Story by Ken Duke | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
No matter what the pundits or commentators for other leagues may tell you, bass tournaments at the highest level are not events that offer a lot of come-from-behind action.
More than a decade ago I was on the set of a major championship tournament broadcast being interviewed by their “analyst.” The tournament leader was up by six or seven pounds going into the final day and the analyst was trying to maintain interest among viewers. Then he made a mistake.
“This tournament is still anybody’s to win, isn’t it, Ken?”
Not being a fan of lying or misleading the fans of our sport, I said “No, it’s pretty much over. If the leader can get back to the weigh-in on time, he’s getting the trophy and the big check. Why don’t we take a look at how he’s doing it?”
The analyst recoiled from me in horror. His reaction made me laugh out loud. He physically backed away while saying, “Oh, I totally disagree! This is anybody’s game.”
So, I kept digging, “Well, you can disagree all you like, but the truth is that no one has ever lost this event when leading by more than the weight of the tournament big bass going into the last day … and that trend will not end today.”
That’s when they went to a tight shot of the analyst, cut my mic, and ushered me off the set. They couldn’t handle the truth, and I couldn’t handle being part of a lie. It was several months before I was back in front of that camera.
Do I need to tell you that I was right about that tournament … that the guy with the hefty lead held on?
Of course there are comebacks. It’s just that they’re few, far between, and almost never as big as the hype.
I bring all of this up now because the NPFL just witnessed its biggest comeback at the last event—the Chompers/NPFL Stop 5 on Lake of the Ozarks won by Nick Brown. He tied one record and set two others on his way to his first NPFL title. There’s a good chance that the records he set will still be on the books for quite a while.
Let’s take a look.
Brown had a terrific practice on Lake of the Ozarks—so strong that he was telling friends he thought he had an excellent chance to win. It wasn’t just the usual idle tournament talk. He was getting the bites and seeing the quality fish that could easily win on that body of water under those conditions. He even ended his final practice day early so he could address some mechanical issues and get some extra rest.
But Day 1 was tough—tougher than he expected. Instead of five bass weighing 20 pounds or better, he managed just three keepers and 11-11. That put him in 18th place, six pounds and one ounce behind the leader.
And those are NPFL records for biggest comeback.
First, Brown tied the record set by Ryan Satterfield a year earlier on Wright-Patman Lake in Texas. Both Brown and Satterfield went on to win their respective events despite trailing the leader after Day 1 by 6-01. That may not sound like a lot of weight until you realize you have just two more days and a five fish limit to make it up.
Second, coming from 18th place after Day 1 to win is a new NPFL record. The record for biggest comeback by place was previously held by Satterfield at Wright-Patman in 2023 when he ended the first day in 14th place. Mike Corbishley was also in 14th on Day 1 before coming on strong to win at Lake Hartwell earlier this year.
To win after being so many places behind is tough because you have to leap-frog so many other skilled anglers. Passing the Day 1 leader is one thing; passing everyone between you and the leader is exponentially more difficult.
Nineteen of the NPFL’s 24 winners were in fourth place or better after Day 1.
But I think the biggest surprise of Brown’s comeback victory is the fact that he won without catching a limit on each day of competition. He weighed just 13 of a possible 15 bass, and anytime you spot the rest of the field an extra bass or two, you dramatically hurt your chances of winning.
Brown became the first winner in NPFL history to take the top spot without bringing a limit to the scales each day. Part of that was tough fishing. A bigger part was Lake of the Ozarks’ 15-inch size limit. Anglers—including Brown—were catching plenty of bass, but most were simply too short to bring to the scales.
It will likely be quite a while before another angler wins an NPFL event without three limit catches, but it will happen … eventually.
And one day a winner will come from farther back than 18th. It will happen on a lake producing big catches where it will take 66 pounds or more to win.
Ours is not a sport of big comebacks. When they happen, they’re remarkable.
