Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Let’s kick things off in Texarkana!
Hosted by the City of Texarkana, TX, stop number two marks the second event on Wright Patman Lake for the NPFL, and the first since its Inaugural season in 2021. Back then, Keith Carson executed flawlessly on a shallow water pattern which saw him take the victory by over nine pounds. While the majority of the field fished shallow water bushes when the water was higher, Carson unlocked the key to getting more of those bigger bites.
This time around, things look different on the body of water many anglers look at as a top favorite lake they have fished in their career. The water levels are much different which has scattered fish in different locations making it tougher to hone in on bigger fish.
Keith Carson missed the majority of his first practice day but was excited to get out on a much different lake this week.
“My practice was excellent,” said Carson briefly.” The fishing is not as good (as in 2021), but there are still big ones in here and someone is going to catch them.”
Quentin Cappo agrees, it is a much different lake than what he has hoped for during practice this week.
“Given the history of this lake and the NPFL results, I expected practice to be better than it was,” said Cappo. “Overall, the water conditions are nowhere near what they were then and it has definitely affected the bite. However, this lake has giants; someone will figure out the key to catching those bigger fish and getting those fish in the boat.”
For other anglers, the practice period was full of mixed reviews. Barron Adams for example was one.
“Practice was pretty good two of the days, and terrible on one day,” said Adams. “I have figured out how to get a lot of bites a day but I hope they are the right size. I think if a guy can get 8 to 10 bites per day, it will take some decent weights.”
Richard Cooper agrees, the place is chock full of bass. His practice period was hit or miss and he still expects this event to be won shallow, despite the lower water level.
“The lake is fishing really tough right now but the fish didn’t go anywhere,” said Cooper. “You have to put your head down and grind to get those bigger bites.”
What’s it going to take?
With everyone in agreeance the lake is fishing much differently, here is what the anglers estimate for a winning weight this week.
Keith Carson – “Probably in the high 50s to win.”
Quentin Cappo – “I feel like the winning weight will be in the mid-50-pound range.”
Barron Adams – “I am guessing the winner will be around the 58-pound mark.”
Jeff Fitts – “Practice was tough and nothing like two years ago. I am going to say 52 pounds gets the win.”
Richard Cooper – “I still think shallow will get it done, and probably low 50-pound range for three days will win, with check weight being 38-pounds.”
Weather Watch
Anglers can expect scattered thunderstorms in the morning with a chance of more storms in the afternoon. While highs remain in the 80’s for day one, the winds will be blowing 10 to 20 MPH from the South. Storms could be severe throughout the day, and the chance of rain will be 100%.
Different than practice, the anglers are hoping the change in weather will help the bite overall.
How to Watch
Tune in daily from April 20 through 22 to watch daily action from Wright Patman, with Live Coverage here and on the FREE PHYX TV App beginning this morning from 8 AM to 1 PM on day one.
Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Wright Patman.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!
Check out the results from stop number one on Pickwick Lake, here!
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