Last-minute heroics lift Rigsbee and Clark to victory at Buggs Island
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, Va. — Ayden Rigsbee has been humbled by Buggs Island Reservoir more times than he can count, but he and Triangle Bass Club partner Nolan Clark exacted revenge on Rigsbee’s home lake by winning the Strike King Bassmaster High School Series at Buggs Island title with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces.
“Winning this tournament feels awesome. This place can be really rough at times and treat you terribly,” Rigsbee, a freshman, said. “It feels good to finally pull something off on your home lake.”
Triangle Bass Club anglers Kieran Stephenson and Grady Stanley and McDowell High School’s Jackson Dowdle and Mason Brewer tied for second place with 16-12. Oldham County High School’s Olevir Johnson and Rhett Shirrell finished fourth with 15-8 and Lucas Crutchfield from Mecklenburg County Youth Bassmasters finished fifth with 15-4.
This was the first Bassmaster event Clark and Rigsbee had ever fished together. With the win, they punched their ticket to the Strike King Bassmaster High School National Championship at Clarks Hill this July.
“I never in a million years thought I would win one of these,” Clark, a sophomore from the Jordan Lake region of North Carolina, said. “We tried our best and everything just worked out.”
Rain and storms greeted the field of 145 boats Sunday morning, but the teams were able to battle the elements to land 75 limits and over 1,020 pounds of bass for the day.
Rigsbee and Clark fished in Nutbush Creek on the lake’s southeast side. When the bridge they started on only produced one keeper bass, the duo pivoted to thick stumps and tree roots in the back of the creek that postspawn largemouth were holding on. Rock and riprap also came into play.
Falling water and the early morning storms, Rigsbee said, positioned the bass on cover off of the bank.
“We found them really shallow in practice, but we thought the thunder and lightning might have pushed them off some,” he explained. “The water dropped overnight, and the low water pulled them out even further.”
Rigsbee and Clark kept their front graphs off all day long and used several shallow techniques to claim the title. A buzzbait produced several quality bites when the rain was falling while a jig was better in just overcast conditions.
“I throw a buzzbait everywhere I go,” Clark said. “As soon as the rain picked up, I knew I needed to pick up the buzzbait, and every single time I caught one. When it wasn’t raining, I would flip a jig into the outside trees, and they would suck it in and hold onto it.”
To start the morning, the duo fished the bridge for over an hour without a bite. That’s when Rigsbee and Clark moved to the very back of Nutbush and began working their way back out.
“We knew something had to change if we wanted to win this,” Rigsbee said. “We made a couple of adjustments and started playing the wind a little more. The bites kept getting bigger and bigger.”
With around 13 pounds in the livewell late in the afternoon, the duo moved back out to the bridge and landed a quality keeper on a weightless fluke and then their biggest bass of the day, a 5-pounder, on a Pirate Baits balsa crankbait with just a few minutes left in their fishing day.
“It was the last cast we made. I threw it to the bridge corner, cranked it three times and felt like I got stuck,” Clark explained. “I held it there for a second, and my line went the other way. It was complete chaos for about two minutes. We weren’t sure if we were going to win, but we knew we had a chance then.”
Stephenson and Stanley landed the Big Bass of the Day, a 6-2 largemouth that anchored their second-place bag.
Mecklenburg County, Virginia hosted the tournament.
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2025 Bassmaster High School Series at Buggs Island 5/4-5/4
Buggs Island Reservoir, Mecklenburg VA.
