Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
After a cooler start to the week, things are finally moving in the right direction on Lake Norman—and the leaderboard shows it. Day One of Stop No. 2 on the NPFL schedule brought plenty of limits across the stage, but just like we expected, getting the right bites wasn’t easy.
117 anglers hit the water, and 114 brought fish to the scales. Of those, only four didn’t manage a full five-fish limit. In total, the field caught 563 bass for a combined weight of 1,264 pounds, 4 ounces. That shakes out to an average of 4.93 fish per angler, and about 2 pounds, 4 ounces per fish.
Hackney Leads a Tight Race
Hackney leads the way with 16 pounds, 6 ounces, thanks to a clutch late-day move that added a big one to his bag just before weigh-in. With fish being caught all over the lake and the weights stacked up, this thing is still wide open.
Right behind him, Tennessee’s Ricky Robinson put up 16 even, leaning on a spotted bass pattern that only works if the wind shows up. If it does again today, he’s got a shot to stay right there. Local favorite KJ Queen rounds out the top three with 15-8.
From Greg Hackney in first to Jason Burroughs in 10th, there’s just a 1 lb. 15 oz. gap. Even down to 20th, it’s still only 2 lb. 10 oz. separating them from the top. It’s tight, and every single ounce is making a difference.
Heading into Day Two, look for weights to rise. The weather’s settling down, fish are moving into more predictable spots, and there will be shakeups in the leaderboard!
Top Ten:
Greg Hackney 16-6
Ricky Robinson 16-0
KJ Queen 15-8
Patrick Walters 15-5
Richard Cooper 15-2
David Williams 15-1
Derrick Snavely 14-15
Justin Adkins 14-10
Barron Adams 14-8
Jason Burroughs 14-7
Weather Watch
Anglers launched into a chilly morning around 42 degrees, but it’s expected to warm into the low 70s by this afternoon. Winds are light and variable, around 2 MPH out of the southwest—setting up a stable day on the water.
How to Watch
Tune in daily to watch the action from Lake Norman – watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers from the North Carolina.
Catch the LIVE Coverage with Luke Dunkin and FatCat at TNPFL.com on days two and three.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time 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, here!
And be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, & X.
