Tristan Stewart and DJ Johnson III of Tennessee’s Mt. Pleasant Junior Bass Team are leading after Day 1 of the 2023 Bassmaster Junior Championship at Lake Hartwell with 11 pounds, 1 ounce.
Photo by Logan Crumley/B.A.S.S.
July 21, 2023
Stewart and Johnson take narrow lead in opening round of Bassmaster Junior Championship on Lake Hartwell
ANDERSON, S.C. — Tristan Stewart and DJ Johnson III caught a three-bass limit weighing 11 pounds, 1 ounce to grab the Day 1 lead at the 2023 Bassmaster Junior National Championship Friday on Lake Hartwell.
The boys, who are part of the Mt. Pleasant (Tenn.) Junior Bass Team, hold a narrow 4-ounce lead in the tournament, which boasts 123 young duos from 32 different states.
Stewart and Johnson, both 13, enjoyed a consistent bite of largemouth and spotted bass, estimating they caught about 20 fish overall. The best of the bunch was a spot that weighed in the 4-pound range.
Stewart caught that bass in about 15 feet of water, but he preferred to not divulge his bait of choice. That’s because he and Johnson think they can repeat their performance on Day 2 and win the championship.
“We saw it on the Garmin LiveScope,” Stewart said. “It took me a minute or two to get it in, but it was fun. We found a spot in practice that we liked, and we fished it alone (early on Friday). But we had some other boats around us later in the day.”
Johnson said steady bites helped him shake off a hot afternoon on Hartwell. A steady wind made temperatures in the lower 90s bearable, but there’s no doubt the summer heat was rough on all the youngsters as the afternoon sun got overhead.
“Still, today was exciting,” Johnson said. “I started bass fishing was I was 9 or 10 and I’ve gotten a lot better. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
So is their captain, Glen Stewart, who said he expects a tight finish to the championship.
“When the limit is three, it’s gonna be a game of ounces,” Glen said. “It’s hard to separate from the field. We’ll do the same thing we did today, and if we can get fish that weigh 3 pounds, I think we’ll have a good shot at winning.”
Other top teams on Day 1 include Kale Temple and Luke Schnell of Georgia’s Hart County Junior Anglers, currently in second place with three bass totaling 10-13. They are followed by Cody Carboni and William Reynolds from Live Oak (La.) Junior High, who weighed a limit registering 10-10, and Colton Hembree and Tyson Browning of the Bluegrass (Ky.) Junior Bassmasters, who are fourth with 10-7.
Hembree and Browning weighed a 4-15 heavy that gave them the big bass on Day 1.
Caleb and Isaac Toubia of Kickback (Kan.) High School are fifth, also with a 10-7 limit. Caden Hall and Caleb Wilson of Russell County (Ky.) Middle School caught a 4-14 on Friday and settled into sixth place with three bass totaling 9-6, while Zac Arnold and Ross Clark of the Good Hope (Ala.) Fishing Team caught a 9-6 limit on Friday as well.
The winners in the two-day tournament will collect $2,000 in scholarship money. The squad in second place will win $1,000, third will earn $500, and fourth will take home $400.
Teams qualified for the championship through state competitions and four different Junior Opens held earlier this year on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes, Alabama’s Lay Lake, Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake and the Red River in Louisiana.
Day 2 of the 2023 Bassmaster Junior National Championship is scheduled to begin at 6:20 ET at Green Pond Landing and Event Center. Weigh-in will begin at 1:20 p.m., with the champions being crowned shortly after the final bass are weighed. Full coverage is available on Bassmaster.com.
Visit Anderson is hosting the tournament.