Standings Day 1
Team Club/School Pts
1. Nolan Clark – Ayden Rigsbee Triangle Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 16-13 Total: 5 16-13
2. Kieran Stephenson – Grady Stanley Triangle Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 16-12 Total: 5 16-12
2. Jackson Dowdle – Mason Brewer Mcdowell High School Bass Fishin 0
Day 1: 5 16-12 Total: 5 16-12
4. Olevir Johnson – Rhett Shirrell Oldham Co High School Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 15-08 Total: 5 15-08
5. Lucas Crutchfield – Bradley Solomon Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste 0
Day 1: 5 15-04 Total: 5 15-04
6. Troy Watson – Shockley Hiatt Mayberry High School Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 15-01 Total: 5 15-01
7. Conner Wharton – Nicholas Farmer Lake Anna Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 14-12 Total: 5 14-12
8. Logan Eudy – Brody Clontz Stanly County Jr Bassmasters – N 0
Day 1: 5 13-10 Total: 5 13-10
9. Elliott Clay – Xavier Keogh Riley’s Catch 0
Day 1: 5 12-11 Total: 5 12-11
10. Jacob Spencer – Tripp Thompson Patrick County High School 0
Day 1: 5 12-05 Total: 5 12-05
11. Tanner Sims – Tunstall Trojans Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
11. Jacob Greenwood – Cain Dowling Trhs Devildog Anglers Travelers 0
Day 1: 5 12-03 Total: 5 12-03
13. Trey Richardson III – Reid Luckett Free State Bass 0
Day 1: 5 12-00 Total: 5 12-00
14. Mason Carr – Robert Duvall Lake Anna Elite Anglers Junior 0
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
14. Griffin Sheets – John Hicks Sml Junior Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 11-15 Total: 5 11-15
16. Jonah Shockley – Hunter Heath Patrick County High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
16. Carter Elliott – Tucker Robertson Meigs County High School Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
16. Chayd Freeze – Fisher Stamm Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 11-13 Total: 5 11-13
19. Faith Burks – Allie Reagan Clay County Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
19. Lucas Gatewood – Mason Tarlton Anson Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 11-12 Total: 5 11-12
21. Logan Parker – Hudson Howell Cherokee Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 11-11 Total: 5 11-11
22. Elijah Ambrose – Jarren Crowder Hs Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 11-10 Total: 5 11-10
23. Joah Coley – Morgan Coley Focused Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
23. Brody Musser – Gavin Lytton Swva Bassin 0
Day 1: 5 11-06 Total: 5 11-06
25. Brody Teller – Will Anderson Sumner County Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 11-04 Total: 5 11-04
26. Isaac Kowalski – Miller Nixon Goochland County Bass Team 0
Day 1: 5 11-03 Total: 5 11-03
26. Carter Pjesky – JD McBroom Off The Hook High School Bassmas 0
Day 1: 5 11-03 Total: 5 11-03
28. Camdon Fauver – Cade Bailey Frederick County Hs Bass Wrangle 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
28. Berkley Wright – Ross Reese Brunswick Academy Junior Team 0
Day 1: 5 11-02 Total: 5 11-02
30. Trent VanDam – Wyatt Carr Reeths-Puffer High School 0
Day 1: 5 11-00 Total: 5 11-00
31. Parker Jones – Sc Lower State Hs Bass Club 0
Day 1: 4 10-14 Total: 4 10-14
32. Conner Harris – Hunter Harris Riley’s Catch 0
Day 1: 5 10-13 Total: 5 10-13
33. Collier Alderman – Dawson Lytton Swva Bassin 0
Day 1: 5 10-11 Total: 5 10-11
33. Eli Rakes – James Millner Foothills Youth Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 10-11 Total: 5 10-11
35. Logan Brown – Caleb Southerly Lake Anna Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 10-10 Total: 5 10-10
36. Bryant Washburn – Wyatt Reynolds Foothills Jr. Anglers 0
Day 1: 4 10-10 Total: 4 10-10
37. Andrew Carr – Charles Duvall Lake Anna Elite Anglers Junior 0
Day 1: 5 10-09 Total: 5 10-09
38. Levi Stanley – Colt Hackney Triangle Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 10-08 Total: 5 10-08
39. Tanner Mason – Kaden Randles DAR High School – AL 0
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
39. Asher Sigmon – Cole Turner Bassett High School 0
Day 1: 5 10-07 Total: 5 10-07
41. Landon Vaughn – Will Taylor Pendleton High School Fishing Te 0
Day 1: 5 10-04 Total: 5 10-04
42. Max Himmel – Catholic High School Fishing 0
Day 1: 5 10-03 Total: 5 10-03
43. Taylor Bogard – Christian Childress Wilkes County Bandits 0
Day 1: 4 10-03 Total: 4 10-03
44. Aydin Knapp – Justin Humphrey Southern Outcasts 0
