Stahl’s confidence delivers Day 1 lead in Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — When you know, you know; and Cody Stahl knew his spot had the potential to deliver a big bag, like the 28-pound, 9-ounce limit that leads Day 1 of the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain presented by Battery Tender.
“All week, I was paying attention to the conditions and what the weather was calling for,” said the pro from Barnsville, Ga. “In practice, I caught three little fish where I caught those fish today. But looking at the conditions, I said, ‘This is where it’s gonna go down and gosh, it went down!’
“Obviously, tomorrow’s a different day and I might have to make some adjustments, but overall, today was a phenomenal day.”
Following a cold front that sent Central Florida temperatures into the mid-30s, Day 1 began in the low 40s, with the afternoon warming by about 20 degrees. Despite the shivering start, Stahl enjoyed an early day-maker, with another kicker about five hours later.
“I caught my biggest one, a 9-6, first thing in the morning and I caught another big one late in the day,” Stahl said. “It was a mental grind today; I only caught eight fish.
“With the full moon (Feb. 1) and the cold front, these fish want to be up (near the spawning zone). I looked at my spot and said, ‘This is textbook.’ I just trusted my gut and it went down.”
Stahl said he’s fishing a grass-oriented scenario on Lake Toho. He kept the particulars guarded, but noted that his spot presented a mix of prespawn and spawning habitat.
“It’s a place where I’ve caught them before, so I know what lives there,” Stahl said. “It’s kind of a catch-all place, but it was kinda overlooked by a lot of boats.”
Stahl said he caught his fish on two baits. Casting accuracy always matters in bass fishing, but Stahl said confidence also impacted his success.
“One thing I’ve learned out of all my trips to Florida is confidence in your cast,” he said. “I only caught eight fish today and having confidence in every single cast and every decision I made really played a key role in catching those fish today.”
Stahl, who won the 2024 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Mississippi River presented by SEVIIN, said he’s delighted with his opening performance on the Kissimmee Chain, a fishery that gave him trouble during his previous visit in 2022.
“The last time I was here, I zeroed on Day 1 and caught the biggest bag of Day 2,” said Stahl, who placed 48th in that 2022 event. “Hopefully, this is gonna be a good week and we can finish it out tomorrow and make it to Championship Saturday.”
Cliff Prince of Palatka, Fla., is in second place with 26-2. He also fished in Toho and found his fish in offshore grass. Targeting mostly prespawn staging fish, Prince alternated between lipless baits and jerkbaits.
“I was fishing medium to fast retrieves; I was trying to make them react,” Prince said.
Anchoring his bag with a 6 1/2-pounder, Prince said he found good fish in practice, but he knew the week’s cold front would stall any spawning movement.
“Where I got my bites the first day of practice, which was the warmest day of the week is where I caught them today,” Prince said. “Why the big ones showed up, I don’t know. I caught some good ones in practice, but I didn’t expect to catch ’em like I caught ’em.
“I didn’t figure they were going in. If anything, they were going to stay put or push out. I stayed on the outside of everything, fished as deep as I could and stayed close to the edge of the grass.”
Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., is in third place with 20-11. He did all of his work on shellbars in 6 to11 feet, but that success came after Plan A. fell flat.
“All practice, long, I tried to make a flipping bite happen, but it didn’t happen, so I started looking offshore to some deeper stuff,” Scroggins said. “I found one shellbar that had a lot of fish on it and I caught 20 pounds before 11 o’clock.
“I caught a little more and just tried to protect the spot because I had some other boats around. When they left, I left and just kinda went practicing the rest of the day.”
Scroggins caught his offshore fish on lipless baits, a flutter spoon, a hair jig and a jighead minnow. After securing his bag, he tested the flipping potential in various areas of matted vegetation. That bite did materialize on Day 1, but Scroggins remains optimistic that the seasonal pattern will eventually ignite.
“That should be the deal here, and it’s not the deal, but anytime it could be,” Scroggins said. “We have the high sun, the high (atmospheric) pressure and everything is setting up for that.
“If I can get a couple big flipping bites, it’ll make a difference. In Florida, you catch three or four good ones and a big one goes a long way. That’s what I’m looking for — that big bite. I don’t think I can get it offshore, so that’s why I keep looking for that flipping bite.”
