MASSIVE MLF Weights & NPFL History! + Top March Prespawn Bass Baits

0:00There's a fire inside you you can't ignore stand still not a chance you're a lifelong learner who's come this far Now we are here to help you keep going further Capella University, what can't you do visit Capella dot edu to learn more the average cost of a D wine Virginia is $11,352 and 47 cents drinking and driving costs more than your drinks learn more at what's the damage not org brought to you by Virginia DMV This is before the first cast powered by bass cast radio I'm Trevor Wagner and every Friday we break down what bass anglers need to know before the weekend begins We're talking fishing news tournament updates Tackle and on the water tips you can use right now

1:02So if you're getting ready to hit the water or maybe watch a little BPT this weekend You've come to the right place. Let's go ahead and get started with this week's episode So this week we have an event that's taking place right now as we speak on the BPT We have two tournaments that just concluded last weekend that we're going to recap with the NPFL and The tackle warehouse pro circuit that was taking place on santi Cooper and then we're going to talk at the end A little bit about March fishing and what you need to be looking out for if you're hitting the water this March All right guys, so let's kick things off with the tournaments that concluded last weekend So it was the NPFL's first event of the season and so as it began There was kind of a temperature shift. They were on Lewis Smith Lake There's a little storm that are blowed in Thursday Which kind of changed the lake a little bit from their pre-fishing what they were doing for when the tournament actually began

2:08But the story to me in the headline was Patrick Walters Okay, Patrick Walters on day one. He didn't have the greatest day Let's see he actually came in with nine pounds and eleven ounces on the first day and he was in 29th place Okay, so he was way down on the list Wasn't really up there and then day two was a complete turnaround for him because he brought in 22 pounds in nine ounce bag And he surged up and took the lead and then he ended up winning the event You know And so with Patrick Walters winning You know, we know that he's a great bass master lead angler But since the NPFL has been around he's been fishing that as well and he earned what they called the triple crown Basically in the NPFL so he's won the championship He won the 2025 angler of the year and he's got a regular season title as well

3:10So again Patrick Walters it doesn't matter if you put them on the elite series with the scope you take the scope away from him He still goes out there and he absolutely crushes bass when he is out there fishing and Speaking of crushing bass we got to say in again, we're talking Lewis Smith lakes We got to put things in perspective the big bass for this tournament went to JT Russell on day one He brought in a five pound five ounce bass for the big bass of the tournament skin Big bass. It depends on what lake you're on depends on how big that bass is So congrats to patty Walters, you know, taking the dub getting the triple crown and basically being the comeback kid of that event You know down there in that 26 29th place and then jumping all the way up to first place That's always an accomplishment when you're coming from that far back to jump up and take the dub Now I want to briefly talk about the top 10 for this event at NPFL So if you're looking at the top 10 and I'm going to run down real fast

4:12Seven out of these top 10 NPFL anglers are also bass master elite Anglers, okay, so in first place obviously we had Patrick Walters Second place another one of those guys that can just catch him and that was Kyle Welcher third place went to John Cox And then fourth was Todd Aughton fifth was Hank Cherry Six was Derek Seventh was Jason Williamson Nine was Bill Lohan I mean eight was Bill Lohan sorry nine was Shane Lehu and ten was Kevin Rogers So if you notice the names seven out of those 10 anglers were bass master elite series anglers That went over there and showed they don't need scope to win they can win with and without it All right, so that was the NPFL again. That was the first one of the year Um, their next one's going to come up a little bit later towards the end of March And I'll give you that breakdown as we get a little closer

5:13All right, so next up that also fished on that weekend was a major league fishing's tackle warehouse pro circuit On santi Cooper now this one They had a little bit bigger bass than that five pound um five ounce big bass at the other one That probably would have been the tiny bass for this event because the at santi Cooper The big bass actually showed up now They did have a major weather delay they were supposed to take off on day one on Thursday And that was completely canceled um due to those dangerously high wins Um, kicked up and made it too dangerous for them to get out. So They did not launch on Thursday So it became a another Friday and Saturday event So it became a two-day derb And during that two-day derb a very young angler a 19-year-old Aaron Yavorsky Absolutely dominated this event He brought in two bags both day one and day two over 30 pounds and absolutely put on a clinic

6:21Bringing in the big bass for this event Now that name sounds familiar. That's because this young angler actually qualified for the bass master classic And he fished it on grand lake when he was only 18 years old. So Again, he's one of the youngest anglers to ever qualify for the bass master classic and he did it in a team series But he did make it there So again this guy He can fish. So let's put him perspective on Friday He brought in a bag that weighed 35 pounds and four ounces. That's a giant pack And then he followed it up with 32 pounds on Saturday Giving him a 67 pound four-ounce total and it's the fifth highest cumulative two-day weight in a pro circuit history earning him a hundred thousand dollars and more importantly He earned a red crest qualification So no one says he fished the bass master classic now. He's qualified for a red crest And then I mentioned he's only 19 years old

