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 as expected, getting the right bites wasn’t easy.
With weights stacked so tight, just one or two quality bites can swing momentum in a big way—and no one proved that more than Kyle Welcher. After starting the event in 30th, Welcher rocketed to the top of the leaderboard with the biggest bag of the tournament so far, jumping 29 spots into first. Ron Farrow made the biggest move of the day overall, leaping 44 places from 99th to 55th. Wes Logan climbed from 106th to 72nd, bouncing back strong after a tough start.
On the other side, Chad Poteat fell 42 spots from 18th to 60th, while Josh Watkins and Allen Armour each dropped more than 35 positions. With weights this close, every ounce matters—and Finale Friday is shaping up to be a wild one.
Welcher Bounces Back
Despite missing the first couple of days of practice and having no history on Lake Norman, Kyle Welcher’s plan to sight fish is working out just fine. Day One got off to a slow start—a “bad day fishing-wise,” as he described it—but he knew he had found something special. It just took until Day Two for it to come together.
Welcher’s Day One weight of 12 pounds, 12 ounces had him sitting in 30th place. But on Day Two, conditions lined up and he executed, landing the event’s biggest bag so far—19 pounds, 13 ounces—and taking over big bass honors with a 5-pound, 10-ounce largemouth.
Greg Hackney and Seth Ellis sit second and third with totals of 30 pounds, 11 ounces and 30 pounds, 6 ounces, respectively. Hackney’s steady approach continues to pay off, while Ellis is making the sight game work with a few key big bites.
Patrick Walters and KJ Queen round out the top five with 29 pounds, 11 ounces and 29 pounds, 8 ounces. Both have been consistent, leaning on shallow water patterns and local knowledge to stay in the mix heading into the final day.
Top Ten:
Kyle Welcher – 32-9
Greg Hackney – 30-11
Seth Ellis – 30-6
Patrick Walters – 29-11
KJ Queen – 29-8
Jason Burroughs – 28-12
Ricky Robinson – 28-3
David Williams – 27-12
Joey Bloom – 27-7
Barron Adams – 27-0
Weather Watch
Anglers were met with a warmer start this morning, with takeoff temperatures around 50 degrees. Conditions are expected to heat up quickly, with highs nearing 80 by the afternoon. Winds will remain calm at just 1 MPH out of the North.
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.
