EVANS, Ga. — Memphis Johnson and Bryson Seal from Alabama’s Good Hope Fishing Team took the lead at the 2025 Bassmaster Junior National Championship at Clarks Hill Lake by catching a three-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces to take the Day 1 lead. Their catch included the big fish of the day, a 7 pound, 13 ounce largemouth that pushed them from middle of the pack to a one-ounce lead over second place.
In a tightly-packed leaderboard, the Florida duo of Cullen Sanders and Trace Sanders of the Liberty County Jr. Anglers are second with 12-2 and Parker Smith and Carson Randan fromTennessee’s Scotts Hill High School Anglers Junior Division are third with 12 pounds even. Four other teams topped the 10-pound mark and a big fish or two on Saturday could allow many other teams to challenge for the victory. On the day, 71 teams – more than half the field — broughtlimits to the scales, and 103 teams caught at least one keeper bass.
Day One leaders Johnson and Seal, both 14 years old, have been fishing as a team for three years, but had not previously visited Clarks Hill. They reported a tough practice, which produced four keepers each day, but found ample clues to put them in position to claim the lead.
In what at first seemed to be a disappointment, their starting spot was taken by other competitorswhen they arrived in the morning, so they slid over to a nearby point that had also demonstrated potential. After cycling through multiple areas throughout the morning, on the third trip to that point, around noon, the big one bit.
“At first I thought it was a catfish,” said Seals, who caught it. “But then I saw it and didn’t know what to do. It dove back down but eventually we got it into the boat.” He declined to identify what made that point distinctive, or what type of lure the monster bass bit. The fish was, however, a massive difference-maker, culling out a 14-ounce bass and vaulting them into the lead. The pair call Smith Lake, a noted spotted bass factory, their home waters, but their bag today included one spot and two largemouths.
They don’t have much of a cushion, merely a single ounce, but Johnson and Seal said that their goal tomorrow is to bypass the allure of smaller fish and search for the three quality bites that will seal the victory.
Sanders and Nobles likewise had never been to Clarks Hill and struggled through an unproductive practice, but multiple moves today helped them dial in a pattern that produced 20 fish. They believe that they can repeat that success tomorrow, and derive confidence from the quality of their catch.
“I know that (the first place team) had that big fish, but that makes me feel better because that could be luck,” Nobles said.
Sanders added: “We’re going to go back out and do the same thing we did today.”
Smith and Randan are 3 ounces out of the lead and rode a multifaceted approach to weigh in three quality cookie cutter largemouths.
“We caught three good keepers off the bat,” Smith reported. Then on our second spot we culled out two 2-pounders with 4-pounders and later we added another 4-pounder. We have an area that’s holding some big fish so we’re going to start there and swing for the fences. Hopefullywe’ll seal the deal.” He reported that they started the day by throwing frogs around docks, but when that didn’t pan out they pivoted and caught the majority of their fish in 20 or so feet of water “with deeper swimbaits and scoping baits, minnows.”
Tomorrow’s weather at Clarks Hill is expected to be similar to what the young anglers experienced today – sunny, with minimal breeze and temperatures pushing into the mid- to upper-90s. The full field of 120 teams will launch from the Wildwood Park beginning at 6:30a.m. ET and return for weigh-in at 2:30 and the winning team will be crowned at the conclusion of weigh-in.
