Nielsen’s key catch delivers slim lead in Bassmaster Open at Kentucky/Barkley Lakes
PARIS, Tenn. — A quick tackle inspection likely prevented the loss of an afternoon kicker that gave Riley Nielsen the Day 1 lead in the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley presented by Battery Tender.
When a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass surfaced with one point of one treble hook barely pinned in its mouth, fortune’s favor could have tilted one of two ways. Thankfully for the Salt Lake City, Utah pro, the point held and his limit of 23-5 sends him into Day 2 with a 5-ounce lead over Jack York.
“It was a blessing to have that fish,” Nielsen said. “I was shaking like a leaf when I got it in. It was a super-hard day on me, honestly. I didn’t get very many bites, but when I got a bite, it was a pretty nice one.”
Nielsen’s kicker came from a different place than where he began his day. He started on a mile-long stretch with scattered stumps and put together a solid limit by midday.
“I had 18 pounds around noon, so I laid off because I thought 18 would be good,” Nielsen said. “I found another little area that had a bunch of fish and the first one I caught was that big one. I’m hoping they stay there so I can beat on them tomorrow.”
Nielsen said his second spot was only 4 miles from his first. Both were fairly close to take off.
“I fished the 2025 Open here and the area I fished today is where I caught ’em last year,” Nielsen said. “Every time I’ve been to this lake, I try to go practice away from Paris Landing (the tournament site), but I never can find anything away from Paris, so I’ve stuck here.”
Nielsen said he was unsure of what his opening spot would offer, but after an earlier disappointment, he had to make something happen.
“I didn’t have anything else to do,” Nielsen said. “I had a shad spawn in the morning and I went and did that first, but it was terrible. I don’t know if it was the thunder last night, or the fact that we took off a little bit later than I was catching them.
“If my first spot with the stumps didn’t work out, I probably would have been in a lot of trouble, but I just made it work out there.”
Essential to making it work was Nielsen’s bait choice — and the specific bait he chose. Nielsen caught his fish on a Megabass Vision 110+1 jerkbait. He wasn’t picky about the color pattern; he was more concerned with the hardware.
“Whichever one had the best hooks, I just grabbed it and tied it on,” Nielsen said. “That was the key because my big fish literally had one point in its mouth.”
Looking ahead to his Day 2 game plan, Nielsen said he’s not optimistic that his first-round spots can carry him another day.
“I really don’t think so, because I didn’t see very many of them down there and the few that were down there, I caught,” Nielsen said. “I’m a little bit worried about it, but we’re gonna go try our best out there.
“I’m going to look for more stumps. That’s all I have, so I’m gonna live or die by it.”
York of Emory, Texas is in second place with 23-0. After a good start, York made a key move that delivered an afternoon game-changer.
“I had a couple of spots where it went down for me,” York said. “I had about 15 pounds until 1 o’clock and I went and hit a different school that wasn’t set up right this morning.
“I caught an 8-1 on my first drop and then caught a couple good ones to cull up to 23. Honestly, it was kind of an unexpected day, but I’ll take it.”
York caught most of his fish, including his biggest, on a jighead minnow presentation with a 7-inch Sixth Sense Shendo. He also caught a few on a deep-diving crankbait.
“The fish were set up on pretty textbook stuff, points facing into current,” York said. “In practice, it would pick up later and later. Tomorrow, I have a late boat number, so hopefully, I can do it again.
Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro Tristan McCormick of Bon Aqua, Tenn., is in third place with 21-9. Drawing on his extensive Kentucky Lake experience, McCormick said he planned his day based on seasonality.
“Right now, there’s a lot of different things going on in each section of the lake,” McCormick said. “I’m fishing a section where the fish have been done spawning longer, so they weigh more. They’re more in their summer patterns.
“I caught a lot of bass today, I just have to run through them to find the right size. I lost a big one today that really would have put me up there on the leaderboard. All in all, I like what I’m seeing.”
McCormick said he caught his fish on a crankbait and a jighead minnow.
