Stewart and Johnson take narrow lead in opening round of Bassmaster Junior Championship on Lake Hartwell

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 7/21-7/22Lake 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  11-012.  Kale Temple – Luke Schnell                   Hart County Jr Anglers – GA           0  Day 1: 3   10-13   Total:   3  10-133.  Cody Carboni – William Reynolds              Live Oak Junior High School – LA      0  Day 1: 3   10-10   Total:   3  10-104.  Colton Hembree – Tyson Browning              Bluegrass Junior Bassmasters – KY     0  Day 1: 3   10-07   Total:   3  10-075.  Caleb Toubia – Isaac Toubia                  Kickback High School – KS             0  Day 1: 3   10-07   Total:   3  10-076.  Caden Hall – Kaleb Wilson                    Russell County Middle School – KY     0  Day 1: 3   09-06   Total:   3  09-067.  Zac Arnold – Ross Clark                      Good Hope Fishing Team – AL           0  Day 1: 3   09-06   Total:   3  09-068.  Jake Paradis – Nolan Savage                  L/A Junior Bassmasters – ME           0  Day 1: 3   08-09   Total:   3  08-099.  Hank Riley – Ty Montgomery                   Lone Star Jr Bassmasters – TX         0  Day 1: 3   08-06   Total:   3  08-0610. Ryder Milam – Colton Milam                   Mecklenburg High School Junior A      0  Day 1: 3   08-01   Total:   3  08-0111. Eli Ledbetter – Collin Ledbetter             Jr Southwest Bassmasters-Denham       0  Day 1: 3   08-00   Total:   3  08-0012. Jaxen White – Christopher Trobaugh           Clay County Anglers – TN              0  Day 1: 3   07-13   Total:   3  07-1313. Landon Horton – Eli Meckert                  Idaho Student Anglers – ID            0  Day 1: 3   07-06   Total:   3  07-0613. Jack Naas – JT Cross                         L/A Junior Bassmasters – ME           0  Day 1: 3   07-06   Total:   3  07-0615. Mack Hardee – Jackson Smalls                 Conway High Anglers – SC              0  Day 1: 3   07-05   Total:   3  07-0515. Conley Tyler – Tripp Martin                  Arkansas Youth Anglers – AR           0  Day 1: 3   07-05   Total:   3  07-0517. Lucas Gerlach – Brayden Nickless             Denver Jr. Bassmasters – CO           0  Day 1: 3   07-03   Total:   3  07-0318. Eli Herring – Hunter Lee                     Greene County Bassmasters – MS        0  Day 1: 3   06-15   Total:   3  06-1519. Ty Magargle – Brady Gunkle                   Junior Wildcats – PA                  0  Day 1: 3   06-15   Total:   3  06-1519. Anderson Mesplay – Kelby Conrady             Mid-Kansas Kastmasters – KS           0  Day 1: 3   06-15   Total:   3  06-1521. Grayson Goodwin – Colton Baker               Renegades Perry County Jr Angler      0  Day 1: 3   06-10   Total:   3  06-1022. Sawyer Sheffield – Brody Holliman            Shelby County Jr Anglers – AL         0  Day 1: 2   06-10   Total:   2  06-1023. Jackson Ray – TJ Murray                      Rhea County Eagle Anglers – TN        0  Day 1: 3   06-04   Total:   3  06-0424. Brennon Davidson – Hagen Barnes              Brandon High School – MS              0  Day 1: 3   06-03   Total:   3  06-0324. Tyler Nelson – Seth Harrell                  Bandys High School – NC               0  Day 1: 3   06-03   Total:   3  06-0324. Wyatt North – Wylie North                    Marion County High School Bassma      0  Day 1: 3   06-03   Total:   3  06-0327. Dominick Andux – Peyton Faber                Tampa Bay Junior Bass Club – FL       0  Day 1: 3   06-02   Total:   3  06-0228. Brayden Rivest – Andrew Crawford             Off the Hook Jr Bassmasters – IL      0  Day 1: 3   06-01   Total:   3  06-0129. Parker Terrell – Cameron Terrell             Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY        0  Day 1: 3   06-00   Total:   3  06-0030. Kingston Bartley – Wade Clemmensen           Denver Jr. Bassmasters – CO           0  Day 1: 3   05-15   Total:   3  05-1531. Landon Grabert –                             Houma Christian School – LA           0  Day 1: 