It took a full four anglers into the weigh-in until we heard someone say that it was a grind out there today.
That angler, Tristan McCormick, took over the lead for the span of about three minutes with a normally respectable 20 pounds 9 ounces of Lake Champlain bass. Throughout most of the world, that would be an enviable bag, but on Day 1 of the 2025 Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Lake Champlain presented by Bass Pro Shops, it landed him in 31st place.
The good news is that he’s exactly 2 pounds behind the leader. The bad news is that the next 44 anglers are within 2 pounds of McCormick. It’s that tight, from the top almost to the bottom.
That means that simple mistakes can be costly. Matt Messer of Kentucky finds himself at the top of the pack, with a 1 ounce lead over past Classic qualifier Grae Buck. Neither of the caught as much as Cody Stahl, though. The Georgia pro, who competed at this year’s Classic on Ray Roberts after winning last year’s Open in La Crosse, reported that he had six fish in the livewell and was docked 2 pounds for the infraction.
Instead of being in the lead by almost a half-pound, Stahl instead finds himself in 9th, over a pound and a half back.
“That’s a hard pill to swallow,” Stahl said, in a dramatic understatement.
On a Fork or Falcon or Guntersville, that margin might not be huge, but here it looms large. Ounces separate places and there are ties up and down the leaderboard. Someone is going to make the cut, make the Classic or make the Elites by virtue of one good decision or someone else’s bad one.
Tomorrow the wind will once again be strong out of the north. Expect things to be both shaken and stirred. Here are my thoughts on a Day 1 for the ages:
Big Bags Abound – I was amazed that emcee Thom Abraham was able to express excitement and maintain his voice through one 20-pound bag after another. It took 21 pounds to sneak into 20th place, where there is a tie between Aaron Jagdfeld and Jack York. Dillon Harrell, Ryan Salzman and Pake South are tied for 44th with 20 pounds even. South was the first angler to weigh in, and didn’t even have a moment to celebrate. Three anglers later, McCormick took over the lead, and then five spots later, he too was eclipsed.
Meet Your Leader – Matt Messer competed in the 2024 Bassmaster Classic on Grand Lake, where he finished 52nd. Despite living in Kentucky, his two BASS wins — a 2023 Open and a 2022 College event – both took place on Florida’s Harris Chain.
Cheers from Afar – Of those anglers competing who have already qualified for the 2026 Bassmaster Classic, Emil Wagner (8th, 22-2) is currently the highest ranked in this event. Those Elites currently just outside the Classic cutline are surely watching these EQs closely, as any additional double-qualifiers could open up more space and provide them a lifeline.
Opens Winners – Of the eight Opens winners from this year, six are competing this week, but Tennessee’s Trey Schroeder (T18th, 21-2), who won at the Tombigbee River, is the only one better than 65th place.
Latch ‘em Down – Elite pro Alex Wetherell (51st 19-8) reported that he forgot to latch down one of his livewells and paid for it dearly when rough water launched a 4-pounder back into the drink. If that cost him even half a pound, that’s 7 places. A pound would’ve been 19 places.
Reading, Writing, Ripping Lips – Past Elite and 10-time Classic qualifier Stephen Browning finds himself in 95th place with 15-7 and finds himself in awe of today’s college educated anglers. “When I went to school, they didn’t teach what they teach these kids right now,” he said, expressing an interest (just 7 months before his 60th birthday) in going back to school. Meanwhile, his son Beau (T54th, 19-4), a recent college competitor just off his first Elite season, is happy where he is: “I don’t want to go back to college. I know that.”
International Race – There are five international anglers in the field, representing three countries that already have Elite representation – Japan, Canada (three contestants) and Australia. Right now, Danny McGarry of Canada is tied for 36th with 20-4, and the other four competitors are all between 65th and 70th.
Old Timers Day – Of the multiple past Elites who left the tour to pursue their careers elsewhere, after one day of EQ competition, Russ Lane (5th, 22-9) is best-positioned to join the tour. He’s appeared in seven Classics. In his lone Elite appearance on Champlain in 2017, he finished 44th. Lane said he’s not sure what he saved for tomorrow. Knowing that it’ll take big bags every day and the competition is fierce, he said he “burned ‘em down today.”
Windy Day for Trey Swindle (87th, 17-3) – “If y’all know a back surgeon around here, I’m gonna need one.”
Windy Day for Garrett Paquette (15th, 21-4) – “I couldn’t fish 80% of what I wanted to fish.”
Bowfin Reference – When asked if there were any smallmouth near his Louisiana home, Colby Dark (38th, 20-3) said “We got a goo, that’s our smallmouth.” There are plenty of grinnel in Champlain, so he should feel right at home.
Jack Dice (36th – 20-4) – “Whatever New York’s doing, they got it right.”
Western Contenders – The heavy flow of Western Elite Series pros of the tour’s early days has slowed to a trickle, for a variety of reasons. Many of those who do qualify choose to move east to cut down on travel time, with Bryant Smith being a notable recent exception. Will we see a Western pro qualify out of these EQs? Right now, Tai Au of Arizona (23rd, 20-14) and Riley Nielsen (T24th, 20-13) are best positioned to do so.
Emil Wagner – “I think I had 20 pounds in the first 45 minutes.”
Empire State of Mind – Somewhat surprisingly, you can’t count the number of home state anglers in the field on one hand. Of them, Alec Morrison (4th, 22-10) is currently in the best position to keep the trophy at home. Morrison finished 9th here in a 2018 Open.
Brian Schmitt – “Obviously, there’s 20 pounds crawling everywhere.” He should know – he’s won both an Open and an Elite here, but finds himself in 78th place with 18-7.
Mendoza Line – It used to be that you could “12-pound ‘em to death” and make a championship on just about any circuit. Those days are long over. Of the 105 anglers who weighed in today, only four caught less than 13 pounds. Even crazier? Only 16 weighed less than 17 pounds.
Laker Howell – “Scoping is not always guaranteed….I am a testament to that.” The Leech Lake winner had three bass for 10-4 today, one of two anglers who failed to bring a limit to the scales, and is in 104th place.
