LAKE EUFAULA PREVIEW: MINN KOTA & HUMMINBIRD OWNERS TOURNAMENT

At the end of the weekend, someone’s backing up to a brand-new NITRO® Z20 XL — fully loaded with Minn Kota and Humminbird product, a Mercury 250 Pro XS on the back, a grin they can’t shake, and a story that’ll follow them to every ramp they launch from. But if they want that boat, they’ll have to earn it. Eufaula isn’t giving out trophies just because it’s springtime.

The setup this week is about as tournament-friendly as it gets. Warm weather’s been steady, with daytime highs pushing into the low 80s. Water temps are on the rise, sliding through the low 60s depending on where you are, and the bass are responding. Some are locking onto beds. Others are still staging. And a whole bunch are in that sweet prespawn mode—aggressive, territorial, and hungry. That makes this weekend a game of reading the lake and knowing which phase you’re targeting.

Up around Cowikee Creek, that signature Eufaula stain is hanging in, especially with recent rainfall up the system. Those conditions tend to fire up the reaction bite. Lipless cranks in gold or red burned over grass lines or ripped across flats are the deal. It’s classic March fishing, and it’s the kind of zone where one bite can win an hour—or more. With aggressive fish and stained water, this is where Humminbird MEGA Live 2 truly shines—helping you track bait and fish in real time as you move quickly and cover water. Pair that with the silent brushless power of the Minn Kota Ultrex QUEST, and you’ve got the ultimate one-two punch for staying mobile and locked on fish.

Slide down toward Pataula Creek or the main lake and you’ll find cleaner water, where the game slows down. Bass are more cautious, more deliberate. This is where soft plastics—flukes, Senkos, light Texas rigs—become surgical tools. Docks, brush, and subtle edges will hold fish that are moving up in waves, and if you’re patient enough to pick them off one by one, the reward can be huge. This is also where your Humminbird electronics, especially MEGA Live 2, can quietly shine—not just for brush and contour detail, but for dialing in subtle breaks and hard-to-spot transition areas where staging fish love to sit. And with the One-Boat Network, your trolling motor, shallow water anchors, and sonar are all talking to each other—allowing you to spot fish, anchor with your Minn Kota Raptor, and make the perfect cast without ever leaving your screen.

And remember: this format flips everything. It’s not about a bag of five—it’s about that one fish. The one that can win you the hour, or maybe the whole thing. That means every bite could be a payday, and every decision—every cast, every run, every weigh-in call—has to be made with intention.

Watch the leaderboard. Use it. Learn from it. There’s real strategy in timing your weigh-ins. Say you stick a five and the leaderboard’s holding with a 4.30 leading the hour—now you’ve got a decision. Make the run and secure the check, or gamble and chase something bigger? That’s the nuance of this format. The anglers who stay tuned in—who fish the board as much as the lake—will be the ones holding envelopes on stage. Tools like Spot-Lock on your Ultrex QUEST or Drift Mode to naturally move with the wind give you even more options to stay dialed while watching the clock.

And through it all, don’t forget to soak it in. This is more than just a tournament—it’s a weekend built around a community. From the weigh-ins to the docks to the conversations over breakfast at Lakepoint, there’s a shared thread here: the gear we trust, the lakes we love, and the memories we make chasing green fish around in fast boats. That’s the kind of hospitality—and fun—that only Minn Kota and Humminbird bring to the table. 

Then there’s the big one. The fish that doesn’t care about your plan, your hour, or your expectations. It hits when it wants, and if you’re ready when it does, you could find yourself in the driver’s seat of that Z20 XL, soaking it all in. These kinds of fish live here. They eat here. And this weekend, one of them is going to show up at weigh-in.