Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
We’re halfway through Finale Friday, and it’s still anyone’s game. The top anglers are catching fish, but the question remains: who will rise to the top when the final flight checks in after 5 PM? Live coverage has wrapped with Luke and FatCat, bringing updates straight from the water from 8 AM to 1 PM.
With sunny skies and temperatures pushing near 80 degrees, many anglers are focusing on the spawn or carefully picking apart areas where fish are staging. KJ Queen is tentatively leading the pack on Day Three, having filled a limit around the 1 PM mark.
Day One leader Greg Hackney has reported a double-digit weight with one solid fish in the box, but he will need to build on that throughout the afternoon if he hopes to stay at the top. Patrick Walters, who started strong this morning, also lacks size in his catch.
Welcher Still Lookin’
Day Two leader Kyle Welcher hasn’t yet filled a limit and remains focused on his game plan. He mentioned on Live Coverage that he’s using his Humminbird Lakemaster Mapping to locate promising pockets, but relies on his eyes to find specific banks holding spawning largemouth. Once in an area he likes, he is moving around on the Ultrex QUEST and finding fish.
Welcher shared that he’s passed by several bass spawning, but is only targeting fish 3 pounds or larger, knowing that anything smaller won’t secure the victory. Unofficially, Welcher is currently in fourth place with 35 pounds, 5 ounces.
There’s still plenty of time left before weigh-in, and with water temperatures rising, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone makes a big move this afternoon with a few key bites.
Live coverage continues until 1 PM, giving fans a closer look at how the top anglers are tackling the tricky waters of Lake Norman.
The top ten look like this:
KJ Queen 40-13
Greg Hackney 40-13
Patrick Walters 39-0
Kyle Welcher 38-5
Jason Burroughs 38-4
Joey Bloom 38-0
David Williams 37-15
Seth Ellis 37-6
Tim Fredrick 36-11
Tommy Biffle 36-7
Catch the Weigh-In
The weigh-in begins at 3:00 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!
