PARIS, Tenn. — Caige Bragg is one day closer to redemption. The Springville, Ala., native leads the 2026 Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship at Kentucky Lake presented by Bill Dance Signature Lakes with a two-day total of 27 pounds, 1 ounce just a year after finishing third at Clarks Hill in last year’s event.
The senior opened the tournament by catching a three-bass limit weighing 14-6 before landing 12-11 on the second day. He carries a 10-ounce advantage over Waverly High’s Bryce Griffin and Bryce Spann who sit in second with 26-7.
“I feel good about it. I think I’ll be able to catch a couple more tomorrow,” Bragg said. “It would be cool (to win) for sure. I wanted to do it last year, but hopefully I can pull it off this year.”
While the day started sunny, clouds eventually covered the skies over Kentucky Lake, making for an even more challenging Day 2 for the field of 214 boats. Only 86 limits and less than 1,000 pounds of bass hit the scales on Friday.
The 18-year-old has spent the majority of his tournament in a major creek targeting brushpiles and stumps in 8 to 15 feet of water. He has around 65 waypoints marked on his graph in this area. Two baits have produced the bulk of his bites.
On Day 1 and the beginning of Day 2, Bragg said he could see the bass suspended over the cover using his Garmin LiveScope. When the clouds came later in the day on Friday, he saw far fewer bass.
“It was a lot slower today,” Bragg said. “I caught a couple small keepers early this morning and finally got around some bigger ones. I caught a 4-6 and a 4-8 within 20 or 30 minutes of each other and then only got two more small keeper bites.”
Rain and storms are forecasted to greet anglers in the morning. Bragg is going to start with his main pattern but said he might go shallower if he doesn’t see much early on.
Tyler Nelson and Sawyer Reynolds from Bandys High School are third with 25-6 followed by A1 Anglers duo Weston Rigsby and Hudson Logan in fourth with 24-14 and Rayne High’s Travis Meche and Chance Watson in fifth with 23-15.
Kaden Mangrum and Kyler Harsh from the Sulphur High Fishing Team caught the Big Bass of the Day, a 6-8 largemouth. Kingston Fishing team duo Camdyn Cranfill and Turner Tharpe continue to hold the Big Bass of the Tournament, a 6-9 largemouth they landed on Day 1.
The Top 25 teams will launch from Paris Landing State Park beginning at 6 a.m. CT and return for weigh-in at 2 p.m. Weigh-in will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com.
The Henry County Tourism Authority is hosting this event.