Celebrations at Pure Fishing as Berkley Pro wins Bassmaster Classic

There will be celebrations at the headquarters of the world’s largest fishing tackle supplier today following its success at the Bassmaster Classic.

Berkley Pro Dylan Nutt – winner of the more than $300,000 top prize – leaned on Pure Fishing’s stable of tackle to capture the 2026 Bassmaster title on the Tennessee River in Knoxville at the weekend with a 66lb 13oz haul.

The 22-year-old fished a prototype of the Lab Series Minnow with a 6ft 10in Abu Garcia Fantasista X rod and a size 3000 Abu Garcia Zenon X spinning reel. He spooled 8lb Berkley X5 braid mainline to the all-new Berkley Gin Clear fluorocarbon leader.

“I fished the Lab Series Minnow in multiple colours to catch most of my fish this week,” said Nutt. “I have been playing around with these baits a lot in the last couple of months and they are the real deal.

“The Berkley Labs team did an unbelievable job designing and crafting this new series and working with us anglers to perfect the actions and colour profiles on these baits and today that hard work paid off.”

The Lab Series is set to be introduced later this year. “We didn’t intend to put them on the map at the Bassmaster Classic, but Dylan clearly had other plans,” said Jon Schlosser, Pure Fishing’s Chief Brand and Product Officer.

“We are incredibly proud of Dylan and his brother Carter for the hard work they’ve put in over the years to master their craft, and we’re excited to have them both representing our brands on the water. We’re excited to watch him build on this momentum and see what he’s able to do with the Lab Series and the rest of his Berkley arsenal as he competes in 2026 and begins his journey on the Bassmaster Elite Series in 2027.”