By Jason Duran
The 2026 Alabama Bass Trail South Division season reaches its conclusion on June 13 as 225 teams launch from Cooter’s Pond in Prattville for the final regular season event of the year. By the end of the day, tournament champions will be crowned, Championship berths will be secured, and the South Division Angler of the Year title will finally be decided.
Few fisheries on the schedule offer as much uncertainty as the Alabama River. Water levels, current generation, weather patterns, and fishing pressure can completely reshape the tournament from one day to the next. That unpredictability is exactly why local anglers Blake Davenport and Phillip Easterling believe conditions on tournament morning will matter more than anything discovered during practice.
“We went yesterday and it was about as perfect of conditions as you could ask for,” Davenport said. “The water was where it was supposed to be, the water was moving, there was a stain to it. It was perfect.”
The challenge, however, is that perfection on the Alabama River rarely lasts long.
“Every time on the Alabama River it changes,” Davenport said. “You really don’t know what you’re going to have until Saturday morning.”
Recent rainfall throughout Alabama and surrounding states has kept water moving through the system and could play a major role in how the fish position themselves this weekend. Davenport said the river is fishing as well as he has seen it in years.
“The fish are right,” he said. “The river is fishing as good as I’ve ever seen it.”
That statement may catch the attention of anglers throughout the field because the Alabama River has historically been known as a fishery where 17 to 18 pounds is often enough to contend for a win. This year could be different.
Last weekend, a local tournament produced seven bags weighing more than 17 pounds from just 20 boats. The winning weight exceeded 21 pounds, a sign that the river may be capable of producing much larger bags than normal if conditions remain favorable.
“If the river stays where it’s at right now and they keep it consistent, it could take the most it’s ever taken,” Davenport said. “Don’t be surprised if you see over 20 pounds.”
While big spotted bass often dominate portions of the river, anglers can expect a variety of patterns to emerge throughout the system. Davenport expects many fish to be caught offshore while largemouth bass remain shallow in several areas.
“A lot of the spots are off the bank and a lot of the largemouth are still up shallow,” he said.
Current will likely be the most important factor determining where anglers spend their day. Areas around Cooter’s Pond traditionally depend heavily on moving water, while other sections of the river can produce quality largemouth when conditions line up.
The Alabama River’s reputation for changing by the hour means adaptability will be critical.
“Be ready to change within an hour,” Easterling said.
The river’s healthy fish population is only one piece of the puzzle. Fishing pressure may prove equally important. With 225 teams spread across a relatively limited amount of productive water, competitors will often find themselves targeting the same stretches, current seams, and key pieces of cover.
“That’s what always burns me down there,” Davenport said. “I wind up fishing behind people. Those fish bite down there. It’s not like they get lockjaw. They just get caught.”
While tournament competitors focus on the river itself, the season-long Angler of the Year race remains the biggest storyline entering the final event of the season.
The biggest question entering Saturday may not be who wins the tournament, but who leaves Cooter’s Pond with the South Division Angler of the Year trophy.
Foster Bradley and Nick Harris arrive at the finale leading the standings with 883 points after a season built on consistency. Their closest challengers, former AOY champions Chris Rutland and Coby Carden, sit second with 857 points. Dashton Dawson is third with 854 points, keeping the top of the standings within striking distance heading into the final event.
The math entering the tournament is straightforward. Rutland and Carden would need to finish 27 places ahead of Bradley and Harris on Saturday to claim the title.
That sounds like a comfortable margin until you consider where the finale is being held.
For years, Alabama River anglers have referred to Cooter’s Pond as the Equalizer. Unlike fisheries where a few dominant bags separate the field, Alabama River tournaments are often decided by ounces.
Last year’s Alabama River tournament demonstrated exactly how tight things can become. Chad and Chase Schroeder claimed the victory with 17.11 pounds. Corey Cole and Quillie Trott finished second with 17.09 pounds. Noah and Cole Godwin were third with 16.96 pounds, while Frank Bradfield and Tyler Morgan placed fourth with 16.78 pounds.
Less than half a pound separated first from fourth. Barely more than a pound separated first from tenth.
That compression creates opportunity and danger. A single lost fish can move a team several places in the standings. One strong decision can do the same in the opposite direction.
Bradley and Harris remain firmly in control of the race, but Alabama River history suggests nothing will be settled until the final bag hits the scales Saturday afternoon.
Current South Division AOY Standings
Davenport and Easterling enter the finale ranked 13th in the standings and would love nothing more than to close their season with a signature performance on a fishery they know well.
“It’s been a good year,” Davenport said.
One additional note for competitors and spectators: a dragon boat race will be taking place near Riverfront Park on Saturday. ALEA has requested all boat traffic proceed at idle speed only in that area between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Anglers planning to travel through that section of the river should use extreme caution.
As always on the Alabama River, everything may come down to conditions. If current flows and water levels remain stable, anglers could produce some of the heaviest weights the fishery has seen in recent years. If conditions change, adaptability and decision-making will once again determine who lifts the trophy.
Either way, by Saturday afternoon, the South Division season will have its final champions and a new Angler of the Year will be crowned.
The South Division ABT Tournament Series
Alabama River Tournament
June 13, 2026
Launch & Weigh In
June 13, 2026
Cooter’s Pond
1844 Cooter’s Pond Road
Prattville, AL 36067
Launch will be at 5:00 A.M. or safe daylight.
First flight due in at 2:30 P.M.
Watch over four hours of live on-the-water coverage and the weigh-in on the ABT Facebook page, YouTube, and ABT website.
The Alabama Bass Trail program is made possible through the support of its sponsors: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, 13 Fishing, Rapala, VMC, CRUSHCITY, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Thompson Tractor Company, PiranhO2, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag Proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, Alfa Insurance Thomas ALFA MAN Shelton, TH Marine Supplies, Power Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, Yamaha, SCUM FROG, E3 Sports Apparel, FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama and Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast presented by Phoenix Boats on your favorite podcast platform. New episodes featuring tournament winners, industry leaders and behind-the-scenes conversations from the Alabama Bass Trail are released each Tuesday.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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