York holds the Phoenix Boats Big Bass lead with an 8-1.
Thursday’s takeoff is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. CT at Paris Landing Marina. The weigh-in will be held at the marina at 2:30 p.m.
Follow along with all of the action from the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley presented by Battery Tender on Bassmaster.com.
Henry County Tourism Authority is hosting this event.
2026 Bassmaster Opens Series
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2026 Bassmaster Opens Series
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2026 Div 2 Open 3 Kentucky Barkley Lake 5/20-5/22
Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, TN.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Riley Nielsen Salt Lake City, UT 5 23-05 200
Day 1: 5 23-05
2. Jack York Emory, TX 5 23-00 199
Day 1: 5 23-00
3. Tristan McCormick Bon Aqua, TN 5 21-09 198
Day 1: 5 21-09
4. Clint Knight Russellville, KY 5 21-08 0
Day 1: 5 21-08
5. Rick Harris Jr Carlsbad, NM 5 21-02 197
Day 1: 5 21-02
5. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 5 21-02 197
Day 1: 5 21-02
7. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 19-12 0
Day 1: 5 19-12
8. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 5 19-10 195
Day 1: 5 19-10
9. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 5 19-03 0
Day 1: 5 19-03
10. Hugh Cosculluela Spring, TX 5 19-01 194
Day 1: 5 19-01
11. Nathan Thompson Eagan, MN 5 19-00 193
Day 1: 5 19-00
12. Jace Lindsay Beckville, TX 5 19-00 192
Day 1: 5 19-00
13. Mason Woley Paducah, KY 5 18-15 0
Day 1: 5 18-15
14. Lonnie Cochran Section, AL 5 18-12 191
Day 1: 5 18-12
15. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 5 18-09 190
Day 1: 5 18-09
16. Nathan Reynolds Nashville, TN 5 17-11 189
Day 1: 5 17-11
17. Jeremiah Kindy Benton, AR 5 17-07 188
Day 1: 5 17-07
18. Evan Cox-VanVliet Loveland, CO 5 17-04 187
Day 1: 5 17-04
19. TJ Edwards Jr Tremont, MS 5 17-02 186
Day 1: 5 17-02
20. Jaron Burr Bowling Green, KY 5 17-01 185
Day 1: 5 17-01
21. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 5 16-15 184
Day 1: 5 16-15
21. Peyton Harris Birmingham, AL 5 16-15 184
Day 1: 5 16-15
23. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 16-13 182
Day 1: 5 16-13
24. Dalton Head Moody, AL 5 16-12 181
Day 1: 5 16-12
25. Michael Harlin Osage Beach, MO 5 16-11 180
Day 1: 5 16-11
26. Zane Parker Kingwood, TX 5 16-10 179
Day 1: 5 16-10
27. Connor Cunningham Springfield , MO 5 16-08 178
Day 1: 5 16-08
28. Hunter Crossland San Angelo, TX 5 16-07 177
Day 1: 5 16-07
29. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 5 16-06 176
Day 1: 5 16-06
30. Anthony Garcia Los Angeles, CA 5 16-04 175
Day 1: 5 16-04
31. Lucas Toliver Paw Paw, MI 5 16-03 174
Day 1: 5 16-03
32. Dillon Falardeau Hixson, TN 5 16-02 173
Day 1: 5 16-02
32. Andrew Jones Trussville, AL 5 16-02 173
Day 1: 5 16-02
34. Brad Jelinek Lincoln, MO 5 16-01 171
Day 1: 5 16-01
35. Laker Howell Guntersville, AL 5 16-00 170
Day 1: 5 16-00
35. Cole McAusland Tuscaloosa, AL 5 16-00 170
Day 1: 5 16-00
37. Brennan Flick West Monroe, LA 5 15-15 168
Day 1: 5 15-15
38. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 15-14 167
Day 1: 5 15-14
39. Brody Campbell Oxford, OH 5 15-11 0
Day 1: 5 15-11
40. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 15-10 166
Day 1: 5 15-10
41. Brent Shores Savannah, TN 5 15-09 165
Day 1: 5 15-09
42. Ethan Fields Carlyle, IL 5 15-08 164
Day 1: 5 15-08
43. Fisher Anaya Eva, AL 5 15-06 0
Day 1: 5 15-06
43. Erik Brztowski Lemont, IL 5 15-06 163
Day 1: 5 15-06
43. Harmon Marien Eagle River, WI 5 15-06 163
Day 1: 5 15-06
46. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 5 15-05 161
Day 1: 5 15-05
47. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 5 15-04 160
Day 1: 5 15-04
47. Garrett McWilliams Florence, MS 5 15-04 160
Day 1: 5 15-04
47. Ryan Thompson Seymour, MO 5 15-04 160
Day 1: 5 15-04
50. Rylan Hamlin Jackson, MI 5 15-03 157
Day 1: 5 15-03
51. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 5 15-02 156
Day 1: 5 15-02
52. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 5 15-01 155
Day 1: 5 15-01
53. Bailey Gay Union, KY 5 15-00 154
Day 1: 5 15-00
53. Cameron Mattison Benton, LA 5 15-00 154
Day 1: 5 15-00
55. Casey Scanlon Eldon, MO 5 14-15 152
Day 1: 5 14-15
56. Lane Stephens Owasso, OK 5 14-14 151
Day 1: 5 14-14
57. Yui Aoki Minamitsurugun JAPAN 5 14-13 150
Day 1: 5 14-13
58. Chris Lewis Hallsville, TX 5 14-11 149
Day 1: 5 14-11
59. Wesley Baxley Conroe, TX 5 14-08 148
Day 1: 5 14-08
60. Jeremy Lawyer Sarcoxie, MO 5 14-05 147
Day 1: 5 14-05
61. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 5 14-05 146
Day 1: 5 14-05
62. John Branch Magnolia, KY 5 14-03 145
Day 1: 5 14-03
62. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 5 14-03 145
Day 1: 5 14-03
64. Chris Whitson Louisville, TN 5 14-02 143
Day 1: 5 14-02
65. Darold Gleason Leesville, LA 5 14-01 142
Day 1: 5 14-01
65. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 5 14-01 142
Day 1: 5 14-01
65. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 5 14-01 142
Day 1: 5 14-01
68. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 13-13 139
Day 1: 5 13-13
69. Yukihiro Sawamura Harker Heights, TX 5 13-12 138
Day 1: 5 13-12
70. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 13-11 137
Day 1: 5 13-11
70. Kyle Palmer Elora, TN 5 13-11 137
Day 1: 5 13-11
72. Kollin Crawford Broken Bow, OK 5 13-09 135
Day 1: 5 13-09
73. Colby Bryant Houston, TX 5 13-06 134
Day 1: 5 13-06
74. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 13-05 133
Day 1: 5 13-05
75. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 13-04 132
Day 1: 5 13-04
75. Trevor McKinney Noble, IL 5 13-04 132
Day 1: 5 13-04
77. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 5 13-03 130
Day 1: 5 13-03
78. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 5 13-00 129
Day 1: 5 13-00
79. Darrell Ivey Lebanon, MO 5 12-15 128
Day 1: 5 12-15
80. Chris Johnson Farmington, AR 5 12-14 127
Day 1: 5 12-14
80. Bryan Partak Marseilles, IL 5 12-14 127
Day 1: 5 12-14
82. Jonathan Pimentel Camdenton, MO 5 12-13 125
Day 1: 5 12-13
83. Trace Freeman Northport, AL 5 12-11 124
Day 1: 5 12-11
84. Seiji Kato Forney TX JAPAN 5 12-09 123
Day 1: 5 12-09
