Nick Dyer is a Chattahoochee River rat at heart, and on Day 1 of the 2025 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship at Chickamauga and Nickajack Lakes presented by Native Watercraft, he used those concepts to perfection.
The Phenix City, Ala., angler caught a five-bass limit measuring 101.25 inches, a 2.75-inch advantage over second-place Mark Kile. While Dyer caught predominantly smallmouth, including two over 20 inches, he anchored his bag with a 22-inch largemouth.
“It has been nice to find some river rat things to fish in this event,” Dyer said. “It would be amazing to pull this out. I’ve never won a big one, and in the kayak world, there is none bigger than this one. It was a good day to have a good day.”
Dyer said he didn’t register a limit during his practice time and decided to start in an area that he had never fished before but felt would fit his comfort zone. That area featured warm, dirty water and a plethora of baitfish.
While it took a little while to get dialed in, Dyer soon found a spot that kept reloading with both largemouth and smallmouth.
“The first bass was a 19.5-inch smallie and then I followed that up with the 22-inch largemouth,” Dyer said. “It happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to think about it and get nervous. I tried to expand on it a little bit in the afternoon.”
Later in the afternoon, he culled up with two smallmouth that lifted him over the 100-inch threshold.
All of his keepers ate one bait, and Dyer got off the water 30 minutes early so he could restock that presentation before the final day of competition.
“I broke off four or five of them,” he said. “They were eating good and I fished clean. Once they were hooked, they didn’t come off. It’s always awesome when you get the right bites and you execute.”
Having fished this section of the Tennessee River a few times, Dyer knows how finicky the fisheries can be. He’ll start in his primary area, but hopes he has enough backup areas to make things work if his area doesn’t work out on Day 2.
Rain is expected to move through the area, with forecasts calling for 1 to 2 inches of rain overnight, but he feels that it should only help.
“My logic tells me whatever rain we get will only make it better,” Dyer said. “Conditions shouldn’t change all that much. I’ve got two rods rigged up with the same bait, and I don’t expect to throw anything else.”
Kile is second with 98.5 inches and caught the Big Bass of the Day, a 23.50-inch largemouth. Tennessee’s Ewing Minor is third with 97 inches, Georgia’s Eric Hawks is fourth with 96.75 inches and California’s Damian Thao is fifth with 96 inches.
The full field of anglers will compete tomorrow on the Chickamauga and Nickajack Lakes from 7:30 a.m. ET until 3:30 p.m. The results will not be revealed until Friday, when the top finishers will be honored on the Bassmaster Classic stage in Food City Center before the Day 1 weigh-in.
The Chattanooga Tourism Co. is hosting the tournament.
