Shpack Wins, Mulcahy Wraps Up 2026 AOY at Mashpee

Avid wrapped up its 2026 season - and possibly its existence - with a late-season event at Mashpee-Wakeby. This lake can be very temperamental, running extremely hot or cold regardless of the season. And the forecast did not give anglers much confidence that the day was going to be a walk in the park.

The weather was cold to start, in the low 40s, and overcast but calm. Winds from the south were forecast to increase throughout the day, with gusts up to 17 mph. Rain was also slated to begin around 2-o-clock. High temperatures were set to hover only in the mid-50s. Not very encouraging conditions following a couple of warm, sunny days with temps in the upper 60s and low 70s. Where would the fish be and what would they be doing?

As it turned out they were still more or less in a summer pattern with the water still at a comfortable 65 degrees. They were beginning to move shallower, with keeper catches reported mostly around the 8-15 foot range, with a few fish coming deeper. Small, non-keepers could be easily had in shallower depths. The bite was less active in the morning but seemed to get more aggressive about noon once the skies really thickened up, the air temp rose, and the wind blew its hardest. It really turned on toward the end of the event when rain began and the wind diminished to almost calm.

The fish were aggressive and chasing, as spinnerbait and chatterbait were key lures to trigger a reaction bite, while the old reliable dropshot bagged others. A few fish were even taken on topwater.

In the end, John’s spinnerbait fish carried the day, as he not only captured the win, but also the event lunker, with a 3.65 smallmouth. His winning limit weight was 11.44 lbs. Nick followed in second with 5 fish for 7.96 lbs. This cemented the 2026 AOY crown for Nick, as the only ways he could have lost it to Dave would have been if he either had not been able to fish it at all, or if he participated but weighed no fish AND Dave weighed at least one -- both highly unlikely scenarios.

Congrats to Nick and John who close things out on a winning note!