Story by Ken Duke | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
If you think the 2025 NPFL Progressive Angler of the Year race was tight, you have no idea. It was tighter than tight, closer than close, and came down to the very last anglers to walk across the NPFL stage this year.
As you probably know by now, Patrick Walters of Eutawville, South Carolina is the 2025 Angler of the Year, claiming the title by a single point over 2024 AOY Kyle Welcher of Valley, Alabama. Those two plus Louisiana’s Greg Hackney have been locked in a battle of AOY musical chairs since Stop 2 of the season.
In fact, no other angler has cracked the top three in AOY standings since the League left Stop 2 on Lake Norman back in April. Hackney led the standings at that point, coming off a close win in North Carolina. He led Walters by a single point and Welcher by just six points.
Stop 3 was at Douglas Lake in Tennessee. Welcher was runner-up at that event and took the AOY lead. Walters was six points back. Hackney trailed by 13.
Then it was on to Oklahoma’s Lake Eufaula where Hackney had the best of it. He was fifth in that tournament and closed the gap … just a little. Welcher was still first, Hackney pulled into second place, edging Walters out on a tiebreaker. Hackney and Walters trailed by only five points. It was way too close to call and there were two tournaments left to go.
At Stop 5 on the St. Lawrence River, Hackney blinked. He finished 16th while Welcher and Walters were second and fourth. Can you imagine that? Sixteenth is ordinarily a strong finish, but not if you want to earn NPFL AOY honors. It gave Welcher a seven-point lead over Walters and a 19-point lead over Hackney. Plus, Welcher led in the tiebreaker category—cumulative weight for the season. He’d be tough to beat.
Going into Stop 6 at Logan Martin, Welcher controlled his own destiny. If he could post a top seven finish, there would be nothing Walters or Hackney could do to stop him. He would sew up AOY and go back-to-back with the League’s greatest honor. And given his track record—two seasons during which his worst finish was 18th—who could bet against him?
But Walters outpaced him on Day 1 at Logan Martin and closed the gap even further. But Welcher kept applying pressure, and when Walters weighed in less than 10 pounds on Day 2, it looked like Welcher was going to become the first NPFL angler in history to record two AOYs.
Of course, that didn’t happen. Walters roared back in the final round with 14 pounds, 13 ounces while Welcher mustered “just” 11-01. It may not look like much of a difference, but in a tight tournament were a few ounces meant a dozen places in the standings, it was enough for Walters to finish third and Welcher to slip to 11th. The eight place and point differential was enough for Walters to claim his first major AOY title … by a single point … on the last day of the season.
At no point of the entire year did Walters lead in the AOY race … until the last angler weighed in on the last day.
Can you get closer than that?
I hope not. I have to admit was chaotic for me. A lot was riding on the right math. Luckily, NPFL President Brad Fuller and Tournament Direct Shaun Mulhall called a timeout to make certain the right call was made.
It was.
Patrick Walters will be a great AOY. Personally, I find it surprising that this is his first major AOY title. I’ve long considered him one of the five or six best bass anglers on the planet. It’s nice to see one of the most talented and engaging pros in the sport earn this honor.
Of course, the AOY points affect more than just the top of those standings. All along the points list anglers are looking for their names to determine whether or not they’re qualified for the 2026 Championship.
Here’s the news on that.
You can check out the 2025 AOY standings right here. At the top you’ll see Walters, Welcher, and Hackney, but as you scroll through the list, you’ll see the 40-plus anglers who have already qualified for the 2026 NPFL Championship. They include:
- the top 40 anglers in the Progressive AOY standings,
- the winners of each of the six regular season tournaments (Jason Christie, Greg Hackney, Scott Canterbury (twice), Chad Marler, and Drew Cook—only Marler is not also in the top 40 of AOY), and
- the winner of the 2025 NPFL Championship taking place this week on Lake Hartwell.
I hope you’ll be watching. The season is going out with a bang!
