HENDERSON, N.C. — Kerr Lake routinely hosts multiple divisions of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine, and that will be the case once again in 2025. The Piedmont, North Carolina and Shenandoah divisions will all take on the venerable North Carolina-Virginia border reservoir. First up is the Piedmont, which will open its season on Kerr March 8 – a time of year that typically sees power fishing tactics rule and some sizable bass cross the stage.
New for 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the BFL All-American and further minimize travel costs. This expansion ensures that grassroots anglers can fish closer to home on lakes they know and love for a chance to win a $50,000 Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard as a boater and a new $20,000 cash award as a co-angler, plus qualification into the All-American.
What to expect
Like much of the Southeast, Kerr received a massive influx of muddy water from recent storms. According to local angler Tyler Trent, that shot the Roanoke River impoundment to more than 8 feet above full pool, and it’s currently about 4 1/2 feet high.
While Trent thinks the water level should be close to normal by the time the Piedmont Division hits the water, he thinks anglers will still feel the effects of the flooding. Save for a few pockets in some creeks, Trent said the lake is currently off-color to muddy from one end to the other.
“Right now, it’s pretty much muddy from the upper end all the way to the dam,” he said. “You can find some cleaner water in some creeks and stuff like that, but it’s just a lot of what I’d consider mud for that lake, dirty water.”
Cold, dirty water is often a combination anglers fear. But Trent said the bass in Kerr can still be caught in the mud. He thinks the dirty water should help the power fishing bite the lake is well known for, with plenty of anglers likely targeting rocky cover and flooded bushes with spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits and jigs.
While using forward-facing sonar offshore can be effective on Kerr – and a few anglers might still make it work if they can find enough clean water – Trent expects to see most anglers wielding baitcasters around the banks.
“I would say forward-facing would be more of a factor if it hadn’t been for all of this rain,” he said. “With all the rain and dirty water, it’s pretty much keeping power fishing up there. But you can definitely still LiveScope and do fairly well.”
Kerr features a burgeoning population of spotted bass, but Trent thinks targeting largemouth will be the key to contending at this event.
Trent knows a thing or two about cashing checks on Kerr. He’s won three BFLs and racked up 17 Top 10s on the fishery. He expects it to take 17 to 19 pounds to earn the trophy, and he thinks that could be found just about anywhere on the nearly 50,000-acre reservoir.
“With the way it’s setting up right now, it’s pretty much pick your poison,” Trent said. “You can win from one end to the other.”