By Jason Duran
The Alabama Bass Trail South Division started the 13th season at Lake Jordan. Lake Jordan is the kind of place that forces you to tell the truth. It is small enough that your best water is rarely yours alone. Tight enough that a boat number can rewrite your morning before you ever make a cast. And dynamic enough that one decision from the dam, one shift in generation, or one band of weather sliding across the lake can turn a solid plan into dead water.
That is what made this opener feel like more than just the first stop on the schedule. It was a live test of composure. A tournament where the lake demanded adjustments in real time, and the teams that responded cleanly rose to the top. At the end of it, the winningest team in Alabama Bass Trail history did what they have done for years. They made better decisions, faster than everyone else, and turned disruption into control.
Rutland and Carden Win with 24.72 and $15,000
Chris Rutland and Coby Carden won the 2026 South Division opener with 24.72 pounds, cashing $15,000.
The turning point of their day was not a bait choice or a hidden pocket. It was a number. Boat 214. They watched three primary starting areas get taken before they ever had a chance to settle in. On Lake Jordan, that is the moment that breaks teams. It creates panic. It creates stubbornness. It creates wasted time. Rutland and Carden did none of that. They moved to a fourth option, not because it was the script, but because it was the next best decision. Then the lake changed the math. They expected one level of generation. They got two. The current doubled. The area they landed on did not get worse under heavier flow. It got better.
They built their limit within the first few minutes and never fished from behind. From that point forward, it became an upgrade tournament. Their winning weight was established early, and the rest of the day was about recognizing opportunity, not forcing it. The pace never felt frantic. It felt deliberate.
This win carried extra weight because of where it happened. Rutland lives close to Jordan. They have been close here before, including two runner up finishes. Winning on a lake you only visit once a year feels good. Winning on a lake that sits in your backyard feels personal. That box is now checked. When you zoom out, this victory fits into a résumé that continues to separate them from the field.
Rutland and Carden have fished every single season of the Alabama Bass Trail since its inception. With this win, they now own seven career ABT victories, the most in Trail history, along with two Anglers of the Year titles and a record of never finishing lower than 14th in the AOY standings. They have wins on nearly every South Division lake and now, finally, a Lake Jordan trophy.
That is not a hot stretch. It is sustained dominance across the entire life of the Trail. What separates them is not just history. It is investment. As the sport has evolved, they have evolved with it. Over the past two seasons, they have skipped hunting trips and sacrificed chunks of deer season to stay on the water and sharpen their LiveScope skills. While others debated the technology, they practiced it. They did not resist change. They prepared for it. And when Lake Jordan forced decisions, crowded water, doubled current, shifting fish, they were ready.
The Crowson’s Go Back to Back Second at Jordan
Kolby and Kade Crowson finished second with 22.78 pounds for 7,500, anchored by a 5.55 pound spotted bass.
Lake Jordan is quickly becoming a defining lake in their ABT story, and that is not narrative fluff. It is pattern truth. Like today’s winners, their time here feels inevitable. This was the site of their first ABT event last season, and they finished second then as well. One year later, they nearly duplicated the result. Limited practice time forced them to rely on familiarity rather than fresh discoveries. Their approach was narrow and disciplined. Make the run north. Fish rock piles. Slow roll a 2.7 inch 6th Sense swimbait on a 1/4 ounce jighead tight to the bottom and work it through current seams without hanging it.
They essentially had one primary place they believed in. That is where Jordan applies pressure. The lake does not hide crowds. Boat traffic stacks up. The bite window compresses. Then the storm hit and generation increased from one unit to two. That is when their biggest bite came. The 5.55 was not random. It came in that surge window where current and weather overlapped. It validated their entire approach and proved they were in the right type of water at the right moment. Back to back seconds at Jordan is not coincidence. It is confirmation.
Dash Dawson and Layton Brown Fished a Spring Pattern
Dash Dawson and Layton Brown finished third with 21.10 pounds for $6,000, anchored by a 6.01 pound largemouth.
If Rutland and Carden’s story was composure under pressure, and the Crowson’s story was timing on current and rock, Dash and Brown’s story added another layer Jordan always carries this time of year. Transition.
Dash was not fishing winter. He was fishing what was coming next. He had those fish figured out for weeks. Instead of spending practice casting, he spent it graphing, staying in the driver’s seat, tracking a big female he believed was setting up as water temperatures ranged from the mid
50s into the low 60s. One flip produced her. As pressure increased and parts of the scope bite became less predictable, they adjusted. They ran shallow, leaned into pre spawn water, and slowed down. Neko rig. Drop shot. Short stretches fished carefully. They treated 30 yards of water like it could hold 30 pounds and did not leave until they were sure it did not. For a 3rd place finish in their first ABT together, that is not just a good day. It is a statement.
The Biggest Fish of the Event Was 8.09 and It Paid $1000
The single biggest bass weighed at Lake Jordan was an 8.09 brought to the scales by Trey Daoust and Justin Daoust. It earned the $1000 dollars Big Fish. It did not change the top three story, but it reminded everyone what Jordan is capable of. One bite can still rewrite everything.
A Great Start to the 13th Season of the ABT South
Rutland and Carden won because their day never unraveled. The Crowsons threatened because they trusted timing and stayed committed. Dash and Brown broke into the conversation because they recognized a lake in transition and slowed down when others sped up.
Lake Jordan did not just kick off the 2026 season. It established intent.
For a complete list of standings please visit https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/lake-jordan/results/
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday.
The 2026 Alabama Bass Trail Team Series is made possible through partnerships with industry leading brands: Phoenix Boats, AMFirst, Larry Puckett Chevrolet, 13 Fishing, Rapala, VMC, CRUSHCITY, Buffalo Rock, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Jack’s, Garmin, Thompson Tractor Company, Pirnah02, Alabama State Parks, Halo Fishing, Snag Proof, NetBait, Bait Fuel, Alfa Insurance Thomas ALFA MAN Shelton, TH Marine Supplies, Power Pole, Pro Guide Batteries, Yamaha, SCUM FROG, E3 Sports Apparel, FishAlabama.org, Sweet Home Alabama, and Alabama Mountain Lakes.
The Alabama Bass Trail is a program of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
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