Wesley Gore typically does his tournament damage early.
“I can usually come in at lunch,” he said.
He elected not to do so today. It was a good decision.
Gore caught 17 ½ pounds early, culled up to about 18 by 9 a.m., and spent the rest of the day trying to find something to build on. His building block turned out to be a last-minute surprise, an 8-pound, 1-ounce giant that earned big fish honors for Day 1 at the 2026 FXR Bassmaster Elite at Lake Guntersville. It also vaulted him up to seventh place.
And that’s the beauty of a Guntersville tournament. Limits of 3-pounders somehow become 5-pounders. A big bite or two can mean a difference of thousands – or even tens of thousands — of dollars, and today was Gore’s day. The third-year Elite pro, likely powered by a Mountain Dew or three, found out how quickly things can change for the better.
“And I didn’t need scope to do it,” he laughed, perhaps a not-so-subtle jab at fans and fellow competitors who think that a 25-year-old angler would likely be lost without the full array of his electronics.
Other anglers likewise found late-in-the-day salvation.
Kyle Norsetter had two fish until the last hour of competition, when he filled his limit and jumped from the hinterlands of the scorecard up to 53rd with 17-2. That’s 2 ounces out of the Top 50, but a long way from fishing purgatory.
“I wish I had another hour on the spot that I had,” he said.
The beauty and the curse of a lake this good is that someone, somewhere, is always catching big fish. You’re in it until you’re not, and right now it’s still wide open. Someone currently mired just below the cutline is going to happen onto a magic moment and jump up 30 or 40 spots. It ain’t over until it’s over and it has barely started.
Here’s what I saw, heard and thought on a day that was colder than Alabama should ever be – although the fish didn’t seem to care:
Twenties – Twenty anglers caught 20 pounds or more. Nine weighed in 22 or more, with three anglers topping 24 pounds. Those three are separated by 4 ounces.
Belt-Worthy – While multiple Elite events could produce Century Belts (see, e.g., Kyle Welcher at the Pasquotank last year), the two most likely venues are here at Guntersville (without FFS) and then at the St. Lawrence (where FFS will be allowed). If it’s going to happen this week, they’ll need to pick up the pace. No one is on track to hit 100, but multiple anglers are just off the pace.
Will We See Thirty? – While no one hit 25 today, we might just jump that mark tomorrow and go straight to 30. This is where Paul Mueller set a Classic single-day record of 32-3, which established the former Elite’s career. Nothing has changed about the lake since then and notably, that was in the pre-FFS era.
Cut Weight Math – The current 50th place weight is 17-4, which would translate to a two-day cut weight of between 34-8 and 35-8. But if you go up to 38th or down to 62nd, you’re only a pound off the mark, which is effectively a rounding error on Guntersville. As I wrote earlier, expect to see movement of 20 or so places by multiple anglers in one direction, the other, or both.
Early Returns on Rookies – The resurgent Russ Lane is in 15th place but none of the “true rookies” are in the Top 20. Nick Trim and Matt Messer are tied for 24th and two more are inside the top 50, but two are 91st or worse.
Hartman Comes Alive – During the offseason I called Jamie Hartman for a magazine assignment and asked him to describe a product that had helped his 2025 campaign. “You must not have seen my results,” he laughed. Indeed, other than a 19th place finish at St. Clair, he never finished better than 62nd in Elite competition. He hasn’t made an Elite Top 10 since 2020. That’s shocking for an angler who made five of them in 2017. He’s undergone some health problems that no doubt contributed to the struggles but perhaps he is back. Today he was the third angler to hit 20 pounds on BassTrakk. “They came slow but steady,” he said. “But they came all day.”
How Cold Was It? – Patrick Walters reported that “The guides stayed frozen until 11 today.”
Really, Really Cold – “The more brutal conditions, the more fired up I get,” said 2022 Bassmaster Classic champion Jason Christie. “But I’m over this.”
On ‘Em…Once Again – Matt Robertson struggled through a miserable 2025 Elite Season – with one top ten and eight results between 68th and 91st. Yesterday he told me he was going to turn things around by changing his attitude. “I’ve cared too much the last two years,” he said. “I was trying too hard.” Apparently it worked, at least upon Day 1, as he amassed 23-11 and finds himself in fourth place.
Will Davis Jr. – “I knew I was in trouble when my Dude Wipes were frozen this morning.”
Home Field Advantage – The Alabama anglers in the field, who outnumber the competitors from any other single state or country, didn’t dominate but overall, they didn’t embarrass themselves, either. Wesley Gore is the only one to crack the Top 10, but eight more are inside the Top 50, with three in the Top 20.
Dave Mercer on his Countryman – “What forward-facing sonar did to Jeff Gustafson is it took away his superpower.”
The International Contingent – Three Canadian pros – Cory Johnston (first), Evan Kung (fifth) and Jeff Gustafson (eighth) are in the Top 10, along with Australian Carl Jocumsen (ninth). Reigning AOY Chris Johnston is the last man inside the Top 50, and the fifth Canadian, fan favorite Cooper Gallant, is an ounce out. The non-scoping, power fishing Taku Ito is the top ranked Japanese pro, in 20th, while Kenta Kimura and Kyoya Fujita are both in the 80s, not out of it, but needing a big day tomorrow to fish on Saturday.
Tommy Sanders — “It’s a Canada takeover – a mini-takeover,” he said a little bit after 11 a.m., as Evan Kung grabbed the lead and Gussy slipped down to third.
Tongue Twister for Mercer – Bryant Smith is in second and Bryan Schmitt is in third – or is it the other way around? – just an ounce apart.
Linguistic Shifts – While the term “grind” did show up a time or two, we heard “cookie cutter” far more often from the stage today.
Do the Rich Get Richer? – Of last year’s Top 10 in the Angler of the Year race, only Cory Johnston (10th overall last year, in first place today) is in the Top 10. Seven are in the Top 50, while three are 76th or worse. Brandon Palaniuk proved years ago that you can win AOY with a tough first event, but it’s a tough hill to climb.
Fear of Relegation – The ten anglers who finished lowest in last year’s AOY standings but still managed to requalify are in some cases fighting for their Elite lives. Matt Robertson (fourth), Jamie Hartman (14th) and Blake Capps (15th) started the year on the right path, which four others finished 85th or worse, including Clifford Pirch (93rd) and Buddy Gross (100th).
Taku Fuerte – In a true case of bizzarro world, Taku Ito went out with only baitcasting rods on the deck this morning and every ounce of his 20-2 catch came on 20- or 25-pound line.
His offseason training secret? “Every day I eat a steak,” he said. “Very powerful Taku now.”
Seems Like Old Times – Jeff Gustafson, the 2023 Classic champ, did much of his damage today with a spinning rod, a jighead minnow, and 2D sonar today, thus making him (at least for today, the anti-Taku), although the results were quite similar. “I was in my happy place again,” the Great Canadian Snow Leopard reported from the stage.
Best Historical Reference from Mercer – Chuck Economou
Tomorrow it’s supposed to get into the upper 50s, but perhaps more importantly the mercury won’t go below 33. That’s good for everyone involved – rod guides, anglers and fans – except perhaps the bass. Expect weights to go up.
