MANY, La. — Andrew Rickman is a big guy, standing a full 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
And this week at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Toledo Bend Reservoir presented by Lowrance, the 24-year-old from Canton, Texas was up to big things — historic ones, at that.
Rickman caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 95 pounds, 15 ounces which absolutely crushed the previous record for a three-day weight in a Nation event. The former mark of 72-9 was set by Canada’s Doug Brownridge in 2014 on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.
Rickman’s performance will long be remembered in B.A.S.S. Nation lore. Not only did he top the previous Nation record by more than 23 pounds, he finished a whopping 13-8 ahead of his nearest competitor at Toledo Bend, that being Georgia’s Daylon Milam, who placed second with 82-7. Trace Antunes III, the Day 1 leader, finished third overall in the boater division with 79-5.
Those three anglers were among a group of six whose total at Toledo Bend topped the previous best for a B.A.S.S. Nation winning weight. Texas anglers Kaden Mueck (fourth, 77-14) and Wyatt Frankens (fifth, 77-9) also eclipsed the old record, as did South Carolina’s Peyton Sorrow (sixth, 76-0).
All were impressive, but none came close to outshining Rickman, who fished Toledo Bend for the first time this week.
He made his mark early on this 185,0000-acre impoundment of the Sabine River, too, catching a 32-3 limit of signature Toledo Bend largemouth on Day 1. That left him trailing only Antunes, whose 36-3 limit on Wednesday was the big bag of the derby.
Antunes came back to the pack on the final two days of the tournament, however, while Rickman charged ahead with authority. He weighed another limit on Day 2, this one tipping the scales for 34-2 (a personal best in competition fishing,) then he added another 29-10 to seal the victory.
Rickman said he established a winning pattern late on the final day of practice.
“I really wasn’t having a great practice at all,” he admitted. “But then I caught a 7-pounder on a stump at the edge of a flat that dropped off into deep water. That gave me a clue. Then I caught a second one the exact same way. That’s when I realized I wasn’t going to fish anything other than that kind of set-up in the tournament. It might take me fishing 40 spots a day to find it, but I knew it would work.”
He was right.
Rickman caught all of his bass around stumps at the edge of Toledo Bend flats in anywhere from 5 to 10 feet of water. The key, he said, was a simultaneous shad spawn where the flats dropped to 30 feet or more.
Fourteen of the keepers he weighed came on a Hideup Coike Sea Urchin (green pumpkin/blue flake). It’s a confidence bait, he said, one that’s been a “go-to” for a year now. He exclusively used Shimano rods and reels, his favorite a 7-4’ spinning rod with a solid tip that aided accurate baitcasting. He fished with 10-pound Seaguar braided line and 17-pound Seaguar leader.
“Once you set the hook with that set up, nothing is breaking off,” he said. “That was huge because my fish were hungry. All of them were post-spawn and they were heading out deep. I had some people fishing around me, but they were too far up on the flats or too far offshore, I think. The key was getting the fish in that in-between phase. It was like their last stop before heading out.”
For all his success at Toledo Bendl, Rickman’s week wasn’t without drama. He carried a 2-5 lead over Antunes into Friday, but he had nothing but 2-pounders in his livewell at 11 a.m. on Day 3.
There was no reason to panic, he said.
“I knew that from the start of the tournament I had to keep running new water,” he said. “Only when I found the spot where they were biting today is when I got nervous. That’s when there was some pressure to get them into the boat.”
Rickman joked after the tournament that his goal was to “finish strong” and go over 100 pounds at Toledo Bend. Falling just shy of that feat, he said he was OK “settling” for 95-15. He pocketed $11,130 with the tournament victory and was one of 40 anglers (20 boaters, 20 nonboaters) to qualify for the 2026 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance when it’s held Nov. 18-21 at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C.
“My only goal here was to qualify for the Nation Championship,” he said. “Hopefully I do well there. I’d ultimately like to make it to the Opens or the Elites.”
Oklahoma’s Matt Edwards won the nonboater title with a three-day weight of nine bass totaling 21-1 — a 7-4 largemouth on Day 2 being crucial to his success. Edwards caught most of his keeper bass on a 3/4-ounce Rapala Crush City Bronco Bug (green pumpkin with blue tint). He also fished a Neko rig with a 5.3-inch Hayabusa Sixth Sense worm.
The 43-year-old Coast Guard veteran, currently employed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, pocketed $3,853 for the nonboater win at Toledo Bend.
“My son Lane fished in the boater division,” Edwards said. “I told him I’m not coming down there just to tag along. So, I decided to enter on the nonboater side. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d win. I’m in shock.”
Missouri’s Zack Busch finished second among nonboaters with 20-11. Texas’ Mike Casanova placed third with 17-15.
A total of 267 competitors began the tournament, with the Top 20 in each of the two divisions making the cut to Championship Friday. They already were assured part of a $77,000-plus cash purse.
Tyler Gautreaux, a 34-year-old from Houma, La., caught a 10-2 largemouth on Day 1 and claimed $500 for having the tournament’s heaviest bass.
This event was hosted by Toledo Bend Lake Country.