84. Matt Stefan Junction City, WI 5 12-09 123
Day 1: 5 12-09
86. Andy Newcomb Camdenton, MO 5 12-07 121
Day 1: 5 12-07
87. James Campise Brookeland, TX 5 12-06 120
Day 1: 5 12-06
87. Tommy Parker Delano, MN 5 12-06 120
Day 1: 5 12-06
89. Riley Harris Orange, TX 5 12-05 118
Day 1: 5 12-05
90. Jordan Hartman Benton, KY 5 12-04 117
Day 1: 5 12-04
91. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 5 12-02 116
Day 1: 5 12-02
92. Colby Dark West Monroe, LA 5 11-14 115
Day 1: 5 11-14
93. Zachary Ward Cabot, AR 5 11-12 114
Day 1: 5 11-12
94. Ian Waterer East Selkirk CANADA 4 11-11 113
Day 1: 4 11-11
95. Jacob Wood Pleasant View, TN 4 11-10 0
Day 1: 4 11-10
96. Jordan Knutson Saint Croix Falls, WI 5 11-08 112
Day 1: 5 11-08
97. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 5 11-07 111
Day 1: 5 11-07
98. Luke Kerstetter Seymour, TN 5 11-05 110
Day 1: 5 11-05
99. Nate Caldwell Fort Collins, CO 5 11-04 109
Day 1: 5 11-04
99. Dylan Fogarty Mechanicsburg, PA 5 11-04 109
Day 1: 5 11-04
99. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 5 11-04 109
Day 1: 5 11-04
102. Brock Bila Republic, MO 5 11-03 106
Day 1: 5 11-03
103. Kurt Dove Del Rio, TX 4 11-03 105
Day 1: 4 11-03
104. Tommy Dickerson Orange, TX 5 10-14 104
Day 1: 5 10-14
105. Blake Schroeder Bullard, TX 3 10-10 103
Day 1: 3 10-10
106. Jason Adams Guthrie, OK 5 10-08 102
Day 1: 5 10-08
107. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 10-06 101
Day 1: 5 10-06
107. Wyatt Marler Oldfield, MO 5 10-06 101
Day 1: 5 10-06
109. Josh Giroldi Beachville Ontario CANA 4 10-04 99
Day 1: 4 10-04
110. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 4 10-03 98
Day 1: 4 10-03
111. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 09-14 97
Day 1: 5 09-14
112. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 3 09-10 96
Day 1: 3 09-10
113. Nick Lawler Ava, MO 4 09-09 95
Day 1: 4 09-09
114. Tanner Visco Antioch, IL 3 09-09 94
Day 1: 3 09-09
115. Kristine Fischer Spring City, NE 3 09-06 93
Day 1: 3 09-06
115. Frank Scalish Mount Gilead, OH 3 09-06 93
Day 1: 3 09-06
117. Kevin Ledoux Choctaw, OK 4 09-04 91
Day 1: 4 09-04
118. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 3 09-04 90
Day 1: 3 09-04
119. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 3 08-14 0
Day 1: 3 08-14
120. Matt Keezer Kirkland Quebec CANADA 3 08-09 89
Day 1: 3 08-09
121. Wyatt Wisian Ardmore, OK 3 08-06 88
Day 1: 3 08-06
122. Eddie Carper Valliant, OK 3 08-02 87
Day 1: 3 08-02
123. Bj Miller Adams, NE 3 08-00 86
Day 1: 3 08-00
124. Nick Marsh White Lake, MI 4 07-14 85
Day 1: 4 07-14
125. Steve Tennison Lexington, OK 3 07-14 84
Day 1: 3 07-14
126. Joey Punko Broomfield, CO 3 07-12 83
Day 1: 3 07-12
126. David Walker Huntingdon, TN 3 07-12 0
Day 1: 3 07-12
128. Andy Beloat Montgomery, TX 2 07-11 82
Day 1: 2 07-11
129. Satoshi Egawa Belton, TX 3 07-08 0
Day 1: 3 07-08
130. Joe Wieberg Freeburg, MO 3 07-07 81
Day 1: 3 07-07
131. Hayden Marbut Birmingham, AL 4 07-06 80
Day 1: 4 07-06
132. Blaine Bunney Claremore, OK 3 07-04 79
Day 1: 3 07-04
132. Gary Hall Wardville, OK 3 07-04 79
Day 1: 3 07-04
134. John Mark Berry Mount Olive, MS 2 07-04 77
Day 1: 2 07-04
