Parker Smith and Carson Randan have won tournaments on Watts Bar before, but never with more than 15 pounds. So, when the Scotts Hill duo came in with well over 20 pounds and won the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster High School Classic Exhibition, they were incredibly surprised.
The 2025 Bassmaster Junior National Champions earned the victory with a five bass limit weighing 24 pounds, claiming the trophy over 10 high school teams. Kieran Stephenson and Grady Stanley of the Triangle Bass Club finished second with 20-5, while Pickett County’s Rex Reagan and Max Moody finished third with 19-15.
“We won a state tournament here and won it with 15 pounds,” Smith said. “These high school teams are so good, I can’t believe we got it done.”
A recent cold front brought strong winds and cooler temperatures to the region on Friday, which Smith and Randan felt would make for tough fishing conditions. While the wind made boat positioning difficult, the bass were biting exceptionally well.
“I thought it would be pretty tough, but it was better than what I expected,” Randan said.
The Scotts Hill duo targeted shallow brushpiles next to the main river channel. Their boat sat in 25 feet of water while the brush they were fishing was in 6 feet of water or less. They used a Hog Farmer umbrella rig with Keitech swimbaits.
It took a while to get in the morning, but Randan broke the ice with a 3-pound largemouth. They followed that up with a 4-pound largemouth and then a 5-pound smallmouth.
“I really didn’t think we could get it done,” Smith said. “But we pulled it together and next year we’ll be fishing against the high schoolers next year.”
