Wisconsin’s Nick Trim maintains the lead on Day 3 of the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance with a total of 56 pounds, 9 ounces.
Photo by Mark Cisneros/B.A.S.S.
Oct. 24, 2025
Fog delays B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, but Nick Trim still the man to beat
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Turns out that a nearly four-hour fog delay might be the only thing that can keep Nick Trim from catching fish at the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at the Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance.
But once he’s on the river, the 42-year-old resident of nearby Galesville, Wis., has been a force no competitor here has matched.
Trim added a five-bass limit of 16 pounds, 9 ounces to his total weight on Friday, giving him 56-9 through three days of competition on his home water.
Now, only one more good day of fishing separates him for the Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the victorious boater at the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship. The winner also will collect a $50,000 cash prize, as well as an invitation to join the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. The Top 3 anglers here also will earn berths in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour when it’s held in Knoxville on the Tennessee River March 13-15.
After notching bags of 21 and 19 pounds in the first half of this championship, Trim’s confidence was at an all-time high. Friday’s fog, which delayed take-off by nearly four hours, was unnerving, to say the least.
“This was the most stressful day I’ve had in my whole life,” Trim said. “Missing half the day to fog, running downriver, locking through taking half hour there and a half hour locking back, the run back upriver — all that adds up. I only fished for about two hours today, but to catch what I did was exciting. I’m ready to get out there one more day and see if we can win this thing.”
Eighty anglers were ready for take-off at 7:10 a.m. CT, but a dense fog blanketed the Mississippi. The remaining field, 40 boaters and 40 nonboaters, did whatever they could to pass the time, and finally were able to hit the water about 11 a.m.
Trim said he had to find his focus after an anxious wait.
“When you miss half the day, you think you need to do everything twice as fast,” he said. “I’m trying to take it all one step at a time, one fish at a time. I told myself I’m here for a reason and to just slow down and catch some fish.”
A local angler was on Trim’s starting hole Friday morning, but he didn’t panic. He pulled a 3 1/2-pounder from there, but when continued casts were fruitless, he decided to run the river he knows so well. He wound up catching three sizable smallmouth bass to steady himself and finished his bag with another Mississippi River largemouth.
Trim said earlier this week that he’s anticipating where bass are heading as autumn conditions take hold in his home state.
“I’m fishing a wintering hole and I’m fishing irregularities around the edges of the basin,” he said. “There’s bait in there and there are fish in there. The water is stable. But around it all, there are spots where it goes from 4 to 16 feet, little points, knobs and hard spots. I’m dragging a Cast Again Tackle 1/2-ounce hammer jig down the banks and they’re eating it. I’ve caught them so deep this week, too. They just don’t seem very aggressive. I think it might be that the water temperature dropped like nine degrees after these three cold nights we’ve had. The bass are still getting acclimated to it.”
Temperatures this week have stayed in the 40s during fishing time, though light freezes have been the norm overnight. Temps overnight Friday aren’t expected to get below 40 degrees, though, and should rise into the lower 50s by noon. Trim said he’s optimistic those conditions will keep fog from being a factor on Championship Saturday.
“If we get a full day of fishing in, I know I can get another good bag,” he said. “The fishing here is that good. It should be a bucket-list destination for everyone who loves bass fishing.”
The Top 10 anglers in the boater division advanced to the fourth and final day of competition. They include Tennessee’s Dylan Nutt, second, 53-12; Connecticut’s Noah Winslow, third, 53-8; Iowa’s Chris Miller, fourth, 53-3; California’s Kyle Grover, fifth, 49-14; Wisconsin’s Grant Neubauer, sixth, 49-4; Alabama’s Zeke Gossett, seventh, 48-9; Virginia’s Ryan Lachniet, eighth, 48-7; Kentucky’s Nathan Sheehan, ninth, 48-4; and Alabama’s Brody Robison, 10th, 48-2.
Miller had the most impressive catch of the tournament to date on Friday — a 7-15 smallmouth that’s nearly 2 pounds heavier than any other bass weighed this week. Trim caught a 6-pounder on Day 1.
“I’m already qualified for the Classic, so it’s pretty much all-or-nothing for me here,” Miller said. “I’m shooting for a win and that Elite Series berth.”
The Top 10 boaters will be joined Saturday by Wade Denney, of Nampa, Idaho, who won the nonboater division on Friday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 33-11. Denney was in sixth place (21-5) heading into the final day of non-boater action, and he vaulted into the pole position with a final limit of 12-6. That secured him a $10,000 cash prize, as well as the Louis “Pee Wee” Powers Trophy that is presented annually to the nonboater winner.
“I knew fishing from the back of the boat wouldn’t be easy, so I just wanted to catch a limit every day,” Denney said. “I came up one fish shy of that goal, but I’m fishing tomorrow. And I’m just gonna’ go and have fun.”
The final field of 11 is scheduled to take off at 7:10 a.m. CT Saturday from Veterans Freedom Park in La Crosse. Weigh-in will begin at 3:30 p.m. CT at the La Crosse Municipal Boat Landing.
