THE LEAGUE 2024
Top Bait Performers
Check out the top performers of the week on the NPFL Tournament Trail
2024 SEASON
STOP #1 - LOGAN MARTIN LAKE | FEBRUARY 1-3
WILL HARKINS - 1ST
Harkins employed a one-two punch at Logan Martin Lake but caught the majority of his bass on one main bait – a Strike King KVD 1.5 Silent Crankbait in a red color. He fished is on a 7’2” medium action Ark Invoker Crankbait rod paired with a Gravity 8, 6.4:1 casting reel and 15-pound Berkley Big Game Monofilament line which he respooled each night.
His other setup, a Legacy Tackle Company Custom 3/8 ounce Finesse Jig, was responsible for a couple key catches when he needed to slow down his approach around brush piles. He fished it on a 7’ medium-heavy action Ark Invoker rod with an Ark Gravity 8.1:1 casting reel.
BROCK BILA - 2ND
Bilas primary bait for Logan Martin was a Megabass Vision 110+1 Wakin Reaction Jerkbait. He fished it on a F5 6’9” medium-fast action casting rod paired with a Shimano Aldebaran MGL casting reel with 12-pound Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon line. His other approach, a Damiki Rig, was a Buckeye Lures Scope Head and Scope Shad in white color, spooled with 10-pounds braided line and 6-pound Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon line.
JESSE MILLSAPS - 3RD
Like the others, a crankbait was a big player at Logan Martin, and Millsaps relied on a Berkley Frittside 5. He fished it on an Abu Garcia Zenon 7’ medium-action casting rod paired with an Abu Garcia Zenon casting reel and spooled with 12-pound Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon line.
CHAMPIONSHIP - LAKE AMISTAD | MARCH 7-9
brandon perkins - 1ST
For his shallow water swimbait approach, Champion Brandon Perkins threw a swimbait to cruising bass along bluff walls. He used a Rockohl Rods Swimbait rod and paired it with a Daiwa casting reel spooled with a 15 or 17-pound Seaguar Invizx line. The lighter line allowed the bait to run true with fewer blowouts. When a big fish would miss his swimbait, Perkins followed up with a Yamamoto Senko
In addition to the swimbait, he caught several key bass on a Bill Lewis MR-12 Mid Range crankbait with a Rockohl 7-foot, 6-inch crankbait rod He used a Daiwa casting reel with 12-pound Seaguar Invizx line.
JESSE WISE - 2ND
Jesse Wised used a one-two punch on Lake Amistad by switching between a stick bait and a shakey head. For the wacky rig setup, Wise used a JB Custom Rods medium-heavy action spinning rod spooled with a 20-pound braided line and a 10-pound Sunline Fluorocarbon leader. His stick bait was a Deep Creek Lures in Purple Haze color.
For the shakey head, Wise used a JB Custom Casting Rod with 22-pound Sunline Fluorocarbon. The ball head he preferred was a 3/8 ounce shakey head jig a Deep Creek Lures Trick Worm in Scuppernong color (light brown)
PATRICK WALTERS - 3RD
Walters used a Zoom Magnum Swamp Crawler rigged on a shakey head fished on a 7-foot, 1-inch Daiwa Tatula Elite Skipping Rod with a Daiwa Tatula SV TW 7.1:1 reel spooled with 17-pound Sufix Advance fluorocarbon
For his second approach, Walters rotated between a bladed jig and a spinnerbait. With each bait, he used a Zoom Shimmer Shad trailer and fished it on a 7-foot, 4-inch Randy Howell Daiwa Elite Spinnerbait rod with 20-pound Sufix fluorocarbon and the same Daiwa Tatula SV TW reel.
