By Jason Duran
The Alabama River has long been known as one of the Alabama Bass Trail’s great equalizers.
With changing current, fluctuating water levels, and limited productive water for a field of 225 teams, Cooter’s Pond routinely creates some of the tightest finishes of the season. The 2026 South Division finale delivered another chapter in that story.
By the end of the day, one team had added another Alabama River victory to its résumé, while another secured its place among the most accomplished teams in Alabama Bass Trail history.
When the scales closed Saturday afternoon, Chad Schroeder and alternate partner Greg Baker claimed the tournament victory with 19.24 pounds, earning the $15,000 first-place prize. Their winning limit was anchored by a 5.59-pound Mountain Dew Big Bass worth an additional $500, bringing their total payday to $15,500.
The victory marked another chapter in Schroeder’s remarkable history on the Alabama River. Fishing without his regular partner Chase Schroeder, Chad teamed with Baker and relied on a familiar Alabama River approach to outdistance the field by more than two pounds.
The win did not come easily.
The river fished much differently than it had in practice. Current slowed significantly, water levels dropped throughout the day, and many anglers found themselves scrambling to adjust. Conditions that had produced quality bites just a day earlier suddenly became much less predictable.
“It changed a lot,” Schroeder said. “They were biting really good, and then they slowed that water down. The fish were still in the same areas, but they were just so much harder to bite.”
Schroeder and Baker spent practice exploring both ends of the river system. After finding limited success upriver, they shifted their attention to areas closer to the main river where a mayfly hatch and nearby grass positioned quality fish.
One key area featured a steeper bank adjacent to grass where the team found better-than-average fish during practice. They also relied on a school of fish they had located earlier in the week. When tournament morning arrived and the current had slowed considerably, they adjusted rather than forcing a practice pattern that no longer fit the conditions.
Their most productive presentation was a black-and-blue creature bait slowly dragged through cover.
With temperatures climbing, current disappearing, and bites becoming increasingly difficult to generate, that slow approach proved to be the difference between a good finish and a winning finish.
The victory continued a trend familiar to longtime ABT followers. When the South Division visits the Alabama River, experience often matters. Understanding how quickly the river can change and how fish reposition when current and water levels fluctuate is often the difference between cashing a check and missing an opportunity.
Finishing second were Zeke Gossett and Ethan King with 17.22 pounds, earning $7,500. The finish capped another strong Alabama River performance for a team that has steadily built confidence on the fishery through ABT competition.
Gossett and King focused on areas they believed would remain productive regardless of changing water levels. Their pattern centered on rock piles, stumps, and trees where bass could move vertically as river conditions changed.
Rather than chasing fish that might relocate with changing water, they concentrated on structure that would continue to hold bass throughout the day.
Most of their fish came on a shaky head, with two key fish coming on a Strike King Z Too in the Arkansas Shiner color.
Their second-place finish was particularly impressive considering where their season began. After a disappointing 99th-place finish at Lake Jordan to open the year, the team responded with a series of strong tournaments to climb back into the Angler of the Year conversation.
Third place went to Wesley McKeller and Adam Courington with 16.79 pounds and a $6,000 payday.
The duo found their pattern quickly during practice.
They discovered bass relating to shallow grass and built their tournament around it. A swim jig and a JackHammer ChatterBait in a light shad color produced most of their early bites, while black-and-blue and black-and-red creature baits helped them pick apart cover throughout the day.
Their best area was located downriver near the Swift Creek section of the river, where they caught nearly 20 fish and assembled most of their tournament weight before 9:00 a.m.
As the water continued to fall, the fish gradually moved deeper and became more difficult to catch. Still, the early flurry was enough to secure the highest ABT finish of their career.
The team’s willingness to commit to one area proved critical. By midmorning they already had the weight they would eventually bring to the scales. While they continued searching for upgrades, the quality they found early carried them to a career-best finish against one of the strongest fields in team tournament fishing.
Chace Gregory and Kopeland Rosser finished fourth with 16.74 pounds to earn $4,000, while Noah Godwin and Cole Godwin rounded out the top five with 16.70 pounds and collected $3,000.
While Schroeder and Baker celebrated the tournament victory, the biggest drama of the day centered around the South Division Angler of the Year race.
Entering the Alabama River finale, Foster Bradley and Nick Harris held the points lead and controlled their own destiny. The team had been one of the most consistent in the South Division all season and entered the final event with a 26-point advantage over Chris Rutland and Coby Carden.
On most fisheries, a lead of that size entering the final event would be difficult to overcome.
On the Alabama River, nothing is guaranteed.
Bradley and Harris struggled to a 99th-place finish with 9.34 pounds, opening the door for Rutland and Carden. The veteran team weighed 14.76 pounds and finished 14th in the tournament, enough to erase the deficit and secure the season championship.
The comeback was fitting for a team that opened the season with a victory at Lake Jordan and spent the rest of the year keeping pressure on the points leaders.
At first, Rutland did not think it would be enough.
The team had already started the drive home when the phone call came informing them they had won the title.
“Man, I feel great,” Rutland said. “I’m so surprised. I thought it was going to slip away, and we might never get another chance to win one of these.”
The championship marked the third South Division Angler of the Year title for Rutland and Carden and further cemented their place among the most accomplished teams in Alabama Bass Trail history.
Carden said the accomplishment means even more in today’s competitive environment, where young anglers are entering the sport with years of tournament experience through high school and collegiate programs.
“For us to win this, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Carden said.
Rutland and Carden finished the season with 1,069 points. Noah Godwin and Cole Godwin finished second with 1,054 points, while James Willoughby and James Willoughby claimed third with 1,028 points. Bradley and Harris finished fourth with 1,010 points, and Gossett and King rounded out the top five with 993 points.
The final standings illustrated just how competitive the South Division was throughout 2026. Only 59 points separated first place from fifth place after five tournaments, highlighting how little room there was for mistakes over the course of the season.
Final South Division AOY Top Five
Top 10 Alabama River Results
The Alabama Bass Trail is made possible by 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.
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast for interviews, tournament coverage, and more from the Alabama Bass Trail. New episodes are released every Tuesday.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
©2026 Alabama Bass Trail | All Rights Reserved | Site by McComm
