The Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Lake Champlain presented by Bass Pro Shops was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a tournament. It felt amazing to earn my first Bassmaster win. I’ve had one big win in another league, but there were so many close calls with B.A.S.S. it was starting to eat at me. It felt good to pull one off — especially with Matt Messer catching them like he did. It was honestly a relief.
I’m very happy to have a Bassmaster trophy on the shelf now. The hardware means a lot more than the money to me.
I really enjoy fishing at Lake Champlain. We had a big tournament there a couple of months before, and I finished third and Tucker Smith won it. We just knew we had to go back up if we got the chance. More Champlain experience is an added bonus for next year. I definitely learned a lot for the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series event coming up next summer.
Entering this tournament, I was already qualified for the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic, so there was essentially no pressure. I fished so calmly, especially during the first two days of the tournament. I had such a blast, and I wasn’t really worried about anything. It was simply about having fun and trying to make a little bit of money.
I fished one special area the first two days of the tournament. The smallmouth were set up on a piece of structure, so it wasn’t random. There was a big ledge and an abundance of bait. More and more bait was getting blown into that area, and for whatever reason, it was loaded with 4-pound smallies. There was super deep-water access nearby and super shallow water on top.
The whole week I used a Fenwick World Class 7-foot-1 medium, extra fast action spinning rod. I paired it with an Abu Garcia Xenon MGX 3000 size spinning reel spooled with Berkley X5 8-pound braid connected to 12-pound Berkley Trilene 100 percent fluorocarbon leader. My go-to bait was a Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad in blue pearl black hologram.
When I came in with 22 pounds on the first day, I thought I would be in the top three, and I wound up in eighth. Then on Day 2, I had worked my way up to 23 pounds, and I was culling up by ounces. There was another spot nearby, and I went over there with 45 minutes to go. I caught a 5-pounder and boat flipped it on a spinning rod, which turned out to be my biggest bass of the tournament.
After Day 2, it dawned on me I had a chance to do something special. I was leading the event; it’s a lot of money and a trophy. It was a big deal. I kind of wanted to be in second or third, but it worked out. The last day was a little stressful, only having one bass at 11 o’clock, but it ended up being a great day as well.
The night before that final day, we had wind gusts of 25 mph. I got there that morning and there were grass particles and the bait was gone. I think that whole big school of bass moved on me. I was very confused, because I thought they would still be there. It was a blessing in disguise, though, because I ended up moving with three hours to go and got some really big bites.
I had another ledge not far from my spot that had a ton of bass, but the quality didn’t seem as good in practice. I decided to go over there, and when I put the trolling motor in the water they were there. I caught a 4 3/4-pounder, a 4-pounder and then I broke one off in my first three casts. I ended up catching two more 4 3/4-pounders.
On my last cast, I caught a 4.70 that culled a 4-even, and that is when I thought I had a chance. That was about as storybook as it gets.
I rode into weigh in thinking if Matt beat me, it wasn’t because I didn’t catch them. It was nerve-racking though. I was sweating it out until they called out the final weights. Hats off to Matt; he absolutely smashed them too.
The lake showed out for sure, and I think it was because of the low water. There were so many bass offshore, and much of the population was in deep water and biting. I absolutely can’t wait to go back.
