Trim Wins B.A.S.S. Nation Championship

Monday, October 27th, 2025 -- 8:30 AM

43 year old Nick Trim of Galsesville went wire-to-wire to win B.A.S.S. Nation Championship in La Crosse over the weekend.  Trim caught a total of 20 bass for a four-day weight of 77 pounds that earned him the win in this tournament that featured some 500 competitors from 48 states and seven foreign countries. Trim picked up a $50,000 cash prize and he also won paid entry into the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series in 2026.  Finally, as one of the Top 3 anglers in the Nation Championship, Trim locked up a berth in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic when it’s held in Knoxville, Tenn., on the Tennessee River March 13-15.  

It was a lot to process, both mentally and emotionally, Trim said, shortly after holding aloft the Bryan V. Kerchal Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the victorious boater in this prestigious tournament. The trophy is named, of course, for the only angler in history to qualify for, and win, a Bassmaster Classic following a victory in the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship.

Trim led from wire-to-wire on the Upper Mississippi, jumping to the lead with a 21-pound bag on Wednesday and increasing the margin with a 19-pound limit on Day 2. Dense fog limited anglers to only a few hours on the water on Day 3, but Trim was unfazed, catching 16-9 and taking a nearly 3-pound lead into Championship Saturday. He slammed the door on the other 10 anglers competing on the final day (a 20-7 limit put him exactly four pounds ahead of his nearest competitor in the final standings.)

The win didn’t come without work and some worry, though. Trim built his lead targeting a wintering hole that had points, knobs and hard spots ranging from 4 to 16 feet deep. But that basin wasn’t productive on Saturday, and Trim wound up working the main river, returning to familiar haunts that have won local tournaments for him here time and again.

Noah Winslow, a 26-year-old resident of Naugatuck, Conn., finished second while Dylan Nutt, a 21-year-old from Nashville, clinched the third and final Classic berth up for grabs this week on the Upper Mississippi.  

Chris Miller of Iowa won the $500 Big Bass Award with a 7-15 whopper smallmouth he caught Friday. He also collected $500 checks presented to the highest-finishing angler using a Garmin trolling motor and Garmin electronics.

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