HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – The Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine North Carolina Division will start the season on March 1 at Lake Norman. A great cold weather lake, Norman should be fishing well in either winter or early spring patterns.
Also of note, as sign-ups for this event are in full swing, in 2025, the BFLs will feature an expanded slate of Regional events, which will give anglers more chances to qualify for the 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 BFL All-American.
Spring or winter, expect good fishing
Filled with spotted bass and still home to some quality largemouth, Lake Norman is a great tournament lake, especially when cooler weather keeps the hordes of pleasure boaters off it. According to Carolina expert David Williams, the weather leading up to the event will be key, as the Carolinas have had a tumultuous winter so far.
“We actually got pretty warm the last couple weeks, and it had moved a lot of fish shallow,” Williams said. “Starting today, it has taken a turn and started cooling back off, and it looks like it’s going to be that way for at least the next two weeks, you know, according to the long-range forecast. That’s pretty crucial this time of year, because with the water temperature climbing a lot of fish pull up. They like to get up there in that warmer surface water, but if it starts cooling back off, they’ll drop back out and start chasing bait more.
“If the water gets colder, you’re probably going to be doing more umbrella rigging and forward-facing sonar stuff,” Williams said. “And you’ll still be able to catch some shallow, squarebills and stuff like that, but I would think it will be more of an electronics game.”
If the fish are deeper, Williams recommended the obvious jighead minnow and umbrella rig. Up shallow, a crankbait or a jig are his top picks.
To win, Williams expects it to take something in the upper teens, and either a mixed bag or all spotted bass would be his target.
“A lot of the team tournaments have been taking 17 to 19 pounds,” he said. “If you get the right kind of day, you could you could see 20 pounds or maybe just a hair more, but probably upper teens is what you need.”