GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Just how powerful is the pull of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, to bass anglers? Powerful enough to move clear across the country in order to reestablish roots on the Tennessee River impoundment that will serve this week at the first stop on the 2026 Bass Pro Tour.

Mercury pro Jacob Wall is anxious to get started at B&W Trailer Hitches Stage 1 Presented by Mercury, and for good reason. Following a move from his home in Oregon to Guntersville in 2018, Wall has spent untold hours exploring the big lake, learning its secrets. Heading into the first tournament of the 2026 season – where the mid-January start is the earliest in league history – Wall is confident that multiple patterns will be in play, and that his keys to success on his adopted home lake will include locating the right fish at the right time.