STOP #2 - LAKE HARTWELL | MAY 16-18
Mike Corbishley - 1ST
Mike Corbishley earned the victory on Lake Hartwell by rotating between a shakey head bait around brush, and a Zoom Super Fluke when targeting herring fish. For the Fluke, he opted for a Cashion 7-foot, 5-inch medium-light FFS Spinning Rod, with a 13 fishing Axum Spinning Reel. His shakey head of choice is a Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury Shakey Head rigged with a “Senko” style bait. He used a Cashion 7-foot, 4-inch medium FFS Spinning Rod, with a 13 fishing Axum Spinning Reel. He also caught a few key fish on a 13 Fishing Powerslide 130 topwater walking bait on a 7’ Cashion Topwater/Jerkbait Casting Rod with a 13 Fishing Concept A Casting Reel.
Hunter Sales - 2ND
In second place, Hunter Sales used a combination of a Fluke and topwater baits on Lake Hartwell. His first combo, the Zoom Fluke, was fished on a 7’ medium-heavy action spinning rod with a size 2000 spinning reel. He fished a 10-pound Seaguar Smackdown Flash Green braided line to an 8-pound Seaguar Tatsu leader. His second combo, the Evergreen Shower Blow 125 Pencil Popper, he fished on a 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy casting rod with a 7.4:1 ratio casting reel. He opted for a 30-pound Seaguar TactX braided line and a 20-pound monofilament leader.
Kyle Welcher - 3RD
Finishing up in third place, Kyle Welcher used a two-bait combination to catch the majority of his bass on Lake Hartwell. His first setup was a 7-foot, 3-inch 13 Fishing Muse Black casting rod with a 7.5:1 13 Fishing Concept C casting reel. He spooled up 20-pound Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon and used a Crush City Mayor swimbait rigged on a 1/16th oz, 3/0 Gamakatsu Weedless Underspin. His second setup, a fluke-style bait with a 4/0 Gamakatsu O’Shaughnessy hook, he fished on a 13 Fishing Axum size 3000 spinning reel on a 13 Fishing Envy Black spinning rod spooled with 12-pound Sunline Overwatch Braid and a 10-pound Sunline Shooter Fluorocarbon leader.
STOP #3 - PICKWICK LAKE | JULY 10-12
Patrick Walters - 1ST
To earn his fourth NPFL victory, Patrick Walters used a one-two punch to locate and catch his fish on Pickwick. Covering water, he opted for a Rapala DT 20 crankbait in Green Gizzard Color. He fished it on a Daiwa Tatula Elite 7’6” crankbait rod with a Daiwa Tatula Elite 6.3:1 ratio reel spooled with 12-pound Sufix Advance fluorocarbon line
His second setup, which produced the majority of his fish, was a new unnammed bait from Zoom Baits, a shaking minnow he fished on a damiki rig. His rod of choice was a Daiwa BLX spinning rod paired with a Daiwa Tatula MQ, size 4000, with 6-pound Sufix braided line and a 12-pound Sufix Fluorocarbon leader.
Drew Cook - 2ND
In second-place, Drew Cook used a few different baits on Pickwick Lake. He fished a Nories Neko Worm on a neko rig and Gamakatsu Nano Alpha hook with a Dobyns Xtasy 723 rod with Sunline Overwatch braided line and Sunline fluorocarbon. His second bait, a Spro Outsider Crankbait was fished on a Dobyns Champion XP 806CB rod with Sunline Shoot fluorocarbon. His final combo was a Dobyns 765 CB and a Magnum Spro Crankbait. Alternatively, he mixed in a Nichols Lures Football Jig and a Big larry Spoon.
Isaac Peavyhouse - 3RD
To finish in the third-place spot at Pickwick Lake, Isaac Peavyhouse fished most a Damiki Rig with an unnamed bait on a Torrent Outdoors Tungsten jighead. His rod of choice was a Daiwa Tatula XT spinning rod with a Daiwa Tatula MQ spinning reel spooled with Daiwa J-Braid line and a Daiwa J-Fluoro leader. He also fished a dropshot when the fish were closer to the bottom.
