Carter Nutt spent Saturday morning competing at the College Classic Exhibition at Watts Bar Lake, but for probably the only time in his life, his mind wasn’t focused on fishing. Carter was watching his twin brother Dylan work his way to the lead at the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour on Bassmaster LIVE.
“All I care about is the Classic and Dylan competing in it. He’s crushing it,” Carter said. “I watched it for a little bit, and when I turned it off to fish, he had 12 pounds. I looked a little while later at BassTrakk and he had 19 pounds. From that point I kept it on the rest of the day. I’ve been fired up.”
Dylan blasted 26 pounds, 11 ounces of bass on Fort Loudoun to take a commanding lead over the 58-boat field with a two-day total of 46-0 pounds. Carter and family shared an emotional embrace when they convened at the Bassmaster Expo for the College Exhibition weigh-in just after Dylan caught a 6-pounder, the magnitude of the moment coming into full focus.
Then, Dylan’s number one fan found his way into the camera row next to the stage as he hoisted two 6-pounders above his head, cheering as loud as he could with University of North Alabama teammates Tripp Berlinsky and Bryce Dimauro.
“It is the most incredible feeling for my twin to have a shot to win the Bassmaster Classic. I feel like I’m in the tournament with him,” Carter said with tears in his eyes.
It didn’t come as a surprise to Carter. His brother caught 25 pounds on the first day of practice, and he knew right then Dylan was going to be in contention.
“I know he is around the winning bass,” he said. “He’s been saying he’s going to win ever since he qualified. And he has a damn good shot to win (now).”
Carter was born two minutes ahead of Dylan, and ever since the duo have become one of the most formidable fishing teams in the entire country, youth or adult. The now 22-year-olds from Nashville dominated the Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation youth circuit, earning Bassmaster High School All-American honors before teaming up once again at the University of North Alabama.
Both are now competing on the MLF Pro Circuit.
“It is the best experience of my life fishing tournaments with him,” Carter said.
After winning the B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier on Pickwick, the younger brother qualified for the Bassmaster Classic via a third-place finish in the 2025 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at the Upper Mississippi River in October.
As that tournament was ending, Carter was practicing for an event on Grand Lake, but the yell he let out when the final weights were posted could have been heard all the way up in Wisconsin.
“I was bawling my eyes out,” he said. “He called me right before weigh-in and said he didn’t think he had it. When he weighed-in, I think everyone on the lake could hear me.”
As partners in fishing and in life, Carter has seen first-hand what makes his brother a worthy Classic competitor. A strong faith keeps both anglers calm and focused on the task at hand. For any tournament, but especially this one, Dylan worked tirelessly to learn Fort Loudoun and Tellico Lakes before the off-limits period.
Fort Loudoun is fairly similar to Lake Pickwick, a fishery Dylan and Carter have dominated for the last several years.
“He puts the time in, and he is a closer,” Carter said. “He is an incredible angler. He trusts God and knows there is a plan. Neither of us don’t worry about it too much. If it is our time, it is our time.”
Not only that, but Dylan is also incredibly versatile. So far this week, a finesse approach has seemed to be the ticket.
“Whatever they are biting is what we like to do,” Carter added.
Carter and family plan to be out on the water to hopefully watch Dylan finish the job. If things work out on Championship Sunday how they did on Day 2, they will be in for quite the show.
“Dylan winning would be the greatest moment of my life,” Carter said. Having the lead he has, and the potential he is around… I don’t have any words for this.”
