HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 16, 2026) – Boater Kaden Buchmann of Troutman, North Carolina, caught a total of five bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on Lake Norman. The tournament was the first of five events of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Buchmann earned $3,150 for his victory.
Buchmann said he targeted “high-percentage” areas in the south end of Lake Norman, like an offshore brushpile in clear water he described as “not super deep.” As the day progressed, he made his way north and said he landed a total of 10 to 12 keepers.
“It all happened pretty quickly,” Buchmann said. “I pulled up to a place and pulled a couple of rods out of the rod locker, but the water was too clear and too shallow, so I kept moving. I pulled up on my second place and caught a couple of 2-pounders and lost a big one. My next place I caught a couple of 3½-pounders and lost another big one.
“At that point it was still early in the morning, about 10 or 10:30, so I settled down and caught one more big one on a Shane’s Baits 5th Element Umbrella Rig,” Buchmann went on to say. “After that I just tried to help my co-angler out the rest of the day.”
Buchmann felt pretty confident in his chances of securing a win due to tough conditions – no wind and clear skies. He also said what he had in his livewell was better than any weight he had seen come across the scale in recent tournaments.
“This win was awesome,” Buchmann said. “I told my co-angler at one point in the morning, ‘Man, I may not even turn my LiveScope on today. I may as well win it without it. I’ve got a pretty good chance to do that.’ So, I did.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Kaden Buchmann, Troutmann, N.C., five bass, 19-8, $3,150
2nd: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 17-15, $2,090 (includes $500 Phoenix bonus)
3rd: Jake Monti, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $810
4th: Chad Sims, Lancaster, S.C., five bass, 15-14, $850
5th: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $580
6th: Aaron Digh, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $500
7th: Chris Goodwin, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $480
8th: Christian Johnson, Denver, N.C., five bass, 13-11, $460
9th: Cole Huskins, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 13-3, $440
10th: Brandon Trulli, Evans, Ga., five bass, 12-15, $420
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Chad Sims of Lancaster, South Carolina, earned the Big Bass Boater award after landing a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass worth $200. Todd Huntley of Inman, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and the top prize of $1,575 Saturday after bringing three bass to the scale that totaled 9 pounds, 3 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Todd Huntley, Inman, S.C., three bass, 9-3, $1,575
2nd: Harley Rudisill, Cherryville, N.C., three bass, 8-10, $795
3rd: Kiel Guin, Hickory, N.C., three bass, 8-9, $405
4th: John Richardson, Winston-Salem, N.C., two bass, 7-8, $425
5th: Jason Pulver, Mooresville, N.C., three bass, 7-4, $290
6th: Dale Surrett, Midland, N.C., three bass, 7-3, $250
7th: Wayne Smelser, Wytheville, Va., three bass, 6-4, $240
8th: Mark Hughes, Salisbury, N.C., three bass, 5-13, $230
9th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., three bass, 5-10, $220
10th: Colby Shuping, Boomer, N.C., two bass, 5-9, $210
John Richardson of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award after landing a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass worth $100.
https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-norman-21626.html
Bass Fishing League (BFL) News