Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
The 2024 NPFL season begins this morning in Oxford, Alabama on historic Logan Martin Lake as the anglers launch into foggy conditions and prepare for a Coosa River Spotted and Largemouth Bass showdown.
In typical NPFL fashion, the first event of the season will throw a curveball at the anglers, as recent weather has put a halt on warming spring weather. Abnormal currents, water temperature, and water clarity throughout practice have the anglers facing plenty of decisions when they launch from Lincoln’s Landing this morning.
Wes Logan knows his way around Logan Martin and says his practice period was tough and nowhere near what it should be for this time of the year. Despite warming weather, the low temperatures throughout the night have kept the fish spread out and waiting for stability in the system.
“It was pretty random for me throughout practice, and I did not really catch any good fish,” he said. “However, I know how the river acts, and one day they may be small, and next they are bigger. I never put together a plan during practice, but I did catch fish both deep and shallow. The fish shouldn’t be as hard to catch as we are seeing, but that’s just where we are.”
For this morning, Logan is planning to sample a few places early and try to get an idea of what might have changed. With fish being scattered and at different depths, it’s been hard to put together a pattern.
“Tuesday was nice, Wednesday was nice, but the water was recently 36 degrees and now it is in the mid-50s. The fish know where they should be for those temperatures, but they are hesitant to move. Not to say I might not roll in somewhere and catch some, but I will see how the day goes and adjust.”
What Will It Take?
During the event, several anglers told Ken Duke at the NPFL Round Tables that weight would probably be lower than expected due to the weather and lake conditions leading up to practice. The common number was 46 to 47 pounds to win with an average of 15 to 16 pounds per day.
Logan says it would not shock him to see a mix of weights, high and low each day, but still believes the average has to be decent despite the conditions.
“I have not had a great practice and caught nothing what I need to for a good finish this week, but someone will still catch them,” he said. “Someone may have 17 or 18 pounds one day followed by 11-12 one day and 10 the other, and that bigger day will carry them. The lake is going to fish small this week, and being a local gives no advantage at this event.”
Weather Watch
Takeoff this morning features freezing temperatures and a mix of sun and clouds, giving way to cloudy skies in the afternoon and highs creeping into the 60s. Winds are expected to be light and variable.
How to Watch
Tune in daily February 1 through 3 to watch daily action from Logan Martin Lake, with Live Coverage here and on the FREE PHYX TV beginning this morning.
Follow along and watch the daily LIVE Leaderboard, LIVE Blog, and on the water photo galleries and blogs of the anglers on Logan Martin.
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!
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