Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
After two days, Logan Martin is feeling the pressure, but the anglers who have remained consistent have moved to the top—and adding a big bite doesn’t hurt. That’s exactly what Alabama angler Scott Canterbury did to move several spots from fifth into the lead, with a two-day total weight of 31-4, over two pounds ahead of South Carolina angler Brandon Cobb.
Canterbury started Day One with 13-15, and he was on track for a similar weight today until it happened. Adding the event’s biggest bass of the tournament, 6-4, definitely helped, and his 17-4 Day Two limit is proof. Both Canterbury and Brandon Cobb have figured out how to catch a quality average fish, but one big bite changes the game.
“The place I caught the big one today, I mean maybe not 6-4, but I have caught a handful of 5-pounders in my life there,” he said. “And that’s part of it. I’m confident that every place I put my boat, it’s just a matter of putting the bait in front of one.”
In third, 2024 NPFL Championship winner Brandon Perkins added 14-7 to his Day One weight of 13-6, keeping consistent over two days. Behind Perkins, Hunter Baughman added 14-8 on Day Two to jump into fourth. Day One leader Ron Farrow had a slower day, but his 9-2 limit is still enough to keep him in contention, rounding out the top five.
Canterbury Cruises to First
With his best day on Day Two, Canterbury feels right at home on Logan Martin. He is making good decisions, and his time on the water gives him confidence to fish how he wants—using a few different baits, but most importantly, a Dirty Jigs jig.
“It’s fall out here, but not quite all the way,” he said. “I may catch one on a shallow dock and then catch one on an 18-foot drop-off—it’s junk fishing 101. Local knowledge is paying off for sure. Sometimes it all comes together, and it worked out today.”
Despite a big day, the morning was tough. By 11 AM, it was a struggle, but the afternoon bite paid off. Canterbury culled twice at the end of the day close by the launch ramp. It can happen anywhere on the lake, but it’s hard to repeat, and that’s why he never caught a bass in the same areas on Day One.
“In a few weeks, you’d be able to run around on walls and such and catch them day over day, but there aren’t many up there now,” he added. “If you catch one shallow, you may as well not even go back. There are a ton of bass in this lake, and the longer day tomorrow is going to help too. I’m excited for Showdown Saturday.”
Cobb Slides to Second
Without a true big bite, it’s hard to do well on Logan Martin multiple days in a row. We saw Canterbury climb to the lead with a 6-pound bite, but for Cobb, it’s been about finding better-quality average fish. His Day One weight of 15-6 got things moving in the right direction, and on Day Two, he found fish in a completely different area of the lake. His ability to adapt kept him in the hunt, and his 13-4 bag moved him up the leaderboard. His two-day weight of 28-10 has him 2-10 back from Canterbury going into the final day.
“I think more than anything, Logan Martin just sets up for me to find fish,” he said. “Similar to a lake back home (in SC), if I’m not catching them, I’m likely going to find them. Today I only caught one fish where I caught them yesterday, and most of everything else came from new places.”
As seen on Live Coverage, Cobb’s main focus was on boat docks, and he credits his years of dock fishing experience to knowing which ones to target. The biggest spotted bass relate to a certain type of dock, and Cobb is confident he can run around and find them.
“More of it, I think, the type of dock is more important than the location on these spotted bass lakes,” he said. “Whether it’s 10-foot or in the mud, these big spotted bass will get on them. The other thing that hurt me a little today is that I checked in a little earlier. Yesterday I caught my two biggest ones after 3 PM.”
Over two days, he has weighed in only two largemouth—but not for a lack of trying. In practice, he spent time learning how to find the bigger green fish and just didn’t feel comfortable fishing for them when he could catch quality spots. As for baits, Cobb is keeping it simple, fishing a jig and a few new Zoom baits.
“In the morning, I’m getting some on a Greenfish Tackle Toad Toter Buzz with a Zoom Toad, and then it’s a new Neko worm by Zoom, the Thick Trick, and I’m mixing in a 3/8-ounce jig with a Zoom Z-Craw Jr.”
Quick AOY Update
With Kyle Welcher and Patrick Walters tied after two days in ninth place, Welcher maintains a narrow lead. Coming in, Welcher held a 7-point lead, and so far, it remains the same.
Top Ten:
Scott Canterbury 31-4
Brandon Cobb 28-10
Brandon Perkins 27-13
Hunter Baughman 26-13
Ron Farrow 26-12
Matt Herren 26-7
Buddy Gross 25-6
Jesse Wise 25-6
Patrick Walters 25-2
Kyle Welcher 25-2
