The North Central Region held its sixth and final qualifier on Lake Texoma on June 14, 2026. It successfully capped off a tournament trail that was as exciting as it was tumultuous. 

At 5:00 AM the skies were cloudy and a light wind was blowing with temps in the low 80s. However, in typical tournament fashion, at 5:20 AM, just as the field was arriving at Highport Marina, the skies completely opened up and started dumping rain. 

Prior to the rain, the anticipated launch time was safe light, or approx. 6:00 a.m. The anglers were informed that the tournament director had no issues launching in a downpour, however safe light requires actually seeing across the lake. Or, at the very least, seeing outside the marina to the Texoma islands. 

By safe light (7:00 a.m.), the rain teased everyone by letting up. With no lightning in sight, the director gave the green light. Of course, in typical North Central Region fashion, the exact microsecond the first two boaters backed down the ramp, a massive flash of lightning cracked across the sky. Launch delayed. 

It wasn’t until just after 8:00 AM that the lightning finally dissipated, allowing the field to safely scatter. Clouds and rain lingered until about 10:30 AM, at which point the weather traded the rain for a stiff Texoma wind. On the bright side, morning temperatures had plummeted from 80 degrees into the low 60s, and even though it would creep back up into the 80s by weigh-in, it was never sweltering. 

On the non-boater side, it was mano a mano. One-on-one. Big Sandy Creek vs. The Colony. Joe Sciuto vs. Jordan Fudge. 

In an epic battle for the ages—filled with nonstop drama and zero action—neither angler managed to bring a single fish to the scales. In a true display of offensive dominance, they tied for first place with zero pounds, and each were awarded first place points. And unlike the World Cup, there were no penalty kicks available to break the tie. Jordan and Joe simply divvied up the bounty, splitting the first-place prize of $144.00. Each walked away with a crisp $72 in their pocket. Sure, they paid a $100 entry fee to win $72, essentially paying $28 to skunk, but I am certain they each had $28 worth of fun! 

An extremely close race for Non Boater Angler of the Year saw Jordan Fudge, The Colony Bass Club, come out on top, a mere 27 points ahead of Joe Sciuto, Big Sandy Creek Bass Club. 

Joe is convinced that he is plagued by a “North Texas Lake Curse,” having his kicks bounce off the cross bar on lakes Eagle Mountain and Granbury, allowing Jordan Fudge to score the decisive goal and capture the Non-Boater Angler of the Year title. Jordan has also officially punched his ticket to the 2027 Texas State Team. 

Sciuto is not done yet, though. He gets a shot at redemption at the Regional Championship on October 3rd and 4th on Lakes Belton and Stillhouse. You can bet Joe is thrilled to fish closer to home, where he is fully prepared to lay a smackdown on the rest of the field. 

Turning to the boaters, Andrew Wren of the Tarrant Christian Bass Club continued his reign of terror, winning his 4th regional qualifier this year! Wren brought 4 fish (a mix of largemouth and smallmouth) to the scales for 8.52 pounds. He secured the boater victory, pocketed $288.00, and claimed the $50 Big Bass prize with a nice 3.13-pound Texoma largemouth. With this performance, Andrew secures his back-to-back Boater Angler of the Year title and qualifies for the Texas State Team for the third consecutive year. 

Justin Hallmark of the Big Sandy Creek Bass Club also finished one fish shy of a limit. He brought 4 fish to the scales for 7.73 pounds, settling for a strong second place finish. 

From there, the weights took a massive nosedive: In third place, Toby Tucker, Big Sandy Creek Bass Club was only able to bring in one fish weighing 1.59 pounds. That left fourth place to your North Central Region Director, Stephen Farrar, Tarrant Christian Bass Club.  Stephen brought in one stupid fish weighing 1.56 pounds and for him, missing out on third by mere 0.03 pounds is like a penalty kick to the jewels! Better luck next time Stephen! 

 With the 2026 qualifying events wrapped up, a massive congratulations goes out to Boater AOY Andrew Wren and Non-Boater AOY Jordan Fudge! Both have punched their tickets to the B.A.S.S. Super Regional Tournament. 

The two remaining State Team qualifiers from the North Central Region will be decided in October at the Regional Championship on Belton and Stillhouse.  Its going to be EPIC!…What kind of Wrath will Sciuto bring? Will Hallmark get that 5^th fish? Is Tucker the dark horse? Will Farrar catch more than one fish over two days? You can feel the electricity in the air!!!!  (though it will delay take off) 

See ya on water!

Sincerely,

           Stephen Farrar

           Texas BASS Nation

            North Central Region Director

            Club Division

            (682) 465-6165

            Sfarrar@texasbass.org