s livewell, including the Wilson Truck Sales big bass of the derby, a lunker 6.48 pound largemouth. In addition to the Joe Bass Top Skeeter cash, Mark and Rusty pocketed an additional $500 compliments of Blackbeard Marine by fishing from Mark’s new 2026 Skeeter ZXE20 purchased from Blackbeard.
Attendance has been sporadic this season due to the unstable weather which has necessitated some rescheduling. The final Lake of the Ozarks tournament will take place March 15th. Let’s finish the season off with a strong showing to ensure the future of the division! Also, the last tournament in the division does not require membership to participate!
Forgetting to bring your empty packages of Rapala, Crush City, Storm, VMC and Suffix with your name and phone number written on them to your next Joe Bass Tournament for a chance at a tackle pack could cost you $100 in Rapala products. Drawings are done monthly throughout the tournament season.
Clear Cast Marine Electronics repair is continuing to support Joe Bass Team Trail. Their support of the Tournament of Champions and Staff Shootout opportunities at the Invitational is paramount to it’s success. SUPPORT their efforts! Be sure and visit their website for details for your repair and setup needs!
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Photos (waiting on more)
Results
| Place | Team Members | Fish | B/F | TotWgt | Pts | Payout |
| 1 | Mike Mancil – Chris Bolte | 5 | 5.56 | 20.54 | 220 | $1,300.00 |
| 2 | Justin Miller – Mathew Miller | 5 | 5.43 | 19.61 | 219 | $670.00 |
| 3 | Matt King – Kody Yates | 5 | 4.97 | 18.21 | 218 | $260.00 |
| 4 | Cole McFarland – Ryan Jordan | 5 | 17.09 | 217 | ||
| 5 | Mark Thompson – Rusty Darnell | 5 | 6.48 | 16.23 | 216 | $1,090.00 |
| 6 | Dallas Stamper – Jason Hollandsworth | 5 | 15.94 | 215 | ||
| 7 | Corbin Bailey – *fished aalone | 5 | 15.85 | 214 | ||
| 8 | Keith LaBarge – Roger LaBarge | 5 | 3.39 | 14.42 | 213 | |
| 9 | Jon Hardy – Justin Luetkemeyer | 5 | 13.27 | 212 | ||
| 10 | David Conner – Bradly Robbins | 5 | 12.76 | 211 | ||
| 11 | Brendan Ackerman – Oliver Siebert | 5 | 2.98 | 12.66 | 210 | |
| 12 | Chad Wagner – Kevin Altman | 4 | 3.16 | 9.62 | 209 | |
| 13 | Mike Thomas – Dirk Thomas | 3 | 3.39 | 7.83 | 208 | |
| 14 | John Hewkin – Frank Meyer | 2 | 3.41 | 207 | ||
| 15 | *Mark Dunbar – Andre Dickneite | 0 | 20 |
*alternate