Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
After a decent practice, Walters felt like Pickwick might be setting up to put out some heavy weights. After two days of competition and 46-pounds, 2-ounces later, the three-time NPFL champion Patrick Walters from South Carolina is one day away from adding number four.
Walters started strong with 20 pounds, 3 ounces on day one, and added an impressive 25 pounds, 15 ounces on day two. After some misfortune on day one that cost him several pounds, Walters opted to save some of his better areas for later in the event and focused on catching all he could elsewhere.
On day two, he fished several of the same spots and added a few more, resulting in the event’s largest bag thus far, and a 9-ounce lead heading to Friday.
“I am super excited for tomorrow,” he said. “Mostly because I saved some of my best places, but also because it’s the final day, and there is nothing left to save – we are going to burn everything to the ground out there.”
Despite sharing some “community holes” with other anglers, Walters is pretty much being left alone. He focused on locating key areas in normally productive sections of the lake that he believes other anglers may have overlooked.
“I think it is a combo of things; it’s a different type of spot that I am looking for, and I think I have most of it to myself. Like the others, I am throwing the kitchen sink at them. Today, I weighed in five bass on five different baits. It is going to be fun out there tomorrow!”
Isaac Peavyhouse
Isaac Peavyhouse sits in second place after two days with a total of 45 pounds, 9 ounces. He weighed in 22 pounds, 7 ounces on day one, and followed up with 23 pounds, 3 ounces on day two. Relying on a big bite on day one, Peavyhouse waited until late in the day today to notch another lunker, culling him up over 3 pounds.
“I am still shaking,” he laughed. I spent 2.5 hours this afternoon running around practicing for tomorrow and ran into the big one 30 minutes ago. It was unreal.”
Peavyhouse started the day with a small limited by 1 pm but kept on with this “typical ledge” pattern. He culled a smaller fish with a 4-pounder shortly after and pulled the plug.
“It was about the same for me today – around 10 to 12 keepers again,” he added. “I am certainly not smoking them but when I make one bite, it’s been pretty decent quality. Aside from my starting spot, which I shared with one guy this morning, everything else I had to myself. I look forward to getting out there on the final day.”
Opting to keep his bait selection under wraps for one more day, Peavyhouse, like others, has been rotating through several different baits. He did note, however, that two of his better presentations have been “semi-finesse.”
Drew Cook
Georgia pro Drew Cook holds third place at Pickwick Lake in the NPFL tournament with a two-day total of 44 pounds, 7 ounces. Cook started strong with 22 pounds, 13 ounces on day one, and added 21 pounds, 10 ounces today.
After catching his biggest fish of the day on his first cast this morning, another angler idling through busted the school up and scattered the fish. Once they settled back in, Cook went to work before laying off his key area with one more day to go tomorrow.
“I didn’t think they would catch them as well as they did and laid off the school once I got up over 19 pounds,” he said on stage. “I caught five bass yesterday, probably ten today, and tomorrow, I am going to catch every single one of them.”
Kyle Welcher
Alabama pro Kyle Welcher had a solid start with 18 pounds, 2 ounces on day one. He added an impressive 22 pounds, 12 ounces on day two, bringing his two-day total to 40 pounds, 14 ounces. Welcher sits in the fourth-place spot going into the final day tomorrow.
Focusing on a pattern he found late in practice, despite not catching any bigger fish, Welcher is keying in on sweet spots in areas with the presence of baitfish. He is rotating through several areas and capitalizing on the bass that are willing to bite.
“The biggest key to my event is I am fishing areas with the most bait, in the areas of the lake that have better quality fish,” he said. “I am rotating through a lot of different spots each day and capitalizing on the fish that are aggressive when I pull up.”
Welcher is letting the fish dictate his presentation and estimates he is rotating through around ten baits.
“Everything I have out here I have fished now throughout two days of the event,” he added. “I have checked it all by now; when I pull up, I am gauging how the fish are and presenting different baits until I can get a bite. I plan on running my best stuff tomorrow and keeping moving.”
Trent Palmer
Georgia pro Trent Palmer secures fifth place at Pickwick Lake in the NPFL tournament with a total weight of 38 pounds, 11 ounces. Palmer started with 15 pounds, 2 ounces on day one, and significantly improved with 23 pounds, 9 ounces on day two.
Louis Fernandes
California pro Louis Fernandes brought in 17 pounds, 7 ounces on day one, and added 21 pounds, 4 ounces on day two, for a two-day total of 38 pounds, 11 ounces, putting him in 6th place, due to tiebreakers. After two and a half days of practice on the ledges, Fernandes did what he does and utilized his last few hours to make some shallow cover.
“I am fishing shallow and I love it,” he said. “Today I had a 3-pounder in my bag and hooked one over 6-pounds. I fought it around the boat and it popped off in my hand. I could have really moved up today, but I am happy.”
On day one, Fernandes never made a cast in his main area due to time constraints and has been fishing waypoints each day to catch his fish. He is slowly figuring out his best dots and is confident they are reloading with fish daily as the pressure on the ledges pushes fish in his direction.
“There was less wind today and I think it got them closer to the cover where I could get them,” he added. “And, I think those fish are getting beat on and are just moving off. I can see guys fishing ledges close by; I am fishing just off the side where the fish can roam and chase bait around, but quickly pull in to rest.”
With one day left in the event, Fernandes is confident there are more big fish in his area and he is looking forward to one more day on Pickwick.
Missouri angler Brock Bila took over the Power Pole big bass with a 7-pound, 13-ounce largemouth.
Rest of the Best
Trent Palmer 38-11
Hunter Sales 37-15
John Branch 37-13
Joey Bloom 37-0
John Soukup 37-9
Jason Burroughs 37-6
