Bassmaster Elite Series on the Mississippi River

The Upper Mississippi River at La Crosse, Wisconsin, has hosted Bassmaster competition in every format: the Elite Series Championship, the B.A.S.S. Nation Regional, and the Opens trail. In 2026, the 2026 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Division 2 schedule brings professional competition back to this stretch of the river for a three-day event running June 18–20. Anglers launch daily at 7:00 a.m. CT from Veterans Freedom Park, with weigh-ins held at La Crosse Loggers’ Copeland Park Baseball Stadium at 3:00 p.m. All B.A.S.S. events are free to attend. The stadium hosts the weekend expo, which opens at noon on Saturday and Sunday.

The Upper Mississippi between Pools 7, 8, and 9 gives competitors a fishery that rewards river-specific tactics: reading wing dams and current breaks for smallmouth, working backwater pockets and emergent vegetation for largemouth, and adjusting daily as water temperatures and current levels shift. Wisconsin pro Pat Schlapper, a frequent observer of the La Crosse stretch, has noted that both species are in play simultaneously, often on entirely different structure, and that finding cleaner water is typically one of the defining early adjustments in any La Crosse tournament. The 2022 Bassmaster Elite here produced a two-ounce finish between Maryland’s Bryan Schmitt and Canada’s Chris Johnston, the former fishing current breaks and the latter throwing a frog into shallow eelgrass mats.

The Mississippi Waterfront at La Crosse

La Crosse sits on a wide, island-braided section of the Mississippi in western Wisconsin, with the river bluffs of Minnesota rising directly across the water. The Riverside Park waterfront area, just north of downtown, has a public boat landing, picnic facilities, and a riverside path that runs south past the Copeland Park complex where weigh-ins are held. Grandad Bluff, a 590-foot sandstone promontory above the city, offers one of the most arresting overlooks of the Mississippi Valley in the upper Midwest, a 15-minute drive from the waterfront. The view takes in the river’s braided islands, the Minnesota bluffs beyond, and on a clear morning the full sweep of the flood plain that extends south toward Prairie du Chien. Families with children consistently rate it as the highlight of any La Crosse visit.

Good to Know
The Bassmaster Opens are a proving ground for aspiring professional anglers. In 2024, Minnesota pro Easton Fothergill won two Opens events, qualified for the Elite Series, and went on to win the 2025 Bassmaster Classic. The 2026 field brings that same level of ambition to the La Crosse water. Free parking is available at Veterans Freedom Park and at Copeland Park.

For Families at the River

The Children’s Museum of La Crosse on Vine Street is a well-regarded regional facility that provides a full rainy-day alternative for younger children during tournament week. The Great River Road, Wisconsin’s designated scenic highway following the Mississippi south from La Crosse, is worth a half-day drive through river towns like Genoa and De Soto, passing riverside parks and fish hatcheries along the way. June temperatures in La Crosse average in the low to mid-70s, with occasional thunderstorms in the afternoon typical of the upper Mississippi valley in early summer.

Where to Stay

La Crosse’s downtown hotel cluster along Second Street puts you within walking distance of the river and a short drive from Veterans Freedom Park. For vacation rentals near the water, search Lake.com for properties in the La Crosse area that keep you close to both the tournament zone and the city’s riverside parks. June weekends on the Mississippi book steadily as summer opens, so plan your lodging at least three to four weeks ahead.