2023 Bassmaster Junior National Championship 7/21-7/22
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Club/School Pts
1. Tristan Stewart – DJ Johnson III Mt. Pleasant Junior Bass Team – TN 0
Day 1: 3 11-01 Total: 3 11-01
2. Kale Temple – Luke Schnell Hart County Jr Anglers – GA 0
Day 1: 3 10-13 Total: 3 10-13
3. Cody Carboni – William Reynolds Live Oak Junior High School – LA 0
Day 1: 3 10-10 Total: 3 10-10
4. Colton Hembree – Tyson Browning Bluegrass Junior Bassmasters – KY 0
Day 1: 3 10-07 Total: 3 10-07
5. Caleb Toubia – Isaac Toubia Kickback High School – KS 0
Day 1: 3 10-07 Total: 3 10-07
6. Caden Hall – Kaleb Wilson Russell County Middle School – KY 0
Day 1: 3 09-06 Total: 3 09-06
7. Zac Arnold – Ross Clark Good Hope Fishing Team – AL 0
Day 1: 3 09-06 Total: 3 09-06
8. Jake Paradis – Nolan Savage L/A Junior Bassmasters – ME 0
Day 1: 3 08-09 Total: 3 08-09
9. Hank Riley – Ty Montgomery Lone Star Jr Bassmasters – TX 0
Day 1: 3 08-06 Total: 3 08-06
10. Ryder Milam – Colton Milam Mecklenburg High School Junior A 0
Day 1: 3 08-01 Total: 3 08-01
11. Eli Ledbetter – Collin Ledbetter Jr Southwest Bassmasters-Denham 0
Day 1: 3 08-00 Total: 3 08-00
12. Jaxen White – Christopher Trobaugh Clay County Anglers – TN 0
Day 1: 3 07-13 Total: 3 07-13
13. Landon Horton – Eli Meckert Idaho Student Anglers – ID 0
Day 1: 3 07-06 Total: 3 07-06
13. Jack Naas – JT Cross L/A Junior Bassmasters – ME 0
Day 1: 3 07-06 Total: 3 07-06
15. Mack Hardee – Jackson Smalls Conway High Anglers – SC 0
Day 1: 3 07-05 Total: 3 07-05
15. Conley Tyler – Tripp Martin Arkansas Youth Anglers – AR 0
Day 1: 3 07-05 Total: 3 07-05
17. Lucas Gerlach – Brayden Nickless Denver Jr. Bassmasters – CO 0
Day 1: 3 07-03 Total: 3 07-03
18. Eli Herring – Hunter Lee Greene County Bassmasters – MS 0
Day 1: 3 06-15 Total: 3 06-15
19. Ty Magargle – Brady Gunkle Junior Wildcats – PA 0
Day 1: 3 06-15 Total: 3 06-15
19. Anderson Mesplay – Kelby Conrady Mid-Kansas Kastmasters – KS 0
Day 1: 3 06-15 Total: 3 06-15
21. Grayson Goodwin – Colton Baker Renegades Perry County Jr Angler 0
Day 1: 3 06-10 Total: 3 06-10
22. Sawyer Sheffield – Brody Holliman Shelby County Jr Anglers – AL 0
Day 1: 2 06-10 Total: 2 06-10
23. Jackson Ray – TJ Murray Rhea County Eagle Anglers – TN 0
Day 1: 3 06-04 Total: 3 06-04
24. Brennon Davidson – Hagen Barnes Brandon High School – MS 0
Day 1: 3 06-03 Total: 3 06-03
24. Tyler Nelson – Seth Harrell Bandys High School – NC 0
Day 1: 3 06-03 Total: 3 06-03
24. Wyatt North – Wylie North Marion County High School Bassma 0
Day 1: 3 06-03 Total: 3 06-03
27. Dominick Andux – Peyton Faber Tampa Bay Junior Bass Club – FL 0
Day 1: 3 06-02 Total: 3 06-02
28. Brayden Rivest – Andrew Crawford Off the Hook Jr Bassmasters – IL 0
Day 1: 3 06-01 Total: 3 06-01
29. Parker Terrell – Cameron Terrell Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY 0
Day 1: 3 06-00 Total: 3 06-00
30. Kingston Bartley – Wade Clemmensen Denver Jr. Bassmasters – CO 0
Day 1: 3 05-15 Total: 3 05-15
31. Landon Grabert – Houma Christian School – LA 0
