Since winning the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at the Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance, Nick Trim of Galesville, Wis., claims to have shed more tears of joy than at any time in his 43 years.
Trim still finds it overwhelming to be fishing the 2026 Bassmaster Classic and Elite Series.
Close to home
He won the championship on Pool 7 of the upper Mississippi River, which he has fished since childhood.
“My dad worked third shift at G. Heileman Brewery in La Crosse, Wis.,” Trim said. “I’d let him sleep a couple hours and then bug him to wake up and take me fishing.”
Once his father had been roused, he would launch a Bass Tracker into Pool 7 and anchor on one of the river’s many wing dams where he and his son fished jigs tipped with minnows for walleye.
“We caught a few big smallmouth from wing dams by accident,” Trim said. “My dad was never impressed by them. Smallmouth were a nuisance for him.”
At around age 12, Trim would ride a bike to fish ponds and rivers from the bank when his father was unable to take him in the Bass Tracker. On some outings, he would bike 10 miles to fish Big Tamaracks Creek and cast for smallmouth, pike and walleye.
Targeting tournaments
Trim was 18 when his best friend, Bob Byrne, asked him if he wanted to fish an annual bass tournament put on by Trempealeau, Wis., during the town’s annual summer festival.
“I had no idea what he was talking about,” Trim said. “I didn’t know there was such a thing as competitive bass fishing.”
They “mustered up” the $100 entry fee and ventured forth on Pool 7 with the other boats in the derby. The young anglers got their “tails kicked.” Despite doing poorly, the experience prompted the boys to fish in tournaments as members of the local Tri-County Bass Club. For several years, their entry fees wound up in the pockets of club members who were better anglers.
“We were convinced that the guys winning the tournaments had secret baits we didn’t know about,” Trim said.
They eventually began to figure things out and finally claimed some checks. Trim credits Bassmaster magazine for helping them get over the hurdle.
Adult angler
In 2017, Trim married Venessa, his “biggest supporter.” Their clan includes Evan, 19, Hailey, 11, and Marshall, 6.
Today, the hollow-body frog has not only become Trim’s favorite bait, but it also proved to be the foundation for his success. The frog carried him to his first BFL win in 2018 on his home water, Pool 7.
“From June to September, all I would throw was a frog,” Trim said. “I got really good at it. That’s what changed things for me.”
He fished the Bassmaster Opens in 2019 and again in 2024 and 2025 without the success he hoped for. However, he did win the 2024 B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier on Pool 8 of the Mississippi River. The bass were spawning and sight fishing had become another of his strengths.
That qualified him to compete in the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Grand Lake. After Day 2 he found himself in fifth place, less than 2 pounds behind the leader.
“I had dropped a few really big bass that day and believed I would crack them the next,” Trim said. “I was sure I was going win and punch my ticket to the Elites. But the sun never came out the next day and my topwater bite never happened.”
A year later
He hit the mother lode the following year by finishing 15th at a B.A.S.S Nation Qualifier on Pickwick Lake. This advanced him to the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship on Pool 8 of the Mississippi River. He locked up to Pool 7 and caught his winning bass on waters he had fished since he was a tad.
“The stars aligned for me,” Trim said.
While fishing the Elites, he intends to maintain his job as a sales manager for River Valley Remodelers in West Salem, Wis.
Contractor Flow, a software company that serves contractors, is Trim’s title sponsor. His other sponsors include Phoenix Boats, Yo-Zuri, Bass Tank, Omnia Fishing, Blaise’s Repair, Cast Again Tackle, Mouth Hug Fishing, Power-Pole, Mercury Marine, Atomic Fishing Jerseys, Impulse Lithium Batteries, Bobs’ Machine shop, Fitzgerald Fishing and Frenchville Trailer Sales.
