Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
NPFL angler and South Carolina resident Sean Alvarez said coming in, Will Harkins was an angler to watch. With the 2025 season under his belt, without FFS, and years of FFS experience, Alvarez said Harkins has what it takes to tackle Hartwell—and he was right. Harkins is over the 12-pound mark on the Fishing Chaos Catch Track, putting him in the top five.
What was a slower morning for some has turned into a decent mid-morning bite for many of the anglers fishing offshore. As of now, 10 pounds seems to be the mark anglers are showing, separating some from the field. But with spotted bass plentiful and weighing a bit less than largemouth, those consistent bites are going to be separated by ounces, making the leaderboard at the Day One Weigh-In extremely tight. Hosted by Visit Anderson, the 3:30 PM EST weigh-in with Luke Dunkin, is bound to make Green Pond Landing the place to be.
Current leader Jason Meninger started fast this morning and just culled to almost 14 pounds. Behind him, Jesse Millsaps moved into second place with 12‑1, and Harkins, also with 12‑1, is in third. Right behind Harkins, Wes Logan sits in fourth, reporting 11‑13 on his day, with Drew Cook rounding out the top five while putting on a show on Live Coverage.
Tenth place is Oklahoma angler Zack Birge, with just over 10 pounds on the day. Progressive AOY winner in 2024, Kyle Welcher is in eleventh, with a 3‑14 kicker anchoring his bag, leaving lots of room to upgrade. Hunter Sales, currently in 32nd place, has two bass totaling 5 pounds, with one 4‑0 kicker anchoring his bag.
On the Water
On-the-water reports indicate much of the field is offshore, utilizing FFS to find groups of fish around bait. Key lures include the typical minnows, combined with a mix of finesse baits. Joseph Webster caught a few throwing a spinnerbait, while the shallow anglers are focused on flipping and topwater baits so far. Weather conditions are expected to remain consistent all three days, with high, clear skies.
The afternoon push is still coming, and we’ll see who climbs the Fishing Chaos Catch Track leaderboard before weigh-in kicks off at 3:30 PM EST from Green Pond Landing. Don’t miss it! Live coverage continues all day tomorrow and on Sunday, wrapping up the 2025 NPFL Championship.
Current Top 10 (Unofficial):
Jason Meninger 13‑13
Jesse Millsaps 12‑1
Will Harkins 12‑0
Wes Logan 11‑13
Drew Cook 11‑12
Scott Hamrick 11‑7
Michael Stout 11‑6
Mike Quinlin 10‑8
Brandon Perkins 10‑7
Zack Birge 10‑5
Catch the Weigh-In
The weigh-in begins at 3:30 PM EST on TNPFL.com.
Follow along on the Fishing Chaos Catch Track for real-time unofficial updates from the water, here!
Check out the Morning Story and Launch Photo Gallery, here!
