Winter Classic

Our Friends at High 5 Printing & Productions pushing out some great products

https://uglyfishing.com/2026-winter-classic-results/

2026 Winter Classic is all over! Congratulations to those who went home with some hardware!

2026 Champions are Clay Dean and Jonas Alexander team AweSkeet!

2nd place Will Gunnells and Noel Riley team GnR

3rd place Taylor Morrow and Jared Donnelly team Trout SlapperZ

Average Joe winners Noah and Kaleb Barker team Barker Brothers

Lunker Winners AweSkeet

Redfish CPR winners GnR

Saturday Heavy Bag Z-Man Fishing Products and Release over 20 winners AweSkeet

Sunday Heavy Bag Pure Flats and Release over 20 winners Trout SlapperZ

CCA Alabama Random tagged fish winner
James Montalvo and Jamie Stevens

https://share.fishingchaos.com/tournament/cRQiiySPQkarwFNOM70iasE

Day one in the bag. Congrats to AweSkeet for bringing in today’s heavy bag sponsored by Z-Man Fishing Products zmanfishingproducts meet us at Ralph and Kacoos at 3pm to see the final day weigh in.

Sunday heavy Bag prize is sponsored by slick_lures/eyestrikefishing / releaseover20

Z-Man Fishing Products / releaseover20 / eyestrikefishing Saturday Heavy bag prize package! The heaviest Saturday creel including live fish bonus will be rewarded this great package!

Protecting Today’s Trophy Fish for Tomorrow — Thank You, Release Over 20

The Winter Classic is proud to stand alongside organizations that are shaping the future of our fisheries through education, stewardship, and action. One of those organizations is Release Over 20.

If you talk to anglers who’ve been on the water for decades, they’ll tell you stories of incredible abundance — a time when fish seemed endless and limits were unnecessary. Today, with the benefit of science, data, and hindsight, we know that kind of harvest is simply not sustainable in a modern fishery. Release Over 20 was created to address that reality head-on.

The philosophy is simple but powerful: protect large, trophy fish so they can continue to spawn, pass along strong genetics, and help rebuild abundance. For most species, those big fish are females — survivors that have endured angling pressure, predation, environmental stress, and time. Releasing them isn’t just conservation-minded; it’s an investment in the future of the fishery.

Release Over 20 also recognizes the growing challenges facing today’s fisheries. More anglers, improving technology, widespread access to fishing information, habitat loss, and increasing pollution all add pressure to the resource. Regulations alone can’t keep pace, which is why the organization encourages anglers to take personal responsibility by creating and following their own upper slot and bag limits — and by sharing why those choices matter.

This year, Release Over 20 is further supporting that mission at the Winter Classic by sweetening both the Saturday and Sunday Heavy Bag prizes, adding RO20 logo items as a reward for anglers who put together big bags while still practicing conservation-first principles.

The Winter Classic is proud to support and promote this message. Efforts like Release Over 20 help ensure that today’s trophy fish are still swimming — and spawning — for future generations of anglers.

Thank you to Release Over 20 for your leadership, your advocacy, and your commitment to protecting our fisheries for years to come. 💙🎣

Behind Every Big Moment — Thank You, Blue Water Graphics

The Winter Classic wouldn’t look the way it does — or run as smoothly as it does — without the support of partners who show up year after year and go above and beyond in ways most people never see. One of those partners is Blue Water Graphics.

For years, Blue Water Graphics has been the team behind every Winter Classic big check, along with countless other printing needs throughout the tournament. From signage to apparel to last-minute requests, they consistently deliver with professionalism, quality, and a willingness to help however they can. Their support extends well beyond the event itself — they take care of Winter Classic anglers and the local community with the same level of commitment and pride.

With more than 25 years of experience in the print and promotions industry, Blue Water Graphics serves Mobile and the entire Gulf Coast, providing apparel, promotional products, signage, and sublimation services for schools, municipalities, events, businesses, and retail clients alike. No matter the job, their talented team has the ability — and the attitude — to get it done right.

We’re excited to welcome Blue Water Graphics back as our Print Management Partner, and we’re grateful for their continued dedication to the Winter Classic and the people who make it special. Their work helps bring the tournament to life and ensures that the moments our anglers earn are celebrated the way they deserve to be.

Thank you, Blue Water Graphics, for always stepping up and for being a true partner in every sense of the word.

Innovation From Day One — Thank You, Z-Man

The Winter Classic is proud to partner with brands that challenge tradition and elevate the sport of fishing — and Z-Man Fishing Products has done exactly that for more than three decades.

From day one, Z-Man chose a different path, developing ElaZtech® — a revolutionary, 100-percent non-toxic superplastic that redefined what soft baits could be. By combining ultra-soft, lifelike action with unmatched durability and natural buoyancy, Z-Man baits don’t just catch fish — they last. That same innovation helped inspire the modern Ned rig movement and continues to shape the way anglers approach finesse fishing today.