Daily coverage of the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River presented by Lowrance can be found on Bassmaster.com.
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance 10/22-10/25
Mississippi River, LaCrosse WI.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 15 56-09 0
Day 1: 5 21-00 Day 2: 5 19-00 Day 3: 5 16-09
2. Dylan Nutt Nashville, TN 15 53-12 0
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 18-14 Day 3: 5 17-13
3. Noah Winslow Naugatuck, CT 15 53-08 0
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 17-08
4. Chris Miller Spirit Lake, IA 15 53-03 0
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 21-02
5. Kyle Grover Rancho Santa Margarita, 15 49-14 0
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 16-14 Day 3: 5 16-14
6. Grant Neubauer Medford, WI 15 49-04 0
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 14-15 Day 3: 5 16-08
7. Zeke Gossett Pell City, AL 15 48-09 0
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 18-03 Day 3: 5 16-01
8. Ryan Lachniet Gum Spring, VA 15 48-07 0
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 16-07
9. Nathan Sheehan Danville, KY 15 48-04 0
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 5 19-10 Day 3: 5 12-05
10. Brody Robison Dawson, AL 15 48-02 0
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 17-05 Day 3: 5 15-00
11. Austin Brimeyer Dubuque, IA 15 48-00 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-04 Day 2: 5 16-01 Day 3: 5 15-11
12. Brody Luckey Lynchburg, VA 15 47-07 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 17-11 Day 3: 5 14-14
13. Aaron Jagdfeld Rochester Hills, MI 15 47-07 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 17-06 Day 3: 5 14-11
14. Scott Hellesen Paso Robles, CA 15 47-04 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 5 16-15
15. Justin Hicks Gunnison, CO 15 46-14 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 15-06
16. Alex Korol Fairport, NY 15 46-07 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-08 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 16-10
17. Nick Dumke Grand Rapids, MN 15 45-11 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 5 13-07
18. Steven Griffith Schellsburg, PA 15 44-05 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-01 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 5 15-13
19. Devon Dvorak Keystone, IA 15 44-05 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 14-15
20. Tyler Wilson Carlsbad, NM 15 44-03 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 16-03
21. Connor Jacob Peoria, IL 15 44-00 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 15-09 Day 3: 5 13-14
22. Austin Bonjour Templeton, CA 15 43-13 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 5 14-02
23. Cody Dawson Mount Vernon, OH 15 43-11 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 13-04 Day 3: 5 13-00
24. Lane Clark Anderson, SC 15 42-12 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-15 Day 2: 5 12-13 Day 3: 5 11-00
25. Brian Jones Magnolia, TX 15 42-12 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-13 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 14-12
26. Ty Faber Pagosa Springs, CO 15 42-10 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 13-01 Day 3: 5 14-11
27. Aaron Orsi Millbury, MA 15 42-05 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 13-08 Day 3: 5 13-04
28. Adam Neu Sturgeon Bay, WI 15 42-04 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 14-05
29. Rich Lindgren Lakeville, MN 15 42-01 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-06 Day 2: 5 15-01 Day 3: 5 11-10
30. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 14 41-11 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 15-02 Day 3: 4 12-09
31. Aaron Yavorsky Palm Harbor, FL 15 40-09 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-11 Day 2: 5 16-13 Day 3: 5 09-01
32. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 15 39-09 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-15 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 5 11-05
33. Travis Merritt Jr Iowa, LA 14 38-04 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 15-05 Day 3: 4 09-11
34. Patrick Touey Santa Maria, CA 14 37-01 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-13 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 4 07-13
35. Nathan Reynolds Florence, AL 13 36-01 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 3 07-03
36. Shawn Smalley Sutherlin, OR 12 35-04 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 12-04 Day 3: 2 06-07
37. Ken Day Kennewick, WA 12 35-01 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 15-12 Day 3: 2 04-09
38. Owen Hentschel Traverse City, MI 12 33-05 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-04 Day 2: 5 11-06 Day 3: 2 04-11
39. Steve Lee Minneapolis, MN 11 32-08 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-12 Day 2: 5 14-13 Day 3: 1 02-15
40. Trevor Young Spring Lake, MI 11 32-06 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 14-10 Day 3: 1 03-10
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 156 1008 2567-13
2 108 777 1958-02
3 31 178 521-04
———————————-
295 1963 5047-03
2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Mississippi River presented by Lowrance 10/22-10/25
Mississippi River, LaCrosse WI.
