By Jason Duran
A season of competition, five qualifying tournaments in each division, and 170 of the best teams in Alabama Bass Trail competition have led to two days on Lake Eufaula. On Oct. 16 and 17, the Alabama Bass Trail Championship returns to Eufaula for the first time in 10 years, with more than $100,000 in prize money and a $50,000 first-place prize awaiting the winning team.
The lake teams scouted may not be the lake they launch on.
Heavy rain from a hurricane that moved through the region last weekend has changed the picture on a lake that is already tricky in the fall. Rising water, stronger current, and muddy conditions could force anglers to adjust throughout practice and competition.
Lake Eufaula offers a variety of ways to catch bass, from shallow grass and wood to docks, brush piles, creek channels, and offshore structure. In October, bass can be scattered as they follow baitfish through the fall transition. Add significant rainfall and changing water clarity, and the lake could fish very differently from one end to the other.
Alabama Bass Trail Program Director Kay Donaldson is glad to bring the championship back to Eufaula.
“We are excited to bring the Alabama Bass Trail Championship back to Lake Eufaula. 2016, the last time we were here for the championship, seems like a lifetime ago. The 170 teams that make up the best of the best from the North and South divisions are ready to battle it out for more than $100,000. Thank you to the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce for being our host this week.”
Two South Division teams that earned their way in are heading to Eufaula with very different plans.
Frank Bradfield and Tyler Morgan (pictured above) finished seventh in the South Division points standings with 966 points. Blake Davenport and Phillip Easterling finished ninth with 949. One team is hoping the lake gets dirtier. The other wants to see how it looks before committing to anything.
For Bradfield and Morgan, the rain could be exactly what they wanted.
“I would prefer it to get pretty dirty and pretty high and to be rolling current down the pipe,” Morgan said.
They are shallow-water power fishermen who cover water, read conditions, and grind through stretches when quality bites are scarce. Higher, stained water and more current could set up bites around shallow cover on frogs, buzzbaits, and other moving baits.
Morgan lives about 45 minutes from the lake and has spent a lot of time learning how it fishes. Bradfield and Morgan finished second at the 2025 Alabama Bass Trail event on Eufaula with 22.48 pounds and earned $7,500.
October is a different story.
“There are fish anywhere you could want to catch one, but there’s not a congregation of them anywhere,” Morgan said.
Instead of finding big groups of bass in predictable spots, teams may have to cover a lot of water to build a five-fish limit. A good area might produce one or two key bites before anglers have to move.
For Morgan, that means keeping several rods on the deck and changing presentations throughout the day.
“You’re not going to win it on one rod, one bait or even one location,” he said.
They don’t quit on a day. At Lake Martin earlier this season, a late move took their catch from about 9 pounds to 13 pounds in the final 45 minutes. At Logan Martin, two quality bass in the closing minutes gave them another boost.
“We’re big-time grinders,” Morgan said. “The first 10 minutes are just as important as the last 10 minutes.”
That approach could matter in a championship where productive areas may be hard to pin down.
Bradfield and Morgan think 17 to 20 pounds a day could put a team in contention. Morgan would feel good carrying 17 or 18 pounds into the second day, knowing the tournament cannot be won Friday but that a poor first day can quickly eliminate a team’s chances.
“You can’t win it on the first day, but you can definitely lose it,” Morgan said.
Bradfield has owned about 10 Yamaha outboards over the years, including one on his saltwater boat.
“I have a saltwater boat with a Yamaha on it, and I’ve had probably 10 Yamahas in my life,” Bradfield said. “I’ve had a lot of Yamahas, and I’ve only had one Mercury, so I am partial to Yamaha.”
While Bradfield and Morgan (pictured above) are hoping the water favors their shallow-water game, Davenport and Easterling will let clarity decide.
The ninth-place team can fish both shallow and offshore. They describe their style as running and gunning, using different techniques to find quality bass.
On a recent scouting trip, they found clear water below the bridges and heavily muddy water about 3 miles above them. Where that stained water ends up after more runoff could shape their whole tournament.
If muddy water pushes into their preferred areas, they expect shallow presentations to matter. Swim jigs and ChatterBaits would let them cover water around grass, wood, and other shallow cover.
If the water stays clear, they think forward-facing sonar could play a big role. Offshore brush, scattered fish, and finer presentations, including a drop-shot rig, could produce bass other teams overlook.
They plan to read the conditions in practice before committing to a pattern. They also plan to protect fish. Instead of catching everything they find, Davenport and Easterling may spend more time looking than casting, especially when they think a quality fish could be needed in competition.
They want the bigger bites that win tournaments, not just a limit.
Davenport and Easterling think it could take about 41 to 42 pounds over two days, with a first-day weight around 20½ to 21 pounds putting a team in a strong position.
Davenport also recently switched to Phoenix Boats. He is running a new Phoenix 721 ZXL powered by a Yamaha outboard, and after owning several Yamaha-powered boats with hundreds of hours on each, he trusts the engine.
“I’ve never had one leave me stranded,” Davenport said.
The ride of the new Phoenix has exceeded his expectations.
“It’s literally night and day,” Davenport said, comparing his new Phoenix to boats he has owned in the past. He considers this his best setup yet.
Nobody knows yet how quickly Lake Eufaula will respond to the rain. With muddy water in some areas and clear water in others, two teams fishing entirely different patterns could both bring 20-pound bags to the scales.
Bradfield and Morgan have already shown they can catch quality bass on Eufaula, and they are hoping the conditions push fish toward their strengths. Davenport and Easterling are ready to adapt, whether that means picking up a swim jig in muddy water or slowing down with a drop-shot rig offshore.
Bradfield and Morgan hope higher, stained water will favor their shallow approach. Davenport and Easterling need to find out where the stain stops.
The team that finds the right fish Friday still has to figure out how to catch them again Saturday. Productive areas may see more fishing pressure, fish can reposition overnight, and a pattern that works early may fade as conditions change.
Some teams will make long runs and cover as much water as possible. Others will find a productive area and work through it carefully.
And with the weather reshaping Lake Eufaula, the championship may belong to the team that makes the best adjustments when the fish refuse to follow the original plan.
2026 Alabama Bass Trail Championship
Registration and check-in will take place Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Eufaula Community Center, 750 Lake Drive, Eufaula, AL 36027. Check-in is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by the pre-tournament meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Launch and weigh-in will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17, at Lakepoint State Park, 104 Lakepoint Drive, Eufaula, AL 36027. Launch will be at safe daylight each morning.
Friends and family are encouraged to attend, bring lawn chairs, and enjoy the action as some of the best teams in Alabama bass fishing cross the stage. Fans can also watch more than four hours of live on-the-water coverage and the weigh-in on the ABT Facebook page, YouTube and official ABT website.
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The podcast is released each Tuesday.
The 2026 Alabama Bass Trail Team Series is made possible through partnerships with industry-leading brands: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, 13 Fishing, Rapala, VMC, CRUSHCITY, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Thompson Tractor Company, Piranh02, 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.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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