Any thoughts? I see welcher is leading and Hackney close behind.

Interesting. Well I hope Hack can put some of that old school whoop ass on them 🤣😂

Welcher seems to be the hottest angler on the planet currently.

 

Sure hope NPFL scales up coverage, they have a fantastic product slap full of incredible anglers, but they're currently only able to cover a smaller portion of the live fishing.      

I agree, it’s not the best, but I think it will improve, and I think this is the kind of fishing many people want to see.

I like spotted bass tournaments but not enough to pay to watch . I did see welcher also had a big largemouth at a weigh in photo 

I’m just a little surprised, with so many guys against FFS, that not more interest in this tournament. I don’t really care either way, watching guys fish is just not my thing 🤣 

thunder storms here today, so I got nothing better to do 🤣

I'm watching, but again when you only cover about 50% of the fishing, and your format reduces the days from 4 to 3, you're just not going to generate the same buzz at the BPT or Elite Series.  

 

They need to seriously scale this model up if they want the same eyeballs that watch the BPT and the Elite Series.  

59 minutes ago, Dan N said:

I’m just a little surprised, with so many guys against FFS, that not more interest in this tournament. I don’t really care either way, watching guys fish is just not my thing 🤣 

thunder storms here today, so I got nothing better to do 🤣

That’s the thing, the anti FFS crew has nothing to anti about with this trail 😆 , therefore rendering it useless to their comments 

I was out there running around with them yesterday fishing a Charity tournament. Still amazes me how the pros can catch fish with the way they run around with their hair on fire. I can't tell you how many pros I saw fly up, drop the trolling motor, make 3 casts(if that), and haul hind parts out of there like somebody was chasing them. lol

Yep.  I've been in the boat with many pros, and it's crazy how they'll spend 5...maybe 10 mins on a spot at the most rapid-fire casting, and then beat feet to another spot.

 

I've asked several about it, and the basic response is, "Either they're there and biting, or they're not."  But I gotta tell you, if I ran around my local waters like that, I'd spend a lot of time running and little time catching. LOL

 

That said, it has made me spend less time hammering a certain lure, technique, or area with few bites.

59 minutes ago, IYAOYAS said:

I can't tell you how many pros I saw fly up, drop the trolling motor, make 3 casts(if that), and haul hind parts out of there like somebody was chasing them. lol

 

I've seen this before too.  I saw it way back in 2016 when there was an AOY event and they were pre-fishing.  They would race in like a bat out of hell, make about a dozen casts, and then fire back up and leave.  Some of them didn't have much consideration for other boats in the area either.

Hack won 100,000. He closed out this tournament by 10oz’s!

 

OG gettin it done! 

On 4/18/2025 at 9:11 AM, Dan N said:

I’m just a little surprised, with so many guys against FFS, that not more interest in this tournament. I don’t really care either way, watching guys fish is just not my thing 🤣 

thunder storms here today, so I got nothing better to do 🤣

Maybe not so many are so against it? 
 

I really have enjoyed the mix of new school and old school in the events this year.

This couldn't be going any better for the NPFL after two events than it has.

 

There was hope this new format would allow the older hammers of the sport to become relevant again, and after a Christie and Hackney win, it seems to have done just that.  Hackney hasn't won a top-level event since 2018.   

Meanwhile G-Man finished in 11th.     

 

If you look at the comments on social media for the NPFL, it's easily the most positive comment sections out of the top 3 tours.     

 

I'd be shocked if BASS doesn't limit FFS next season after watching the MLF and NPFL this year.  

17 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

This couldn't be going any better for the NPFL after two events than it has.

 

There was hope this new format would allow the older hammers of the sport to become relevant again, and after a Christie and Hackney win, it seems to have done just that.  Hackney hasn't won a top-level event since 2018.   

Meanwhile G-Man finished in 11th.     

 

If you look at the comments on social media for the NPFL, it's easily the most positive comment sections out of the top 3 tours.     

 

I'd be shocked if BASS doesn't limit FFS next season after watching the MLF and NPFL this year.  

 

Or it just has a really vocal but small cult following...

^^ Nope.  That ship sailed long ago.^^  

 

Last year, I spoke with a number of top pros that downplayed the NPFL....now I see many of them fishing it.  I also spoke with many that saw the merits and are now fishing it this year....some of them were talking retirement at the end of last season.  Plans changed.

