Story by Ken Duke | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
At the end of any year, it’s natural to look back on what happened and what’s ahead. And since we still have one more day in 2024, I’ll use this space to look back at what I think were 10 of the biggest and best moments of the year.
Let’s go chronologically.
1. Harkins breaks through at the season opener
The NPFL season kicked off in Alabama with a win by one of the youngest anglers in the field. Will Harkins is not only poised to become one of the sport’s next superstars, but he had come devastatingly close to winning in the past. In fact, at Lake Eufaula (Oklahoma) in 2023, he tied with Louis Fernandes at the end of regulation only to lose the tiebreaker. He bounced back with runner up finishes in the final two events of that season before winning the 2024 season opener. In all, he posted six consecutive top 10 finishes, and at Logan Martin he became the youngest winner in NPFL history … though that record would not last.
2. Perkins wins the inaugural Championship
It took a while, but NPFL held its first league championship in 2024 and Brandon Perkins was more than ready. Legendary Lake Amistad on the Texas-Mexico border was the venue and big bass and big bags were the order of the day … at least for Perkins, who posted the heaviest three-day catch in league history (71-08) and had the largest margin of victory (15-09). He was nothing less than dominating!
3. Double digits
Tournament weights are relative. A 12-pound bag is great on some waters at some times. Other places at other times it takes 30 pounds to turn heads. But one standard always impresses — a 10-pound bass. For the first time in NPFL history, that mark was broken, and it happened at the Championship! On Day 1 Brandon Perkins took the lead behind the heft of a 10-06 Lake Amistad largemouth. But it was only a league record until the third day when Jesse Wise bagged a 10-09.
4. Corbishley finds a way at Hartwell
Mike Corbishley likes Lake Hartwell. He posted a top 10 finish there in 2022 and was looking forward to his return in 2024. But conditions were tough. In May, the bass had mostly finished spawning but were not yet in their summertime patterns. It turned out to be one of the toughest events in league history. The average bass was the smallest ever (just 2-04) and Corbishley’s margin of victory was just nine ounces. It was a gusty win under challenging circumstances.
No one has won more NPFL tournaments than Patrick Walters. He notched his fourth championship in 2024 on Pickwick Lake by posting the heaviest weight in league regular season history (70-02) while Corey Casey bagged the heaviest largemouth in regular season history on Day 3 (9-10). Other than the Championship, this was the biggest slugfest of 2024.
Who owns Saginaw Bay? Well, I’m sure the United States has a pretty good claim, but if you’re an angler, you might want to concede ownership to Gary Adkins. After all, he’s won two NPFL events on those waters and shows no signs of slowing down. Adkins became the oldest winner in NPFL history when he won in 2022. Naturally, he beat his own record this year, winning at less than a month shy of his 58th birthday. Along the way, league records for biggest smallmouth were smashed. Kevin Martin led the way with a bronzeback weighing 6-13.
Lake of the Ozarks was … off. Temperatures were unseasonably high, and the fish were not in their usual patterns. Throw in a 15-inch size limit and you have a recipe for tough tournament bassing. None of that mattered to Nick Brown. What he lacked in quantity (he only weighed in 13 bass over three days) he made up in quality on the way to his first NPFL win — and the first win by any angler who didn’t weigh in a limit each day.
Bailey Gay had no experience on Lake Murray before the season finale in December, but it didn’t matter. The field battled high winds and the coldest temperatures in league history as Bailey learned just enough in practice to earn his first NPFL win and become the youngest champion in NPFL history at just 21 years old, eclipsing the mark set by Will Harkins at Stop 1.
9. Elusive limits
Going into 2024, no angler in NPFL history had ever limited each day of competition for a full season. Now, at the conclusion of the 2024 season, it’s still true … but it was close. Headed into Stop 5 at Lake of the Ozarks, 10 anglers had all limited every day of the season, but they fell like dominos under the strain of tough fishing and a 15-inch size limit. By the time the tournament was done, only Isaac Peavyhouse had a perfect record. Then it was on to Lake Murray under challenging conditions. On Day 1, the young pro fell one short of a 5-bass limit. The achievement will have to wait for another season.
10. The AOY race
2024 gave us a Progressive Angler of the Year race for the ages. Kyle Welcher and Drew Cook battled it out tournament after tournament, and it came down to the final day of the season. Leading by just two points going into Lake Murray, Cook was solid, but Welcher was not to be denied and wound up taking the title by just eight points. Cook’s worst finish all year was 15th place, and he actually weighed in more pounds of bass than Welcher, but it wasn’t enough. Welcher now has an NPFL AOY to go along with his Bassmaster AOY.
