Story by Ken Duke | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
When you tune into the Live coverage of the Strike King NPFL Stop One at Santee Cooper Lakes hosted by Clarendon County Tourism, you’re going to notice a couple of things very quickly. First, you’ll see that the coverage and production values are better than ever. You’ll be able to watch on the NPFL website and on YouTube.
Second, you’re going to see a lot of new names. Some will be “new” in the sense that you may never have heard of them. Others will be “new” in the sense that you’re familiar with them but haven’t seen them competing on the NPFL trail. Instead, you’ve seen them on the Bassmaster Elite Series or MLF Bass Pro Tour or even the old FLW Tour.
We’re excited about both of those groups of “new” names. The former is essential to any healthy tournament organization looking to move forward and create stars. The latter is a sign of progress, development and acceptance as the League builds its audience and claims its place in the industry.
In 2025, the NPFL field includes 118 anglers from 23 states. Six of those anglers have already won NPFL events. In fact, they’ve combined for 11 NPFL wins.
The field has earned 173 Bassmaster Classic appearances and four Classic titles (Hank Cherry has two, Jason Christie and David Fritts have one each). They have 137 Forrest Wood Cup appearances and six Cup titles (Justin Atkins, John Cox, David Fritts, Greg Hackney, Darrel Robertson and Scott Suggs). They’ve qualified for 10 Major League Fishing Redcrest championships.
There are five former Bassmaster Anglers of the Year in the NPFL field (Gerald Swindle has two, Scott Canterbury, Fritts, Hackney and Kyle Welcher have one apiece). One NPFL angler has earned an FLW Angler of the Year title (Hackney).
Current and former Bassmaster Elite Series and MLF Bass Pro Tour anglers who are in the 2025 NPFL field include
Justin Atkins
Todd Auten
Tommy Biffle
Zack Birge
Scott Canterbury
Hank Cherry
Jason Christie
Brandon Cobb
Drew Cook
John Cox
David Fritts
Buddy Gross
Greg Hackney
Matt Herren
Koby Kreiger
Caleb Kuphall
Shane LeHew
Shane Lineberger
Wes Logan
Bill Lowen
Pete Ponds
K.J. Queen
Scott Suggs
Gerald Swindle
J Todd Tucker
Patrick Walters
James Watson
Kyle Welcher
David Williams
Tyler Williams
Jason Williamson
Of course, those are just the accolades that the field has amassed on other circuits. There are also two former NPFL Progressive Anglers of the Year competing this year (Todd Goade and Welcher) as well as the only angler to win an NPFL Championship (Brandon Perkins).
And most important are the “home-grown” talents—the anglers who have built their stars on the NPFL tournament trail. These include anglers like Goade, Perkins, Louis Fernandes, Will Harkins, and Timmy Reams. They’re building their brands and their stars through the League.
In all, 41 anglers will be debuting with the NPFL this year, and 12 of them have no experience on the Bassmaster Elite Series, MLF Bass Pro Tour, or FLW Tour. They’re true “rookies,” and they’ve “cut their teeth” on local and regional circuits from Florida to Texas to West Virginia. Are they ready for tour level competition?
We’re about to find out!
All 118 anglers will be competing on a first-class media platform with top-notch coverage, and they’ll be fishing without the aid of real-time imaging units (forward-facing sonar) … many for the very first time.
Competition begins Thursday, March 6, weather permitting. Live daily weigh-ins are scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday starting at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live Stream coverage of on-the-water action with Luke Dunkin and Fat Cat Newton starts Friday at 8:00 a.m. ET.
It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be fun. And the wait is almost over!
