NEWBERRY, S.C. – South Carolina’s Dustin Williamson caught a 19-13 stringer to take the initial lead Thursday in the final National Professional Fishing League event of 2024.
Before the tournament, Williamson hinted that a shallow bite might produce the biggest fish of the event, and he may end up being right. However, he also noted that the offshore fish were less volatile and had the best chance of holding up over three days. With the event cut to two days due to weather, he’s focused on milking his area for all its worth and making a run on the final day.
“I’m fishing a typical deal, similar to how I would back home at Clarks Hill this time of year,” he said. “I’m fishing three spots in one main area, and the key is finding the baitfish. I have never fished in this particular area before besides practice, but it has the right ingredients for how I want to target them.”
Purposefully leaving out details on how he’s catching the quality bass, Williamson mentioned he hasn’t had much company from other anglers, and figured out later in the day how to catch the bigger fish after culling through over 25 bass throughout the day.
“My two biggest were over 4 pounds, and the other three were solid,” he said. “I’m around the right fish; the hard part is getting them to bite. Once I caught those two big ones, I stopped and saved them for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to going after them one more day.”
Here’s how the Top 10 stacks up:
1. Dustin Williamson: 19-13
2. Brock Bila: 19-0
3. Ron Farrow: 19-6
4. Kyle Welcher: 19-3
5. Bailey Gay: 18-12
6. Zack Birge: 18-9
7. Angel Rosario: 17-14
8. Patrick Walters: 17-11
9. David Williams: 17-7
10. Hunter Sales: 17-4
