My Dad has always said that April is the toughest month for fishing in this part of the country – the bass may not have moved up as much as you think they have, or have moved up faster. It can be feast or famine depending on the day and location. This seemed true leading up to the Lake Tenkiller kayak tournament for NSKA, presented by H2 Heat and Air. Several who pre-fished were finding it stingy, and seemingly behind other lakes like Table Rock or Beaver. Tenkiller wouldn’t be a pushover on tournament day.
Tournament Results
Overall, it was a case of the have and the have nots among the anglers on Lake Tenkiller. Of the 48 registered anglers, only 38 (79%) turned in a bass, while a paltry 20 (42%) turned in a five fish limit. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) metric was really low as well with a 3.71 FPA. This FPA rate is much lower than the 6.18 we had for the NSKA Table Rock 1.0 event in March and among some of the lower FPAs in recent seasons.
For the second straight event, Jason Kincy took first place with a total of 87.25″ on the day. Justin Brewer took second with 84.50″, Tyler Zengerle third with 84.25″, and Christa Hibbs fourth with 83.75″. Abraham Garcia took the Big Bass prize with a 20.00″ Smallmouth!
Abraham Garcia’s Big Bass from the Lake Tenkiller kayak tournament
Top 10 Lake Tenkiller Anglers:
Jason Kincy 87.25
Justin Brewer 84.50
Tyler Zengerle 84.25
Christa Hibbs 83.75
Levi Schneider 83.75
John Evans 83.50
Cole Sikes 81.75
Caroline Hibbs 81.50
John Hall 80.25
Will Atchison 80.00
Angler Roundtable
The four top anglers from the Lake Tenkiller kayak tournament shared how they did it on a very, very windy day in Oklahoma. Here are the deets from Jason, Justin, Tyler, and Christa.
Where did you go on Tenkiller and why?
Jason – I went to the Snake Creek area, as it was about the only place I caught a fish in pre-fishing, and was going to be a bit more out of the wind on the east side of Tenkiller.
Justin – I chose to go to Chicken Creek and fish the mid-lake section. I would normally got to the river area because I’m not a clear water guy but that area hasn’t been fishing well and I got good bites in practice mid-lake.
Tyler – I chose to fish between Snake Creek and the State park, primarily to be protected from the wind.
Christa – I fished in Snake Creek. I selected this area to have a little bit of a break from the strong winds.
How did you catch your fish, what techniques or baits?
Jason – I caught a keeper on my first cast with a Booyah Covert spinnerbait, and all of my other keepers came on a Carolina rig. I had a feeling a Carolina rig would play, so had to drive to the Tahlequah Walmart the night before to pick up some beads, swivels, and hooks. Didn’t have a c-rig weight so I used a flipping weight instead.
Justin – I caught fish a a few different baits but the majority and bigger fish came on a War Eagle heavy finesse jig with Yum Craw Chunk trailer. One keeper in my limit was on a 6” Magdraft swimbait.
Tyler – First fish was on a 6” Swimbait and the rest of them were on a shakey head.
Christa – I caught all of my fish on a jigging spoon. I focused mainly on the tire reefs and used my xi3 to position my boat in the wind.
What was the key fish for you and how did it go down?
Jason – I should say the 18.00″ one that put me in first, but honestly it was a 14.00″ that was my third bass that day. I’d gone a while without catching a fish, so I relocated to a different area to find some activity. Caught this one on my second cast in that area which told me I was on the right track. I stayed the rest of the day in a stretch probably no more than 40 yards long.
Justin – A 17.00” cull fish around 1:00 that helped me settle in to my spot after I made the risky decision to go across the lake. I went on to catch another 17.00” cull a few minutes later to bump me to my final length of 84.50”.
Tyler – Key fish was around 1:30. I went back to the area I started in and when I got there, boats were leaving and some were entering, so I knew it had been fished over pretty well. First dock I pulled up to, I threw my shakey head at the front corner and let it sink to the bottom. Few seconds later, line started moving and set the hook on a decent smallmouth. I fought it for a few minutes, thinking it was my PB (it wasn’t), and was doing whatever I could to keep the fish from jumping and spitting the hook. It was a glorious feeling to get her in and also catch her in front of a bass boat
Christa – My key fish was a 19-incher I caught later in the day. I was on the far wind blown edge of where I was fishing at that time. The fish hit it on the fall and quickly ran off with it. If I wasn’t spot locked in place, that fish would have probably never made it in the boat in that wind.
Is that the windiest tournament you’ve been in? If not, what was?
Jason – This was probably the one where I was exposed to the most wind, I fished wind all day long and was so tired by the end! But the windiest was several years ago on Swepco. Everyone knows that place is a wind tunnel in March and that day I quit before the day was over because I couldn’t hardly go against the wind and it was just dangerous.
