Corey Casey Takes Over NPFL Santee Cooper Lead

South Carolina’s own Corey Casey called an audible this morning to jump into the lead at the Strike King NPFL Stop One at Santee Cooper Lakes.

Through two days at the Strike King NPFL Stop One at Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina is delivering in a big way. The weather may be shifting, but the big fish are still biting. After two days of competition, South Carolina pro Corey Casey leads with a two-day total of 57 pounds, 7 ounces. Buck Mallory sits in second with 53 pounds, 15 ounces. And Skeeter Crosby holds third with 53 pounds, 10 ounces.

Changing conditions shook up the leaderboard, with anglers making moves on day two. Once again, over 19 competitors weighed in more than 20 pounds, with the final check cut (40th place) currently held by Ricky Robinson, who has 32 pounds, 11 ounces. The big fish of the tournament still belongs to Harmon Davis, who landed a massive 10-pound, 9-ounce Santee Cooper lunker on day one.

Casey Rockets Into Lead

South Carolina angler Corey Casey remained unfazed by the shifting weather between days one and two, opting to start in a completely new spot on Saturday. Looking to avoid the wind, his decision paid off as his “staging” area fired up, producing a 30-pound, 4-ounce bag. Coupled with his 27-pound, 3-ounce effort on Day One, Casey now holds a two-day total of 57 pounds, 7 ounces, giving him a 3-pound, 8-ounce lead heading into Championship Sunday.

He arrived at his backup water first thing in the morning, protected from the wind, dropped his Power-Poles, and got to work—quickly filling his limit and culling to his final weight before 10 a.m. His area, which features scattered vegetation and hard cover, is attracting bass moving in to spawn. Positioned slightly deeper than other anglers, his fish have remained unaffected by the cooler temperatures.

“There was nobody in there this morning, and I got after them, hardly having to move,” Casey said. “I caught most of them on reaction baits and a few on a worm. It’s very specific where they’re sitting—I had one cast that caught everything the same way.”

With another weather shift expected for Sunday, Casey remains confident, believing his area will be protected from the wind and still produce.

“I’m having an absolute blast out there. There isn’t anything better—unless they start biting a topwater,” he laughed. “I don’t know how tomorrow will go, but I’m excited. A lead is better than no lead, but this place changes fast, and these guys can catch them.”

Mallory Moves to Second

Unlike most of the field, Buck Mallory saw his water get cleaner and warmer on Day Two—a change that didn’t work in his favor. Struggling with missed fish and short strikes early, he quickly adjusted, switching colors on his Z-Man EVO ChatterBait, and saw an immediate difference. He “salvaged” his day, adding 22 pounds, 14 ounces and sits in second-place with a total weight of 53 pounds, 15 ounces.

“Today, the wind blew out my cooler, stained water, and it got really clean—it jumped from 51 to 57 degrees on me,” Mallory said. “On top of that, the water level dropped as the wind pushed it out. Yesterday, I got hung up a few times, but today I got hung up 18 times—it didn’t help. The cooler water temperature was key.”

With the wind expected to shift 180 degrees and cooler, cloudy conditions moving back in for Championship Sunday, the Michigan angler is optimistic that his fish will reset.

“I had, what, 23 pounds today? But in reality, I saw 27-plus pounds worth of fish bite and not get the bait,” he added. “They’re in there, and they want to eat—I know where the key spots are. Using Humminbird MEGA 360, I can see hard spots in the grass and stumps around me, so I know exactly where to cast. The weather should help me out tomorrow, and I’ve got a long day to make it happen.”

Crosby Jumps to Third

Managing fish over a three-day tournament is no easy task, but Skeeter Crosby has executed his game plan flawlessly. After two days, he sits in third place with a total weight of 53 pounds, 10 ounces, just 5 ounces behind Mallory. Originally planning to push hard on Day Two and fish his spot out, Crosby didn’t need to—he secured a hefty 29-pound limit early and was able to back off, saving fish for Championship Sunday.

He kicked off the event with 24-10 on Friday, then followed it up with a dominant 29-pound bag today. Fishing one main area with five or six key spots, Crosby has yet to touch all of his water after two days.

“Yesterday, I caught everything on one spot, and today I pulled up and fished that spot again,” he said. “I had my weight early, so I made a couple of extra casts just to see what would happen and caught two decent fish that didn’t help. After that, I decided to bail and go practice.”

Crosby hasn’t had much company aside from a few locals but remains tight-lipped about the details. He noted that he’s targeting offshore hard cover, locking down his Power-Poles, and making the same cast repeatedly without moving.

“I’m fishing one single bait, and every fish has come on that,” he added. “When it’s cold and windy, this area gets even better. The wind helped me today, and tomorrow looks like more of the same. The fish are still coming, and typically, there are fish on this spot all year long. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”