Alabama’s Randy Howell Leads Hartwell Bassmaster Elite

Alabama’s Randy Howell took the Day 1 lead at the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, S.C., with a weight of 21-11.

Randy Howell did not know how his day would start, but he definitely knew where it would start.

Capitalizing on a key practice discovery, the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro from Guntersville, Ala., made the most of his early plan and laid the foundation for a five-bass limit of 21-lbs., 11-ozs. that leads Day 1 of the Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell.

Heading into Friday’s second round of competition, the 2014 Bassmaster Classic champion leads Japanese sensation Kyoya Fujita by 1-2. Howell anchored his leading bag with a 7-lb., 15-oz. largemouth.

“I found that big fish on a bed in practice and shook her off on a green pumpkin purple/green Senko — I had my hook point cut off,” Howell said. “This morning, I lined up on it with my GPS and caught her on my first cast.

“A big fish on any lake in this game is huge, but man, 6-pounders are usually (considered) big here. So, to catch a (nearly) 8-pounder here — definitely, God is blessing me.”

Howell said his strong start has put a much-needed gust of wind in his sails.

“I really needed a good tournament,” Howell said. “I had two 57th places back to back (Pasquotank River and Lake Okeechobee) and I started with a bomb in the first Elite event (St. Johns River), so I have to climb my way out of a hole.

“Today was the first day that I just had that smooth momentum; everything went right.”

Howell said that surge of confidence fueled what would turn out to be a stellar day.

“After that big fish, the rest of the day got better because I already had that fish as a kicker,” Howell said. “This was one of the days you dream about.”

After boating his big bed fish, Howell caught the 1 1/4-pound male. From there, he moved to the main lake and filled his limit by throwing a Livingston Walking Boss for bass that were schooling on the blueback herring spawn.

“I had a decent limit, so that gave me the ability to relax, take my time and just fish slow,” he said. “I just went around the bedding areas and caught cruising fish and bed fish on that same color Senko. I culled out everything but that big fish.”

Noting that he’ll likely continue the same game plan on Day 2, Howell said the first round exceeded his expectations.

“My goal today was to catch 20 pounds, and I caught 21-11,” Howell said. “That was the biggest bag I’ve ever caught on Hartwell. I’ve had some good Classics here in the past.

“This is the first time I’ve been back here in a while. I love this lake and I’m looking forward to getting back out there and keeping it rolling.”

Hailing from Yamanashi, Japan, Fujita is in second place with 20-9. The versatile angler caught his quality shallow and his quantity in deeper water.

“I fished the bank for cruising largemouth and I fished offshore for spotted bass,” Fujita said. “I caught (several) spotted bass on a jighead minnow with a Jackall Drift Fry and a Deps Sakamata Shad.

“I caught two big largemouth — 6-pounder and 4 1/2 — on a Jackall Vividus Gill swimbait. I was fishing the swimbait slow.”

Forecasting his second-day’s game plan, Fujita said: “Tomorrow, I’ll try to catch big spots. Today, I caught 3- and 3 1/2-pound spotted bass, so I’ll try to catch bigger ones (on Day 2).”

Paul Marks, of Cumming, Ga., is in third place with 19-7. His day was comprised of alternating sessions of shallow and deep patterns.

“I could go offshore and fish the main lake for herring-spawn fish and it was pretty much nonstop,” Marks said. “Once I got a good bag, I went and bed fished and caught a big one that I’d found yesterday (in practice).

“After that, I went back out and culled three times. I finished my day bed fishing. I found a couple of big ones that I couldn’t get to bite. We’ll see if they’ll bite tomorrow.”

Marks said his opening-round limit was comprised of two bed fish and three that he caught while targeting the herring spawn.

Howell is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 7-15.

Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 369 points. Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, is in second place with 344 points, followed by Will Davis Jr of Sylacauga, Ala., with 343, Shane Lehew of Catawba, N.C., with 334, and Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., with 331.

Marks leads the Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 282 points.

Friday’s takeoff was at 7 a.m. ET at Green Pond Landing. The weigh-in will be held at the Landing at 3 p.m.

Bassmaster LIVE coverage of the 2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell will be available on Bassmaster.com on Day 2 starting at 8 a.m. ET and ending at 3 p.m. and will also be on Roku Sports from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Semifinal Saturday and Championship Sunday action can be seen on FS1 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. before moving to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon.

Visit Anderson is hosting this tournament.