Justin – Pretty close if not. There was a tournament on Lake Fork I fished that was pretty close but I can’t remember which was worse. All I remember is waves coming over the front of the kayak.
Tyler – Honestly, I think last Tenkiller tournament was worse than this one. Either that, or the TOC on Lake Fork in 2018 – this one probably felt worse because I was paddling at the time!
Christa – The windiest tournament I’ve fished was a few years ago on Dardanelle. I was fishing in a cut off of the main river channel most of the day. When the day was over, I came back to the main river to head back to the launch. The wind had picked up as the day went on. The combination of the current and wind made it unmanageable to cross the river safely. I no longer could control any direction I was moving. I banked the boat and waited a couple hours to cross safely.
How can anglers and fans of big bass keep up with you in social media?
Two events in and the early part of the season is taking shape. There’s a looong way to go – anyone off to a bad start can even drop these first two events. If you haven’t fished an event yet, you still can fish the rest and be in the AOY race. It’s not too late to sign up for a membership – contact Kyle Long for more information.
Here are your current Top 25 AOY rankings after two events. The Top 25 make the end of season Classic Championship!
Heavy Hitters still is up for grabs. Not many 20s have been caught and nobody is running away with it yet. The Heavy Hitters total is best five for the season, so plenty of time to make a move. Long season to go!
The 2024 season has started for NSKA NWA and it began on a frigid day at Table Rock Lake. With a cold front, 37 degrees at lines in, and winds out of the NNW, it would be a good challenge for the mix of Arkansas and Missouri anglers hitting the water. The event was presented by Moments by Mandie photography – thank you for the support!
The other day I was telling a guy at work that we had a tournament coming up on Table Rock. “What’s it like?” he asked me. “Well, it’s a lot like Beaver Lake but with way more fish and bigger fish.” Beaver has actually really picked up as a bass fishery, but Table Rock was going to be a great place to start the season in pre-spawn conditions due to the large fish population.
Tournament Recap
Even with the cold, harsh conditions, 56 anglers signed up for the kickoff event. Kudos to the tournament director for launching us at 7:00, there was no reason to get out into the cold earlier than that! For a March event, it was a pretty prolific fish fest. More than 96% of registered anglers turned in a bass, with a strong 71% turning in a limit. Overall, a very high FPA of 6.18 dwarfed previous March tournaments over the past couple of years – 5.95, 3.95, 3.52, 2.99, and 1.72. (looking at you, Pumpback)
Kyle Long’s Big Bass from Table Rock 1.0 – Source: TourneyX
Jason Kincy took 1st place with 84.50″ in a tiebreaker with Micah Funderburgh who also had 84.50″ on the day. Corey Sims took third place with 84.00″ followed by Kyle Long with 83.25″ – Kyle did win Big Bass with a 19.75″ largemouth.
Top 10 Table Rock Anglers
Jason Kincy 84.50
Micah Funderburgh 84.50
Corey Sims 84.00
Kyle Long 83.25
Stony Floyd 82.75
Levi Schneider 82.50
Terrill Standifer 82.00
Trevor Motzkus 81.50
Caleb Derryberry 79.50
Jim Hall 79.00
Angler Roundtable
The top finishers from Table Rock 1.0 gathered to share how things went down on the ‘Rock on a blustery and cold March Saturday. Here is the 411 from Jason Kincy, Micah Funderburgh, and Corey Sims.
What part of Table Rock did you fish, and why?
Jason – I fished the Big M to Rock Creek area of the White River arm. Usually fish at Owl Creek or Holiday Island. This time around I just decided to try something different and I hadn’t fished there much before.
Micah – I put in near Shell Knob and tried to do exactly what I did to win last year but quickly figured out that it wasn’t going to work.
Corey – I decided to put in a Campbells Point and I was originally looking for warmer water in the coves to see if the fish were starting to move up. Big Bay is just north of Campbells Point and there is a cove just south of Campbells Point that had some shallow water with creek beds in them. When I got there the plan changed 100%.
Cold front came in the day before the tournament and it was COLD that morning. How did that change anything you were doing?
Jason – First of all, I dreaded getting out there in such cold temps and wind, but that probably hurts the fisherman more than the fish, lol. I expected any fish that had been super shallow to pull out a bit, or, for most fish to sit tight offshore. Because of this, I started fishing out deeper for the first couple of hours but only caught one that way. In reality, I only caught one keeper deep and my others came in fairly shallow water along the bank.
Micah – The water level and clarity was much different so I had to junk fish the whole are instead concentrating on two very specific spots like last year. The main pattern for me was main lake banks with chunk rock.
Corey – It was colder that morning than I though it would be, the wind was blowing harder than I though it would be. Right straight across the lake from Campbells Point is a bluff with timber and it sits right on the channel swing. The stars couldn’t have line up more perfect to fish that stretch of bluff than it did yesterday.