This year, Z-Man Fishing Products is bringing that spirit of performance directly to the Winter Classic as the Saturday Heavy Bag Prize sponsor, awarded to the team weighing in the heaviest five-fish creel, including the live-fish bonus. It’s a reward for the team that puts together the biggest stringer on Saturday — and a challenge to carry that momentum into Sunday with hopes of taking home the overall championship.

For more than 35 years, Z-Man has stayed true to its original vision: throw out the rulebook and create category-defining lures that simply catch fish. That mindset makes them a perfect fit for the Winter Classic and the anglers competing at the highest level.

We’re grateful for Z-Man’s continued support of the tournament and their commitment to innovation, performance, and the pursuit of big bites.

Thank you, Z-Man.

Honoring Conservation Through Partnership — Thank You, CCA of Alabama

At the heart of the Winter Classic is a commitment to conservation, stewardship, and giving back to the resource that gives us all so much. That commitment is strengthened each year through our continued partnership with the Coastal Conservation Association of Alabama.

CCA of Alabama has long been a leader in fisheries conservation, working tirelessly to protect, restore, and enhance Alabama’s coastal resources. Their dedication aligns seamlessly with the Winter Classic’s mission — and nowhere is that more evident than in the conservation efforts surrounding speckled trout.

Historically, the Winter Classic has proudly supported the Claude Peteet Mariculture center hatchery program by donating fish each year, while also participating in tagging and release efforts that contribute valuable data to fisheries research. These efforts help ensure healthier trout populations and better management decisions for the future.

This year, the Winter Classic will be contributing towards theTag Alabama CCA sponsored tagging program again. In a joint effort with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, CCA of Alabama, and Winter Classic anglers, live speckled trout brought to the tournament will be tagged and released as part of a collaborative research initiative. Tagging opportunities are limited to volunteer anglers, creating a rare and meaningful chance for participants to play a direct role in conservation — with the potential to tag hundreds of fish in a single event.

These kinds of partnerships and hands-on conservation efforts are exactly why Alabama is recognized as a leader in fish tagging programs. By combining angler participation, scientific research, and conservation leadership, we’re able to move the needle in real, measurable ways.

We are incredibly grateful to CCA of Alabama for their continued conservation partnership with the Winter Classic, and for their unwavering dedication to Alabama’s waters, fisheries, and coastal traditions. Together, we’re not just hosting a tournament — we’re investing in the future of our fishery.

Thank you, CCA of Alabama, for leading the way. 💙🌊🎣

We’re proud to celebrate Pure Flats Slick Lure as a Premium Lure Partner of the Winter Classic 2026 and sponsor of the Sunday Heavy Bag Prize, awarded to the team weighing in the heaviest creel on Sunday. 🎣

Pure Flats was founded in 2015 by tournament-winning angler Capt. Joey Landreneau, whose drive to solve real-world fishing challenges led to the creation of The SLICK—a lure designed to cover every part of the water column with weedless performance, an incredible sink profile, and realistic, erratic action. From Florida’s Big Bend to Virginia, Slick lures continue to help anglers win tournaments and set personal bests.

In 2022, Greg Sample joined forces with Joey, bringing his lifelong experience fishing the marshes of Southeast Louisiana and Mississippi to help grow Pure Flats and expand its reach—while staying true to the angler-first innovation that started it all.

Pure Flats has been a longtime supporter of the Winter Classic, and we’re incredibly grateful for their continued commitment to the tournament and our anglers. Thank you, Pure Flats, for standing with us year after year and helping make the Winter Classic something special.

We’re honored to partner with Mobile Baykeeper as an official partner of The Winter Classic this year!

Mobile Baykeeper exists to defend and revive the health of the waters of Coastal Alabama — a mission that resonates deeply with every Winter Classic angler. Just as anglers depend on clean, productive waterways for memorable days on the water, Mobile Baykeeper works tirelessly so that those waters are safe to swim in, safe to eat from, and full of life for generations to come.

Their vision — one where no one has to question whether the fish are safe to eat or the water is safe to swim in — perfectly aligns with the values held by anglers across our region. Whether it’s restoring vital habitats like seagrass beds and oyster reefs, monitoring water quality, educating the community, or advocating for policies that protect our coastal ecosystems, Mobile Baykeeper’s work helps ensure healthy, resilient fisheries and waterways for both recreation and conservation.

This partnership is more than a logo on a page — it’s a shared commitment to the waters we fish, explore, and call home. We’re excited to stand with Mobile Baykeeper in celebrating and protecting the ecosystems that make fishing in Coastal Alabama so special. Thank you to the Mobile Baykeeper team for all you do — here’s to clean water, thriving fish populations, and many great seasons ahead!