2025 Whataburger Bassmaster Elite at Lake Hartwell 4/24-4/27
Lake Hartwell, Anderson  SC.
Standings Day 1

   Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Randy Howell           Guntersville, AL         5  21-11  104   $1,000.00
   Day 1: 5   21-11
   2.  Kyoya Fujita           Yamanashi CA JAPAN       5  20-09  103
   Day 1: 5   20-09
   3.  Paul Marks             Cumming, GA              5  19-07  102
   Day 1: 5   19-07
   4.  Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK             5  18-15  101
   Day 1: 5   18-15
   4.  Jay Przekurat          Plover, WI               5  18-15  101
   Day 1: 5   18-15
   6.  Drew Cook              Cairo, GA                5  18-12   99
   Day 1: 5   18-12
   6.  Austin Felix           Eden Prairie, MN         5  18-12   99
   Day 1: 5   18-12
   6.  Wesley Gore            Clanton, AL              5  18-12   99
   Day 1: 5   18-12
   9.  Drew Benton            Panama City, FL          5  18-11   96
   Day 1: 5   18-11
   10. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL         5  18-03   95
   Day 1: 5   18-03
   11. Chad Pipkens           Dewitt, MI               5  17-15   94
   Day 1: 5   17-15
   12. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC               5  17-14   93
   Day 1: 5   17-14
   12. Jordan Lee             Cullman, AL              5  17-14   93
   Day 1: 5   17-14
   14. Patrick Walters        Eutawville, SC           5  17-11   91
   Day 1: 5   17-11
   15. Justin Hamner          Northport, AL            5  17-10   90
   Day 1: 5   17-10
   15. Trey McKinney          Carbondale, IL           5  17-10   90
   Day 1: 5   17-10
   17. Easton Fothergill      Grand Rapids , MN        5  17-06   88
   Day 1: 5   17-06
   18. Bill Lowen             Brookville, IN           5  17-05   87
   Day 1: 5   17-05
   19. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX             5  17-02   86
   Day 1: 5   17-02
   20. John Cox               Debary, FL               5  17-00   85
   Day 1: 5   17-00
   21. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC              5  16-14   84
   Day 1: 5   16-14
   22. Ray Hanselman Jr       Del Rio, TX              5  16-11   83
   Day 1: 5   16-11
   23. Cody Meyer             Eagle, ID                5  16-05   82
   Day 1: 5   16-05
   24. Tucker Smith           Birmingham, AL           5  16-04   81
   Day 1: 5   16-04
   25. Cole Sands             Johnson City, TN         5  16-03   80
   Day 1: 5   16-03
   26. Bryant Smith           Roseville, CA            5  16-03   79
   Day 1: 5   16-03
   27. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                5  16-02   78
   Day 1: 5   16-02
   28. Bryan New              Leesville, SC            5  16-00   77
   Day 1: 5   16-00
   29. Kyle Patrick           Cooperstown, NY          5  15-14   76
   Day 1: 5   15-14
   30. Cory Johnston          Otonabee CANADA          5  15-13   75
   Day 1: 5   15-13
   30. Emil Wagner            Marietta, GA             5  15-13   75
   Day 1: 5   15-13
   32. Will Davis Jr          Sylacauga, AL            5  15-12   73
   Day 1: 5   15-12
   33. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD                5  15-11   72
   Day 1: 5   15-11
   34. Jamie Hartman          Newport, NY              5  15-10   71
   Day 1: 5   15-10
   34. JT Thompkins           Myrtle Beach, SC         5  15-10   71
   Day 1: 5   15-10
   36. Brandon Palaniuk       Rathdrum, ID             5  15-09   69
   Day 1: 5   15-09
   37. Kyle Norsetter         Cottage Grove, WI        5  15-08   68
   Day 1: 5   15-08
   38. Alex Redwine           Blue Ash, OH             5  15-07   67
   Day 1: 5   15-07
   38. Hunter Shryock         Ooltewah, TN             5  15-07   67
   Day 1: 5   15-07
   40. Chris Johnston         Otonabee Ontario CANADA  5  14-15   65
   Day 1: 5   14-15
   40. Ed Loughran III        Richmond, VA             5  14-15   65
   Day 1: 5   14-15
   40. Jacob Powroznik        North Prince George, VA  5  14-15   65
   Day 1: 5   14-15
   43. Pat Schlapper          Eleva, WI                5  14-13   62
   Day 1: 5   14-13
   44. Caleb Kuphall          Mukwonago, WI            5  14-12   61
   Day 1: 5   14-12
   45. Taku Ito               Dalton GA JAPAN          5  14-11   60
   Day 1: 5   14-11
   45. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           5  14-11   60
   Day 1: 5   14-11
   47. Logan Parks            Auburn, AL               5  14-09   58
   Day 1: 5   14-09
   48. Michael Iaconelli      Pitts Grove, NJ          5  14-08   57
   Day 1: 5   14-08
   49. Justin Atkins          Florence, AL             5  14-07   56
   Day 1: 5   14-07
   49. Buddy Gross            Chattanooga, TN          5  14-07   56
   Day 1: 5   14-07
   51. KJ Queen               Catawba, NC              5  14-06   54
   Day 1: 5   14-06
   52. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL            5  14-05   53
   Day 1: 5   14-05
   52. Timothy Dube           Nashua , NH              5  14-05   53