In general, what baits worked for you in catching most of your fish?
Jason – I caught about a dozen bass on the day, and as I mentioned above the vast majority were shallower than 10ft. My catches mostly came on a crankbait and a couple of jigs. In pre-fishing it was the A-rig that dominated, but that just didn’t work for me on tournament day.
Micah – The bass were relating to whatever wood could be found on those banks and I caught them on finesse jigs and jerkbaits. Unfortunately I only caught a handful of largemouth and probably 30+ spotted bass so it was hard to upgrade throughout the day. I’ll be uploading a video of the day on my YouTube channel in the next day or so.
Corey – I started the morning off chucking a crank bait, catching several fish around 15” or so. Then I switched to a shad color chatterbait and that’s when the two big girls decided they wanted to eat. I got to the end of the bluff and went ahead and motored down to the south cove to see if the water was warmer since by that time the sun came out. Threw a crankbait for about 10 minutes and turned around and headed back to the bluff. Fished the bluff side again changing to a spinnerbait and caught a few more. After that it was about 1 o’clock, so I decided to go north and fish the bluff side right before Big Bay. All I threw there was a crankbait and caught several spotted bass and at 2 o’clock I headed back to the Campbell Point bluff to see if I could pull a couple more inches out of it but just kept getting the 15” fish. It was an awesome day to fish.
How can anglers and fans of big bass keep up with you in social media?
Angler of the Year and Heavy Hitters races have begun. It is a long season and these current rankings don’t mean a lot. As a reminder, AOY is best six events and the Classic, so you don’t even have to count this first one if you don’t want to. It’s also not too late to sign up for a membership if you want to be in these competitions going forward – sign up before Tenkiller!
Here are your current Top 25 AOY rankings. The Top 25 make the end of season Classic Championship!
Heavy Hitters is off to a slow start without a giant. That means everyone is still in good shape to compete this season. Your five largest fish from each individual event will make up your HH limit – lots of time left to get going on this.
See you at the next event: Lake Tenkiller, April 6
The season came to a close for 2023, with the 2023 NSKA NWA Ace of Blades Classic on a stingy Beaver Lake. The top 25 regular season points leaders, plus the Shootout winner competed for the Championship.
History of the Classic has been fairly consistent in what it would take to win. Looking back at the one and two day totals for past Champions, you see a couple of patterns:
At the launch on day one, I said to an angler, “You can’t win it on day one, but you can lose it.” Looking at the history, this may not be totally correct. Each time except one, the higher total was on the first day. So, definitely have to get off to a hot start. Secondly, 147″ seems to be the floor for a chance to win. Each year I feel like if I can get to 150″ then I’ve got a shot. Thirdly, other than Cole, your name must start with the letter J. Ha!
2023 Classic Results
Overall, it was a very difficult day on the water. Beaver Lake seemed to be turning over, fish were scattered, a small cold front had just come through, and this may have been the lowest water level for an official NSKA event, ever. These created some challenging conditions.
Out of the 24 registered anglers, 13 caught a limit on both days – which is pretty good. Overall, the BPA was 4.81, putting it as slightly below average for an event. These numbers were buoyed by the fact that these were the top anglers for the year. But even that fact did not mean a fishing bonanza!
Jacob Webber took first place with a two-day total of 147″, with your AOY winner – Tyler Zengerle, finishing second with 146.75″. Third place went to Jamie Shumate with 137″. Big Bass was taken home by Justin Brewer for an 18.50″ largemouth bass.
Big Bass for the Classic by Justin Brewer – 18.50″
Here were your top ten:
Jacob Webber 147
Tyler Zengerle 146.75
Jamie Shumate 137
Justin Brewer 16.50
Jason Kincy 133
Terrill Standifer 131
Tony Sorluangsana 130.75
Sam McClish 128
Jason Coleman 127
John Evans 126
2023 Classic Champion – Jacob Webber!
Angler Roundtable
The Classic is a great two-day challenge that requires adjustment and diversity from the top anglers. Day one zone was from Hwy 12 bridge up lake to around Monte Ne. Day two zone stretched from Ventris down lake to just past Van Hollow. Our top finishers, Jacob Webber, Tyler Zengerle, and Jamie Shumate shared how they made it happen.
Going into the first day, what did you expect to work to catch fish…and did it work?
Jacob – I didn’t have any expectations going into it. I figured I would start with topwater and go from there. I had about five bites in the first 30 minutes on a Whopper Plopper and kept that in my hands for most of the day. Every once in a while I would try another lure, but couldn’t get anything else going. At the end of the day I pulled up to a giant brush pile that I marked earlier and was able to catch three on a jerk bait. I wanted to fish that spot earlier but there was a boat on it for the majority of the day.
