Story by Ken Duke | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Stop 4 of the NPFL’s 2025 season is in the books, but as the “stat guy,” I can’t rest or feel that I fully understand what happened there until I do a deep dive on the numbers and the details.
Here are just a few.
Hot! Hot! Hot!
It was the 29th tournament in NPFL history, the second on Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula, and one of the hottest in league history. The event was shortened to two days due to high winds and lightning on what was scheduled to have been the first day. Once things got underway, temps reached 95 and 94 degrees—the second and third hottest days in league history.
The heat took its toll. One angler suffered from heat exhaustion and bowed out early in the opening round. A couple of others were too fatigued to compete after the first day.
Jekyll & Hyde
Fishing was tough due to high, muddy water. I’d describe the “catching” as Jekyll and Hyde. On Day 1, it was nothing short of great. The average competitor brought 4.72 fish to the scales out of a possible 5. Then the bottom fell out. On Day 2, the average was just 3.71. That’s a 21% decline overnight. The only larger decrease in League history came in 2021 on Wright Patman Lake in Texas when the catch rate fell 33% between days 1 and 2.
Why did it happen at Eufaula? It’s hard to say, but I think were at least three factors.
First, because the tournament was shortened by a day, the anglers were not “managing” their fish the same way as if it had been a full three-day derby. They were “burning up” what they had right out of the gate.
Second, because the water was extremely muddy and everyone was searching for clearer water, gigantic Lake Eufaula “fished small” and the anglers were crowded into the same areas, fishing for the same fish and using the same mix of spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, hollow-bodied frogs, bladed jigs, and flipping/pitching baits. the fish were heavily pressured and became increasingly difficult to catch.
Finally, if you bombed on Day 1, you had little choice but to gamble on Day 2, so some anglers made long runs or tried high risk/high reward methods that generally did not pay off. Others joined the crowd in clearer waters. The result? Things got very tough very fast.
A couple of big ones, but …
Lake Eufaula produced a couple of giants around 8 pounds, but overall, the fish were small … really small. The average bass brought to the scales weighed just 2.07 pounds—second smallest in League history. Only the bass from Lake Hartwell in 2024 were smaller (2.03 pounds).
Of course, small bass are not all bad. Show me a tournament where the fish are small, and I’ll show you a tournament that’s close. It was certainly true at Eufaula where 21 anglers were bunched up between 16-14 and 18-06. That’s about an ounce per position in the standings, and that’s exciting whether you’re watching or competing for points.
Who’s getting it done?
Kyle Welcher is a force! But don’t just take my word for it. After winning Progressive Angler of the Year honors in 2024, he’s out to repeat in 2025 and is leading the way after four events. He has now posted 10 consecutive top 20 finishes. That’s every NPFL event in which he has competed. If he keeps it up, he’ll likely become the first angler in League history to have two gold shields.
Of course, with so many top finishes, Welcher has earned a check each time out last year and this year. Also cashing at every event of 2025 are Brandon Cobb, Greg Hackney, Gerald Swindle and Patrick Walters. Hackney leads the way with almost $140,000.
Drew Cook did not have a great tournament—he was 47th—but he continued his streak of 5-fish limits and now has 27 in a row. It’s the League record, and Cook will certainly add to it at Stop 5 on the St. Lawrence River. In his two-year career with the NPFL, he has come up short of a limit only one time. He had four bass on the first day of his first League event. Other than that, he’s been perfect.
In all, 16 anglers have limited every day of the 2025 season, and all 16 will likely continue their streaks through Stop 5. Things will get tougher at in August at Alabama’s Logan Martin Lake, when it’s hot and where the bass are less cooperative.
No NPFL angler has ever limited every day of a full season, but it seems inevitable that at least a few will accomplish that feat in 2025. The field is stronger than ever, and the fishing has been pretty good.
Rookies making their mark
Chad Marler became the first rookie to win an NPFL event since Bailey Gay did it at Lake Murray in 2024. He’s also the second Texan to win (Nick Brown was the first).
The victory lifted Marler from 72nd in the AOY standings to 37th and punched his ticket to the 2026 Championship. After a strong start at Santee Cooper (17th), Marler has been lackluster (105th at Norman and 72nd at Douglas) but there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Texan is legit and will be a force in the League for years to come. His performance at Eufaula was a statement win.
Derek Lehtonen, now 18th in AOY, is another rookie who’s “for real.” He’s the highest-ranking rookie so far this season and has been remarkably consistent in his first four events.
Coming up at Stop 5
Timmy Reams became the first angler in League history to surpass 1,000 pounds in career weight at Stop 3 on Douglas Lake. At Stop 5 on the St. Lawrence River, he’s almost certain to get some company.
Louis Fernandes and Brandon Perkins are each within 50 pounds of the 1K mark, and Patrick Walters needs 65-05. They could all get there in New York.
More on that later.
