The second event of the 2026 Reel Team Bass season took place Saturday, July 18th on Lake Minnewaska. Temps were in the upper 80's with light North winds. Getting bit didn't seem to be a problem for most of the teams, but finding the better fish was not easy.
The team that rose to the top was a pair of college roommates, Keaton Cue and Anderson Thrower. They had 3 smallmouth and 3 largemouth that weighed 20.90 lbs. They also took the FXR big bass award with a 5.23 Largemouth. A nice pay day and some hardware is a great way to end your first Reel Team Bass event. Great job, guys!
With an impressive all brown bass bag weighing 19.65 lbs. The team of Dustin Ziesemer and Cody Rupert took home 2nd on the day. They are on a roll and will also go into the final event with a nice lead in the 2026 Team of the Year race.
Rounding out the top 3 was the team of Kent Mittelstaedt and Ethan Preston. They had 6 smallmouths that weighed 18.19 lbs. Congratulations to all the teams who figured out how to get some bigger bites and cash a check on the day.
Thank you to all the anglers who have supported FXR. They are the best sponsor this circuit has ever had and the payouts would not be as good without them on board. They supply the plaques and help extend the payout with gift cards towards there great gear. It's awesome to see more and more teams wearing their gear out on the water. If you haven't checked out their website, I encourage you to. Their sun protection clothing is second to none and is very breathable on these hot humid days. Also, remember you can check out some of their stuff at Ollies Service and Christophersons Bait in Alexandria.
Our final event of the year will be on Lake Ida Saturday, August 15th. Take off and weigh in will be at Big Horn Bay on the North end. Tournament hours will be 6:30 to 2:30. We still have a few openings for this event. If interested, contact Clarence Rasmussen at 320-760-5226.