   Day 1: 5   14-05
   54. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR               5  14-04   51
   Day 1: 5   14-04
   55. Evan Kung              Pickering Ontario CANAD  5  14-03   50
   Day 1: 5   14-03
   55. Andrew Loberg          Guntersville, AL         5  14-03   50
   Day 1: 5   14-03
   57. Jason Christie         Dry Creek, OK            5  14-02   48
   Day 1: 5   14-02
   58. Ben Milliken           Omaha, NE                5  14-01   47
   Day 1: 5   14-01
   58. Matt Robertson         Kuttawa, KY              5  14-01   47
   Day 1: 5   14-01
   58. Kyle Welcher           Valley, AL               5  14-01   47
   Day 1: 5   14-01
   61. Wes Logan              Springville, AL          5  14-00   44
   Day 1: 5   14-00
   62. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC            5  13-15   43
   Day 1: 5   13-15
   62. Robert Gee             Knoxville, TN            5  13-15   43
   Day 1: 5   13-15
   64. Beau Browning          Hot Springs National Pa  5  13-10   41
   Day 1: 5   13-10
   64. David Mullins          Mt Carmel, TN            5  13-10   41
   Day 1: 5   13-10
   66. Brock Mosley           Collinsville, MS         5  13-09   39
   Day 1: 5   13-09
   67. Dakota Ebare           Brookeland, TX           5  13-08   38
   Day 1: 5   13-08
   67. Steve Kennedy          Auburn, AL               5  13-08   38
   Day 1: 5   13-08
   69. Matty Wong             Honolulu, HI             5  13-07   36
   Day 1: 5   13-07
   70. Cooper Gallant         Bowmanville Ontario CAN  5  13-05   35
   Day 1: 5   13-05
   70. Carl Jocumsen          Queensland TN AUSTRALIA  5  13-05   35
   Day 1: 5   13-05
   72. Jeff Gustafson         Kenora, ON Ontario CANA  5  13-04   33
   Day 1: 5   13-04
   73. Jonathan Kelley        Old Forge, PA            5  13-03   32
   Day 1: 5   13-03
   74. Seth Feider            Elko New Market, MN      5  13-02   31
   Day 1: 5   13-02
   74. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA             5  13-02   31
   Day 1: 5   13-02
   76. Joey Cifuentes III     Clinton, AR              5  13-01   29
   Day 1: 5   13-01
   77. Kenta Kimura           Osaka OK JAPAN           5  13-00   28
   Day 1: 5   13-00
   78. Jacob Foutz            Charleston, TN           5  12-15   27
   Day 1: 5   12-15
   78. Logan Latuso           Gonzales, LA             5  12-15   27
   Day 1: 5   12-15
   80. Gregory DiPalma        Millville, NJ            5  12-13   25
   Day 1: 5   12-13
   81. John Garrett           Union City, TN           5  12-09   24
   Day 1: 5   12-09
   82. David Gaston           Sylacauga, AL            5  12-08   23
   Day 1: 5   12-08
   83. Bob Downey             Detroit Lakes, MN        5  12-05   22
   Day 1: 5   12-05
   84. Cliff Pace             Ovett, MS                5  12-03   21
   Day 1: 5   12-03
   85. Clifford Pirch         Payson, AZ               5  12-02   20
   Day 1: 5   12-02
   86. Cody Huff              Ava, MO                  5  12-00   19
   Day 1: 5   12-00
   86. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN         5  12-00   19
   Day 1: 5   12-00
   88. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC           5  11-15   17
   Day 1: 5   11-15
   89. Greg Hackney           Gonzales, LA             5  11-14   16
   Day 1: 5   11-14
   90. Marc Frazier           Newnan, GA               5  11-13   15
   Day 1: 5   11-13
   91. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX           5  11-06   14
   Day 1: 5   11-06
   92. Brad Whatley           Bivins, TX               5  11-05   13
   Day 1: 5   11-05
   93. Bernie Schultz         Gainesville, FL          5  11-05   12
   Day 1: 5   11-05
   94. Tyler Williams         Belgrade, ME             5  11-01   11
   Day 1: 5   11-01
   95. Blake Capps            Muskogee, OK             5  11-01   10
   Day 1: 5   11-01
   96. Jason Williamson       Aiken, SC                5  10-13    9
   Day 1: 5   10-13
   97. Brandon Card           Salisbury, NC            5  10-10    8
   Day 1: 5   10-10
   98. Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT            5  10-02    7
   Day 1: 5   10-02
   99. Mark Menendez          Paducah, KY              5  10-00    6
   Day 1: 5   10-00
   100. Alex Wetherell         Middletown, CT           5  09-14    5
   Day 1: 5   09-14
   101. Chris Zaldain          Boyd, TX                 5  09-12    4
   Day 1: 5   09-12
   102. Jake Whitaker          Hendersonville, NC       5  09-10    3
   Day 1: 5   09-10
   ———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Randy Howell             Guntersville, AL    07-15      $1,000.00

2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Progressive, Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Triton Boats, VMC, Yokohama

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.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bassmaster Junior Series, Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Bassmaster College Kayak Series, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.