Skinner Baits — Battle Tested Baits

Skinner Baits // The Event

THE
CHEATER OPEN

Our own tournament. The record lives here — who's won it, what it looked like on the water, and how to get in the next one.

Two anglers on the awards stage holding Cheater Open champion trophies at the 2026 event
The 2026 Cheater Open

May 30, 2026 // Fishers Landing Resort — Yuma, Arizona

2026 RESULTS

  • 1ST

    Kalib Lund & Zack Hayes

    $20,000 · Custom Skinner Baits fishing rods · Custom hats

  • 2ND

    Justin Elg & Isiah Hotta

    $5,000

  • 3RD

    Bucky Leigh & Brent McKay

    $3,000

SIDE POTS

  • Copperstate Big Fish

    Brandon Morton

    $2,500 — Copperstate Big Bass Belt

  • BKK Side Hustle

    Kalib Lund

    $500 — OCD Box, BKK tackle, BKK trophy

  • Ford Trucks Mystery Bucks

    Scout Reese & Benton Beck

    $5,000 — Mystery weight

  • Venomous Adventures Raffle

    James Williams

    Fully guided hunt trip + two hats

TOP 21 ($660 PER BOAT)

  1. 4THDavid Bishop & Thomas Edwards19.18
  2. 5THLynn Domby & Robert Murray18.5
  3. 6THJake Evans & Jackson Paluczak18.01
  4. 7THSammy Fitzgerald & Cody Spetz17.73
  5. 8THBrandon Morton & Sean Coffey17.72
  6. 9THJacob & Brenton Lute17.72
  7. 10THJohn Gibbs & Luke Eggers16.32
  8. 11THSeth Furmanek & Hunter Konecny15.92
  9. 12THMason Goudie & Christian Munoz15.2
  10. 13THAnthony Rubio & Chad Benton15.18
  11. 14THAdam Orta & Julian Romero14.73
  12. 15THTate Godaire & Jacob Reynoso14.41
  13. 16THBryce Keeler & Cody Crist14.31
  14. 17THKevin Norling & Justin Hanold14.26
  15. 18THCris Criselius & Richard Sain13.01
  16. 19THSeth Fonville & Danny Del Llano12.85
  17. 20THRichard Gill & Ramon Gill12.32
  18. 21STTim Townsley & Jacob Townsley12.19

WHAT IT IS

The Cheater Open is Skinner Baits' own event — run by the same angler who builds every bait in the shop. It's a tournament for Skinner Baits lures only, held in Yuma, Arizona. We'll release additional information as it comes.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

  • 2018

    Andrew Cotton & Jeremy Lovejoy

    Fishers Landing Resort — Yuma, AZ

    $8,044 in cash and prizes.

  • 2026

    Kalib Lund & Zack Hayes

    Fishers Landing Resort — Yuma, AZ

    $20,000 plus custom Skinner Baits rods and custom hats.

FROM THE WATER

Anglers registering at a table inside the bait shop
Registration day — 2026 Cheater Open
Two men at a laptop taking entries at the registration desk
Entries going in — 2026 Cheater Open
A crowd of anglers lined up under a white canopy tent
Anglers lining up — 2026 Cheater Open
A crowd lined up along a patio outside a restaurant
The crowd spills into town — 2026 Cheater Open
Anglers with bags gathered outside the shop entrance
The crowd at the shop — 2026 Cheater Open
Billy in a black Skinner shirt talking with two anglers by a truck
Billy catching up with anglers — 2026 Cheater Open
Event staff in pink shirts seated under a canopy before the event
Event staff briefing — 2026 Cheater Open
An event staff member in a pink shirt leaning on a truck at night
Event staff on duty — 2026 Cheater Open
Three members of the crew in pink Skinner shirts smiling at a bar
After dark with the crew — 2026 Cheater Open
Tournament boats waiting at the docks in first light
First light at the docks — 2026 Cheater Open
Boats idling on the water under a sunrise sky
Boats idling at sunrise — 2026 Cheater Open
An American flag on the back of a boat at sunrise
Colors at dawn — 2026 Cheater Open
An announcer with a microphone and Billy in a pink shirt at the launch
The launch call — 2026 Cheater Open
A photographer on a boat shooting the takeoff at sunrise
Shooting the takeoff — 2026 Cheater Open
The illuminated inflatable Bruce the Bass sculpture at night
Bruce the Bass after dark — 2026 Cheater Open
The champion plaques and BKK cup on the front of a boat
Champion hardware — 2026 Cheater Open
The awards table with champion plaques and green and pink chairs
Awards ready — 2026 Cheater Open
A young fan in a pink Skinner Baits shirt smiling
Youngest fan on the bank — 2026 Cheater Open
The crew in pink shirts and family posing by the stage
The crew — 2026 Cheater Open
A crew member with an umbrella in front of the stage
Holding down the stage — 2026 Cheater Open
An angler in a pink shirt holding a bass over a tub at the weigh-in while a child looks on
Weigh-in — The Cheater Open
Two anglers on stage holding up their catch
Weigh-in stage — 2026 Cheater Open
An angler bagging fish at the weigh scale
Bagging up at the scale — 2026 Cheater Open
Billy in a pink shirt at the weigh tub while a child reaches toward the fish
Weigh-in — 2026 Cheater Open
Event staff bagging fish at the weigh tub under a pink canopy
Weigh-in crew — 2026 Cheater Open
An angler holding a big bass in front of the inflatable Bruce
Big fish, Bruce watching — 2026 Cheater Open
Winners holding their catch on stage seen from the water
The podium — 2026 Cheater Open
The 2026 champions and winners holding their prize checks on stage
Champions — 2026 Cheater Open

Caught one on a Skinner? Post it in the catch gallery.

Getting in

HOW TO
ENTER

Date, water, entry and rules get posted here as soon as they're set. Want them now? Email us and we'll send what we have.

GET EVENT DETAILS

Or email skinnerbaitco@gmail.com

TIE ON BEFORE THE STARTING GUN

Small runs, no factory — get your baits in the box before the next Open.

SHOP BAITS