Cook Expands NPFL Lead at St. Lawrence River, Welcher Maintains Narrow AOY Lead.
With launch in Massena, New York, the top anglers continue to make the long run toward Lake Ontario, battling big smallmouth cruising the shallow sand flats.
Leading the charge for two consecutive days, Georgia pro Drew Cook has extended his lead at Stop Five of the 2025 NPFL Season at the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York to 3 pounds, 2 ounces.
South Carolina angler Patrick Walters, who started in second place, remains there with 22-8 on a tougher Day Two, keeping him in contention. Alabama pro Kyle Welcher stayed consistent with 24-3 on Day Two, maintaining third place and, more importantly, holding onto his lead in the Progressive Angler of the Year race. All three anglers are making significant runs and have relied on mild weather conditions to catch better-than-average-sized bass.
Robert Wroblewski led the big bass race on Day One with a 6-7 lunker, but Drew Cook took over the big bass honors with a 6-10 smallmouth today.
Cook Cruising in New York
With a two-day total of 52-10, Drew Cook is one day away from earning his first NPFL victory. He started on Day One with a solid 27-2 limit and followed it up on Day Two with 25-8, anchored by a 6-10 big bass. His consistent performance has him 3 pounds, 2 ounces ahead of second-place Patrick Walters.
Like the other top anglers, Cook is focusing his efforts around the mouth of Lake Ontario, and several spots further up the river, rotating through flats where smallmouth are both spawning and roaming. As the tournament goes on and anglers spread out, the pressure is making things tougher.
TOP 10 BELOW
“I definitely had more anglers around today and it got tougher overall,” he said. “Tomorrow we’re supposed to get a bit of overcast weather, which will change things up, but it’s going to be decent weather in general.”
Cook has kept his game plan close to the vest until the scales close on Finale Friday. His focus has been on specific areas with the presence of rock, where bigger fish tend to hold, using a variety of finesse baits like a dropshot and ned rig. With one more day to fish, Cook is confident in his areas, and has several spots from practice he’s saved for the final day.
“I have several places I haven’t touched yet and I’m confident I can get bit further up the river if needed. We have one more day to get it done and then we can break things down a bit more,” he said.
Walters Remains in Second
A tougher Day Two saw Patrick Walters add 22-8 to his Day One bag of 27-0, putting him in second place going into Finale Friday with a two-day total of 49-8. Like much of the field, Walters is making a long run and using his eyes to cast to cruising smallmouth.
Welcher Maintains AOY
While Kyle Welcher’s two-day total of 49-0 has him currently in the third spot, and still in control of the Progressive Angler of the Year race, there is no time to let up. With almost half the field weighing a bag over 20-pounds on day one, and another 40 anglers on day two, the margin of error is slim.
Coming into the event, Welcher led with 974 points with Hackney and Walters tied 969 points. Leader Drew Cook began in the top ten, but despite his performance this week, he has only narrowly gained any ground in making up points.
With close weights and one more day of competition, a single key miss or lost fish could mean several places in the standings, and angler of the year.
Top Ten:
Drew Cook 52-10
Patrick Walters 49-8
Kyle Welcher 49-0
Jesse Wise 48-10
Justin Adkins 48-7
Andrew Upshaw 47-13
Shane LeHew 47-10
Corey Casey 46-8
Cole Harris 46-8
Dustin Williamson 46-3
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