Day 1: 5 10-01 Total: 5 10-01
45. Thomas Newman – Cayden Ryman Frederick County Hs Bass Wrangle 0
Day 1: 5 10-00 Total: 5 10-00
46. Peyton McAndrew – Cutler Wooten Sml Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-14 Total: 5 09-14
47. Connor Strachan – Connor Fleming Bryant High School 0
Day 1: 5 09-13 Total: 5 09-13
48. Jesse Lancaster – Fisher Lancaster Triangle Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 09-12 Total: 5 09-12
49. Jacob Barker – Henry Price Skyhawks Fishing Club 0
Day 1: 5 09-11 Total: 5 09-11
50. Gage Jones – Eli Walker Buggs Island Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
50. Zachary Stall – Lakes Community High School 0
Day 1: 5 09-10 Total: 5 09-10
52. Gavin Frost – Nathan Haga Radford Youth 0
Day 1: 5 09-08 Total: 5 09-08
52. Trevor Lynch – Dakota Elder Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste 0
Day 1: 5 09-08 Total: 5 09-08
52. Ethan Rose – Grant Arnold Jefferson County Patriot Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-08 Total: 5 09-08
55. Jacob Hicks – Colton Hall Sml Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
55. Parker Wicker – Gavin Williams Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
57. Parker Bilbrey – Tyler Thompson Monterey Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-07 Total: 5 09-07
58. Dylan Harlow – Marilyn Gibson Greensville County Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-06 Total: 5 09-06
59. Tate Bowen – Brycen Bowen Buggs Island Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-05 Total: 5 09-05
60. Grayson Fitch – Daniel Lindsey Southern Outcasts 0
Day 1: 5 09-05 Total: 5 09-05
61. Chase Kirk – Jaxon Yaussy Lake Anna Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-04 Total: 5 09-04
62. Tyler Nelson – Saw Reynolds Bandys Fishing Team Juniors 0
Day 1: 5 09-03 Total: 5 09-03
63. Carson Holbert – Eagleton Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 5 09-02 Total: 5 09-02
64. Quinn Barbee – Andrew Miller Southeastern Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 09-00 Total: 5 09-00
65. Cole Powell – Grayson Thomas 0
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
66. Jackson Moore – Jacquelyn Moore Greensville County Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 08-15 Total: 5 08-15
67. Caleb Johnson – Chase Murphy Lake Anna Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 4 08-15 Total: 4 08-15
68. Logan Brown – Jake Bryant 0
Day 1: 5 08-14 Total: 5 08-14
69. Colin Turner – Robert Knouse Bassett High School 0
Day 1: 4 08-13 Total: 4 08-13
70. Caleb Godson – Asher Ready North Augusta High School Fishin 0
Day 1: 5 08-12 Total: 5 08-12
70. Caleb Moore – Dean Austin Off The Hook IL Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 5 08-12 Total: 5 08-12
72. Jon Gavin Dellinger – Carter Ross Cleveland County Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 08-10 Total: 5 08-10
72. Jakob Fullerton – Kaden Tomblin Southern Garrett Bass Slayer 0
Day 1: 5 08-10 Total: 5 08-10
74. Jacob Burkhead – Benton Panther Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 4 08-10 Total: 4 08-10
75. Camm Bennett – Justin Massey Freedom Ffa Bass Club 0
Day 1: 5 08-09 Total: 5 08-09
76. Austin Hayes V – Traydun Freeze Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 08-07 Total: 5 08-07
77. Devin Yates – Adrian Yates Southern Outcasts 0
Day 1: 5 08-06 Total: 5 08-06
78. Evan Bush – Cason Thomas Lowndes High School Lip Rippers 0
Day 1: 5 08-05 Total: 5 08-05
78. Cayden Mines – Liam Garvey Swva Bassin 0
Day 1: 5 08-05 Total: 5 08-05
78. Rhylen Watkins – Jace Childers Bandys High School 0
Day 1: 5 08-05 Total: 5 08-05
81. Landen Daniel – Hunter Watson Madison Anglers 0
Day 1: 5 08-01 Total: 5 08-01
82. Jaxson Beard – Anderson Mesplay Pendleton High School Fishing Te 0
Day 1: 4 07-15 Total: 4 07-15
83. Tanner Moulton – Upper Valley Weekend Warriors 0
Day 1: 4 07-07 Total: 4 07-07
84. Dylan Terrell – Port City Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 4 07-05 Total: 4 07-05
85. Caleb Upton – Matthew Briggs Buggs Island Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 4 06-15 Total: 4 06-15
86. Nathan Holderness – Gilbert Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 4 06-14 Total: 4 06-14
87. Tyler Shore – Nathan Harris Davie High War Eagle Bass Fishin 0
Day 1: 4 06-14 Total: 4 06-14
88. Noah Mazzarisi – Tanner Bailey Oregon Panthers 0
Day 1: 3 06-02 Total: 3 06-02
89. Jack Sharpe – Sumner County Bass Team – TN 0
