ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Live by the sword, die by the sword. Chris Zaldain plays the game often, and on Day 1 of the Maxam Tire Bassmaster Elite at Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound, the veteran mastered the sword.
The Californian turned Texan caught 25 pounds, 8 ounces to take the Day 1 lead on the massive eastern North Carolina waterway. Zaldain will carry a 1-7 advantage over second-place Jason Christie and a 1-8 advantage over third-place Justin Hamner.
Big numbers were expected ahead of this tournament, the seventh of the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series season. While 11 bags over 20 pounds hit the scales, no angler approached the pace that Kyle Welcher set during the 2025 season.
A true summer tournament is something Zaldain really looked forward to, especially after finishing dead last at Santee Cooper a few weeks prior. Air temperatures have been well over 90 degrees this week and water temperatures are in the 80s.
“I had no preconceived notions. I didn’t force anything. I let the fish tell me what was going on,” the nine-time Classic qualifier said.
It has been drier than normal this spring and early summer throughout the region, and salinity has increased throughout the system as a result. Finding clean, fresh water was at the center of his meticulous practice strategy.
“I paid very close attention to what the wind was doing,” Zaldain explained. “I used the Deep Dive app to help with that. The other thing I use in that app is the streamflow feature. It shows you where the cleanest, freshest water is coming in. I was able to spend my practice time there.”
He started in one of the several rivers that connect to the Albemarle Sound and got bit. He moved to the next river and got bit doing essentially the same thing. At that point, he knew he could run it anywhere.
“I purposely stayed out of the river I knew I was going to go to and worked on my pattern in other rivers,” Zaldain said. “Fishing big lines, big rods and catching big fish.”
On Day 1, he started fast, landing a limit weighing about 13 pounds, including one of his five 5-pounders. In total, Zaldain landed over 15 bass and culled up to his total weight throughout the day.
One specific type of cover has been most productive and reading the way water was moving around those targets and finding baitfish were key to his success.
“I didn’t stare at my graph at all today,” Zaldain said. “It is a super summertime pattern. I know when I’m going to get a bite.”
Although part of the same system, all the rivers in the Albemarle Sound are very different. With that said, Zaldain was surprised he could run his pattern across multiple rivers.
“Every river has different salinity and cover,” he said. “I knew by the third river that this was rock solid. I could go anywhere.”
Christie, meanwhile, caught 24-1 and anchored his bag with an 8-12 largemouth. The Oklahoma pro made a long run and only had six keeper bites, but those six bites were the quality he needed to make the miles worth it.
“I got two things going. It wasn’t easy, but I learned a lot today,” he said. “I fished way away from takeoff the first two days of practice, then came here the last day of practice and only had two keeper bites. I knew I needed to make the run no matter what.”
The 2022 Bassmaster Classic champion utilized three different baits throughout his day. What he felt was his primary pattern did not produce on Day 1, but he is going to keep both patterns honest.
The potential is there for 30-pound bags, but a lack of fishing time and weather has limited that potential so far.
It took Hamner well over an hour to get to his starting spot, but when he arrived, the bass were biting. The Alabama native landed 24-0 to finish the day in third place. Hamner found the area during the afternoon hours of the final practice day, and Day 1 was just what he had hoped for.
“It was way better (yesterday) than it was today,” he said. “It was hot and heavy for a minute. I caught a 7-pounder and the amount I saw that were that size is incredible.”
The 2024 Classic champion has the two-mile stretch all to himself, and one bait triggered all of his bites.
“It has something to do with the saltwater pushing back in these creeks further than normal,” he said. “It really congregates these fish. When you land on them, it is pretty insane. I didn’t know the quality was that good.
“I’d be shocked if (those bass) went away.”
Oklahoma’s Luke Palmer caught the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day, an 8-14 largemouth.
The full field of 98 anglers will launch from Waterfront Park in Elizabeth City beginning at 6:30 a.m. and return for weigh-in at 3 p.m. The field will be cut to the Top 50 anglers following the Day 2 weigh-in and the Top 10 anglers will advance to Championship Sunday.
Bassmaster LIVE will begin at 8 a.m. ET and continue through 3 p.m. on Bassmaster.com and the ROKU Sports Channel. FS1 will take the reins on Semifinal Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com at 1:30 p.m. Live weigh-ins will be streamed on Bassmaster.com each day at 3 p.m.
The Elizabeth City Hooked on the Harbor Festival will be held in conjunction with the final two days of the Elite Series event. A number of local vendors and food trucks will be showcased at Waterfront Park from Noon to 5 p.m.
Visit Elizabeth City is hosting the tournament.