Day 1: 3 05-14 Total: 3 05-14
32. Jesse Lancaster – Fisher Lancaster Lancaster Academy – NC 0
Day 1: 3 05-13 Total: 3 05-13
32. Ethan McBrayer – Zachary King Briarwood Christian School – AL 0
Day 1: 3 05-13 Total: 3 05-13
34. Dawson Turner – Ruby Caldwell Crescent High School Jr Anglers 0
Day 1: 3 05-10 Total: 3 05-10
35. Boone Baxter – Hunter Stewart Buckeye State Student Anglers – 0
Day 1: 3 05-09 Total: 3 05-09
36. Denver Leblanc – Jackson Gomez Jr Southwest Bassmasters-Denham 0
Day 1: 3 05-08 Total: 3 05-08
37. Hudson Clark – Jackson Leath Sumner County Jr Bass Team – TN 0
Day 1: 3 05-07 Total: 3 05-07
38. Zeb Ates – Cameron Barham North Louisiana Jr Bassmasters – 0
Day 1: 3 05-06 Total: 3 05-06
39. Landon Moore – Trig Mchone Meigs Middle School – TN 0
Day 1: 3 05-05 Total: 3 05-05
39. Colton Willging – Finn Boyle Dubuque Bass Club – IA 0
Day 1: 3 05-05 Total: 3 05-05
39. Donovan Yang – Logan Xiong Anoka Ramsey Bassers – MN 0
Day 1: 3 05-05 Total: 3 05-05
42. Evan Bradshaw – Gabe Browning Russell County Middle School – K 0
Day 1: 3 05-03 Total: 3 05-03
42. Dj Broome Jr. – Shepard Crumley Tallulah Falls School Jr Team – 0
Day 1: 3 05-03 Total: 3 05-03
44. Fisher Butler – Landon Reel Arkansas Youth Anglers – AR 0
Day 1: 3 05-02 Total: 3 05-02
44. Luke Stewart – Austin Craze Southern WV Jr Bassmasters – WV 0
Day 1: 3 05-02 Total: 3 05-02
46. Colson Sollars – Dylan Barnhart Southside Junior Anglers – IN 0
Day 1: 3 05-00 Total: 3 05-00
47. Jack Kennedy – Brentley West Mid Florida Youth Anglers – FL 0
Day 1: 3 04-15 Total: 3 04-15
48. Vegas Iaconelli – Maxsim Hughen NJ BASS Nation Juniors – NJ 0
Day 1: 3 04-15 Total: 3 04-15
49. Nash Parham – Jude Gibson Sumner County Jr Bass Team – TN 0
Day 1: 3 04-12 Total: 3 04-12
50. Eli Milam – Isaiah Crockett Southern WV Jr Bassmasters – WV 0
Day 1: 3 04-09 Total: 3 04-09
51. Mason Bush – Hayden Berryman Club Florida High School Bassmas 0
Day 1: 3 04-08 Total: 3 04-08
52. Bentley Richardson – Blake Richardson Southern Outcast Jr – NC 0
Day 1: 2 04-08 Total: 2 04-08
53. Tatum Ceccorulli – Brayden Jenner St. Martin Bassmasters – MS 0
Day 1: 3 04-07 Total: 3 04-07
54. Beau McQuade – Kahl Cordell Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters – 0
Day 1: 3 04-06 Total: 3 04-06
54. Joey Newman – Logan Robertson Meigs Middle School – TN 0
Day 1: 3 04-06 Total: 3 04-06
56. Zack Ramsey – Carson Buchanan McDowell High School – NC 0
Day 1: 3 04-04 Total: 3 04-04
57. Hunter Brakefield – Landon White Mt. Juliet Fishing – TN 0
Day 1: 2 04-03 Total: 2 04-03
58. Drake Walls – Hunter Shrader Mid Florida Youth Anglers – FL 0
Day 1: 3 04-02 Total: 3 04-02
59. Sam Keely – Bradyn Stubenrauch Kickback High School – KS 0
Day 1: 3 04-00 Total: 3 04-00
59. Boston Werner – Northeast Wisconsin Bass – WI 0
Day 1: 3 04-00 Total: 3 04-00
61. Cale Compton – Adam Reed Moore HS Fishing Club – OK 0
Day 1: 3 03-15 Total: 3 03-15
62. Walker Woodall – Mason Watkin Harmony Grove – AR 0
Day 1: 2 03-15 Total: 2 03-15
63. Nickolas Tinkle – Kaden Henderson Arkansas Youth Anglers – AR 0