7:24So talk about a promising career in front of that young fella. He did an absolutely fantastic job At that event and surprisingly with those big bags he didn't have the big bass for day one or day two The day one big bass went to TJ McKinsey He brought in the double digit. He brought in a 10 pound five-ounce large mouth on day one And day two cow lane brought in a nine-pound 15-ounce Um bass you want to talk about heartbreaking man. You're so close to the double digit You're like could you have eaten like two more shat out there like did something to get that ounce in there to get him a 10 pound bass But again, congrats to those guys. They did an amazing job So again, Aaron Yvorsky ended up winning it with 67 pounds and four ounces So absolutely dominated and like I said, Santi Cooper put out some big bags I'm putting a perspective in the two days Um in second place Mateo

8:25Toronto he brought in a 60 pound three-ounce two-day total, which is another that's just Basically, you averaged 30 pound bags for two days, which is absolutely crazy And cow lane you know who had the day two big bass with that nine-pounder He finished the event with 59 pounds and seven ounces in third place So again right there on that 60 pound mark for a two-day total, which is absolutely fantastic So congrats to all the anglers out there that did an amazing job catching those big bass on Santi Cooper They just showed out maybe that Thursday High wind just kind of blew it in set up the conditions perfect for them to go out there and catch those big bass So congrats again, that was two events that happened last weekend But now let's transition and look at the only professional tour event taking place this weekend And that is major league fishing's bass pro tour stage three. That's right. This is their third stop

9:26Now this one is a little bit different. It's something that they've done That's going to change things up because the venue is actually two venues They're fishing Lake Whitney on days one and two for the qualifying rounds and then They're switching lakes and they're going to fish Lake Waco For days three and four for their knockout championship round. So again two lakes The qualifying rounds are going to be on Lake Whitney And then basically the knockout championship rounds will be on Lake Waco And this is kind of a I've used this term before, but it is a tale of two lakes Okay, so they fish totally different There's a little bit different aspects to them Lake Whitney It's kind of more of your highland reservoir a little bit clear They a lot have a lot of those steep contours Um, so again, but Whitney is known to hold and push out a lot of those four to five pounds small mouth Yes, you heard me right small mouth bass can also be caught in there as well as the largees that roam around

10:31So be interesting to see if they catch any of those small mouth bass to go along with their large mouth while they're on like Whitney Um, the other thing to note with this event Um, there is a weight limit, you know a lot of them have weight limit this one is they The keeper has to be above one pound eight ounce So that's be a pound and a half bass in order for the or higher in order for them to keep it as they keep track But again, we're in Texas these bass they're not they're not hunting down those two pound bass for this event These guys are me going after those three the plus pound bass to get them in the boat and get them going Okay, so again That's where we got there and then of course on Let's turn it away. So that's Lake Whitney Again, it's going to be one of those Highland reservoirs style lakes as they go Where Lake Waco where they're doing the knockout championship that is more of your shallower flatter lowland grimy reservoirs

11:32So again, you're going to see probably two totally different fishing styles that are out there as they're fishing as they're going So some storylines some things that really keep in mind as this have been is going You know, is it going to be a hometown of managed to the out in Jones and them guys um both he and junior live in the area So again, but it hasn't always panned out guys. I've I for fantasy I've thrown my hat into the ring with a lot of anglers that are hometown and they have not fared so well So again, will that change in this one? Will the Outland Jones and out in Jones junior turn that around can they actually get something done with that local knowledge out there on those lakes Um again, we're talking about power fishing and scope fishing on the two different lakes Are they going to use that that period that they have it when are they going to use it? How are they going to capitalize on it especially when you're on um Lake Whitney? I think that's going to be a key factor in that one as they go

12:35um So also keep an eye on I mean you have that hot hand with Jacob Walker Um, is he going to carry that momentum? He is leading after the first two events in the angler of year category How's he going to fare in the two different lakes bouncing back and forth? Um, you also have Is that like to call the Texas winner in ottefoe? I mean he has three bpt wins in Texas So, you know, he knows how to win in Texas So, you know, keep an eye on ottefoe Jeff Sprague obviously is a Texas resident. Is he going to come out there? And then of course Zach Burge And he just dominates in that shallow fishery. So if he can make it to that knockout round, you know, he might be one to watch as you go through With all that being said on the bpt side if you guys get to go watch it this weekend So what do I think this is going to be my I don't call it a hot tape but My my prediction for this one. So what's it going to take on stage three that last championship day how much weight

13:39Do I think that it's going to take to win again? They're going to be on Lake Waco for that championship round the top 10 So if you're doing fantasy fishing, they always ask you never been one to settle stand down or stand still You're a lifelong learner energized by excellence. There's a fire inside you. You can't ignore You've got competition to outrun momentum to build on and your own high standards to meet stop now Not a chance at Capella University We help you catch what you're chasing because you've always had the drive now go earn the degree Capella University What can't you do visit Capella dot edu to learn more? You at the end when you pick your anglers What do you think the weight is going to be at this event for the winner and I'm going to go with 46 pounds and eight ounces It might be a little low might be a little high but I I don't think we're going to see a lot of fast paced Fish every catch shoot out. I think this one's going to be down to

14:40You know them not really going after the dinks. They're going to be going after More of the bigger bass like I mentioned before they're going to be going after more of those three pound plus bass that are out there Getting them in the boat. So I'm going with 46 pounds eight ounces um Out in Jones June out in Jones senior Actually was talking about this is going to be one of those methodical fishing Patterns on both these lakes. It's not something you're just going to go out there and just try to hope to go so Again and these are two lakes in Texas. We could see like we've seen at santi Cooper We could see a ten pounder being brought in would not be surprising If someone caught a ten pounder and put that on the score tracker as well as there going through So again, am I wrong or am I right? Let me know Put it in the comments section if you're watching this on YouTube. Let us know What do you think the winning weight is going to be on that lake?

