The 2026-2027 Southeast Region season officially got underway Saturday, September 26 at one of the most recognizable bass fisheries in Texas, Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
A field of 89 teams launched from Cassels Boykin Park for Stop #1, kicking off another season of High School and Junior competition in Southeast Texas.
With a mix of clouds and sunshine overhead, anglers brought 223 fish across the scales throughout the day. Sam Rayburn delivered plenty to talk about, including a 26.55-pound winning High School bag, an 8.05-pound High School Big Bass, and a Junior podium separated by just 0.15 pounds from first through third.
By the end of weigh-in, $9,840 in cash prizes had been awarded and the first Southeast Region AOY points of the season were officially on the board.
Tournament By the Numbers
Lake: Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Launch: Cassels Boykin Park
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Participating Teams: 89
Total Fish Caught: 223
Tournament Cash Payout: $9,840 Texas B.A.S.S. Nation Youth 2026-27 Season-to-Date Payout: $34,775.00
High School Division Results
1st Place
Delk
Total Weight: 26.55 lbs
Cash Award: $3,000
Delk wasted no time making a statement to start the season, bringing 26.55 pounds to the scales to take the first Southeast Region High School victory of 2026-2027.
2nd Place
Gallier
Total Weight: 25.10 lbs
Cash Award: $915
Gallier stayed right in the hunt with an impressive 25.10-pound bag, finishing only 1.45 pounds behind the tournament winner.
3rd Place
Petty / Roberts
Total Weight: 19.49 lbs
Cash Award: $579
Additional High School Cash Finishers
4th: Griffin / Cernosek | 17.45 lbs
5th: Wells / Clark | 15.43 lbs
6th: LaCombe / Taylor | 14.46 lbs
7th: Drennan | 14.30 lbs
An additional $1,056 was awarded across 4th through 7th place in the High School Division.
High School Big Bass
Delk
Big Bass Weight: 8.05 lbs
Cash Award: $510
Delk paired the tournament win with the High School Big Bass award, bringing total winnings for the day to $3,510.
An 8-pounder is always going to turn some heads at a Texas weigh-in, and this one helped put an exclamation point on an already impressive season opener.
Junior Division Results
If there was one place where every ounce mattered, it was the top of the Junior leaderboard.
Only 0.07 pounds separated first and second, another 0.08 pounds separated second and third, and just 0.15 pounds separated the entire top three. That’s about as close as tournament fishing gets.
🥇 1st Place
LeBlanc
Total Weight: 16.02 lbs
Cash Award: $1,500
LeBlanc claimed the first Junior Division win of the Southeast season with 16.02 pounds.
🥈 2nd Place
Robinson / Stephenson
Total Weight: 15.95 lbs
Cash Award: $803
Just 0.07 pounds separated Robinson and Stephenson from the top spot.
They also brought the biggest Junior bass of the day to the scales.
🥉 3rd Place
McFarlane / Fountain
Total Weight: 15.87 lbs
Cash Award: $457
Only 0.08 pounds separated second and third.
Additional Junior Cash Finishers
4th: Howard / Howard | 11.40 lbs
5th: Burton | 10.62 lbs
6th: Guynes / Bryant | 10.15 lbs
An additional $641 was awarded across 4th through 6th place in the Junior Division.
🎣 Junior Big Bass
Robinson / Stephenson
Big Bass Weight: 6.07 lbs
Cash Award: $380
Combined with their second-place finish, Robinson and Stephenson earned $1,183 at Sam Rayburn.
Full Tournament Results
Want to see how the entire field finished?
View All Sam Rayburn Leaderboards:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/RwKNYgOnUr1IgXgBL1NI/leaderboards
High School Overall:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/RwKNYgOnUr1IgXgBL1NI/leaderboard/YjFAcYuyD9SInHdRKQ22
High School Big Bass:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/RwKNYgOnUr1IgXgBL1NI/leaderboard/7mEYAONuO2vSdLbavHLI
Junior Overall:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/RwKNYgOnUr1IgXgBL1NI/leaderboard/uQowpkurdCBbnEOwaLSN
Junior Big Bass:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/RwKNYgOnUr1IgXgBL1NI/leaderboard/QdvMXww6omcmYeE0HML1
The Southeast AOY Race Is Underway
Stop #1 means the first 2026-2027 Southeast Region Angler of the Year points are officially on the board.
There is a long season ahead, but every qualifier matters as teams begin building their position toward the Regional Championship.
High School AOY
The High School field now has its first set of standings following Sam Rayburn.
👉 View Current High School AOY Standings:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/club/2qnmhglQZJQVjda8bofm/manage/series/5W66Gq5izc5gSuMggoy0
Junior AOY
With only 0.15 pounds separating the first three teams at Stop #1, the Junior Division gave us an early reminder of just how competitive this season could be.
👉 View Current Junior AOY Standings:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/club/2qnmhglQZJQVjda8bofm/manage/series/Hh6ZHCdtJTXkoRNqlBjX
Thank You to Our Volunteers
Tournament days do not happen by themselves.
From setup and check-in to weigh-in, fish care, awards, cleanup, and all of the small details in between, there are volunteers working behind the scenes to make sure our anglers have a quality tournament experience.
To everyone who gave their time at Sam Rayburn, thank you for continuing to show up for these young anglers and this organization.
We also appreciate Cassels Boykin Park for hosting the Southeast Region season opener.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Texas B.A.S.S. Nation Youth is incredibly grateful to the businesses and organizations that invest in our anglers and help make these tournaments possible.
Sponsor support allows us to operate events across Texas, grow opportunities for High School and Junior anglers, and continue putting meaningful cash awards back into youth tournament fishing.
Please support the businesses that support these kids.
Next Up: Toledo Bend
Sam Rayburn is in the books, but there isn’t much time to sit still.
🎣 Southeast Region Stop #2
📅 Saturday, October 17, 2026
📍 Toledo Bend
🛥️ Sabinetown
Registration is open now:
https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/o3bS0mK8vHdQ02Eetmun
Stop #1 gave us big bags, an 8-pound bass, a razor-thin Junior finish, and a strong start to the Southeast season.
Now it’s on to Toledo Bend. We’ll see y’all at Stop #2! 🎣
