Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Day one at the Strike King NPFL Stop One at Santee Cooper Lakes is underway and the cold weather is not standing in the way of catching big bass. Leading the pack to kick off the 2025 season, Texas pro Jordan Osborne caught an NPFL record 33 pounds, 1 ounces single-day bag. In second place, Oklahoma pro Jason Christie started his event with 31 pounds, 6 ounces. Behind him, Buck Mallory weighed an impressive 31 pounds, 1 ounces limit to start the tournament in third.
It was hit or miss on Santee Cooper as 26 anglers weighed in over 20-pounds, and the check cut weight is occupied by J Todd Tucker in 40th place with 16 pounds, 12 ounces. Big fish of the day was caught by Harmon Davis with a 10-pound, 9-ounce Santee Cooper lunker.
Jordan Osborne
After a slow start to the morning and a long run to Lake Moultrie to target hard cover, day one leader Jordan Osborne finally settled into his “unique” area as the bite turned on in the afternoon.
“I really felt they were still going to bite despite the weather, but it just wasn’t happening for me until later in the day,” he said. “I don’t know if it was the time or what, but I got into a special looking area that looked vastly different from the surrounding water, and in an hour, I had my five bites and left.”
Having never fished Santee Cooper before, three days of practice wasn’t much time to explore, leaving plenty of unknowns for the Texas angler about how the next couple days may shake out.
“This place is so big,” he added. “At noon, I got into a spot I had found using some Google Maps, and it just looked different to me—sure enough, they were there. I quickly fished through what was productive, and it makes sense why those fish are there. But I don’t know if they would have bit in the morning or if i happened to be there at the right time. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.”
While he believes more fish are moving into that special area, he didn’t want to overfish it, quickly securing his NPFL record-setting bag before pulling out for the day. With only one local boat in the area, he hopes to expand on the bite window the next two days.
“I caught only five fish, all within a couple hundred yards, and then bounced. I don’t know much more about it yet—I haven’t figured out what makes the wheels turn on this body of water. It may run dry, but tomorrow, I’m planning to get there earlier and expand. We’ll see what happens,” he added.
Jason Christie
Returning to the same general areas where he found fish in practice, veteran angler Jason Christie knew he might have to relocate them after two off days—and that’s exactly what he did. Things started slow, but he got going, picking off fish one at a time. Rotating through a few different style baits, Christie kept things honest and capitalized on the few big bites he got.
“I probably caught only ten fish all day, losing a few as well, but overall, not a lot of bites,” Christie said. “It makes sense where they moved, but at the same time, it doesn’t—it kinda surprised me. I think they want to move, and with the warmer weather (tomorrow), I’d expect more to come. Duplicating those big bites is hard to do, even here—it seems like they’re either 2-pounders or giants.”
Buck Mallory
Buck Mallory had a few options when he launched this morning at John C. Land Boat Ramp, but the Michigan pro returned to his “sweet spot” along a large stretch of vegetation—and never looked back. By 10:30 a.m., he had done his job and pulled the plug, opting to save some fish for the weekend.
“I practiced in places where the fish would be less affected by the cold front, and that’s exactly what happened today,” said Mallory. “The only difference today was that the bites got bigger. In practice, I found a small spot where my best two bites came from, and I think they’re still coming to me.”
Opting to fish a bit more “off the bank,” his main area is less than 100 yards long, and he has yet to figure out exactly what’s holding the fish, but he plans to continue expanding on it. With only one other NPFL angler in the vicinity, Mallory essentially has the area to himself, giving him confidence that he can manage the fish and potentially build on his momentum as the event progresses.
“The only thing I’ve noticed so far is that the water temperature in my area is different—and I think that’s key. I started the day with 15 rods on the deck, and I’m not changing anything for tomorrow. There were two baits I caught my bag on, both reaction-style.”
With warmer weather expected on Saturday, Mallory remains cautiously optimistic, excited by the potential for more big fish to move in and stage before the spawn.
Top Ten:
Jordan Osborne 33-1
Jason Christie 31-6
Buck Mallory 31-1
Patrick Walters 28-13
Andrew Upshaw 27-5
Kyle Glasgow 27-4
Corey Casey 27-3
Hank Cherry 26-0
Darrel Robertson 25-13
Shane Lineberger 25-13
