Story by Hunter Baughman | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
Last week I ended by saying I’d bring you the BFL results this week. That is not going to happen. With the snow and ice most of Arkansas received, the tournament was postponed until April. Unfortunately, I will be traveling to Lake Norman when that event is held. Thus is the life and schedule of a professional angler. I requested they move my entry to the Lake Dardanelle BFL in June. That will be a good event and I’ll be home. Dardanelle is part of the Arkansas River, and I’m fond of anything Arkansas River-related.
With that being said, I haven’t put in any more time on the water and this is “go” week. It really bugs me when I don’t get many days in prior to leaving for our first event. I do have a solo tournament on Thursday, and there is a very strong chance I will fish another day this week—possibly while you are reading this column.
We will leave on Friday headed for Summerton, South Carolina and the Santee Cooper lakes. The amount of excitement that is building is hard to describe. I’m like a kid at Christmas. While Santee can be a tough nut to crack, every set of the hook could be a giant. The weather outlook isn’t too bad either. It’s been cold, but there is a warming trend coming this week. It looks as though it will cool back down a little by tournament week but will be fairly stable. I’m hoping that’s enough to get those big females moving shallow and eating. If so, it may be a slugfest.
There was a BFL held on Santee over weekend. The weights were incredible! It took 35 pounds to win and right at 20 pounds to get paid. Big bass was 13-06. That’s insane! Obviously, it is already fishing great and I’m hoping it just gets better with the weather. In typical Santee fashion, there were lots of anglers who did not weigh in a limit. The population of fish seems to be small compared to most places, but the bites are big.
The fishing isn’t the only thing that has peaked my excitement though. The start of a new year is also on my mind. A fresh clean start is very much welcomed after my poor performance last year. The three main goals are still on the table: Progressive Angler of the Year, winning an event, and qualifying for the 2026 Championship—in that order. With each decision made throughout the year, we either get one step closer to or one step further from each goal. There are no neutral decisions.
There is nothing left to do except load the truck and hopefully catch a few fish before we leave town. I’ve done my job to be prepared. Like I said last week, don’t stress over what you can’t control and control what you can. I can’t control the weather, and I can’t control the mood of the fish. I’ll be focused on making the correct decisions every step of the way.
I’m looking forward to checking in with all of you next week and giving you an up-to-date practice report.
Until then, go fishing!
