Kevin VanDam has won just about everything a bass angler can win. This October he will chase something that does not come with a cheque: a world title fished in the colours of the United States, on a lake in the middle of Arkansas, in front of a home crowd that the organisers hope is watching the first steps of an Olympic campaign.
Hot Springs will stage the 20th Bass Fishing World Championship on Lake Hamilton from October 1 to 3, 2026, drawing national teams from across the globe to the waters of Hot Springs National Park. The ambition runs beyond the trophy. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the city is hoping to use the event to "propel bass fishing into the Olympics," with formal IOC recognition named as a long-term target.
The American team, announced by USA Bass and reported by the Hot Springs Sentinel Record, is built to defend the gold medal won at the 2025 Black Bass World Championship in South Africa. The six-man roster is a who's-who of the modern game: VanDam, Scott Martin, Jacob Wheeler, Ott DeFoe, Dustin Connell and Drew Gill.
The story everyone keeps coming back to is VanDam stepping out of competitive retirement. He had been lined up to coach; instead he will do both. USA Bass president Charlie Evans said the federation simply asked again. "While working on the 2026 Bass World Championship in Hot Springs, we again asked if he would consider fishing in addition to his coaching duties," Evans said.
For a man who built his name on tour earnings, VanDam said the team format hits differently. "This program is different than anything else we do as anglers," he said. "It's a whole different level of pride to be able to compete for your country; it's pretty special."
The host city is treating the championship as a tourism showpiece. Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, has put the sport's biggest names front and centre. "Names like Kevin VanDam and Scott Martin will represent the United States as world-class bass fishing champions from around the world take to the water right here in America's Spa," Arrison said.
Spectators get more than a weigh-in. A three-day outdoor show runs at the Hot Springs Convention Center, the final weigh-in shifts to Bank OZK Arena for a country-music concert, and there is a Ranger bass boat to be given away. KARK reported that every part of the public programme is free to attend.
The Olympic dream is the longest cast of all. Competitive angling has never featured on the Olympic programme and is nowhere near the disciplines the International Olympic Committee has flagged for inclusion. But the Worlds gives advocates the one ingredient that matters — countries fishing against countries, with a medal table and a defending champion. Whether that is enough to move the IOC is unknown. For now, the pitch gets made on Lake Hamilton.