Day 1: 3 03-12 Total: 3 03-12
64. Piers Picou – Jaxon Plaisance Central Catholic – LA 0
Day 1: 3 03-10 Total: 3 03-10
65. Brayden Marcum – Tyler Goble Cardinal Youth Fishing Team – KY 0
Day 1: 3 03-09 Total: 3 03-09
66. Coy Cassady – Wateree Anglers Club – SC 0
Day 1: 3 03-08 Total: 3 03-08
67. Gunner Robbins – Carson Everley Upperman High School – TN 0
Day 1: 3 03-07 Total: 3 03-07
68. Tristan Topa – Parker Stevens Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY 0
Day 1: 3 03-06 Total: 3 03-06
69. Landon Burke – Kolbey Burke Dixie Junior Bassmasters – FL 0
Day 1: 3 03-05 Total: 3 03-05
70. Chance Washington – Ashton Otto Aggie Anglers – GA 0
Day 1: 2 03-05 Total: 2 03-05
71. Connor Magee – Corbin Goode Live Oak Junior High School – LA 0
Day 1: 1 03-05 Total: 1 03-05
72. Tom Shumowsky – Amira Glenn Off the Hook Jr Bassmasters – IL 0
Day 1: 3 03-04 Total: 3 03-04
73. Landon Lynch – Colton Miller Brunswick Academy – VA 0
Day 1: 3 03-03 Total: 3 03-03
74. Cullen Bearden – Chance White Ark-La-Tex Junior Bassmasters – 0
Day 1: 2 03-03 Total: 2 03-03
75. Jake Jaracy – Jack Jaracy CT BASS Thunder – CT 0
Day 1: 3 02-14 Total: 3 02-14
76. Kasey Stamper – Chase Bennett Howell Junior High School – MI 0
Day 1: 3 02-13 Total: 3 02-13
77. James Barkley – Nikolas Foster NH Junior Bassmasters – NH 0
Day 1: 2 02-13 Total: 2 02-13
78. Jackson Beatty – Gable Eddy Independence High School – IA 0
Day 1: 1 02-12 Total: 1 02-12
79. Parker Bilbrey – Tyler Thompson Livingston Academy – TN 0
Day 1: 3 02-11 Total: 3 02-11
79. Eastin Gilliland – Gunnar Freeman Lone Star Jr Bassmasters – TX 0
Day 1: 3 02-11 Total: 3 02-11
79. Eben Whalen – Luke Whalen L/A Junior Bassmasters – ME 0
Day 1: 3 02-11 Total: 3 02-11
82. Avery Schmitt – Maddox Hanson Eastern Iowa Jr Bassmasters – IA 0
Day 1: 2 02-11 Total: 2 02-11
83. Drew Mcclellan – Noah Hiott Indiana Jr Bassmasters – IN 0
Day 1: 1 02-11 Total: 1 02-11
84. Logan Eudy – Brody Clontz Stanly County Jr Bassmasters – N 0
Day 1: 3 02-09 Total: 3 02-09
85. Garrett Hestor – Easton Herman Junior Wildcats – PA 0
Day 1: 2 02-09 Total: 2 02-09
85. Daniel Ingram – Morgan Carden Shelby County Jr Anglers – AL 0
Day 1: 2 02-09 Total: 2 02-09
87. Landry Scott – Caden Daniel Lone Star Jr Bassmasters – TX 0
Day 1: 2 02-07 Total: 2 02-07
88. Presley Jo Cook – Brody Baber Ark-La-Tex Junior Bassmasters – 0
Day 1: 2 02-04 Total: 2 02-04
88. Colton Howell – Cullen Howell Mt. Pleasant Junior Bass Team – 0
Day 1: 2 02-04 Total: 2 02-04
88. Jaxson Pierce – Tucker Larrance Jefferson County Patriot Anglers 0
Day 1: 2 02-04 Total: 2 02-04
91. Jason Perkins – Tyler Perkins Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY 0
Day 1: 1 02-03 Total: 1 02-03
92. Jonah Harbison – Thomas Benton Hayden Jr High School – AL 0
Day 1: 3 02-02 Total: 3 02-02
93. Reiston Ratchford – Ryland Ratchford Headland Jr High School – AL 0
Day 1: 2 02-00 Total: 2 02-00
94. Bentley Gibson – Reese Carpenter Junior Keystone Bassmasters – OK 0
Day 1: 1 02-00 Total: 1 02-00
