Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
The sixth and final stop of the National Professional Fishing League brings the anglers and their families to Georgia for a three-day shootout on historic Lake Lanier which plays host to the NPFL anglers beginning on Thursday, October 26th, and running through Saturday, October 28th.
Winner of stop number four at Saginaw Bay, Trent Palmer is no stranger to Lake Lanier. With the win and in format, Palmer has already qualified for the 2023 Championship next spring and can focus his efforts on bigger bass this week.
“I could care less if I zero in this event,” said Palmer. “I am already in the championship, so I am strictly fishing for a win this week; that’s how I am practicing.”
As far as the fishing, Palmer has been up and down between Sunday and Monday. He is looking for bigger bites and noted it should be a fun event.
“The lake is fishing tough because of the turnover, and it’s not as easy as most folks were hoping,” said Palmer. “For me, I am catching them how I want to, but not getting a lot of bites. Both largemouth and spotted bass will play.
Todd Goade has had Lake Lanier circled on his calendar since it was released last fall. Back then, he had no idea he would be leading the Progressive Angler of the Year race going back to a place he had spent so much time.
“I just have to do my job,” said Goade, early last week. “I am looking forward to practice and figuring out what’s happening out there. Checking places from the past and looking for new places, but also expanding on areas will be a good time.”
With almost two days of practice under his belt on Lanier, Goade was not interested in talking about the AOY and was focused on just fishing.
“The lake is turning over. If you are not adjusting on the fly and figuring out how the fish are reacting, it’s tough to get bites,” he said. “If you know what you’re doing out here you can catch some, but between not fishing my main areas, and not catching many, it hasn’t been easy.”
Goade notes a few different things going on, some early and some later in the day. Depending on whether anglers are targeting shallow or deeper water, the windows to catch quality are there.
“I’ve got some bites up top, some on the bottom and in between. If you know how the transition makes the fish react, it’s a little easier,” he said. “I have been avoiding my main stuff and staying away from the majority of the boats so far.
“I am super excited for this event; Lanier has burned me in the past like I said on the Round Table but I am not getting ahead of myself. I am comfortable on this lake, but I want to take things slow. We have some clouds coming in the first day and it makes the fish move around and it may affect that first day,” he added.
The Race for the Progressive AOY
What has been a season for the books for Todd Goade has turned into only a short lead with only this event at Lanier remaining. Goade
During a normal season, Jesse Wise would be running away with the Progressive AOY, but he finds himself 12 points behind Todd Goade this week at Lanier. Wise is firmly qualified for the no-entry fee championship and only has one thing on his mind.
“I’ll be fishing differently at this event,” he said. “I don’t need to get paid; I need to win. I don’t wish bad upon anyone, but I need to sneak in and win this event to have a shot (at AOY).
Wise has fished a phenomenal season with 1210 points which puts him 17 points above Will Harkins who sits in third place.
On the line for the top 25 is a berth to the first NPFL Championship, where anglers will compete for a top prize of $100,000 and a piece of the $200,000 total purse payout to all 25 qualifiers. The winner of the Progressive AOY will receive $20,000 with paid entry fees for the 2024 season. Follow along this week to read more about that story.
Top 10 AOY
Todd Goade 1222
Jesse Wise 1210
Will Harkins 1193
Timmy Reams 1182
Louis Fernandes 1181
Patrick Walters 1167
Dustin Smith 1161
Jason Wilson 1161
Mike Corbishley 1156
Read the full Progressive Angler of the Year Story
How to Watch
Tune in daily from October 26 through 28 to watch daily action from Lake Lanier, with Live Coverage here and on the FREE PHYX TV App beginning on Thursday.
Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on-the-water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Lake Lanier.
Under the Go Live Tab, choose LIVE Broadcast or check out the real-time leaderboard on the Weigh Live Tracker with estimated weights entered by the anglers on the water and join us for the LIVE Weigh-ins, here!
Check out the results from Lake Eufaula, here!
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