Category Archives: kayak bass fishing

KBF Bull Shoals Preview

The first Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) Trail event of the year in Arkansas will take place on Bull Shoals, a 45,000 acre reservoir on the White River in Arkansas.

The 2018 KBF Trail – Bull Shoals will take place on Saturday, April 7. Anglers will be able to use any ramp in the lake to launch and chase their limit of winning bass. Participants should register for the event using TourneyX by Friday, April 6.

Tournament Schedule and Meeting Information

The captains meeting and check in will be at Beacon Point Restaurant located at 3553 AR-178 in Lakeview, AR 72642.

Friday April 6
* 4:00 p.m.: Prefishing ends
* 6:00 p.m.: Event ID Code Released
* 6:00 p.m.: Captains Meeting at Tournament HQ
* 6:00 p.m.: Registration Deadline
Saturday April 7
* 5:00 a.m.: Earliest Launch; registration deadline
* 6:15 a.m.: Start-of-competition; first cast/lines in water
* 3:30 p.m.: End-of-competition; lines out
* 4:00 p.m.: Photo upload deadline (Shows on TourneyX as “end of competition” time)
* 4:00 p.m.: Check in to Tournament HQ. (Late or Failure to check in will result in disqualification.)

Event sponsors include:

  • *Bull Shoals Lake & White River Chamber of Commerce
  • *Ozark Mountain Trading Company
  • *Beacon Point Restaurant
  • *Enterprise Printing
  • Gerber Gear, NuCanoe, Torqeedo,  Yeti, NRS, Nines Optics, Lowrance, Power Pole, YakAttack, APR, BooneDOX* Title sponsors – please tag in when posting in social media at this event
Bull Shoals Dam at the south end of the lake.
Bull Shoals Tournament Analysis

Jason Adams, event tournament director, previews the tournament and what anglers may expect on Bull Shoals.

What do you expect from Bull Shoals, lots of fish? Big fish? Will it be primarily largemouth or a mix of largemouth, spotted bass and smallmouth?

I believe catching a five fish limit will be the most important aspect and could come from a limit of Smallmouth. These are the first fish to move up for spawning as temperatures start to rise. We saw that at the National Championship this year where a limit each day was key to placing high. One thing to note was the minimum length at that event was 12″, however, for the Trail and Challenge events, the minimum length is back to 8″. This should really be encouraging to anglers who fished the NC and went home skunked.

Is there anything that makes bull shoals unique?

Bull Shoals is a deep and clear highlands reservoir impoundment located in on the border of Arkansas and Missouri. It is centrally located in the United States and has hosted numerous elite bass tournaments. This will be the first time a major kayak tournament has been held on this lake and the locals are ecstatic about the idea. We partnered with the Bull Shoals Lake White River Chamber of Commerce late last year and have had an some great dialogue on the future of Kayak Bass Fishing in this area.

What should anglers coming in from outside of the area know about the Bull Shoals region?

People coming into this area will be welcomed by banners provided by the local Chamber as they drive into this world famous fishing destination. The place will be packed with bass boat and kayak anglers, as well as fly fisherman. This place is nostalgic and knows how to keep you dreaming of coming back. Ozark Mountain Trading Company is the closest kayak shop, located in Cotter just a few blocks from the White River. Area native Brad Eubanks is the store manager and has been known to put people on fish. He said mum is the word, but I bet you can charm him into sharing a few local secrets.

What’s the guaranteed prize for first? Is there a big bass element? 

Payout is to 10% of the field with $1,000 minimum to first place. There is no Big Bass side pot collected on TourneyX.

Bull Shoals Links

Bull Shoals Wikipedia

Bull Shoals Chamber of Commerce

Things To Do