Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
It’s time for NPFL Stop 6 on Lake Murray hosted by Capital City Lake Murray Country! We arrived in town Friday evening but not without some drama of course. Our three-year-old slowed the trip down a little when she became carsick and threw up all in the truck. Poor kid. Fortunately, she’s okay now.
Then, when we arrived in town, the rental house we were going to stay in was so nasty that we left and found a new place to stay. Around midnight Friday night we finally got settled in.
It’s currently Sunday night as I write this. Practice started today. It was a little cool but then turned into a nice day. Monday and Tuesday are going to be fairly warm with a decent chance of rain both days. Then on Wednesday, Day 1 of the tournament, a major cold front will arrive. The morning temp will be in the low 60s falling into the mid 40s throughout the day paired with high winds and 1/2-inch of rain. It’s going to be a lovely day! Then cold post frontal days Thursday and Friday with light winds and lows around freezing.
So far, practice has been difficult. I know that seems like a common theme after each practice, but that’s the way it is. I don’t believe limits will be a guarantee this event, but it shouldn’t be near as brutal as Lake of the Ozarks. This is one of the best lakes in the country and even if it’s tough, some guys are going to catch them. Local single-day tournaments are taking 20-21 pounds to win and 16-17 pounds to get paid. Our guys will be just as tough on the winning weight. The check weight will be lower than single day events though.
There’s a few different ways to catch them right now, and I think the top finishers’ patterns will reflect that. The most obvious pattern will be “scoping.” Whether that’s around groups of bait or around some type of structure, it will definitely be a player. There could be a bite in some of the submerged grass, too. Then there will be a shallow bite, especially as the front pushes through on Day 1.
I expect weights to be really strong on Day 1. With a major cold front pushing through, the fish will eat really well. The strong winds will open up a shallow reaction bite that won’t be around the rest of the week. On days two and three, the post frontal high pressure days will be much tougher to get bit … especially with the lack of wind. I think the guys using their electronics will shine under those conditions. I’d say the winner will catch most of their weight offshore but will have two or three key fish from up shallow.
The best way to find out is to tune in the next three days for live weigh-ins and all-day live coverage on Thursday and Friday. I’ll check back in next week and give you the nitty gritty on how my week went!
Hunter Baughman – Angler Profile
