Look at the leaderboard on Day 1 of the 2025 Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Wheeler Lake presented by Bass Pro Shops and you’ll find two Guntersville residents – Matt Adams and Laker Howell — occupying the top two spots. Adams had a remarkable 23-14 and Howell slapped 21-6 on the scales, two of the three bags over 20 pounds.
But the Alabama domination goes deeper than that. The 5th, 6th and 12th place anglers are also in-staters. Yes, sports fans, we heard over and over again today that it was a “grind” – fantastic training for possible Elite Series futures – and tough derbies often favor locals.
But the guy who may be smiling most broadly is Pennyslvanian Grae Buck, who competed in the 2020 Classic in – where else? – Alabama. He was in 5th place in the EQ standings before Wheeler, and is likewise in 5th place today. There’s lots of fishing left to go but if he can keep up at this pace he’ll be in prime position to make a long-awaited leap to the Elites.
Fellow Elite aspirant Aaron Jagdfeld likewise helped his own case. He entered the tournament in 6th in the EQ standings and is in 10th today. It’s only the former collegiate angler’s seventh Open or EQ, but he’s already earned three top tens – including a runner-up at St. Clair last year – and is turning on the heat when it really matters.
But there are still five of nine EQ competition days left to go. All I can do is assess what’s happened and let the anglers sort it all out. Here’s what I saw, heard and thought on a grindy Day 1 from Wheeler:
What Can Brown Do For You? – Adams had a 5-15 smallmouth in his bag, the big fish of the day. “I had one trash fish,” he said, referring to a lonely largemouth surrounded by a quartet of bronzebacks. “That wasn’t on the bingo card today,” emcee Thom Abraham commented.
Adams Again – This is the 16th Open or EQ event for Adams. He already has five finishes in the top ten and four more in the top 25. Last year he had four Opens top tens, albeit none better than 5th place – 5th at Okeechobee, 8th at Santee, 7th at Eufaula and 7th in LaCross.
Cut Weight Math – While there were three bags over 20 pounds, and two more over 19, 10thplace is 16-5, projecting out to a top ten cut weight of between 32 and 33 pounds. In the lower teens, things get tight. Former Elite pro Russ Lane, assumedly trying to get back to the tour, is in 32nd with 13-0. He was in 8th place in the EQ standings heading into this event and will be helped by the fact that five of the other nine did worse than him today. But the field is tightly packed around Lane. Two pounds less would’ve had him in 55th, and 2 pounds more would’ve had him in 22nd. One or two big bites could mean the difference between a return to the tour or another stab at the Opens.
International Entries – There are three international anglers in the field, one each from Japan, Australia and Canada. Japanese pro Yuki Aoki, who is already in the Classic by virtue of his win at Kentucky Lake, is in 17th after finishing 60th at Champlain. Australian Tommy Wood is in 30thafter finishing 64th at Champlain. Canadian Danny McGarry is in 73rd after finishing 55th at Champlain. “I’m about sick of this hot weather,” McGarry told Thom Abraham.
Stephen Browning – “It’s called University of Livescope.” The ten-time Classic qualifier spent four days last week doing nothing but scoping and it helped him amass 17-11, good enough for 7th place. If he can qualify for the 2026 Classic, it would be his first since 2015. He earned two top tens in the Opens this year, finishing 2nd at the Tombigbee River and 5th at Norfork.
Mechanical Issues, Uno – Cameron Madison doesn’t know why it happened, but after reaching his first spot today his boat filled up with water thanks to a cracked transom, which then broke off when he tried to get to shore. “I drug the back end of the boat on the bottom for about a quarter mile,” he recalled. He salvaged the day with three bass for 6-3, following up a 15th place finish at Champlain, and will try to keep his Classic and Elite hopes alive tomorrow in a borrowed boat.
Mechanical Issues, Dos – Elite Series pro and Knoxville resident Robert Gee broke down mid-morning and spent the rest of the day on his trolling motor. Somehow he managed to scrap together a limit on water he’d never fished before and cobbled together 10-12 to land in 57th. In an example of putting a silver lining on a cloudy day, he reported that he’s likely to fish in the breakdown zone tomorrow.
Ryan Salzman (6th, 18-9) – “It is very rare that you can have back to back tournaments and sleep at the house.”
Western Contenders – In the quest to earn their stripes as full-time long haul Elite Series drivers, two western pros — Tai Au of Arizona and Riley Nielsen of Utah – find themselves in a three-way tie with Elite champ Paul Marks for 17yh place. Au, whose social media is filled with tributes to 2014 Bassmaster Classic champ Randy Howell, finished 32nd at Champlain, while Nielsen finished 43rd.
Alec Morrison (79th, 7-1) – “Wheeler chewed me up and spit me out today.”
Next Man Up – With John Crews into the 2026 Classic by virtue of Emil Wagner’s victory at Champlain, Kyle Norsetter is next in line and is likely watching the results of this tournament carefully. He could get in a number of ways. One would be if an Elite pro already entered were to win – Paul Marks (17th) is most likely in that category. Another way would be if an Opens anglers who’d already won were to win again. That could be Laker Howell, who won at Leech Lake and is in 2nd right now. Likewise, Yui Aoki, who won at Kentucky Lake, is also in the top ten.
Russ Lane – “I fished for big’uns all day long and I’m going to do the same thing tomorrow.”
Mark Menendez – “Over 30 years, I’ve had more top tens here than at any other lake in the country.” He’s currently one spot and 5 ounces out of 10th, with 16 pounds. Two of his three BASS victories have come in Alabama. In 2005 he won a Southern Open on West Point, and in 1998 he won a Top 100 on Pickwick/Wilson. In that earlier tournament
