Consistency is proving difficult to find at Dardanelle, but Scott Canterbury has done just enough to stay on top through two days.

Bites have been hard to come by at Lake Dardanelle, and anyone making it look easy simply isn’t telling the whole story. Through two days of the Bass Cat Boats NPFL Stop 6 at Lake Dardanelle powered by MillerTech Batteries, the anglers who have stayed consistent have had to work for every fish, and Scott Canterbury has done exactly that. After leading Day One with 18-5, Canterbury scraped together another 17-5 on Thursday for 35-10, maintaining his lead over a climbing Brock Mosley heading into the final day.

After weighing 17-2 on Day One, Mosley backed it up with 17-3 on Thursday for a two-day total of 34-5, putting him just 1-5 behind Canterbury with one day remaining. Bill Lowen made the biggest move of the day on Day Two, following up his 15-1 opening day with 19-1, the biggest bag of the event so far. His 34-2 total moved him into third place, just 1-8 behind Canterbury heading into the final day.

Jason Burroughs and Ray Hanselman have also stayed consistent through two difficult days on Dardanelle. Burroughs followed 17-10 with 15-10 for 33-4 and fourth place, while Hanselman added 15-11 to his Day One weight for an even 32 pounds in fifth. Rickey Morris’ 6-9 from Day One remains the Big Fish of the event through two days.

Scott Canterbury

With minimal bites on Day One, Scott Canterbury made the most of his handful of opportunities to put 18-5 on the scales. On Day Two, he got even fewer bites, but once again capitalized on the ones he did to maintain his lead going into the final day. Outside of the win, which would be a welcome way to end the season after a slower 2025 campaign, a victory is also Canterbury’s only path to qualifying for the NPFL Championship.

“It’s been a trying year, and the only way I can make the championship is to get the win here,” he said. “And it’s tough. I am putting my head down and going down fishing anything that looks good. Yesterday I threw the crankbait with no luck, and today that was the deal.”

In practice, a crankbait was a good way to generate bites, but after a slow Day One, Canterbury was not sure how things would transpire. On Thursday, that was what the fish wanted, but the action was still slow and steady. His final fish, which allowed him to cull a smaller keeper, was enough to make him feel better about his weight, and with the heat taking its toll, fish care became the priority.

“I culled that last one, my sixth bite of the day, and I decided to call it three hours early,” he said. “A couple of my fish were struggling due to the heat, and I just was not sure I was going to be able to cull. I decided to save some of the places and weigh in early due to the fish care quality. It’s hot out there.”

Outside of maintaining his lead and holding off a climbing Brock Mosley, Canterbury has yet to uncover any major clues. For him, it continues to come down to covering water, being efficient and making the most of every opportunity.

“You just have to do what feels right, especially this time of year,” he said. “I found no more clues. It was so random and the fishing is tough. I have to keep grinding. I do have a couple areas that obviously have fish, but the key is getting the right ones and keeping them hooked. So far I’ve kept them on, but you never know. You have to capitalize, especially when you only get so many chances.”

Brock Mosley

Consistency has Brock Mosley right where he needs to be heading into the final day, and much of that comes down to the fishery. Mosley feels right at home on river systems like Dardanelle, and junk fishing has proven to be what it takes this week. It’s September, it’s hot and humid, and with Mosley just 1-5 off the lead, it is going to come down to the final day.

“I am just junk fishing and doing my thing out here,” he said. “I like these river systems. In practice I just found some places I felt like I could get bit and rolled with it. I’m fishing a mix of rock, wood, grass, bridges. It looks like I am dialed, but it’s far from it.”

On Day One, Mosley had a 5-pounder to anchor his bag. On Day Two, it was all quality with no single big fish doing the heavy lifting. Each day has been different, but keeping an open mind and fishing what is in front of him has been the common thread.

“You have to keep an open mind out there and just keep your head down,” he said. “This place is actually showing out for what it is, September in a heat dome. I have been fortunate to get the few bites I have each day. Just pick one off here and one there. I don’t know if I can get another bite, but I have a shot going into the final day.”

Queen Still in Front

Zack Birge did exactly what he needed to do on Day Two, bouncing back from 5-13 with 11-7 to climb from 73rd to 51st. The problem for Birge is KJ Queen kept moving too, adding 11-14 to finish the day in 19th with 26-8. Birge gained some ground, but Queen continues to hold the advantage with one day remaining.

Day Two Leaderboard

Scott Canterbury 35-10
Brock Mosley 34-5
Bill Lowen 34-2
Jason Burroughs 33-4
Ray Hanselman 32-0
Scott Suggs 31-6
Josh Butler 31-2
Hunter Sales 30-9
Brad Staley 30-8
Gary Adkins 29-15
Wes Logan 29-14
Kyle Glasgow 29-12
Jason Williamson 29-7
Joey Bloom 29-4
Austin Garland 29-3
Matthew McBee 28-4
Logan Latuso 28-0
Garrett Smith 27-5
KJ Queen 26-8
Brad Whatley 26-5
Mitchell Webb 25-13
Luke Clausen 25-12
Troy Roder 25-12
Gerald Spohrer 25-10
Greg Vinson 25-3
Josh Hooks 24-15
Cliff Crochet 24-7
Matt Herren 24-0
Scott Wiley 23-15
Jacob Powroznik 23-14
Randall Tharp 23-13
Adam Savage 23-7
Gerald Swindle 22-8
Nick Brown 21-10
Timothy Reams 21-5
Kevin Rogers 21-1
William Fletcher 21-0
Dustin Williamson 21-0
Hunter Baughman 20-10
Harmon Davis 20-9
David Williams 20-7
John Cox (GA) 20-7
Brandon Cobb 20-5
Darrell Davis 19-8
Alex Davis 18-11
Drew Cook 18-8
Joseph Lineberry 18-5
James Niggemeyer 17-15
Jared Lintner 17-12
Andy Morgan 17-11
Zack Birge 17-4
Derek Lehtonen 16-14
Fred Roumbanis 16-11
Ryan Satterfield 16-10
Chris Baker 16-2
Russ Lane 15-12
Shane Lineberger 15-7
Jordan Osborne 15-5
Jason Reyes 15-2
Chip Harrington 14-14
Quentin Cappo 14-13
Stacey James 14-12
Greg Hackney 14-8
Rickey Morris 14-5
Paul Browning 13-15
Christopher Whisenant 13-13
Mike Quinlin 13-8
Lavoyd Lemmond 13-2
JT Russell 13-2
Lendell Martin 12-13
Alton Wilhoit 12-6
John Cox (FL) 11-15
Chad Grigsby 11-6
Buddy Gross 11-1
Richard Cooper 11-1
Chad Marler 10-13
Todd Goade 10-10
Darrel Robertson 10-9
Jon Canada 10-7
Barron Adams 10-3
Jason Meninger 9-14
Dylan Freeze 9-14
Michael Comeau 9-12
Harry Moore 9-9
Travis Jewell 8-14
Troy Broussard 8-8
J Todd Tucker 8-6
James Watson 7-11
Jason Wilson 7-4
Pete Ponds 7-4
Josh Watkins 6-3
Dustin Reneau 5-12
Charlie Apperson 5-12
David Wootton 5-8
Keith Bardolf 5-1
Sean Alvarez 4-5
Johnnie Adams 4-2
Wesley Gore 3-5
Corey Casey 2-2
Ron Johnson 1-15
Tim Cales 1-11