15:41All right, and like I said before and I say it all the time To catch up on all of your fishing news if you want to tournament results or you're looking at Upcoming events that are taking place that are taking place right now If you want all that fishing news all those tournament updates Don't forget to go to the bass cast Dot com and check it out look through all the stuff and again They're the ones that help us get on here and help let us share our knowledge with all of you guys that are out there So check go check out the bass cast dot com for all your fishing news and tournament updates as we're going All right for all of you that are hitting the water this weekend. It is March Okay, so we've talked about this pre spawn phase coming in the last couple weeks in February Well, guess what March is pretty much that pre spawn transitional phase Across the nation now again unless you're really really far north um, the bass are really starting to do this

16:42Pre spawn phase transitional phase again the days are getting longer And as those days get longer that's when the bass are starting to move up those transitional periods are gonna keep going So again over the next couple weeks I'll break down each of these different patterns as we go through But today I'm just gonna give you the overall general consensus as we're going through Because again that water is starting to warm up You know those big females are gonna start going up into those spawning bays But their first major you know drop offs outside of those shallow fts kind of where they're gonna be hanging out Again, we've talked about those secondary points those channel swings All those transitional areas as they're making them their way back up into the banks And again those banks are gonna start warming up especially those deep coves those pockets They're gonna start warming up a little bit better now And so you're gonna start seeing those males move up in there start getting everything ready So again, it's a good time to get out there and start targeting those

17:43But again, it's one of those where you gotta find them It's gonna be one of those times when you gotta go try to get those high percentage points You know those high percentage areas to try to catch you some bass So I'm gonna talk to you today about two different bates that I would like to that I typically throw this time of year As I'm going out and finding them and hunting them down And you'll hear this probably on other channels as well as you know the beginning of March everybody comes out and talks about their top bates for March But for me these are the I'm just gonna talk about two because it's gonna be in a lot of them One spring pre spawn all of that everybody knows That red is the way to go and this red I'm gonna be talking about is the red Lipless crankbait again, it's a good reactionary bait It's a bait that you can get down to those deep holes if you find them where they're still deep You can fish it shallow you can fish it deep You can fish it if there's still some grass around the grass is turning coming

18:46You can fish this at a lot of different depths and a lot of different ways Again, you can yo-yo it you can straight retrieve it You can kind of hop it you can grind it off a rocks you can do many different things With the red lipless crankbait and now is the time if you're throwing that lipless crankbait make sure it's red I didn't buy into it for a long time that red would trigger once I switched to red during spring It's hard for me to put down the red lipless crankbait as I'm Finding those bass and getting them to hit that reactionary strike All right now as those bass are starting pushing up and they're a little bit shallower and they're moving in My second bait that I'm going to be throwing is the Ow as I hooked myself those are you listening I just got myself in the finger with a very sharp bladed jig That's right. This is the time is they're moving shallow. You're still looking for that reactionary bite The bladed jig is a great way to get them to trigger and get them to strike now again

19:50I this time of year. I will usually have a red with me Some kind of red and black pattern that deeper color But I also always with my chatterbaits. I will always have some kind of Shiner color golden Shiner a regular Shiner But some kind of white maybe with a little sharp truce and a darker tone on the top with it To go and get those bass to strike So that's my tip for you if you're going out this weekend tie on you a red lipless crankbait And also put on a bladed jig go out there especially if you're finding them as they're pushed up a little bit Shallower up in those banks and go out there and catch you some bass All right guys. Well, that's it. So before your first cast this weekend What's that one decision that you're going to make? To help you put some more bass in the boat in the kayak or pull them into you on the shore

20:51All right guys. Well, that's it for this week's episode of before the first cast on bass cast radio If this has helped you prepare Maybe learn a little bit about the tournament circuits that going on Make sure that you like subscribe comment do all of those things help stroke that algorithm Help us keep us on the air providing you with great tips and Resources to help you catch more bass All right. I'm Trevor Wagner. Remember fish smart Fish prepared and we'll see you before the first cast The average cost of a D wine Virginia is $11,352 and 47 cents drinking and driving costs more than your drinks Learn more at what's the damage not org brought to you by Virginia DMV There's a fire inside you you can't ignore stand still not a chance You're a lifelong learner who's come this far now. We are here to help you keep going further

21:56Capella University. What can't you do visit capella.edu to learn more