STOP #4 - SAGINAW BAY | August 29-31
Gary Adkins - 1ST
Gary Adkins has won two of the last three times the NPFL has visited Saginaw Bay, and his approach has not been much different. Targeting smallmouth far from take-off, Adkins used a dropshot rig fished on a Gloomis NRX rod paired with a Daiwa Tatula spinning reel. His bait of choice was a Schiefs Custom Baits dropshot Movement Worm in Jackson Magic color and he fished it on 10-pound Power Pro Braid with a 10-pound Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon leader, opting for the heavier line due to the presence of zebra mussels.
Zack Birge - 2ND
Oklahoma angler Zack Birge fished a dropshot bait for the majority of his fish and opted for an Alpha Angler DSR spinning rod with an Ark Fishing spinning reel spooled with 10-pound Yo-Zuri Superbraid to an 8-pound Yo-Zuri T-7 Premium Fluorocarbon leader. He fished an unnamed dropshot bait with an Omega Tackle ¼-ounce Tungsten Weight.
Jason Williamson - 3RD
South Carolina angler Jason Williamson relied on a shell bar at Saginaw Bay to catch his fish, and his primary presentation was a dropshot. He rigged a new Tiny Zoom Speed Craw on a Gamakatsu #1 DS Hook and an Epic Tungsten Teardrop Weight. Williamson fished a 7-foot, 2-inch medium-action Khaotic Kustom spinning rod and a 6-pound Gama braided line and fluorocarbon leader.
STOP #5 - LAKE OF THE OZARK | October 23-25
Nick Brown - 1ST
Texas angler Nick Brown took the win with 13 bass totaling 45 pounds, 13 ounces, becoming the first NPFL angler to win without catching a daily limit. His key baits were a Rowdy Buzz buzzbait, paired with a Kistler Helium medium-heavy action casting rod and Daiwa Tatula Elite reel with 50-pound braid, and a Scottsboro Tackle 5-inch Glide baiton a Kistler Swimbait Special rod a Daiwa Zillion reel with 25-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon.
Joseph Webster - 2ND
Alabama’s Joseph Webster finished second with 45 pounds, 8 ounces, using a topwater and jig combo. He alternated between a Berkley Choppo and an unnamed plopper on a Fenwick Elite casting rod with an Abu Garcia Revo casting reel and 50-pound SpiderWire braided line. His jig setup featured a 7’3” Abu Garcia Fantasista rod with 20-pound Berkley 100% fluorocarbon.
Drew Cook - 3RD
Georgia pro Drew Cook finished third with a total weight of 45 pounds, 1 ounce. His key baits included a Dirty Jig Compact Jig with a Nories Escape Twin Swim jig trailer in green pumpkin, and a Bladed Jig. He used Dobyns rods for both applications: a Champion XP 734 with 20-pound Sunline Shooter fluorocarbon line for the jig, and a Sierra Series 734 with 20-pound Sunline Sniper for the Bladed Jig. For his topwater, Cook used a Dobyns DX 744 rod with 60-pound Sunline FX2 braided line.
STOP #6 - LAKE MURRAY | December 11-13
Bailey gay - 1ST
Bailey Gay relied on a trusted setup throughout the event at Lake Murray, using a Morning Dawn Robo Worm paired with a Shimano Expride 7’2” medium action spinning rod and a size 3000 Shimano Vanford MGL spinning reel. His line combination included 10-pound Sufix 832 braided line and a 10-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon leader. Completing the rig was a 3/8-ounce tungsten dropshot weight and an Owner Cover Shot hook
brock bila - 2ND
Brock Bila also stuck with a single approach, employing a 1/4-ounce Buckeye Lures Scope Head jig paired with a Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm in Pro Blue color. He fished this setup on a Bait-Wrx F5 Ghost Code 6’10” spinning rod and an unnamed spinning reel, spooled with PowerPro braided line and an 8-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon leader
Patrick Walters - 3RD
Patrick Walters opted for a small, unnamed football jig to target brush and cover. His setup featured a Daiwa Tatula Elite 7’3” medium-heavy action casting rod paired with a Daiwa Tatula SV TW casting reel. He spooled the reel with 14-pound Sufix Advance fluorocarbon line.