Jonathan Kelley of Old Forge, Pa., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 10-7.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Kissimmee Lake Front Park. The weigh-in will be held at the park at 3 p.m.
Follow along with all of the action from the Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain of Lakes presented by Battery Tender on Bassmaster.com.
Visit Kissimmee is hosting this event.
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2026 Turtlebox Bassmaster Open at Kissimmee Chain presented by Battery Tender 1/29-1/31
Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, Kissimmee FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 28-09 200
Day 1: 5 28-09
2. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 26-02 199
Day 1: 5 26-02
3. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, FL 5 20-11 198
Day 1: 5 20-11
4. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 19-02 197
Day 1: 5 19-02
5. Stephen Browning Hot Springs, AR 5 18-13 196
Day 1: 5 18-13
5. Connor Jacob Peoria, IL 5 18-13 196
Day 1: 5 18-13
5. Matt Mosby Dryden, MI 5 18-13 196
Day 1: 5 18-13
8. Noah Winslow Naugatuck, CT 5 18-12 193
Day 1: 5 18-12
9. Buddy Benson Dahlonega, GA 5 17-11 192
Day 1: 5 17-11
10. Jonathon VanDam Gobles, MI 5 17-06 191
Day 1: 5 17-06
11. Brett Hite Phoenix, AZ 5 17-05 190
Day 1: 5 17-05
11. Laker Howell Guntersville, AL 5 17-05 190
Day 1: 5 17-05
13. Tyler Conde Chepachet, RI 5 16-10 188
Day 1: 5 16-10
14. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 5 16-06 187
Day 1: 5 16-06
15. Jonathan Kelley Old Forge, PA 3 15-10 186
Day 1: 3 15-10
16. Wyatt Burkhalter Coker, AL 5 15-09 185
Day 1: 5 15-09
17. Jack Dice Lynchburg, VA 5 15-03 184
Day 1: 5 15-03
18. Kaden Buchmann Troutman, NC 5 15-02 183
Day 1: 5 15-02
19. Billy Gilbert Hamburg, NY 5 14-15 182
Day 1: 5 14-15
20. Greg Alexander Hebron, MD 5 14-13 181
Day 1: 5 14-13
21. Ryan Lachniet Gum Spring, VA 5 14-12 180
Day 1: 5 14-12
22. Ed Powell Sandyville, WV 5 14-10 179
Day 1: 5 14-10
23. Garrett Smith Mount Holly, NC 5 14-07 178
Day 1: 5 14-07
24. Cody Abbott Woodruff, SC 5 14-06 177
Day 1: 5 14-06
25. Timothy Reams Morgantown, WV 5 14-01 176
Day 1: 5 14-01
26. Lucas Lindsay Auburn , AL 5 13-15 175
Day 1: 5 13-15
27. Jaron Burr Bowling Green, KY 5 13-13 174
Day 1: 5 13-13
28. David Williams Maiden, NC 5 13-12 173
Day 1: 5 13-12
29. Darold Gleason Leesville, LA 5 13-11 172
Day 1: 5 13-11
29. Tyler Shawger Zanesville, OH 5 13-11 0
Day 1: 5 13-11
31. Lucas Toliver Paw Paw, MI 5 13-07 171
Day 1: 5 13-07
32. Kyle Walters Palm Bay, FL 5 13-05 0
Day 1: 5 13-05
33. Doug Chapin Tigerton, WI 5 13-03 170
Day 1: 5 13-03
34. Freddy Palmer Estill Springs, TN 4 13-01 169
Day 1: 4 13-01
35. Hayden Gaddis Dandridge, TN 3 12-11 168
Day 1: 3 12-11
36. Clayton Batts Warner Robins, GA 5 12-10 167
Day 1: 5 12-10
37. Steve Dimatteo Lancaster, PA 5 12-07 166
Day 1: 5 12-07
38. Tripp Berlinsky Florence, AL 5 12-04 165
Day 1: 5 12-04
39. Robert Hoyt Union Hall, VA 5 12-02 164