3   05-14   Total:   3  05-1432. Jesse Lancaster – Fisher Lancaster           Lancaster Academy – NC                0  Day 1: 3   05-13   Total:   3  05-1332. Ethan McBrayer – Zachary King                Briarwood Christian School – AL       0  Day 1: 3   05-13   Total:   3  05-1334. Dawson Turner – Ruby Caldwell                Crescent High School Jr Anglers       0  Day 1: 3   05-10   Total:   3  05-1035. Boone Baxter – Hunter Stewart                Buckeye State Student Anglers –       0  Day 1: 3   05-09   Total:   3  05-0936. Denver Leblanc – Jackson Gomez               Jr Southwest Bassmasters-Denham       0  Day 1: 3   05-08   Total:   3  05-0837. Hudson Clark – Jackson Leath                 Sumner County Jr Bass Team – TN       0  Day 1: 3   05-07   Total:   3  05-0738. Zeb Ates – Cameron Barham                    North Louisiana Jr Bassmasters –      0  Day 1: 3   05-06   Total:   3  05-0639. Landon Moore – Trig Mchone                   Meigs Middle School – TN              0  Day 1: 3   05-05   Total:   3  05-0539. Colton Willging – Finn Boyle                 Dubuque Bass Club – IA                0  Day 1: 3   05-05   Total:   3  05-0539. Donovan Yang – Logan Xiong                   Anoka Ramsey Bassers    – MN             0  Day 1: 3   05-05   Total:   3  05-0542. Evan Bradshaw – Gabe Browning                Russell County Middle School – K      0  Day 1: 3   05-03   Total:   3  05-0342. Dj Broome Jr. – Shepard Crumley              Tallulah Falls School Jr Team –       0  Day 1: 3   05-03   Total:   3  05-0344. Fisher Butler – Landon Reel                  Arkansas Youth Anglers – AR           0  Day 1: 3   05-02   Total:   3  05-0244. Luke Stewart – Austin Craze                  Southern WV Jr Bassmasters – WV       0  Day 1: 3   05-02   Total:   3  05-0246. Colson Sollars – Dylan Barnhart              Southside Junior Anglers – IN         0  Day 1: 3   05-00   Total:   3  05-0047. Jack Kennedy – Brentley West                 Mid Florida Youth Anglers – FL        0  Day 1: 3   04-15   Total:   3  04-1548. Vegas Iaconelli – Maxsim Hughen              NJ BASS Nation Juniors – NJ           0  Day 1: 3   04-15   Total:   3  04-1549. Nash Parham – Jude Gibson                    Sumner County Jr Bass Team – TN       0  Day 1: 3   04-12   Total:   3  04-1250. Eli Milam – Isaiah Crockett                  Southern WV Jr Bassmasters – WV       0  Day 1: 3   04-09   Total:   3  04-0951. Mason Bush – Hayden Berryman                 Club Florida High School Bassmas      0  Day 1: 3   04-08   Total:   3  04-0852. Bentley Richardson – Blake Richardson        Southern Outcast Jr – NC              0  Day 1: 2   04-08   Total:   2  04-0853. Tatum Ceccorulli – Brayden Jenner            St. Martin Bassmasters – MS           0  Day 1: 3   04-07   Total:   3  04-0754. Beau McQuade – Kahl Cordell                  Jr. Potomac River Bassmasters –       0  Day 1: 3   04-06   Total:   3  04-0654. Joey Newman – Logan Robertson                Meigs Middle School – TN              0  Day 1: 3   04-06   Total:   3  04-0656. Zack Ramsey – Carson Buchanan                McDowell High School – NC             0  Day 1: 3   04-04   Total:   3  04-0457. Hunter Brakefield – Landon White             Mt. Juliet Fishing – TN               0  Day 1: 2   04-03   Total:   2  04-0358. Drake Walls – Hunter Shrader                 Mid Florida Youth Anglers – FL        0  Day 1: 3   04-02   Total:   3  04-0259. Sam Keely – Bradyn Stubenrauch               Kickback High School – KS             0  Day 1: 3   04-00   Total:   3  04-0059. Boston Werner –                              Northeast Wisconsin Bass – WI         0  Day 1: 3   04-00   Total:   3  04-0061. Cale Compton – Adam Reed                     Moore HS Fishing Club – OK            0  Day 1: 3   03-15   Total:   3  03-1562. Walker Woodall – Mason Watkin                Harmony Grove – AR                    0  Day 1: 2   03-15   Total:   2  03-1563. Nickolas Tinkle – Kaden Henderson            Arkansas Youth Anglers – AR           0  Day 1: 3   03-12   Total:   3  03-1264. Piers Picou – Jaxon Plaisance                Central Catholic – LA                 0  Day 1: 3   03-10   Total:   3  03-1065. Brayden Marcum – Tyler Goble                 Cardinal Youth Fishing Team – KY      0  Day 1: 3   03-09   Total:   3  03-0966. Coy Cassady –                                Wateree Anglers Club – SC             0  Day 1: 3   03-08   Total:   3  03-0867. Gunner Robbins – Carson Everley              Upperman High School – TN             0  Day 1: 3   03-07   Total:   3  03-0768. Tristan Topa – Parker Stevens                Port City Jr. Bassmasters  – NY       0  Day 1: 3   03-06   Total:   3  03-0669. Landon Burke – Kolbey Burke                  Dixie Junior Bassmasters – FL         0  Day 1: 3   03-05   Total:   3  03-0570. Chance Washington – Ashton Otto              Aggie Anglers – GA                    0  Day 1: 2   03-05   Total:   2  03-0571. Connor Magee – Corbin Goode                  Live Oak Junior High School – LA      0  Day 1: 1   03-05   Total:   1  03-0572. Tom Shumowsky – Amira Glenn                  Off the Hook Jr Bassmasters – IL      0  Day 1: 3   03-04   Total:   3  03-0473. Landon Lynch – Colton Miller                 Brunswick Academy – VA                0  Day 1: 3   03-03   Total:   3  03-0374. Cullen Bearden – Chance White                Ark-La-Tex Junior Bassmasters –       0  Day 1: 2   03-03   Total:   2  03-0375. Jake Jaracy – Jack Jaracy                    CT BASS Thunder – CT                  0  Day 1: 3   02-14   Total:   3  02-1476. Kasey Stamper – Chase Bennett                Howell Junior High School – MI        0  Day 1: 3   02-13   Total:   3  02-1377. James Barkley – Nikolas Foster               NH Junior Bassmasters – NH            0  Day 1: 2   02-13   Total:   2  02-1378. Jackson Beatty – Gable Eddy                  Independence High School – IA         0  Day 1: 1   02-12   Total:   1  02-1279. Parker Bilbrey – Tyler Thompson              Livingston Academy – TN               0  Day 1: 3   02-11   Total:   3  02-1179. Eastin Gilliland – Gunnar Freeman            Lone Star Jr Bassmasters – TX         0  Day 1: 3   02-11   Total:   3  02-1179. Eben Whalen – Luke Whalen                    L/A Junior Bassmasters – ME           0  Day 1: 3   02-11   Total:   3  02-1182. Avery Schmitt – Maddox Hanson                Eastern Iowa Jr Bassmasters – IA      0  Day 1: 2   02-11   Total:   2  02-1183. Drew Mcclellan – Noah Hiott                  Indiana Jr Bassmasters – IN           0  Day 1: 1   02-11   Total:   1  02-1184. Logan Eudy – Brody Clontz                    Stanly County Jr Bassmasters – N      0  Day 1: 3   02-09   Total:   3  02-0985. Garrett Hestor – Easton Herman               Junior Wildcats – PA                  0  Day 1: 2   02-09   Total:   2  02-0985. Daniel Ingram – Morgan Carden                Shelby County Jr Anglers – AL         0  Day 1: 2   02-09   Total:   2  02-0987. Landry Scott – Caden Daniel                  Lone Star Jr Bassmasters – TX         0  Day 1: 2   02-07   Total:   2  02-0788. Presley Jo Cook – Brody Baber                Ark-La-Tex Junior Bassmasters –       0  Day 1: 2   02-04   Total:   2  02-0488. Colton Howell – Cullen Howell                Mt. Pleasant Junior Bass Team –       0  Day 1: 2   02-04   Total:   2  02-0488. Jaxson Pierce – Tucker Larrance              Jefferson County Patriot Anglers      0  Day 1: 2   02-04   Total:   2  02-0491. Jason Perkins – Tyler Perkins                Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY        0  Day 1: 1   02-03   Total:   1  02-0392. Jonah Harbison – Thomas Benton               Hayden Jr High School – AL            0  Day 1: 3   02-02   Total:   3  02-0293. Reiston Ratchford – Ryland Ratchford         Headland Jr High School – AL          0  Day 1: 2   02-00   Total:   2  02-0094. Bentley Gibson – Reese Carpenter             Junior Keystone Bassmasters – OK      0  Day 1: 1   02-00   Total:   1  02-0095. Kort Roberts – Katera