(NON_BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Wade Denney Nampa, ID 14 33-11 0 $10,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-13 Day 2: 5 10-08 Day 3: 5 12-06
2. Jediah Barrett Neenah, WI 11 32-10 0 $7,000.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 4 11-12 Day 3: 2 04-15
3. Nico Urso Union, KY 11 31-08 0 $6,500.00
Day 1: 5 15-10 Day 2: 5 12-07 Day 3: 1 03-07
4. David Childress Bakersfield, CA 14 31-04 0 $5,500.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 5 10-07 Day 3: 4 09-04
5. Renee Hensley Edwardsburg, MI 12 28-14 0 $4,500.00
Day 1: 2 04-12 Day 2: 5 11-04 Day 3: 5 12-14
6. Colten Hutson Edmond, OK 11 28-06 0 $3,500.00
Day 1: 5 13-05 Day 2: 5 11-00 Day 3: 1 04-01
7. Jeffery Montgomery Sapulpa, OK 13 28-02 0 $2,500.00
Day 1: 3 06-07 Day 2: 5 08-05 Day 3: 5 13-06
8. Jeff Zeisner Arva CANADA 11 27-15 0 $2,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-10 Day 2: 3 08-06 Day 3: 3 09-15
9. Josh Giran Elizabeth, PA 12 27-04 0 $1,500.00
Day 1: 3 04-14 Day 2: 5 09-13 Day 3: 4 12-09
10. Kyle Klein Hutchinson, KS 10 27-04 0 $1,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 2 04-03 Day 3: 3 10-10
11. Josh Thalman Saratoga Springs, UT 10 26-10 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 13-02 Day 2: 3 06-01 Day 3: 3 07-07
12. Dan Black Scottsville, VA 12 26-08 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 3 06-05 Day 3: 4 09-01
13. Andrew Bowman Aurora, CO 9 26-06 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 13-03 Day 2: 4 10-04 Day 3: 1 02-15
14. Larry Taylor Delmar, DE 12 26-01 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 2 05-14 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 5 09-06
15. Jeremy Anibas Menomonie, WI 12 25-13 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 11-04 Day 2: 5 09-15 Day 3: 2 04-10
16. Jordi Torres Torroella de Montgri Z 11 25-13 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 09-14 Day 2: 5 10-13 Day 3: 1 05-02
17. Scott Shrewsbury Rocky Mount, NC 11 25-10 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 10-06 Day 2: 2 04-06 Day 3: 5 10-14
18. John Young Whiteland, IN 9 25-02 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 2 04-03 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 2 07-10
19. Jim Blumenstein Bolingbrook, IL 9 24-04 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 3 07-06 Day 3: 1 03-13
20. Larry Llanes Madera, CA 11 23-06 0 $1,000.00
Day 1: 4 09-14 Day 2: 5 09-07 Day 3: 2 04-01
21. Zach Oliver Coal Hill, AR 10 22-13 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 09-09 Day 2: 4 09-03 Day 3: 2 04-01
22. Mathew Higby Lamar, AR 9 22-06 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 12-11 Day 2: 1 03-06 Day 3: 3 06-05
23. Michael Buell Claysburg, PA 9 21-14 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 2 04-04 Day 3: 2 05-11
24. Keith Adams Redding, CA 10 21-13 0 $500.00
Day 1: 2 04-09 Day 2: 5 09-09 Day 3: 3 07-11
25. Adam Buss Bonduel, WI 9 21-06 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 09-03 Day 2: 4 08-14 Day 3: 1 03-05
26. Geoffrey Peterson Huntington Beach , CA 8 20-11 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 10-08 Day 2: 4 10-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
27. Joe Mclain Wayland, MI 7 20-10 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 1 01-15 Day 3: 1 04-09
28. Joseph Von Hoene Erlanger, KY 9 20-03 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 08-14 Day 2: 4 08-03 Day 3: 1 03-02
29. Ray Cates Overland Park, KS 8 19-07 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 09-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
30. Heath Willard Brookhaven, MS 6 17-15 0 $500.00
Day 1: 1 03-04 Day 2: 4 12-01 Day 3: 1 02-10
31. Michael Grisham Glendale, AZ 6 16-13 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 14-03 Day 2: 1 02-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
32. Todd Tigar Osage Beach, MO 8 16-13 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 3 06-09 Day 3: 0 00-00
33. Allen Smith Knoxville, TN 6 15-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 12-12 Day 2: 1 03-00 Day 3: 0 00-00
34. Joe Uribe Sr Lake Havasu City, AZ 8 15-12 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 09-09 Day 2: 3 06-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
35. Eric Englebretson Chickasha, OK 6 15-04 0 $500.00
Day 1: 1 03-08 Day 2: 5 11-12 Day 3: 0 00-00
36. Michael Schrader Harrisville, RI 7 15-03 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 10-00 Day 2: 2 05-03 Day 3: 0 00-00
37. Kong Moua Sacramento, CA 6 15-00 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 10-08 Day 2: 2 04-08 Day 3: 0 00-00
38. Chad Macks Robertsdale, AL 7 14-14 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 10-04 Day 2: 2 04-10 Day 3: 0 00-00
39. Dale Westmoreland Jay, FL 6 14-04 0 $500.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 1 01-15 Day 3: 0 00-00
40. Greg Dennis Pilot Point, TX 7 14-02 0 $500.00
Day 1: 4 08-07 Day 2: 3 05-11 Day 3: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 34 488 1113-01
2 20 372 820-15
3 5 73 195-12
———————————-
59 933 2129-12