Day 1: 5 12-02
39. Bo Thomas Edwardsburg, MI 5 12-02 164
Day 1: 5 12-02
41. Chase Carey Hoschton, GA 5 12-01 162
Day 1: 5 12-01
42. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 4 12-01 161
Day 1: 4 12-01
43. Brady Vernon Sterrett, AL 5 11-15 160
Day 1: 5 11-15
44. Jack Daniel Williams Kingsport, TN 5 11-14 159
Day 1: 5 11-14
45. Michael Corbishley Raleigh, NC 5 11-11 158
Day 1: 5 11-11
46. Zac Ridenhour Salisbury, NC 5 11-10 157
Day 1: 5 11-10
47. Mike McClelland Blue Eye, MO 5 11-08 156
Day 1: 5 11-08
47. Lucas Murphy West Columbia, MI 5 11-08 156
Day 1: 5 11-08
49. Josh Hubbard Citrus Springs, FL 5 11-07 154
Day 1: 5 11-07
50. Donald Tripoli Webster, NY 5 11-05 153
Day 1: 5 11-05
51. CJ Maddux Birmingham, AL 4 11-01 152
Day 1: 4 11-01
52. Bryson Osteen Live Oak, FL 5 10-14 151
Day 1: 5 10-14
53. Parker Guy Ocilla, GA 5 10-13 150
Day 1: 5 10-13
54. Niko Romero Coldspring, TX 5 10-12 149
Day 1: 5 10-12
55. Guy Eaker Sr Cherryville, NC 5 10-06 148
Day 1: 5 10-06
55. Cole McAusland Tuscaloosa, AL 5 10-06 148
Day 1: 5 10-06
55. Blake Milligan Nashville, TN 5 10-06 148
Day 1: 5 10-06
55. Derek Rodriguez Jr. Okemos, MI 5 10-06 148
Day 1: 5 10-06
59. Cody Detweiler Guntersville, AL 5 10-05 144
Day 1: 5 10-05
59. Nathan Quince Imperial, PA 5 10-05 144
Day 1: 5 10-05
61. Dillon Falardeau Hixson, TN 5 10-02 142
Day 1: 5 10-02
61. Bill Rea Greenfield, OH 5 10-02 0
Day 1: 5 10-02
63. George Hirapetian Lancaster, SC 5 09-15 141
Day 1: 5 09-15
64. Stu Martel Northbrook, IL 4 09-12 140
Day 1: 4 09-12
65. Chase Clarke Virginia Beach, VA 5 09-11 139
Day 1: 5 09-11
66. Destry Ford Tuscaloosa, AL 5 09-10 0
Day 1: 5 09-10
67. Robert Davenport Brooksville, FL 4 09-10 138
Day 1: 4 09-10
67. Alex Heintze Denham Springs, LA 4 09-10 138
Day 1: 4 09-10
67. River Lee Diboll, TX 4 09-10 138
Day 1: 4 09-10
70. Michael Webster Gastonia, NC 5 09-09 135
Day 1: 5 09-09
71. Lee Harper Abbeville, AL 2 09-09 0
Day 1: 2 09-09
72. Rich Howes Oviedo, FL 5 09-08 134
Day 1: 5 09-08
73. Ty Austin Rush, NY 5 09-07 133
Day 1: 5 09-07
73. Cody Ross Livingston, TX 5 09-07 133
Day 1: 5 09-07
75. Chris Lighthizer Zanesville, OH 5 09-05 0
Day 1: 5 09-05
76. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 09-03 131
Day 1: 5 09-03
77. Jeremy Goodwyn Bowling Green, FL 4 09-02 0
Day 1: 4 09-02
77. Ryan Michl Newton, IL 4 09-02 130
Day 1: 4 09-02
79. Dylan Akins Flowery Branch, GA 5 09-01 129
Day 1: 5 09-01
79. John Branch Magnolia, KY 5 09-01 129
Day 1: 5 09-01
79. Dylan Fogarty Mechanicsburg, PA 5 09-01 129
Day 1: 5 09-01
82. Ryan Salzman Huntsville, AL 5 08-13 126
Day 1: 5 08-13
83. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 5 08-10 125
Day 1: 5 08-10
84. Evan White Roanoke Rapids, NC 4 08-10 124
Day 1: 4 08-10
85. Kevin Jones Valley, AL 4 08-09 123
Day 1: 4 08-09
86. Brandon Pilling Clermont, FL 4 08-08 0
Day 1: 4 08-08
87. Aaron Yavorsky Palm Harbor, FL 5 08-07 122
Day 1: 5 08-07
88. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 4 08-07 121
Day 1: 4 08-07