95. Kort Roberts – Katera Roberts Garfield County High School – OK 0
Day 1: 2 01-15 Total: 2 01-15
96. Bradie Talaski – Carter Osantowski Bad Axe High School – MI 0
Day 1: 2 01-14 Total: 2 01-14
97. Cash Holloway – Ava Lowery East Clarendon Wolverines – SC 0
Day 1: 2 01-13 Total: 2 01-13
98. Bo Hollen – Ari Clark Mon Valley Junior Bassmasters – 0
Day 1: 2 01-11 Total: 2 01-11
99. Ethan Martinez – Bryson Stewart Hendry County Junior Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 1 01-10 Total: 1 01-10
100. Sawyer Knickerbocker – Conner Tate Vermilion Junior Anglers – LA 0
Day 1: 1 01-08 Total: 1 01-08
101. Carson Stevens – Wesley Osuna Franklin County Jr Bass Team – T 0
Day 1: 1 01-07 Total: 1 01-07
102. Brayden Tisdale – Opp Middle School – AL 0
Day 1: 1 00-15 Total: 1 00-15
103. Dalton Adkins – David Potts Skyline High School – AL 0
Day 1: 1 00-14 Total: 1 00-14
103. Hunter Moore – Ashton Pogue Caledonia Bassmasters – MO 0
Day 1: 1 00-14 Total: 1 00-14
105. Dean Austin – Liam Holze Off the Hook Jr Bassmasters – IL 0
Day 1: 1 00-13 Total: 1 00-13
105. Harrison Hobbs – Cade Speligene Franklin High School – TN 0
Day 1: 1 00-13 Total: 1 00-13
107. Blake Meiser – Liam Duncan Eureka Youth Club – MO 0
Day 1: 1 00-11 Total: 1 00-11
108. Mitchell Boles – Clay County Anglers – TN 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Daniel Coley – Elijah Ambrose Junior Potomac River Bassmasters 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Hollis Daigle – Vincent Vilcan-Soprano Catholic High School New Iberia 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. John Parker Deal – Hayes Henderson Headland Jr High School – AL 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Jace Hickman – Teays Valley Toads – OH 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Liam Jeddry – Luke Laudenklos Team Outcast Juniors – MD 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Beckett Kraft – Sullivan Kraft Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Ty Landry – Brant Cavalier Central Catholic – LA 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Wyatt Michaels – Austin Parsons Morgan County Junior Bass Master 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Jeffrey Samson – Luke Adasczik NH Junior Bassmasters – NH 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Carter Shadinger – Aiden Ferguson Curry High School – AL 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Gunner Tate – Coffee County Youth Bass Club – 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Landon Verbit – Brody McCoy Muddyrun Bassmaster Jr – PA 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Knox White – Grayson Sanford Mt. Juliet Fishing – TN 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Owen Williams – Jase Quattlebaum Rehobeth Junior Bass Team – AL 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
108. Fisher Williams – Cooper Kennedy Bolivar Middle School – MO 0
Day 1: 0 00-00 Total: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 74 274 496-07
———————————-
74 274 496-07
