Partly cloudy skies gave way to a beautiful spring day on which to kick off the 2026 Joe Bass Team Trail Table Rock Summer division sponsored by Blackbeard Marine. Scheduling conflicts muted the turnout a tad, but 20 teams left Mill Creek with the intent of seeing their names at the top of the Window World leaderboard at the end of the day. Results from Wednesday’s Antique Division derby suggested big fish would come with a premium as many anglers felt the annual spawn cycle was a few weeks ahead of normal. However, teams were focused on kicking the summer season off with a good points finish in order to qualify for the Invitational on Truman Lake out of Bucksaw Marina and Resort next fall.
Jace McMasters and Dylan Jones checked both boxes as they took the maximum amount of points possible and did it on the back of the Wilson Truck Sales big bass of the event. Jace and Dylan’s limit of fish locked in at 14.41 pounds, while their big fish weighed 4.43 pounds. They explained their Blackbeard Marine key for success was mixing a spoon and minnow with a Coike urchin-style bait to catch 7 keepers. They noted they did most of their damage early with the bite shutting off mid-morning.
Aaron Jayfeld teamed with Alex Redwine to take second place. They used a jerkbait to catch between 25 and 30 keepers on an all day bite. Their best five weighed 14.13 pounds. Aaron added they caught their fish by concentrating on rocky mainlake points.
Team Joe Bass, John and Jim Williams, rounded out the top three. They spent the day watching the graph and shaking a minnow bait to catch 14.08 pounds. Jim said they worked through nearly 20 keepers on an all day bite to get to their final weight. Adding to their take-home purse, Jim and John landed Top Skeeter honors as they fished from Jim’s 2021 FX21 Skeeter.
Special thanks to Taylor Grubaugh Chevrolet, Buick & GMC for sponsoring the newly rewrapped release boat!
Bring your empty packages of Rapala, Crush City, Storm, VMC and Suffix with your name and phone number to your next Joe Bass Tournament for a chance at a tackle pack. 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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The fourth event of the 2026 Winter Division will launch from Mill Creek Saturday 5/2 with a 6:00 am takeoff.
Photos
Results
| Place | Team Members | Fish | B/F | TotWgt | Pts | Payout |
| 1 | Jace McMasters – Dylan Jones | 5 | 4.4 | 14.41 | 220 | $1,590.00 |
| 2 | Aaron Jagdfeld – Alex Redwine | 5 | 4 | 14.13 | 219 | $700.00 |
| 3 | John Williams – Jim Williams | 5 | 3.5 | 14.08 | 218 | $740.00 |
| 4 | Zachary Cooley – *David Cooley | 5 | 4.4 | 13.72 | 217 | $280.00 |
| 5 | *Reece Kenny – Dayne Kobridger | 5 | 3.4 | 13.58 | 216 | |
| 6 | Shane Allen Boyd – Shannon Keeler | 5 | 12.66 | 215 | ||
| 7 | Kavan Maybee – *Mike Smith | 5 | 12.4 | 214 | ||
| 8 | Sam Grace – Joesef Rogers | 5 | 12.32 | 213 | ||
| 9 | John Hewkin – Frank Meyer | 5 | 2.8 | 12.25 | 212 | |
| 10 | Brian Shelton – Chad Clark | 5 | 2.7 | 12 | 211 | |
| 11 | Mark Thompson – Luke Thompson | 5 | 2.9 | 11.89 | 210 | |
| 12 | Ralph Laster – Mike Fielder | 5 | 3 | 11.09 | 209 | |
| 13 | Brock Rogers – | 5 | 2.7 | 11.09 | 208 | |
| 14 | John Wagner – Kyle Wagner | 5 | 10.96 | 207 | ||
| 15 | Mike Cross – Copeland Cross | 5 | 2.7 | 10.32 | 206 | |
| 16 | Mike Guidorzi – Doug Guidorzi | 5 | 10.02 | 205 | ||
| 17 | Eric White – Gavin White | 5 | 9.36 | 204 | ||
| 18 | James Welch – Caleb Welch | 2 | 3.83 | 203 | ||
| 19 | Michael Frye – *fished aalone | 0 | 20 | |||
| Terry Letterman – Doug Smart | 0 | 20 |
*alternate