89. Brooks Anderson Marietta, GA 5 08-06 120
Day 1: 5 08-06
89. Alex Johnson Milltown, NJ 5 08-06 120
Day 1: 5 08-06
89. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 08-06 120
Day 1: 5 08-06
89. Seiji Kato Forney TX JAPAN 5 08-06 120
Day 1: 5 08-06
89. Ish Monroe Oakdale, CA 5 08-06 120
Day 1: 5 08-06
94. Jamie Fountain East Dublin, GA 5 08-04 115
Day 1: 5 08-04
95. Damian Szlachta Dawsonville, GA 4 08-02 114
Day 1: 4 08-02
96. Bubba Baker Ridgeway, SC 5 08-01 0
Day 1: 5 08-01
96. Ryan Broughman Corapeake, NC 5 08-01 113
Day 1: 5 08-01
96. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 08-01 113
Day 1: 5 08-01
99. Ben Quisno Oakwood, OH 5 07-15 111
Day 1: 5 07-15
100. Brandon Parson Erwin, NC 4 07-15 110
Day 1: 4 07-15
101. Jacob Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 07-13 109
Day 1: 5 07-13
102. Jake Maddux Alpharetta, GA 4 07-13 108
Day 1: 4 07-13
103. Jeremy Sadowski Voluntown, CT 4 07-12 107
Day 1: 4 07-12
104. Caden Vincent Cross Junction, VA 5 07-11 0
Day 1: 5 07-11
105. Brayden Rakes Winston Salem, NC 5 07-08 106
Day 1: 5 07-08
106. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 5 07-06 105
Day 1: 5 07-06
107. John Pollard Eclectic, AL 5 07-04 104
Day 1: 5 07-04
108. Troy Coney Owego, NY 5 07-03 103
Day 1: 5 07-03
108. Tommy Dickerson Orange, TX 5 07-03 0
Day 1: 5 07-03
110. Yukihiro Sawamura Harker Heights, TX 5 07-02 102
Day 1: 5 07-02
111. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 2 07-01 101
Day 1: 2 07-01
112. Daniel Lanier Jr. Winter Springs, FL 2 07-00 0
Day 1: 2 07-00
113. Easton Lindus Woodville, WI 5 06-15 100
Day 1: 5 06-15
113. Timmy Sheridan Troy, VA 5 06-15 100
Day 1: 5 06-15
115. Brian Hatfield Spring City, TN 4 06-14 98
Day 1: 4 06-14
116. Johnathan Crossland Chapin, SC 5 06-12 97
Day 1: 5 06-12
117. Alex Wetherell Middletown, CT 2 06-11 96
Day 1: 2 06-11
118. Tanner Hadden Appling, GA 5 06-09 95
Day 1: 5 06-09
119. Colt Blanton Piketon, OH 4 06-09 94
Day 1: 4 06-09
120. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 4 06-08 0
Day 1: 4 06-08
121. Ricky Basey Warrenville, SC 3 06-08 93
Day 1: 3 06-08
122. Joshua Weaver Macon, GA 3 06-07 92
Day 1: 3 06-07
123. Fred Roumbanis Russellville, AR 4 06-05 91
Day 1: 4 06-05
124. Whitney Stephens Waverly, OH 4 06-03 90
Day 1: 4 06-03
125. Logan Johnson Nauvoo, AL 5 06-00 89
Day 1: 5 06-00
126. Nick Mandes North Stonington, CT 3 05-15 88
Day 1: 3 05-15
127. Nic Rand Paw Paw, MI 4 05-12 87
Day 1: 4 05-12
128. Rick Greene Ocala, FL 1 05-12 86
Day 1: 1 05-12
129. Tommy Dunaway Havana, FL 2 05-10 85
Day 1: 2 05-10
130. Bobby Bakewell Orlando, FL 3 05-08 84
Day 1: 3 05-08
130. Shayne Berlo Mclean, VA 3 05-08 84
Day 1: 3 05-08
132. Ron Farrow Rock Hill, SC 3 05-05 82
Day 1: 3 05-05
133. Brien Vaughn Lampe, MO 3 04-14 81
Day 1: 3 04-14
134. Brock Bila Republic, MO 2 04-13 80
Day 1: 2 04-13
135. Colton Trotter Dothan, AL 2 04-12 79
Day 1: 2 04-12
136. Jay Schoenfelder Sarasota, FL 4 04-10 0
Day 1: 4 04-10
137. Mike Blevins Burnsville, NC 3 04-10 78
