Division 2 competition of the 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Presented by SEVIIN continues this week at Arkansas’ Norfork Lake
PARK FALLS, WIS. (April 2, 2025) – If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. It’s a statement that gets thrown around everywhere, but certainly seems applicable in Arkansas at this week’s Division 2 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Norfork Lake presented by SEVIIN. What looked to be a full-on pre-spawn slugfest just a week ago is now shaping up to be a junk deal with a multitude of presentations in play… all courtesy of Mother Nature.
Arkansas resident and Opens competitor, Stephen Browning, lives just a few hours south of Mountain Home and Norfork Lake. After three full days of pre-tournament practice from last Sunday through Tuesday, the ten-time Classic qualifier admits to having more questions than answers going into tomorrow’s competition.
“I came up here thinking bites would be easy to come by,” Browning says, “especially with the time of year and the fact that Norfork has a 13” minimum size limit. Water levels and temperatures have been consistent over the past several days – the whole lake has been 57-60 degrees, but these fish are scattered and just not going yet.”
Norfork Lake is over 80 years old and covers about 22,000 acres. It’s relatively deep, rocky, and features steep banks. “It’s like a miniature Bull Shoals,” says Browning. “There’s some brush but it’s mostly chunk rock and pea gravel. There’s deep, clear water in the main lake and stained water up the river and creeks.”
Browning says he experienced two sunny days and one cloudy day during practice. “I’ve fished deep, shallow, and in the transitions and have only been catching about seven a day. It’s definitely a junk thing right now. I’ve had 18 to 20 rods on my deck and used them all. Now it’s started raining (as of Wednesday afternoon) and it isn’t really supposed to stop until after the tournament. They’re talking up to six inches and it’s going to cool down a bit, too, so it’s going to be real interesting.”
What these conditions will mean for anglers chasing the heaviest largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass on Lake Norfork isn’t clear. “These fish were mostly scattered during practice. All this rain and predicted east wind could break them up even more,” Browning says. “It’s also really going to muddy up the creeks. I think you’ll see this relatively small lake fishing even smaller at that point… competitors lining up and cycling through the same areas with multiple presentations. But that could also make this thing an open-water deal with forward-facing sonar if winds and rain tighten up the schools of threadfin shad.”
Shallow or deep, given not-so-clear water conditions and all of Norfork’s rock, cranking will likely play for some of the field’s 200+ anglers. “I think reaction baits in general are going to fish better during the tournament than they did in practice… banging squarebills on the shallow rock and brush, or deep-cranking at targeted depths on points or offshore,” he says. “I’ve got a bunch of them rigged up on moderate action Legend Glass and Legend Tournament Bass rods from St. Croix with the new SEVIIN GS casting reels in 6.6:1 and 7.3:1.
“I love how tunable these 150-size aluminum-frame reels are with the dual magnetic and centrifugal brakes. I can quickly optimize my casting distance and control with whatever line and lure I’m throwing and whatever the wind’s doing. That’s incredibly important in a grinder-like tournament like this where you’re going to cycle through a lot of lure changes.”
The 2025 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Norfork Lake presented by SEVIIN is the fourth Opens event of the 2025 season and the third in Division 2 competition. Competition days are Thursday through Sunday, April 3-5, with daily takeoffs from Buzzard Roost Boat Dock at 6:45 a.m. CT and weigh-ins each day at the same location at 2:45 p.m.
Follow Browning and the rest the tournament action online at Bassmaster.com.
About St. Croix Rod
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks.
About SEVIIN Reels
Wherever and however you fish, the reel in your hand should help create better experiences. Born from St. Croix Rod’s seven decades of design and manufacturing expertise, industry-leading customer service, and unbroken private ownership by the Schluter family dating back to 1977, SEVIIN reels are meticulously engineered and purpose-built to help anglers conquer every species on every piece of water on the planet. SEVIIN focuses on reels and reels only, designing and marketing products that improve the angling experience, regardless of the rods anglers choose. Seven seas, seven continents, seven days a week, SEVIIN reels are fueled by a collective love of fishing surpassed only by a passion to deliver the most reliable reels on the water. The St. Croix Family of Brands includes St. Croix Rod, SEVIIN Reels, St. Croix Fly, and Rod Geeks
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