PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Tanner Hadden knew if he wanted to have a chance to win the 2026 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation at Lake Champlain presented by Lowrance, he would have to be bold.
The Appling, Ga., angler made a 50-mile run and was rewarded with a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 12 ounces, a limit anchored by a 5-7 largemouth, that earned him the Day 1 lead in upstate New York. His lead over second place and fellow Georgian Lane Parker is just an ounce.
“I caught them pretty good in practice, but this was definitely my best day so far,” the former USC-Union student-angler said. “I got lucky with a 5-7. That is a giant one.”
Anglers enjoyed calm and sunny conditions to start the final Nation Qualifier of the 2026 season, and the weights reflected that as 32 anglers brought in bags weighing 20 pounds or better. The Top 18 on Day 1 all had over 21 pounds and only a pound separates Hadden from eighth place Bo Thomas.
Historically, largemouth have played a major role in Lake Champlain tournaments, even as the smallmouth population has exploded in quantity and quality. With this in mind, Hadden decided to make green fish a big part of his tournament strategy.
“I feel like when people win here, they win with a mixed bag or with all largemouth,” Hadden said. “I figured I would give it a try. Might as well try and win.”
Once he completed his morning run, it took two or three stops before Hadden got his first bite. He landed two 2-pounders before finding his biggest bass, which he initially thought was a drum.
“When I saw her on (Garmin) LiveScope, I knew it was either a big bass or a drum,” he explained. “When I set the hook, she never jumped. She just went in and out of the grass. When she saw the boat, she dug into the Power-Poles and went around the motor. It was a total mess.”
Before leaving the area, Hadden caught a bonus 4 1/2-pound smallmouth.
While he landed a couple smallmouth on his way back to check-in, one school of smallies close to takeoff produced several key culls and Hadden returned to weigh-in with his lunker largemouth and four brown fish.
Winds are predicted to increase slightly on Day 2. While it might make the run a little bumpier, Hadden feels the potential to catch another giant largemouth is high in his starting area.
Parker, meanwhile, focused his time on smallmouth and caught a limit weighing 22-11. The Waleska, Ga., native said he landed more than 30 bass on Day 1 and progressively culled up to his final tally. His biggest bass weighed just over 4 1/2 pounds.
“My first limit weighed about 18 pounds. I culled up ounces throughout the day,” he explained. “This is my first time on Champlain.”
Combing through three-mile-long stretches of Lake Champlain, Parker targeted smallmouth he saw chasing bait on his forward-facing sonar. He caught every bass on a Deps Sakamata Shad. The Carson-Newman student-angler adjusted his jighead size according to where the bass were swimming in the water column.
“The majority of them are between 30 and 60 feet of water,” he said. “I can’t tell what they are but (the smallmouth) are chasing bait around.”
South Carolina’s Cody Abbott is third with 22-7 followed by New Hampshire’s Dan Tavilla in fourth with 22-4. Michigan’s Matt Mosby and Georgia’s Trent Palmer are tied for fifth with 21-15.
South Carolina’s Blake Burdette and Maine’s Lewis Mendall are tied for first in the nonboater division with 12-1. Both anglers brought in a three-bass limit of smallmouth. Ohio’s Jerrin Brindley is third with 11-15 followed by Pennsylvania’s Ray Severns IV in fourth with 11-14 and Massachusetts’ Sam Chhoeun in fifth with 11-6.
The full field of 160 boats will launch from Plattsburgh City Boat Launch at 5:30 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in starting at 1:30 p.m. The Top 20 boaters and nonboaters will advance to Sunday’s final round while the Top 17 at the end of the tournament will punch their tickets to the 2026 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Lake Hartwell presented by Lowrance.
Discover Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast are hosting the event.