Dylan Nutt Claims Victory at B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier on Pickwick Lake
FLORENCE, Ala. — Dylan Nutt has only been fishing Pickwick Lake consistently for three years, but right now, there may be no one more in tune with what’s happening on this Tennessee River reservoir than him.
The University of North Alabama junior secured a dominant victory at the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Pickwick Lake presented by Lowrance, with a staggering three-day total of 77 pounds, 6 ounces. This stands as one of the largest winning weights in B.A.S.S. Nation competition history. Nutt, who primarily targeted largemouth bass, edged out fellow college angler Nick Dumke by just 1 pound, 10 ounces to claim the title.
“It is unbelievable,” Nutt said. “I don’t even know what to say. I was beyond blessed this week, to say the least.”
A Month of Dominance on Pickwick
This victory marks Nutt’s third major win on Pickwick Lake in just a month. He kicked off his hot streak with a Toyota Series win in February, followed by a victory at the Bill Dance Giant Bass Open—which took place on the first day of practice for the Nation event.
“I just feel like I know the bass,” he explained. “At least right now, I really understand what’s going on out there, and it has worked for me these last few weeks.”
How Nutt Won It
Nutt started strong, sitting in second place after Day 1 with a limit weighing 25 pounds, 15 ounces. He took the lead on Day 2 with a massive 27-pound, 15-ounce bag—the largest single-day catch of the tournament. He then closed out the event with 23 pounds, 8 ounces on the final day, though completing his limit proved to be the toughest challenge of the week.
“When I was running down the lake this morning, God told me He was going to test me. And He did,” Nutt said. “I caught two smallmouths early, but then I lost two or three fish in a row. I ran around some more and lost two pretty big ones. My nonboater landed a 4-, a 5-, and another 5-pounder and then stopped fishing. It was tough all day. But something kept me calm.”
Between noon and 3 p.m., Nutt managed to piece together most of his limit, and in the final 15 minutes of fishing, he landed a 5 ½-pound largemouth—securing his hard-fought victory.
Understanding the Bass’ Movements
Throughout the tournament, Nutt closely followed bass as they transitioned from wintering holes to prespawn staging areas. With each passing day, the fish moved shallower. By the final day, most of his bites came in less than 6 feet of water.
“It seemed like some of the smallmouth had already started spawning, and the largemouth weren’t far behind,” he noted. “At the start of practice, I was catching bass in their winter patterns, but today, they weren’t even close to that anymore. I saw 61-degree water temperatures today.”
Nutt rotated through five to six baits during the week, but his most effective lures were a ¼-ounce Damiki rig with a minnow-style bait and a jerkbait. As water temperatures rose, he switched from a deeper-diving jerkbait to a shallower-diving version. Translucent shad patterns proved to be the key.
“The water wasn’t too dirty,” he said. “The fish out here eat shad, so I was trying to match the hatch.”
Dumke’s Near Miss
University of Montevallo senior Nick Dumke was the most consistent angler of the tournament, catching three consecutive 25-pound limits—25-3, 25-7, and 25-2—for a total of 75 pounds, 12 ounces. He knew he needed a perfect final day to overtake Nutt, and he came incredibly close.
“I was so close, yet so far,” Dumke said. “This lake is absurd right now. There are so many big ones. It was such a fun week—one of the best tournaments I’ve ever had. I almost gave Dylan a run, and I’m super fortunate for how everything turned out.”
Dumke targeted prespawn staging areas in 8 to 14 feet of water, focusing on steep banks, brush, and stumps—ideal stopping points for bass transitioning toward their spawning grounds.
His key baits included a 6- or 8-inch Deps Sakamata Shad on a jighead for largemouth and a 5-inch CrushCity Freeloader when smallmouth were present. When the wind picked up, he turned to jerkbaits like the Rapala Mavrik and Megabass Vision 110.
Other Notable Performances
Indiana’s Eli Lubbehusen rounded out the top three with a total of 70 pounds, 10 ounces, holding third place throughout the event with daily weights of 25-4, 20-11, and 24-11. He found success with a CrushCity Freeloader, targeting the backsides of current breaks in 8 to 10 feet of water.
“There could be rocks or brush—as long as I was on the backside and out of the current, it was good,” Lubbehusen explained. “I had one big smallmouth every day, but most of my bites were largemouth.”
He also discovered that a lighter jighead made a significant difference in getting better bites.
“I had to go super light. It seemed like the bass wanted it to fall slower,” he said.
Big Bass and Nonboater Winners
- Illinois’ Corey Bohlmann landed the Big Bass of the Tournament on the boater side with an 8-pound, 3-ounce largemouth, earning a $500 bonus.
- Bruce, Wis., angler Gabriel Fabbri claimed the nonboater title with a three-day total of 37 pounds, 8 ounces, including a final-day limit of 13-15—the biggest nonboater bag of the week.
- Tennessee’s Bill Scharton Jr. caught the Big Bass on the nonboater side, a 6-pound, 14-ounce fish on Day 2.
Road to the 2025 B.A.S.S. Nation Championship
The Top 17 boaters and nonboaters from this event have secured a spot in the 2025 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Upper Mississippi River, set for October 22-25.
This prestigious event was proudly hosted by Visit Florence.
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Title Sponsor: Mercury
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Presenting Sponsor: Lowrance
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Nation Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
Connect with #Bassmaster and the #BassmasterClassic on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
See more bass tournament news here
Discover the ultimate resource for bass fishing enthusiasts with Bass Angler Magazine! Packed with expert tips, the latest cutting-edge techniques, and in-depth articles, our magazine is your go-to guide for mastering the art of bass fishing. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started, Bass Angler Magazine delivers the insights and inspiration you need to reel in the big ones. Subscribe today and elevate your angling game!
.aioseo-author-bio-compact{display:flex;gap:40px;padding:12px;text-align:left;border:1px solid #000;border-radius:5px;color:#111;background-color:#fff}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-left{flex:0 0 120px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right{flex:1 1 auto}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-left .aioseo-author-bio-compact-image{width:120px;height:120px;border-radius:5px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-header{display:flex;align-items:center}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-header .author-name{font-size:22px;font-weight:600}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-header .author-job-title{margin-left:12px;padding-left:12px;font-size:18px;border-left:1px solid gray}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-main{margin:12px 0;font-size:18px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-main>p:last-of-type{display:inline}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-main .author-bio-link{display:inline-flex}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-main .author-bio-link a{display:flex;align-items:center}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-main .author-bio-link a svg{fill:#000}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-footer .author-expertises{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:10px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-footer .author-expertises .author-expertise{padding:4px 8px;font-size:14px;border-radius:4px;background-color:#dcdde1;color:inherit}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-footer .author-socials{margin-top:12px;display:flex;gap:6px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-footer .author-socials .aioseo-social-icon-tumblrUrl{margin-left:-2px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-site-editor-disclaimer{color:#000;margin-bottom:12px;font-style:italic}@media screen and (max-width:430px){.aioseo-author-bio-compact{flex-direction:column;gap:20px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-left .aioseo-author-bio-compact-image{display:block;margin:0 auto;width:160px;height:160px}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right{text-align:center}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-header{justify-content:center}.aioseo-author-bio-compact-right .aioseo-author-bio-compact-footer .author-socials{justify-content:center}}
$post[‘post_content’] .= ‘Source‘;