Day 1: 3 04-10
138. Kenny Mittelstaedt Minnetonka, MN 4 04-09 77
Day 1: 4 04-09
139. Stephen Burlington Jupiter, FL 3 04-09 0
Day 1: 3 04-09
140. Blake Thompson Conway, SC 2 04-08 76
Day 1: 2 04-08
141. Blaine Bunney Claremore, OK 3 04-06 75
Day 1: 3 04-06
142. Pete Pisello Phillipsburg, NJ 3 04-04 74
Day 1: 3 04-04
143. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 3 04-01 73
Day 1: 3 04-01
143. Justin Kimmel Athens, GA 3 04-01 73
Day 1: 3 04-01
143. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 3 04-01 73
Day 1: 3 04-01
146. Trey Thompson Sanford, NC 2 03-15 70
Day 1: 2 03-15
147. Luke Chichetto Land O Lakes, FL 1 03-14 0
Day 1: 1 03-14
148. Joey Hanna Corsicana, TX 2 03-13 69
Day 1: 2 03-13
149. Neal Gilmore Magnolia, TX 2 03-12 68
Day 1: 2 03-12
150. Phil Kroll Otego, NY 2 03-04 67
Day 1: 2 03-04
151. Dave Miller Stratford, CT 1 03-03 66
Day 1: 1 03-03
152. Mikey Weems Hull, TX 3 03-01 0
Day 1: 3 03-01
153. Jeremy Radford Huntly, VA 2 03-00 65
Day 1: 2 03-00
154. Trent Palmer Cumming, GA 2 02-12 64
Day 1: 2 02-12
155. Yuming Gao Waterloo CANADA 2 02-11 63
Day 1: 2 02-11
156. Willie Mcmullen Covington, GA 1 02-09 62
Day 1: 1 02-09
157. Paul Tabisz Livonia, MI 2 02-07 61
Day 1: 2 02-07
158. Charles Sim Wasaga Beach Ontario CA 2 02-05 60
Day 1: 2 02-05
159. Matt Keezer Kirkland Quebec CANADA 2 02-02 59
Day 1: 2 02-02
160. Michael Johns Waynesville, GA 1 02-02 58
Day 1: 1 02-02
160. Tyler Lubbat Naples, FL 1 02-02 58
Day 1: 1 02-02
162. Chris McCarthy Woonsocket, RI 2 02-00 56
Day 1: 2 02-00
163. Steven Eastman Eustis, FL 1 02-00 0
Day 1: 1 02-00
164. Cory Mcglamery Madisonville, TN 1 01-15 55
Day 1: 1 01-15
165. Colden Baker Ridgeway, SC 1 01-14 54
Day 1: 1 01-14
166. Gregg Johnson Ocala, FL 1 01-12 0
Day 1: 1 01-12
167. Darrell Ivey Lebanon, MO 1 01-11 53
Day 1: 1 01-11
167. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 1 01-11 53
Day 1: 1 01-11
169. Trey Schroeder Theodosia, MO 1 01-10 51
Day 1: 1 01-10
169. Allen Williford Paducah, KY 1 01-10 0
Day 1: 1 01-10
171. Kenneth Sharkey Grand Haven, MI 1 01-09 0
Day 1: 1 01-09
172. Grae Buck Green Lane, PA 1 01-05 50
Day 1: 1 01-05
172. Bryden Mugleston Lebanon, TN 1 01-05 50
Day 1: 1 01-05
174. Byron Kenney Jr Monticello, GA 1 00-15 48
Day 1: 1 00-15
175. Bryan Hoffman Andrews, TX 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
175. Kristian Johnson Belvidere, NJ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
175. Lance Owen Greer, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
175. Anastasia Patterson Sumter, SC 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
175. Johno Roberts Golden, CO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
175. Casey Smith Victor, NY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
175. Tommy Young Orlando, FL 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
——————————
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 682 1552-05
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95 682 1552-05