134. Grae Buck Green Lane, PA 2 07-04 77
Day 1: 2 07-04
136. Kyle Zacharuk Keswick Ontario CANADA 3 07-01 75
Day 1: 3 07-01
137. Ryan Michl Newton, IL 2 06-13 74
Day 1: 2 06-13
138. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 3 06-09 73
Day 1: 3 06-09
139. Tyler Smith Troup, TX 3 06-07 0
Day 1: 3 06-07
140. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 1 06-07 0
Day 1: 1 06-07
141. John Engler III Vinton, IA 3 06-06 72
Day 1: 3 06-06
142. A.J. Menssen Bloomington, IL 2 06-04 71
Day 1: 2 06-04
143. Clark Reehm Elm Grove, LA 2 05-12 70
Day 1: 2 05-12
144. Clay Henderson Purdy, MO 2 05-11 69
Day 1: 2 05-11
145. Easton Lindus Woodville, WI 2 05-09 68
Day 1: 2 05-09
145. Kyle Metzger Pearl River, LA 2 05-09 68
Day 1: 2 05-09
147. David Brand Dittmer, MO 2 05-04 66
Day 1: 2 05-04
148. Joseph Hardy China Spring, TX 2 04-15 65
Day 1: 2 04-15
149. Chris Hellebuyck White Lake, MI 2 04-14 64
Day 1: 2 04-14
150. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 2 04-10 63
Day 1: 2 04-10
151. Dylan Minch Stevens Point, WI 2 04-08 62
Day 1: 2 04-08
151. Dylan Welton Middleville, MI 2 04-08 62
Day 1: 2 04-08
153. Sam Ausbrooks Loogootee, IN 2 04-07 60
Day 1: 2 04-07
154. Jacob Welch Roach, MO 2 04-06 59
Day 1: 2 04-06
155. Ken Day Kennewick, WA 2 04-03 58
Day 1: 2 04-03
156. Ryan Salzman Huntsville, AL 2 04-01 57
Day 1: 2 04-01
157. Rick Pierce Mountain Home, AR 2 03-10 56
Day 1: 2 03-10
158. Jim Moynagh Outing, MN 1 03-08 55
Day 1: 1 03-08
159. Byron Hill Clermont, FL 1 03-04 54
Day 1: 1 03-04
160. Sho Egawa Osaka JAPAN 1 02-13 53
Day 1: 1 02-13
160. Justin Latham Reelsville, IN 1 02-13 53
Day 1: 1 02-13
162. Clay Dyer Fayetteville, TN 1 02-07 51
Day 1: 1 02-07
163. Josh Pladies Lees Summit, MO 1 02-06 50
Day 1: 1 02-06
164. Tyler Wolf Creston, IA 1 02-05 49
Day 1: 1 02-05
165. Tracy Mitchell Springfield, MO 1 02-04 48
Day 1: 1 02-04
166. Nic Rand Paw Paw, MI 1 02-03 47
Day 1: 1 02-03
167. Laindree Richardson Benton, IL 1 02-00 0
Day 1: 1 02-00
168. Chris Bailey Eddy, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Andrew Behnke Fond Du Lac, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. David Boelkins Waukesha, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Jason Bonds Lufkin, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Johnny Grice Arp, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Bryan Hoffman Andrews, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Joe Lucarelli Benton, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Frank Mixon Abilene, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Scott Nielsen Murray, UT 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Anastasia Patterson Sumter, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Isaac Peavyhouse Monroe, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Tim Sprouse Clarksville, TN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
168. Mikey Weems Hull, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
——————————
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 105 678 1990-03
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105 678 1990-03