5 minutes ago, Glenn said:

^^ Nope.  That ship sailed long ago.^^  

 

Last year, I spoke with a number of top pros that downplayed the NPFL....now I see many of them fishing it.  I also spoke with many that saw the merits and are now fishing it this year....some of them were talking retirement at the end of last season.  Plans changed.

 

They should turn it into the Senior Tour. There's a market for that.

 

There might be an appetite for it among older pros but it remains to be seen if it actually has anything but niche/cult fanbase.

I wouldn't call Kyle Welcher a senior, and he won the NPFL AOY last year, and took 3rd this week at Lake Norman.   Meanwhile he won an Elite exclusively scoping the week before against the best scopers in the world.   

 

The NPFL doesn't have a farm system like BASS or MLF, thus they won't have a direct pipeline to 18-25yr old kids.

 

The only person that's a notable senior citizen on the NPFL is David Fritts, and he struggles in it just like he did his last few years on the Elites.   

 

The only thing holding up the NPFL right now imho is not having a fully scaled up live coverage system.   

28 minutes ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

They should turn it into the Senior Tour. There's a market for that

There’s not a market for a Senior Tour. There’s barely a market for a regular tour. I’d be willing to bet things like cornhole, pickleball, and that slap contest brings more viewers/sponsors than bass fishing.

29 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I wouldn't call Kyle Welcher a senior, and he won the NPFL AOY last year, and took 3rd this week at Lake Norman.   Meanwhile he won an Elite exclusively scoping the week before against the best scopers in the world.   

 

The NPFL doesn't have a farm system like BASS or MLF, thus they won't have a direct pipeline to 18-25yr old kids.

 

The only person that's a notable senior citizen on the NPFL is David Fritts, and he struggles in it just like he did his last few years on the Elites.   

 

The only thing holding up the NPFL right now imho is not having a fully scaled up live coverage system.   

Greatest post of the year as it concerns tournament competition.

 

In particular, the farm system.. 

 

24 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

There’s not a market for a Senior Tour. There’s barely a market for a regular tour. I’d be willing to bet things like cornhole, pickleball, and that slap contest brings more viewers/sponsors than bass fishing.

 

I bet there would be if they made it. Bring back the old pros, no FFS. The boomers would love it.

36 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I wouldn't call Kyle Welcher a senior, and he won the NPFL AOY last year, and took 3rd this week at Lake Norman.   Meanwhile he won an Elite exclusively scoping the week before against the best scopers in the world.   

 

The NPFL doesn't have a farm system like BASS or MLF, thus they won't have a direct pipeline to 18-25yr old kids.

 

The only person that's a notable senior citizen on the NPFL is David Fritts, and he struggles in it just like he did his last few years on the Elites.   

 

The only thing holding up the NPFL right now imho is not having a fully scaled up live coverage system.   

 

It's basically batting practice for those guys. It's a smart move to not have conflicts with the Elite Series.

I was there in a professional capacity. Not an angler.

 

My observations:

 

1. The anglers are good, top to bottom.

 

2. While there are some that fly around from place to place, the several I talked with knew they were shallow. On day three there was an enormous movement to shallow water.  

 

It's a young league.  It's growing and with that growth there will be positive changes with regards to broadcast.  

 

The FFS deal. Again, I talked to some that felt like it's a positive to not have it. Some that were good either way.  

 

I will admit that I'm a little biased and my sample size with regards to the above are small. 

 

The NPFL is gaining steam. 

1 hour ago, Pumpkin Lizard said:

I bet there would be if they made it. Bring back the old pros, no FFS. The boomers would love it.

Sure there would be interest from Boomers but they’re not going to fund it and I’d be willing to bet they wouldn’t find enough sponsors to fund it either because there isn’t enough interest aside from a handful of boomers.

Man. Tough youngster’s are smack talking us boomers! 🤣🤣🤣

3 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

Sure there would be interest from Boomers but they’re not going to fund it and I’d be willing to bet they wouldn’t find enough sponsors to fund it either because there isn’t enough interest aside from a handful of boomers.

 

Just because they struggle to figure out how to attach a file to an email doesn't mean there aren't lots of them and have resources. Boomers have tons of money, are retiring/retired, buy boats, buy gear etc.  It's a coveted demographic believe it or not.