Alabama Pro Greg Vinson Comes Out on Top at NPFL Stop #4 on Logan Martin
A week of ups and downs, mounting pressure each day, heavy weekend boat traffic, and increasing winds on Showdown Saturday – those were just a few of the challenges the field faced this week at Stop Four of the NPFL on Logan Martin Lake in Oxford, Alabama. Veteran pro Greg Vinson saved his best for last, catching the biggest bag of the tournament on the final day to earn his first NPFL victory with a three-day total of 46‑2.
Vinson opened the event with 15‑10 on Thursday, survived a tough Day Two with 12‑10 to sit in seventh place, then rallied with a 17‑14 limit on the final day to secure the victory. “I have been doing this a long time, guys,” Vinson said.
“Over 20 years. I worked my way up with the full support of my family, my son Gaige, my wife Steph, my friends. So many ups and downs in this sport. There were so many times I didn’t know if I had another year left. I put it in God’s hands, and He kept me in this game. I’ve had a rough couple of years, questioning things, but God gave me direction. This moment tells me God wants me to keep fishing.”
Canada’s Strong Runner-Up Showing
Also saving his best day for last, Jon Canada finished second with a three‑day total of 44‑9. Fishing from the dam to roughly 2 miles below it, Canada relied on years of history on Logan Martin to identify several productive stretches. He increased his weight each day, opening with 12‑11, adding 14‑10 on Day Two, and capping off his tournament with 17‑4 on Showdown Saturday.
Alabama pro Wes Gore finished third with 43‑10, while South Carolina’s Corey Casey placed fourth at 43‑1 after leading the tournament entering the final day. Indiana pro Bill Lowen rounded out the top five with 42‑0.
Finesse Pays Off for Vinson
In his home state, Greg Vinson made it all come together, earning his first major victory. It was a long time coming, and it came on arguably the toughest day of the week on Logan Martin. With increased boat traffic, Vinson still made his pattern work. The Alabama pro was in a bit of a bind during practice, moving around the lake but struggling to find quality bites. On the second day, with a drop shot in hand, he started checking deeper cover. After catching a few fish on dock posts, everything started to click.
“From then on, I started marking brush. I had found some when I came to pre‑practice, but it all started to come together,” said Vinson. “A little trick I learned on Lake Martin is when the fish get tough to catch, I like to power fish with a drop shot.”
Another key to his success was BaitFuel. With increased fishing pressure and several anglers targeting the same offshore brush piles, Vinson knew he needed a way to get fish to bite when the current slowed. “The depth was key, and I knew I needed a way to get those fish to bite when things slowed down,” he said. “I was targeting 15 to 20 feet, and it was both brush and docks. I was power fishing, or finesse flipping with a drop shot, trying to get a reaction bite. I knew scent worked, but this week proved it for me. I loaded every bait with BaitFuel, and it made a huge difference.”
On the final day, as Vinson made the run south, he was encouraged to see cloud cover overhead. During the first two days, by the time he reached his primary area, the morning bite was all but over. Not on Saturday. “I got down there and lost a 4½‑pounder first thing, and I was devastated,” he said. “It was weighing on me, and I thought I had blown it. I knew the big fish were going to be the key, and that was a game‑changer I let get off.”
A few casts later, he landed a 3‑4 spotted bass. Things got going. Later in the day, he culled a 1‑7 with a 3‑6. With a 4‑11 already in the livewell, the Alabama pro finally felt it. “Everyone says it, but it’s true. I knew it was my time,” he said. “When I hooked that last big one, I felt him bite, let him eat it, and played him in slow on that Seaguar Gold Label leader. I knew that was the fish. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I’ve been close before. This is my first major win, and to do it in my home state feels unbelievable.”
Canada Cruises to Second with Beat‑Up ChatterBait
Logan Martin is nothing new to Jon Canada, and his years of fishing the river section gave him a legitimate shot to win on the final day. Despite finishing just shy of the victory, Canada executed his current‑based pattern flawlessly. “I had a good practice fishing up the river in the current,” said Canada. “I caught a 5‑9 in practice, which is one of the biggest spotted bass I’ve caught in a long time. Coming in, I figured 15 pounds a day would be close to the win.”
On Day One, Canada lost a 4‑pounder early, which hurt, as it ended up being his lightest bag of the tournament. Still, he caught around 40 bass each morning, weeding through smaller fish before shifting his focus once the morning flurry slowed. “It is hard to catch a 3½‑pound fish here,” he said. “People don’t realize that. I focused on isolated rocks, stumps, and anywhere the current would break. Most of what I caught came on a Chatterbait with a Freeloader trailer, and today I caught some on a crankbait. Otherwise, I fished for big fish with an Urchin and a glide bait.”
For his biggest bites, Canada relied on two key rocks that consistently held quality fish. He lost the big bite on Day One, landed it on Day Two, and on Showdown Saturday caught three quality bass, including two on back‑to‑back casts. “I mixed it up. Most came on a Jackhammer, and that thing is beat up,” he said. “I tried tying on a new one, and they wouldn’t eat it. I tied the old one back on. The thing has maybe four skirt strands left – and they were all over it. It was a great week.”
Queen Takes Over AOY Race
Coming into Logan Martin, Zack Birge and KJ Queen were tied atop the 2026 Work Sharp NPFL Angler of the Year standings with 722 points, while Brandon Cobb sat just 1 point back in third. After three days of competition, Queen made the biggest move of the trio to unofficially reclaim the AOY lead. His seventh‑place finish kept him near the top of the leaderboard all week and allowed him to gain valuable points heading into the final two events of the season.
Cobb continued his remarkably consistent season with a 13th‑place finish, keeping himself firmly in the hunt and unofficially moving into second in the AOY standings. Birge battled back after a slow start to finish 17th, limiting the damage and remaining well within striking distance. With only two tournaments remaining in the 2026 season, the Work Sharp NPFL Angler of the Year race is shaping up to be one of the closest in league history.
Final Results – Top 10 Pros
1st: Greg Vinson, 46‑2
2nd: Jon Canada, 44‑9
3rd: Wes Gore, 43‑10
4th: Corey Casey, 43‑1
5th: Bill Lowen, 42‑0
6th: Randy Howell, 41‑5
7th: KJ Queen, 40‑12
8th: Brandon Cobb, 40‑8
9th: Zack Birge, 40‑3
10th: Mark Rose, 39‑15
Big Bass: Jordan Osborne – 6‑0 (Day 2)
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