By Jason Duran
The Alabama Bass Trail North Division rolled into Leesburg Landing, this past Saturday for the fourth stop of the 2025 season at historic Weiss Lake. Known as the “Crappie Capital of the World,” Weiss also boasts a healthy population of largemouth and spotted bass—and this weekend, those bass were in the spotlight. With spring transitions still in play, and warm temperatures pushing fish into late spawning and early summer patterns, Weiss proved to be both rewarding and punishing, depending on your game plan.
The weather drastically changed from practice to tournament day. In practice the weather was warm and the sky’s were mostly clear. On tournament day it felt like a early February day. The rain and wind moved in and brought the cooler temperatures. Teams would have to adjust to find the fish that were already on the move.
Nolan Spencer and Jonathon Reese secured first place with a total weight of 20.44 pounds. They collected over $23,000 including a Phoenix Boats Bonus plus other bonuses. This marks the second victory for this duo, both times on Weiss Lake in May. During their previous win, the lake conditions were quite different; the water was warmer, and the fish had retreated to deeper offshore structures. This year, the weather has been cooler, and the fish were just starting to transition into their post-spawn phase. Typically, alongside this transition, a shad spawn occurs around the same period. Nolan mentioned that he came to practice and get ready for the tournament, and by Thursday he realized it would be entirely focused on the shad spawn. “On Thursday morning, I found the best area on the lake and observed the shad spawning. The activity was so intense that it appeared as if it were raining on the surface of the water. The weather impacted the shad spawn, and today it was hard to tell if shad were present in the vicinity,” he elaborated. “It became somewhat of a challenge because of that. I was aware of what occurred on Thursday and knew the fish remained in the area, so I just got to work.” Jonathon added, “This morning, we did notice some bass chasing shad and breaking the surface a few times, but it was nowhere near the level you usually see.” We didn’t catch any fish right away; the first 30 minutes passed without a bite, but seeing the bass erupting on the surface boosted our confidence that they were still there. We opted for a Dirty Jigs white swim jig paired with a Rage menace grub and an SPRO white frog in popping and walking styles. For the jig setup, we used Sunline 832 50# braid on a 7’3” medium-heavy rod, while the frog setup utilized a 7’3” extra heavy rod with 50# braid.
The second-place team of Jason Whisonat and Tim Baker caught 19.19 pounds and collected $7,500. They shared about their day, "Our practice was not very successful; we didn't catch many fish, and the ones we did catch were in the same area we fished today. Since we didn’t have many other places to try, we decided to start there and swing for the fences. Thankfully, it paid off." The team continued, "We began catching fish around 7:30, and by 8:30, we had our limit. From that point on, we continued to upgrade and we caught around 20 fish all day. The area consisted of a large grass flat with a small shad spawn occurring. The fish were post-spawn and had pulled out into this area to stop. We discovered a few key spots within the grass mat. We rotated around the area several times, and each time we returned to those spots, we slowed down and focused a bit more. Most of our significant catches came from about three of these locations. We were using a white 3/8-ounce swim jig; we tried using a buzz bait, but the fish didn't seem to bite it well. The key for us was the way we swam the jig. Other teams were nearby using jigs as well, but we just seemed to have better success."
Finishing in third place with 18.13 pounds was Walker Brown earning $6,000. He fished solo since his partner was unable to attend this event. Fishing alone in a team competition already puts you at a disadvantage, and in the ABT, that disadvantage is even greater because every boat features some of the best team fishermen in the country, all working together to catch a limit. Walker shared that he had done research on Weiss Lake for May, which indicated there would be an offshore pattern. On Thursday morning, he scanned the deeper waters until 3:00 PM but decided to give up on the deep bite and head toward the grass. He caught one fish and then committed to fishing in the grass. On Friday, he practiced using a swim jig all day, searching for areas where he could get bites. The next morning, he returned to an area where he knew he could catch a quick limit fishing a grass bed. There were a few other teams in the vicinity, so he patiently fished around them until they moved out of the way. He then caught a 3-pound fish. After that, he fished a few docks he had located and managed to catch another 3-pounder using a Chatterbait. Later, he returned to an area where he had lost a fish late in practice. He threw a bunch of baits there and finally dug out an old rusty spinnerbait. After working it through the mat about twenty times, he caught another 3 pounds. Later he moved around a ended up catching a solid 4.10-pound fish in the grass mixed with wood. Walker felt extremely blessed to achieve this finish, especially while fishing solo against such tough competitors.
When the scales finally closed at the Leesburg Landing weigh-in, a new group of champions had emerged, the Angler of the Year race tightened even further, and the road to the championship on Wheeler Lake became much clearer. With just one regular-season event left—the always-unpredictable Pickwick Lake—the Angler of the Year standings are razor-thin at the top. Here’s how the top five shape up:
Longtime ABT veterans, McCaig and Hurst have been picture-perfect all season. Their consistency has earned them the top spot, but just barely. A solid finish at Pickwick would all but secure the AOY title.
Willis and Kiker have quietly put together a phenomenal season. If they show up strong at Pickwick, they could leapfrog into the lead and claim the AOY crown.
These two are dangerous on Pickwick. Their ability to find big bites in current situations could be the X-factor in deciding the title.
Still well within striking distance, Davidson and Fikes will need a top-10 finish or better at the finale to stay in the mix.
They’ll need a strong performance and a little help from the leaderboard above them, but Bice and Chambers are still mathematically alive in the AOY race.
The stage is now set for one of the most anticipated season finales in ABT history. Pickwick Lake, known for its ledge fishing and big bass potential, will host the final stop of the 2025 North Division regular season on June 14. With AOY points, bragging rights, and championship qualification on the line, you can expect fireworks.
The top ten standings are below. For a complete list of standings, please visit: https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/weiss-lake/results/
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