Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
A summary of the 2025 NPFL season after day one: Storms and cold fronts moved through, tournament days were postponed, big fish were caught, and NPFL records fell! Day one brought heavy limits and big bass—and day two could get even better.
One by one, the NPFL single-day weight record was broken, starting with Buck Mallory, who had a commanding lead on the Fishing Chaos Catch Track all day, weighing 31 pounds, 1 ounce. Shortly after, veteran angler Jason Christie took over by 5 ounces with his day one limit of 31 pounds, 6 ounces, anchored by an 8-pound, 4-ounce lunker.
When the dust settled, Jordan Osborne dropped 33 pounds, 1 ounce to take the top spot. The Texas pro turned his day around in the afternoon, settling into a “unique area” he had identified pre-tournament on Google Earth. Within an hour of fishing, Osborne secured his day-one leading weight and called it a day.
Rounding out the top five are longtime pros Patrick Walters, with 28 pounds, 13 ounces, and Andrew Upshaw, with 27 pounds, 5 ounces. Shane Lineberger, in tenth place, weighed in 25 pounds, 13 ounces. Overall, there were 26 bags over 20 pounds, and the current check cut is occupied by J Todd Tucker, with 16 pounds, 12 ounces. Harmon Davis took the day one big fish with a 10-pound, 9-ounce Santee Cooper bass.
Weather Watch
A much warmer day on Saturday with take-off temperatures in the upper 40s and highs creeping up around 80 as the day goes on. The winds will blow on day two, expected to move 10 to 20 mph from the West. With big fish awaiting the sun, today could be magical.
How to Watch
Catch the Live Coverage starting at 8 am this morning, hosted Luke Dunkin and FatCat Newton as they break down the top anglers from day one.
Catch all the action from Santee Cooper Lakes and follow along with the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and photo galleries throughout the event.
Throughout each day, follow the unofficial leaderboard on the Fishing Chaos Catch Track with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water, and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins!
And be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
The Strike King NPFL Stop One at Santee Cooper Lakes is hosted by Clarendon County Tourism, and the event will launch and weigh in each day at the John C. Land Boat Ramp – fans are encouraged to attend.
