The 2026 Trail

2026 BFT Season

Six qualifiers, the Thousand Islands Open, and the Tour Championship — fished on the St. Lawrence River and Bay of Quinte, broadcast on Waypoint TV.

Qualifiers

Tour Championship

Maximum team field

100%

Entry fees paid back in cash · every qualifier

195% entry-fee ROI including prize money, prize boat & rewards

Jun 27–28

Complete

Qualifiers 1 & 2

Quinte West

Centennial Park, Trenton · Bay of Quinte

Largemouth onlyTwo-day weekend

Venue details▾

Trenton / Quinte West once again hosts and opens the BAITFUEL Fishing Tour season — with not one but two qualifiers (Q1 & Q2).

Water: Both the lake and the river are open for each qualifier, but only 5 largemouth per tournament count.

Results →

Jul 11

Qualifier 3

Brockville

Blockhouse Island · St. Lawrence River

River onlyOne-day shootout

Venue details▾

Brockville is back in the BAITFUEL Fishing Tour event rotation, hosting the third qualifier — a river-only tournament.

Cut-off: Anglers' note — the cut-off is at Wolfe Island, making this a river-only event.

Event details →

Jul 30 – Aug 1

The Open

Canada's biggest open

Thousand Islands Open

Thousand Islands · St. Lawrence River

Open fieldThree daysWin a Bass Cat / Mercury rig

Venue details▾

The Open is headquartered at Kingston's Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.

Water: Fish anywhere on the lake or river — no cut-offs unless the tournament director calls one for wind or weather.

Format: 100 teams of professional and elite amateur anglers battle for three days; the top 50 teams (and ties) after day two move on to day three.

Times: Blast-offs 07:00 · weigh-ins 16:00, Thursday to Saturday.

Explore the Open →

Aug 15–16

Upcoming

Qualifiers 4 & 5

Cornwall

Marina 200 · St. Lawrence River

Two-day weekend

Venue details▾

Cornwall has a long, successful history of hosting large tournaments. Marina 200 continues as host and tournament HQ — the protected harbour makes for a safe, scenic base.

Format: Two back-to-back one-day qualifiers, each scored separately — a weekend that can separate the teams making a serious push for Team of the Year and Tour Championship position.

Results posted after weigh-in →

Aug 29

Upcoming

Qualifier 6

Cardinal

Legion Park · St. Lawrence River

River onlyOne-day shootout

Venue details▾

Cardinal is back in the BFT rotation for 2026 — the last event before the Championship, and a river-only tournament to ramp up the pressure.

Stakes: Q6 determines both the 40-boat field for the 2026 BFT Tour Championship and the 2026 BFT Team of the Year.

Rain date: Should any of Q1–Q6 need rescheduling, it runs Sunday, August 30 in Cardinal under the same parameters as Q6.

Results posted after weigh-in →

Sep 19–20

Qualifiers only

The Tour Championship

Tour Championship

Hardy Park, Brockville · St. Lawrence River

Qualifiers onlyTwo days$10,000 + Bass Cat / Mercury Key

Venue details▾

Brockville hosts the 2026 Tour Championship — a river-only championship tournament.

Cut-off: The cut-off is at Wolfe Island, making this a river-only event.

Field: All 40 teams in the BFT Shimano Team of the Year standings advance for the chance to prove their skills.

On site: A wrap-up angler BBQ precedes the awards ceremony at Hardy Park on Sunday.

Championship payout →

How the season works

Cumulative points · Road to the Championship

Points

Every event scores

Each qualifier awards championship points by finishing position. Official 2026 points are posted after each event on the Results page.

Qualifiers count

Points accumulate across all six qualifiers. Consistency wins the BAITFUEL Fishing Tour Team of the Year race — fish every event to stay in the hunt.

Final

The Championship

Qualifying teams meet at the Tour Championship for $10,000 plus the Key to a fully-rigged Bass Cat & Mercury boat package.