Roberts                Garfield County High School – OK      0  Day 1: 2   01-15   Total:   2  01-1596. Bradie Talaski – Carter Osantowski           Bad Axe High School – MI              0  Day 1: 2   01-14   Total:   2  01-1497. Cash Holloway – Ava Lowery                   East Clarendon Wolverines – SC        0  Day 1: 2   01-13   Total:   2  01-1398. Bo Hollen – Ari Clark                        Mon Valley Junior Bassmasters –       0  Day 1: 2   01-11   Total:   2  01-1199. Ethan Martinez – Bryson Stewart              Hendry County Junior Bassmasters      0  Day 1: 1   01-10   Total:   1  01-10100. Sawyer Knickerbocker – Conner Tate           Vermilion Junior Anglers – LA         0  Day 1: 1   01-08   Total:   1  01-08101. Carson Stevens – Wesley Osuna                Franklin County Jr Bass Team – T      0  Day 1: 1   01-07   Total:   1  01-07102. Brayden Tisdale –                            Opp Middle School – AL                0  Day 1: 1   00-15   Total:   1  00-15103. Dalton Adkins – David Potts                  Skyline High School – AL              0  Day 1: 1   00-14   Total:   1  00-14103. Hunter Moore – Ashton Pogue                  Caledonia Bassmasters – MO            0  Day 1: 1   00-14   Total:   1  00-14105. Dean Austin – Liam Holze                     Off the Hook Jr Bassmasters – IL      0  Day 1: 1   00-13   Total:   1  00-13105. Harrison Hobbs – Cade Speligene              Franklin High School – TN             0  Day 1: 1   00-13   Total:   1  00-13107. Blake Meiser – Liam Duncan                   Eureka Youth Club – MO                0  Day 1: 1   00-11   Total:   1  00-11108. Mitchell Boles –                             Clay County Anglers – TN              0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Daniel Coley – Elijah Ambrose                Junior Potomac River Bassmasters      0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Hollis Daigle – Vincent Vilcan-Soprano       Catholic High School New Iberia       0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. John Parker Deal – Hayes Henderson           Headland Jr High School – AL          0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Jace Hickman –                               Teays Valley Toads – OH               0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Liam Jeddry – Luke Laudenklos                Team Outcast Juniors – MD             0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Beckett Kraft – Sullivan Kraft               Port City Jr. Bassmasters – NY        0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Ty Landry – Brant Cavalier                   Central Catholic – LA                 0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Wyatt Michaels – Austin Parsons              Morgan County Junior Bass Master      0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Jeffrey Samson – Luke Adasczik               NH Junior Bassmasters – NH            0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Carter Shadinger – Aiden Ferguson            Curry High School – AL                0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Gunner Tate –                                Coffee County Youth Bass Club –       0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Landon Verbit – Brody McCoy                  Muddyrun Bassmaster Jr – PA           0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Knox White – Grayson Sanford                 Mt. Juliet Fishing – TN               0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Owen Williams – Jase Quattlebaum             Rehobeth Junior Bass Team – AL        0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00108. Fisher Williams – Cooper Kennedy             Bolivar Middle School – MO            0  Day 1: 0   00-00   Total:   0  00-00———————————————————————–TotalsDay   #Limits    #Fish      Weight 1        74       274       496-07———————————-          74       274       496-07

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