Story by Ken Duke | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Pre-tournament favorites often disappoint. It’s the nature of fishing. There are just too many variables, too many uncontrollables, too many what-ifs.
Of course, that shouldn’t stop us from trying to pick the most likely anglers to have a great tournament. That’s part of the fun of big-time tournament fishing. We scan the field, we look for a home-water advantage, we guess at how skills align with conditions, we think about momentum … or the lack of it.
When I started my research into the anglers who might be considered pre-tournament favorites at Douglas Lake, May 22-24, I was surprised to see how few of them are locals. Although the NPFL has not been to Douglas before, it’s no stranger to high-level competition. In the past 14 years, BASS has been to Douglas eight times, including once for an Elite Series event in 2012. The other seven tournaments were Opens.
Out of all those tournaments and all the anglers who fished them, only one local angler fishing the NPFL this season had much success.
Surprising!
So, who are some of the anglers we should be watching next week on Douglas Lake?
Let’s start with David Williams of Newton, North Carolina—currently 22nd on AOY after finishing ninth at Lake Norman, his home lake. Williams has the best track record of any NPFL pro on Douglas Lake … by far. He finished fourth, ninth, and fourth here in Bassmaster Opens in 2017, 2019, and 2021, respectively. Weights were low and the fishing was tough in those three derbies, and it’s likely to be similar next week. And although none of those events were in May, it’s obvious that Williams knows his way around the lake. I’m expecting another strong performance from the Tarheel State pro, and for him to move further up the AOY standings as he eventually punches his ticket to the 2026 NPFL Championship.
Shane Lineberger is another North Carolinian with a strong track record on Douglas. He posted four top 26 finishes between 2013 and 2017, and although he struggled there in a couple of later events, those later tournaments were dominated by forward-facing sonar which won’t be a factor next week. Look for Lineberger to have a strong performance and move up from 69th in AOY.
Derrick Snavely of Piney Flats, Tennessee, is the local who has had some success in national events on Douglas. He was third in a 2014 Open and had big bass in 2016. He’s currently 73rd in AOY, so he could use a boost.
Hunter Sales is in his backyard at Douglas. He finished 21st in the last Open held on the lake and is currently 18th in AOY. He’s a young pro who can catch ’em with or without forward-facing sonar.
Speaking of home water, 2023 NPFL Angler of the Year Todd Goade has as much experience on Douglas as anyone in the field. He was a disappointing 87th in the last Open here in 2021, but that was an anomaly. Goade is perhaps the most consistent performer in NPFL history. He’ll be much, much better on his home lake this time around, and is likely to move up from his current position of 23rd in the AOY standings.
Finally, Todd Auten is a veteran with a good résumé on Douglas Lake. He was 28th and 19th in a pair of Bassmaster Opens in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Bet on him to find a shallow water bite that keeps him in contention.
Those are just six anglers worth watching. I’m expecting solid finishes from all of them, but with 111 others also competing, lots of other storylines will be developing beginning next Thursday, May 22.
