The 2026 KFNW 50/50 Season Long Online Challenge ran from March 1 through October 31, asking anglers across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to build the best possible ten-fish bag: their five biggest largemouth and their five biggest smallmouth, 14 inches or better, caught from public waters and public launches.
Eighty-five anglers competed — 42 from Washington, 26 from Oregon, and 17 from Idaho — and the competition at the top was fierce, with the top 14 anglers all reaching 196 inches or better.
Carlile Runs the Table
Corey Carlile (Spokane, WA) didn’t just win the 50/50 — he owned both halves of it. His 221.25-inch total led the field by more than six inches, and he posted the best largemouth bag (111.50 inches) and the best smallmouth bag (109.75 inches) of any angler in the challenge. Not one fish in his final ten measured under 21.50 inches.
Carlile’s bag came together in stages. He opened in March with a run of heavy smallmouth — a 21.50 and a 22.25 on March 13, a 22.00 on March 15, and another 22.25 on March 27. Then he went to work on largemouth: a 22.75-inch fish on May 15, followed by 22.25, 22.00, 22.25, and 22.25 between June 8 and July 10 — a five-fish largemouth limit that averaged better than 22.25 inches. The final piece came on September 27, a 21.75-inch smallmouth that sealed a total no one else could touch. His 22.25-inch smallmouth from March 13 also won the $594.00 Big Smallmouth pot, bringing his season earnings to $875.14.
Linson’s Big Evening
Geoff Linson (Shelton, WA) finished second with 215.00 inches (108.00 largemouth, 107.00 smallmouth). His smallmouth came early, with three fish of 21.25 inches or better on April 17–18, including a 22.00. His defining moment came on the evening of June 28, when he landed three largemouth in under two hours — a 22.75, a 21.50, and a 21.25 — to lock in the backbone of his largemouth limit.
Hua Rounds Out the Podium
2025 Angler of the Year Brandon Hua (Hillsboro, OR) took third with 212.50 inches, and his smallmouth bag (106.50) was the third best in the field. Hua’s best single session came on April 29, when he boated a 21.50 and two 21.25-inch smallmouth in one morning. Nine days later, on May 8, he caught a 22.75-inch largemouth — the first of four 22.75s caught this season, which earned him the $594.00 Big Largemouth pot and brought his season earnings to $831.41.
The Rest of the Top 15
JR Rowlands (Winlock, WA) finished fourth with 207.75 inches, powered by the second-best largemouth bag of the challenge at 109.75 inches. Rick Thanstrom (Grangeville, ID) was half an inch behind in fifth at 207.25. His smallmouth limit was built between March and July, while three of his five largemouth were caught in the season’s final ten days, between October 21 and October 29.
The Jarvis family from Yamhill, OR, put two anglers in the top eight: Michael Jarvis finished sixth with 204.75 inches, and Jakob Jarvis was eighth with 203.50. Will Raymond (Bellingham, WA) split them in seventh with 203.75, and his 22.75-inch largemouth from July 2 was one of four that size this season. Pat Moore (Anacortes, WA) cleared the 200-inch mark in ninth with 200.75, and Richard Childs (Albany, OR) took 10th with 198.25.
Dan Walker (Seattle, WA) was a quarter-inch behind in 11th at 198.00, and Ryan Flory (Coeur d’Alene, ID) was another quarter-inch back in 12th at 197.75. Matthew Pollock (Spokane Valley, WA) and Garrett Harrison (Rathdrum, ID) tied at 196.00, with Pollock taking 13th on the strength of his bigger fish, a 21.00-inch smallmouth. Pollock was the season’s closer — seven of his ten fish were caught in October, including three smallmouth on October 29. Harrison took 14th, and 2026 Angler of the Year Jordan Dugger (Ephrata, WA) claimed the final paid spot in 15th with 194.50.
Podium Finishes
- Corey Carlile (Spokane, WA) — 221.25″ (LM 111.50″ · SM 109.75″) — $281.14
- Geoff Linson (Shelton, WA) — 215.00″ (LM 108.00″ · SM 107.00″) — $243.65
- Brandon Hua (Hillsboro, OR) — 212.50″ (LM 106.00″ · SM 106.50″) — $237.41
Big Largemouth: Brandon Hua — 22.75″ — $594.00
Big Smallmouth: Corey Carlile — 22.25″ — $594.00
$762.20 was paid to the top three, and $3,123.77 was paid across all 15 places. An additional $1,188.00 was paid in Big Bass pots.
Tourney Trivia
- Big Largemouth: Brandon Hua — 22.75″ (May 8) — $594.00 from 66 entrants. Three more 22.75s were caught later in the season by Corey Carlile (May 15), Geoff Linson (June 28), and Will Raymond (July 2)
- Big Smallmouth: Corey Carlile — 22.25″, which he did twice (March 13 and March 27) — $594.00 from 66 entrants
- Best Largemouth Bag: Corey Carlile — 111.50″
- Best Smallmouth Bag: Corey Carlile — 109.75″
- First Fish of the Season: Cameron Dunbar (Coeur d’Alene, ID) — a 14.50″ smallmouth at 9:01 a.m. on opening day, March 1
- Last Fish of the Season: Matthew Pollock — a 19.00″ smallmouth at 5:25 p.m. on October 29
- Busiest Month: May, with 128 fish that made anglers’ final bags
- Full Limits: 43 anglers filled both five-fish limits
- Citation Bass: 122 Smallmouth (19+ inches) and 91 Largemouth (20+ inches)