COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour is set to visit Columbia, S.C., and Lake Murray this week for the third regular-season event of 2025. The tournament will feature 66 professional anglers competing for a $150,000 top prize.

The BPT last visited Lake Murray in 2023, when Anthony Gagliardi added another major victory to his impressive record on his home lake. His success on the fishery includes a 2006 FLW Tour win, a 2014 Forrest Wood Cup title and a runner-up finish at the 2021 Pro Circuit event – a tournament won by fellow BPT competitor Matt Becker.

When asked about the conditions and expectations, Gagliardi shared insights into how he anticipates the tournament unfolding.

"I know that it's fishing good. It always does this time of year," Gagliardi said. "You can catch them on a lot of different things, so I think the guys are going to have fun because they're going to catch fish – big fish – in a variety of ways."

Taking current weather patterns into consideration, Gagliardi said he believes the event will fall squarely in the pre-spawn stage.

"We're kind of in a place where the spawn can really move. Sometimes they spawn in February, sometimes not until April. It depends on the winter and recent weather. We've had some cold spells and a warm week, but I think it's going to be a pre-spawn event. It's just not warm enough to push a lot of fish into the spawn yet."

With multiple ways to target bass, Gagliardi expects a mix of techniques to play a role throughout the tournament.

"There will be fish caught in all depths,” he said. “Some guys will fish shallow with crankbaits, spinnerbaits and flipping jigs around cover. Others will focus on jerkbaits or forward-facing sonar. It’s really going to be a typical pre-spawn deal, with ChatterBaits, crankbaits, dragging a worm and flipping a jig all coming into play. There’s not really a way you could fish this lake right now and not catch one."

As for tournament weights, Gagliardi admits it's difficult to predict.

"I’ve never fished a tournament here in the everything-counts format. Last time, I won under the five-fish limit format. Looking at it that way, you’re going to have mid-20-pound bags, and then who knows how many fish beyond that? Maybe someone cracks 100 pounds. I’d guess that 30 pounds a day would be a solid mark to advance, but we’ll have to see how it plays out."

Despite his history of success on Murray, Gagliardi remains cautious about his chances at another win on his hometown fishery.

"I never feel good about it going in. Even though I’ve done well, I’m always leery,” Gagliardi said. “I honestly don’t fish the lake as much as I should, even though I live here. I know the lake well, but I don’t always know the bite for a given time of year. Every time I’ve won, it’s been doing something different than I expected.

“I’m a little nervous going into it, like I always am before any big tournament, but I enjoy fishing the lake and it’ll be fun. It’s just the lead-up that gets me – figuring out how to practice, when to use forward-facing sonar and how to adapt. That’s what stresses me out the most. But once we hit the water, it’s all about figuring things out fast enough to stay in productive areas."