Day 1: 3 05-15 Total: 3 05-15
90. Evan Havens – Asher Perry Patrick County High School 0
Day 1: 4 05-14 Total: 4 05-14
91. Luke Pappas – Jerry Hodge Hs Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 4 05-13 Total: 4 05-13
92. Slate Baker – Jackson Cary Buckingham Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 3 05-12 Total: 3 05-12
93. Eli Ellege – Aidan Ellege Warrior Hs Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 05-06 Total: 3 05-06
94. Matthew Carey – Noah Hollar Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 05-05 Total: 3 05-05
94. Barrett Moore – Braydon Shriver Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste 0
Day 1: 3 05-05 Total: 3 05-05
96. Thomas Hance – Braddock Morris Fluvanna County High School 0
Day 1: 3 05-03 Total: 3 05-03
97. Aidan Cohan – Alex Roots Port City Junior Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 3 04-13 Total: 3 04-13
98. Will Heath – Chace Handy Patrick County High School 0
Day 1: 2 04-10 Total: 2 04-10
99. Fred Neville Jr Jr – Sawyer Fitch Southern Outcasts 0
Day 1: 3 04-08 Total: 3 04-08
100. Kohen Dulaney – Carter Lamb Mcdowell High School Bass Fishin 0
Day 1: 2 04-02 Total: 2 04-02
101. Parker Smith – Jake Arnold Powhatan Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 1 03-15 Total: 1 03-15
102. Bryson Clarke – Stephen Nunnelley Skyhawks Fishing Club 0
Day 1: 2 03-11 Total: 2 03-11
102. Mason Shifflett – Gavin Griffin Powhatan Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 2 03-11 Total: 2 03-11
104. Clay Smith – Christian Smith Freedom Ffa Bass Club 0
Day 1: 2 03-06 Total: 2 03-06
104. Dalton Whittington – William Payne Mecklenburg Co. Youth Bass Maste 0
Day 1: 2 03-06 Total: 2 03-06
106. Reece Seamans – Colton Wilbourne Mecklenburg Co Junior Bassmaster 0
Day 1: 2 03-03 Total: 2 03-03
107. RJ Moffett JR – Camden Perkinson Powhatan Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 2 03-01 Total: 2 03-01
107. Porter Morrison – Harrison Kirkpatrick Catholic High School Fishing 0
Day 1: 2 03-01 Total: 2 03-01
107. Josiah Smith – Isaac Borum Warrior Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 03-01 Total: 2 03-01
110. Garrett Smith – Parker Daniels Powhatan Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 1 03-01 Total: 1 03-01
111. Laythan Vick – Bruce Dear III Southern Outcasts 0
Day 1: 2 02-15 Total: 2 02-15
112. Jake Boersma – Holden Prichard Covenant Bass Fishing 0
Day 1: 2 02-10 Total: 2 02-10
113. Kade Williams – Jazmyne Reynolds Patrick County High School 0
Day 1: 1 02-06 Total: 1 02-06
114. Blake Woodley – Wyatt Rose Powhatan Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 1 01-09 Total: 1 01-09
115. Cole Goodman – Cole Loudin Lake Anna Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 1 00-11 Total: 1 00-11
116. Eli Cooke – Andrew Yarboro Cleveland County Bass Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Dannon Garber – Colton Wiles Mecklenburg High School Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Daniel Lowhorn – Mt Juliet Fishing Team 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Wyatt Lucy – Jacob Ermel Brunswick Academy Vikings 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Alvin Martin – Aiden Barringer Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Gavon Mcclure – Joseph Sherman Frederick County Hs Bass Wrangle 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Nathan Mccoy – Roco Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Colton Milam – Ryder Milam Buggs Island Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Ethan Ogburn – Tyler Jarratt Greensville County Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Tyson Owen – Hayden Marchant Fluvanna County High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Landon Poole – Griffin Scearce Buggs Island Elite Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Bryson Shook – Gavin Queen Bandys High School 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Alex Thigpen – Owen Thigpen Riley’s Catch 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Samantha Thurman – Jackson Shivley Foothills Youth Anglers 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
116. Jackson Wagner – Bryce Cubbage Powhatan Bass Masters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
——————————
BIG BASS OF TOURN
Kieran Stephenson Fuquay Varina, NC 06-02 $0.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 75 487 1020-06
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75 487 1020-06
