Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Alabama angler Scott Canterbury wins his second NPFL event of the season, capping off a stellar 2025 with a $100,000 payday in his home state, at a place he loves to fish, especially in the fall. What is meant to be will be, they say, and Canterbury proved it this week. After a decent Day One, he kicked off the event with 13-15, putting him in the top five.
He added his biggest bag of the event on Day Two, weighing 17-5, and moved into the lead going into Showdown Saturday. This morning, he left the docks as boat one, leading the field, and had his toughest day of the week. His 10-1 limit was enough to edge Tennessee angler Brandon Perkins by just 6 ounces, capping an emotional finish.
Canterbury also took home big bass honors with his Day Two lunker. The 6-4 came in the midst of running a stretch of deep spots, where Canterbury has a lot of history. “I used to fish that brush pile back in the day before technology, triangulating myself to fish it. I cast in, had no idea there was a fish there, had no idea he was looking at my bait, and when I set the hook I had no idea how big it was—just like I grew up fishing,” he said.
Canterbury Brings It Home
Under tough summer/fall conditions, a big bite is hard to come by, but his magical Day Two was the sealing moment of the week, moving the Alabama angler into the lead and putting him in position to win his second event of 2025.
After a tough practice, in which he sampled the entire lake, he landed on some deeper spots on the south end that ended up producing the majority of his weight. Knowing so much about Logan Martin, he learned quickly where it might go down—but he didn’t know it would be him.
“It was pretty tough in practice,” he said. “On Day One, I fished down the lake shallow, and it wasn’t great. Day Two I went up the river, where I finished sixth in an open a handful of years back, and I did okay, but of the 32 fish I caught, nothing was over 2-6.”
On the final day of practice on Tuesday, he returned to the south end and checked some deep spots. His plan worked, and the few bites he got were better quality fish. On Day One, knowing what the game plan was, he fished a plethora of places he never touched in practice, and in his words, he “survived” and was in good position.
“On Day Two, it really was the day that won me the tournament,” he said. “I caught that 6-4, and I caught another 4-pound fish. Those are difference maker bites and they gave me the cushion I needed. Today, I fished a combination of shallow and deep. Aside from losing one nice fish on a swim jig this morning on a dock, I fished clean.”
Winning two major events in one season is a blessing, no matter how far an angler is into their career. Despite tough conditions and the fish being caught in between summer and fall transitions, Canterbury feels blessed.
“The good Lord blessed me for sure, and frankly this whole year and my whole life. When it is your turn, it really is just how it works. Fishing as a pro is tough, and you miss a lot of family time when your family is young. My daughter is older now, and to win some of these when she is older is special. Logan Martin is one of the reasons I signed up for the NPFL this year—it is my home water, and it is special to me. Douglas was a bonus, but this one was icing on the cake,” he concluded.
Perkins Climbs to Second
Perkins is no stranger to winning on the NPFL, and he was extremely close again this week. With just 6 ounces of margin behind, it was a dead fish issue that cost the Tennessee angler on the final day. Rallying with some nice fish to start the morning, Perkins put a one-pound spotted bass in his livewell, filling out his limit. A half-hour later, as he went to cull, he realized the bass had died and he was unable to cull the small fish – he knew he might be in trouble.
“The fish ended up being 0.87 pounds after the penalty, and it cost me,” he said. “At that point, I thought I was fishing for third or fourth place, but now looking back, it was a costly penalty, and I caught several bigger fish but was unable to cull. That cost me the win.”
Despite the issue, finishing the season in second place—and unofficially securing a spot in the Championship, giving him a chance to defend his 2024 victory—is still a strong outcome. Perkins is a dock fishing expert and fished very well under tough conditions. Rotating in some topwater and spinnerbaits early in the days, it was a magic dock that kept him near the top all week.
“I had one dock, at the mouth of a good creek, and I caught some of my best fish on it every day this week,” he said. “I never weighed in a four-pounder, but I fished it multiple times every day and caught some really nice fish. I hooked one first thing this morning and lost it, and I know it was another good one.”
With pressure on the lake and lots of anglers targeting docks, Perkins had to fish differently, like he generally does, and out fish other anglers in the same areas. Getting his jig into places others may not have, and focusing more on the retrieve, he was able to get bites around competitors.
“I had a fun week, and hopefully I will squeak into the Championship,” he said. “I knew coming in I needed a top five, and I did it. I always fish for the win and never fish safe. I was in the bag line with Scott this afternoon, and we got to talking. If I had known it was going to be so close, I may have done a few things differently.”
Walters Wins Progressive AOY
South Carolina angler Patrick Walters also finished in third place with a three-day total of 39-15, and more importantly, claimed the 2025 Progressive Angler of the Year title, coming from 7 points back to overtake last year’s AOY winner, Kyle Welcher, by just one point. Welcher, who had not finished an event worse than 16th all season, finished 11th this week with 36-3, capping off his second-place AOY campaign.
Top Ten:
Scott Canterbury 41-5
Brandon Perkins 40-15
Patrick Walters 39-15
Buddy Gross 39-12
Jesse Wise 39-6
Brandon Cobb 38-15
Jason Burroughs 37-12
JT Russell 37-11
Matt Herren 37-6
Hunter Baughman 36-3
