Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
With only two crucial events remaining in the NPFL season, the Progressive Angler of the Year race is primed to be electrifying as anglers prepare to face off at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma next month, followed by the ultimate showdown at Lake Lanier in Georgia in October.
The NPFL AOY race is at a critical juncture of the season, and the current leader Todd Goade made a decisive move at the last event to secure the top spot with a total of 981 points. Close on his heels, Timmy Reams with 971 points has maintained the lead the entire season before the event at Saginaw Bay, where he finished in the 24th spot, while Goade finished in sixth place. With only 10 points separating the league’s most consistent anglers, the final two events will be a must-watch.
While Goade and Reams battled it out for the top spot, behind them, several other anglers made moves and the gap between third and tenth place is a mere 45 points.
The top 10 looks like this:
Todd Goade 981
Timmy Reams 971
Jesse Wise 967
Sheldon Collings 954
Dustin Smith 946
Will Harkins 944
Brandon Perkins 932
Louis Fernandes 931
Brad Staley 926
Nick Brown 922
At Saginaw Bay, Jesse Wise wanted to stay consistent and that’s exactly what he did to maintain his third-place spot with two events remaining. Likewise, Sheldon Collings salvaged his tournament and moved up to fourth overall by catching a big bag on day two to finish in the top ten. Rounding out the top five, Dustin Smith put together three consistent days to finish in 12th place and sits only eight points behind Collings. Collings is only 13 points behind Jesse Wise who is only four behind Timmy Reams. A lot is on the line when the anglers make their way to Oklahoma for stop number five at Lake Eufaula.
Check out the Bait-WrX Top Performers for the 2023 Season.
The Progressive Angler of the Year winner will receive a $20,000 prize as well as all entry fees paid for the 2024 NPFL season. In addition, the top 25 in total points qualify for the no entry fee, $200,000 total purse Championship event where the winner will a $100,000 first place prize.
The 2024 Season Angler Registration is now open and interested anglers can apply to fish with the NPFL by completing the online Angler Application.
