Kaden Buchmann leads after the first day of the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Norfork Lake, an event presented by Bass Pro Shops. According to the standings reported by Bassmaster, Buchmann brought five bass to the scales on Thursday, weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces. His total of 23 pounds, 4 ounces places him at the top of the leaderboard after Day 1.
Brennan Flick is in second place with five bass totaling 14 pounds, 1 ounce. Kollin Crawford currently holds third place with 12 pounds, 11 ounces and also earned the Phoenix Boats Big Bass distinction for the largest individual catch of the day. Cody Ross is fourth with 12 pounds, 8 ounces.
The fifth spot is a four-way tie among Jaron Burr, Nate Caldwell, Mike McClelland, and Nathan Reynolds, each with 11 pounds, 14 ounces. Cody Abbott and Brody Robison round out the top 10 with matching totals of 11 pounds, 11 ounces.
These top 10 anglers sit above the Phoenix Boats cutline and will advance to Championship Friday. The remaining anglers in the Top 20 after Day 1 include:
- Chris Miller: 11 pounds, 5 ounces - Peyton Harris: 11 pounds, 2 ounces - Garrett Smith: 11 pounds, 2 ounces - Jacob Thompkins: 11 pounds, 2 ounces - Cody Stahl: 11 pounds - Lucas Lindsay: 10 pounds, 11 ounces - Fred Roumbanis: 10 pounds, 10 ounces - Jeremiah Kindy: 10 pounds, 1 ounce - Randy Howell: 9 pounds, 8 ounces - Brooks Anderson: 9 pounds, 5 ounces - Lucas Murphy: 9 pounds, 5 ounces
This marks the first of three Elite Qualifier events in the competition schedule, where anglers vie for the opportunity to advance through the qualification system.