A very exciting 2016 season will come to a close for many of the anglers at La Crosse, but the Top 50 in Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points will advance to the AOY Championship on Minnesota’s famed Mille Lacs Lake Sept. 15-18.

Elite anglers sitting within several spots either side of 50th place know that making good decisions and catching the right size bass will make or break how and when their season ends. For those anglers looking to move up in the rankings and earn an invitation to the AOY Championship, this is their last chance.

The other race heating up is at the top of the AOY leaderboard. Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., currently holds a 37-point lead on Texas pro Keith Combs. But anything can happen in this sport, and nothing is official until the Angler of the Year is crowned.

Pools 7, 8 and 9 of the Upper Mississippi River are in play and will kick out a good number of fish. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the entire field weigh a five-fish limit of bass on the first two days of competition.

Regional pro angler and outdoor writer Glenn Walker has been bass fishing this stretch of river for many years, and he said there will be plenty of both largemouth and smallmouth bass caught and weighed at this event.

“The sheer number of 2- and 3-pounders is amazing,” Walker said. “The fishery is in excellent health, and I expect the Elite Series anglers to really put on a show. This is a numbers fishery, but you won’t likely see many fish over 6 pounds. If you do see one, it will likely be a smallmouth.”