COLUMBIA, S.C., May 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Paul Marks‘ day did not begin the way he’d wanted, but it ended the way he’d dreamed. The difference — a gut call that changed his trajectory and put a second blue trophy on his mantle, this one from the Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray.
Marks, who makes his home in Cumming, Ga., highlighted his rookie season by winning the 2025 Bassmaster Elite at South Carolina’s Lake Hartwell. A little more than a year later, a four-day total of 90 pounds, 14 ounces delivered blue trophy No. 2, along with a $101,000 top prize.
“Today was just spectacular, it was one of those days you dream of,” Marks said. “Everything went perfectly.”
Speaking of perfect, Marks told Bassmaster Emcee Dave Mercer the significance of winning on May 10, 2026: “You said I needed to bring the motherlode for Mother’s Day and I did. Happy Mother’s Day, mom.”
Notably, Marks notched both of his Elite wins on “herring lakes” — water bodies where blueback herring are the dominant forage. These fast-paced baitfish greatly impact predatory behavior, most noticeably increased pelagic tendencies and decreased consistency.
Marks, who guides on Georgia’s Lake Lanier, another noted herring lake, said his deep immersion in this style of fishing prepared him for a week of changing weather and finicky fish. After Day 1 brought clouds, rain and wind, the rest of the week brought a mix of clouds, sun and varying wind, concluding with Championship Sunday’s sunny, still makeup.
Marks said a lifetime of fishing the techniques relevant to Lake Murray provided the insight he needed to effectively adjust his locations, baits and presentations based on his understanding of herring fish preference.
“I really wanted to win this so I could say I’m the “Herring Master” or the “Herring King,” Marks said. “I struggled a little bit the first day, but I made up for it today.”
Marks placed 14th on Day 1 with 21-14 and rose to second with a second-round limit of 22-15. Adding a Semifinal Saturday bag that weighed 20-15 sent Marks into the final round in third place.
Stepping on the gas, Marks dominated the final round with the day’s heaviest bag — a limit of 25-2 that pushed him past rookie Sam Hanggi by a margin of 3-9.
Marks made that gut call after his opening effort flopped. He started on some of his most dependable herring spots, but when those areas failed to produce, he shifted to a riprap pattern and caught his fish on a Spro Little John 50 squarebill.
“I had a tough couple of early spots where I had been catching them and made a game-time decision to change locations and caught two over 5-pounds really quick,” Marks said. “I banged out a few more throughout the day on a Zoom Super Fluke rigged on a a 5/0 Gamakatsu offset worm hook and caught a 6-2. It was just a miracle.
“I had a similar spot last year at Hartwell that I also saved until the last day. Then weather didn’t really work out right the first three days, so I just saved it.”
Many in the 99-boat field lauded Lake Murray’s healthy complexion and stellar fishing. Vickie Davis, Executive Director of the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board expressed appreciation for the opportunity to show off this Palmetto State gem.
“Congratulations to Paul Marks on an incredible performance at the 2026 Tedy’s Team Bassmaster Elite at Lake Murray,” Davis said. “Hosting this event once again has been an outstanding opportunity to showcase Lake Murray and the surrounding region to a national audience through Bassmaster’s extensive coverage and passionate fanbase.
“We’re honored to have hosted the best anglers on Lake Murray and appreciate the excitement and economic impact this event has brought to our communities.”
Making his first Top 50 cut of his rookie season, Hanggi finished second with 87-5. Hailing from Knoxville, Tenn., Hanggi turned in daily weights of 19-0, 24-0, 22-9 and 21-12.
“I had a super blessed week; I didn’t lose a fish all week,” Hanggi said. “Everything about it was fantastic. The fish catches yesterday and the fish catches today were some of the most fun I’ve ever had on the water.”
Day 3 saw Hanggi blast into the Top 10 on the strength of a 7-pound bass that he caught on his last cast before heading to weigh-in. Today, Hanggi added a 5-pound kicker around 12:30.
“It was a two-pronged approach for me,” Hanggi said of his game plan. “In the morning, I started out fishing the herring spawn and targeting those fish that were chasing bait.
“In the afternoon, I went up shallow and had two primary areas that were working for me. I did some sight fishing and fished some docks and shallow brush.”
Hanggi caught his morning fish on a 1/8-ounce Buckeye Lures Elevate jighead with a 4.25 Big Bite Baits Spotlight Minnow. In the afternoon, he did his work with a Neko-rigged urchin style bait.
Brandon Cobb of Greenwood, S.C., placed third with 86-7. His limit catches weighed 24-3, 16-6, 26-10 and 19-4.
Cobb spent most of his tournament moving throughout the lake to fish points, brush and cane piles with an unweighted Zoom Super Fluke. Day 1 saw him start with a different plan.
“I went up the Saluda River and caught my fish on an Ark CT35 squarebill,” Cobb said. “I went up the river because I didn’t have a great boat draw and I knew I couldn’t get on anything down the lake.
“I knew I could get 15 to 17 pounds up the river and I wanted to go get something. The rest of the day, I caught them on a Super Fluke in glimmer blue.”
Alex Redwine of Blue Ash, Ohio won the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with his 7-15.
Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill. won the $1,000 award for leading the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 451 points. Caleb Hudson of Lincolnton, Ga., is second with 409, followed by Cobb with 408, Cory Johnston of Otonabee, Canada with 385 and Justin Atkins of Florence, Ala., with 381.
Cobb won the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag with 26-10.
JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., won the $1,000 BassTrakk Contingency prize for the angler whose BassTrakk estimates are closest to their official weight.
Emil Wagner of Marietta, Ga., won the $4,000 Toyota Bonus Bucks contingency award for the highest-placing eligible angler. Drew Benton of Panama City, Fla., won the $3,000 second-place award.
Marks won the $2,500 Yamaha Power Pay contingency award for the highest-placing eligible angler. Cobb won the $1,500 second-place award.
Caleb Hudson of Lincolnton, Ga. leads the Pro-Guide Batteries Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 409 points.
This event was hosted by Capital City/Lake Murray Country.
Media Contact: Mandy Pascal, Communications Manager, 334-414-8677, mpascal@bassmaster.com
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