The 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series and Junior and High School series has come to Kissimmee Chain of lakes to start its seasons.
A Strike King Bassmaster High School Series and Tackle Warehouse Bassmaster Junior Series single-day junior event is scheduled to hit the water Sunday. That's followed by The Legends Trail of the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops on Thursday and Friday.
Daily takeoffs are slated for 7 a.m. at Big Toho Marina for all events. Weigh-ins are set to begin around 2 p.m. for the Junior Series event and 3 p.m. for the High School and College Series events.
Competing college teams will earn points toward the 2026 Bassmaster College Series Team of the Year race, and the top 10% of the field will earn spots in the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster College Series National Championship presented by Bass Pro Shops.
The Bassmaster College, High School and Junior Series spotlight the sport’s brightest young talent while providing unforgettable opportunities on world-class fisheries. And there’s no better fisheries to start the year than the Kissimmee chain, a recurring destination for Bassmaster’s various tournament trails.
Lake Toho, Cypress Lake, Lake Hatchineha and Lake Kissimmee will be in play for this event. Palm Harbor’s Aaron Yavorsky, who won the 2023 Bassmaster Team Championship said the weather — Another cold front, anyone? — plays a part in where to fish for the win.
“It is hard to spread out in Florida,” he said. “Kissimmee and Toho will be the main players. Kissimmee will play the most, I think. If it is a really cold year, you could see teams spread out in Toho some. And you’ll have teams fish some of the other lakes, and if they find bass there, they will have it to themselves. It just might not hold up for multiple days.”
