Bassmaster Elite Bubble Boys: The Unexpected Impact of the New EQ Series

For a few disappointed 2025 Bassmaster Elite pros, the 2026 Classic dream isn’t necessarily over yet. Thanks to the new Bassmaster EQ series the “bubble boys” have a few new ways of sneaking into the Classic, even after they’ve made their last cast of the season.

They’re the guys on the bubble—the Bassmaster Elite anglers who finished just outside the cut for 2026 Bassmaster Classic qualification. Since the season ended in late August on the Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin, they’ve known their fate. But they also know there’s still a faint glimmer of hope, because there’s more than one way to make it to the Classic.

How EQ Winners Can Break the Bubble

EQ competitors in their boats, lined up along a dock waiting for takeoff. — Everyone in the Bassmaster EQs has their own goals and agendas, but the results of these tournaments can have a significant impact on anglers who aren't even there. | B.A.S.S. | Andy Crawford

For example, the three event Bassmaster EQ series rewards the winner of each event with an invite to fish the Bassmaster Classic. But among the 100-ish anglers competing in the EQs are a handful of guys who already have their 2026 Classic berth secured through other qualifying methods. So, if any of that handful wins an EQ, they’ll double qualify and their second Classic invite gets handed to the next Elite angler on the Angler of the Year points list who hadn’t already qualified. Simple, right?

When Double-Qualifying Opens the Door

Elite pro Emil Wagner on stage at the Bassmaster EQ holding up two big smallmouth bass. — Elite pro Emil Wagner won the first Bassmaster EQ. | B.A.S.S.

The first EQ tournament on Lake Chaplain in mid-September was won by Emil Wagner. But Wagner was already headed to the Classic because of his solid 26th place Angler of the Year points status in the Elite series. So the next angler on the list, the guy on the bubble, was veteran angler, John Crews, Jr. In his 20-year career, Crews has fished the Classic 13 times. He knows what it’s like to compete on the biggest, big stage and he knows how devastating it is not to qualify. He only had to hold his breath for the month between the end of the Elite season and the end of the first EQ event. He breathed a sigh of relieve when Wagner won and double qualified.

Here's a fun video of the moment John Crews learned he made the Classic:

A Recent EQ Win and Its Impact On the Bubble

Laker Howell about to weigh in, holding up one of the bass he caught. — Laker Howell wins the second Bassmaster EQ event. | B.A.S.S.

This weekend saw the finish of the second Bassmaster EQ event on Wheeler Lake in Alabama. This time Laker Howell (yes, the son of 2014 Bassmaster Classic Champion, Randy Howell) took the win. But Laker Howell also won the Bassmaster Open on Leech Lake in August. And winners of each of the Bassmaster Open tournaments get an invite to the Classic.

So, hey, Kyle Norsetter! Guess who was next on the list? Of course, I’m sure Norsetter was aware and watching the EQs closely. This will be his second Bassmaster Classic appearance since joining the Elites in 2023.

Elite pro Kyle Norsetter is his bass boat just before takeoff at a Bassmaster Elite event. — Kyle Norsetter is the second Elite pro to benefit from another angler double qualifying in an EQ event. | Kurt Mazurek

Lake Okeechobee and the Last Long Shot

Cole Sands in his bass boat before the 2024 Bassmaster Classic. — Cole Sands is now the bubble boy and the last Elite angler who could benefit from the EQ tournaments. | Kurt Mazurek

With one more EQ tournament set for legendary Lake Okeechobee in Florida in mid-November, it’s Calhoun, Tennessee angler, Cole Sands' turn to hold his breath. Sands also joined the Elites in 2023 and fished the 2024 Classic. You know he’s itching to get back on that Classic stage and being the first guy out now has it on his mind. Yes, it’s a long shot but it’s not over yet.

In the field of 90-100 anglers for the Okeechobee EQ event, my calculations show six of them with the potential to gain a Classic invite they don’t need—Yui Aoki, Chase Clark, Dillon Falardeau, Casey Scanlon, Trey Schroeder, and of course Laker Howell, who now could technically triple qualify.

Who Is the Best Bet in November?

Casey Scanlon holding his champions trophy from the bassmaster Open he won earlier this year. — Casey Scanlon looks like the statistical favorite of the anglers fishing the final EQ event on Okeechobee to bump Caloe Sands into the Classic. | B.A.S.S.

I took a quick look at these competitor’s past performances on Lake Okeechobee, and to be honest it doesn’t look great for Sands. Bear in mind, this is just high-level Bassmaster events I’m considering. They may have tons of other experience on the Big O that I am unaware of, but none of them are from anywhere close to Florida.

Five of these anglers fished the Bassmaster Open on Okeechobee in 2024 (the sixth has no Florida tournaments on his resume). They finished 185th, 164th, 163rd, 137th, and 52nd. For the record, that 52nd place finish was by Casey Scanlon. Scanlon did compete on the Elite series for several years during the 2000-teens and has the most big league experience of these six anglers.

Never Give Up

I’m sure bubble boy, Cole Sands, will be watching Casey Scanlon and the other five competitors very closely. We all know that anything can happen on a tournament day. One bite can change everything. Like Mike Iaconelli famously screamed at the 2003 Bassmaster Classic, “Never give up!” So, if you hear an enthusiastic cheer erupt from Calhoun, Tennessee on the afternoon of November 15th, you’ll know what happened.