Tyler – I expected to throw a Whopper Plopper for the first few hours but I gave up after a couple hundred yards of using it. It didn’t work in practice the weekend before, so I was quick to put it up on tourney day.
Jamie – Day one I went to Monte Ne. I started with a Whopper Plopper paralleling the bank when I would find a brush pile I would throw a shakey head. I basically kept the topwater in my hand all day.
What key baits or techniques caught most of your bass?
Jacob – I caught most of my fish on a Whopper Plopper day one, aside from three at the end that came on a jerk bait. Everything came on the Whopper Plopper on day two.
Tyler – Day one, all my fish came on a shakey head with a Gambler Sweebo 6.5” worm in Green Pumpkin and picked up a couple on a Ned rig using a Gambler Power Ned also in green pumpkin. Day two, my first three fish came on a Whopper Plopper (usually produces on the north end), and the same shakey head as day one.
Jamie – Whopper Plopper and shakey head.
Day two was a really difficult day for most. Were there any adjustments you made from day one that helped you get a limit?
Jacob – The only adjustment I made was going from a bone color to a more translucent color. I just wanted to cover as much water as I could on day two and hoped I would eventually come across some fish that would bite. I ran the battery on my motor down and ended up having to paddle back to the ramp.
Tyler – I didn’t make too many adjustments on day two, other than committing to the Whopper Plopper—As I knew it usually produces better on the north end. I tried to stay positive all day to grind out a limit which came later than it did on day one. I only caught six fish that day, but it was the self-encouragement that pushed me to the end.
Jamie – I started day two the same way but it was tough – I only caught six fish all day. They all came on a Whopper Plopper, last one at 9:27.
As the season ends, what was the biggest highlight for you this year on the water?
Jacob – The biggest highlight for me would have to be the first hour of the Beaver north tournament. It seemed like everywhere I threw resulted in a good fish. I feel like I’m usually grinding all day for a decent limit, so it felt great to have a good limit early for a change. Tenkiller is right up there too. I always have a ton of fun at that lake.
Tyler – This whole year has just been simply amazing. From a 13th place finish at the All-American Classic to placing my highest finish in an NWA event at our Classic(2nd) and of course earning the Angler of the Year title. I ended in a position that I didn’t think I would be in for a couple more years, and I’m thankful it happened this year.
Jamie – Can’t say that really had any highlights for the year – I guess finishing 3rd in the Classic is the best moment of the year for me.
That’s a wrap for 2023
Whether you finished at the top, met personal fishing goals, learned some things, or just did your first kayak tournament – Congratulations to all who participated this year. Thank you for turning out, and we look forward to next season.
Congrats to those who had some great accomplishments for 2023:
Crucible – “A place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development; a severe test.”
Beaver Lake has been pretty good to us the past couple of years. We’ve often referred to it as the Dead Sea, but that’s fallen away lately as the Beav has generated some really good fishing. This time around, the Dead Sea was back in full force for the annual test, or crucible in the August heat.
Storms, wake boats, jet skis, low water and tough conditions ruled the day. Some caught’em though, as always!
Christa Hibbs’ Big Bass on the day. That is a TINY tail for a big fish!
Tournament Recap
Overall, anglers didn’t do too bad for August when it came to catching fish. Fish per anglers (FPA) was a decent 5.4, however, it was a serious dink-fest.
Christa Hibbs made the drive up from the River Valley to take first place with 84.00″, followed by Dwain Batey with 82.50″ and Josh Landreth in third place with 78.50″ on the day. Christa also won Big Bass with a 21″ largemouth, which is a giant for Beaver Lake.
Your top 10:
Christa Hibbs 84.00
Dwain Batey 82.50
Josh Landreth 78.50
Levi Schneider 78.25
Tyler Zengerle 75.50
Nathan Higgins 72.75
Cole Sikes 71.75
Troy Enke 69.25
Kyle Long 67.75
Jason Kincy 67.75
Angler Roundtable
Our top finishers – Christa, Dwain and Josh tell us how it went down on Beaver Lake. Kudos to these winners and others who participated in recaps throughout the season, it helps new anglers learn and is great sportsmanship!
What part of beaver did you go to and why?
Christa – I decided to fish the southern end of the lake. I was interested in fishing stained water with less pressure.
Dwain – I was up near the dam. I always fish up that way for this event, I have a pattern that is hit or miss and doesn’t always work out but if it does you can win.
Josh – I went to the far south part of the lake because I’m most comfortable fishing shallow water and felt like I could find areas that were less pressured. I also wanted to get as far away from the boat traffic as possible.
What particular baits or techniques did you use for success?
Christa – I used a popper and buzz bait the entire day.
Dwain – I threw several different topwater baits.
Josh – I caught several on topwater early. They were small, and with the muddy water it seemed they were tucked close to wood. In pre-fishing I was only able to catch fish with the shakey head, but had a hard time getting them stuck good. On tournament day, I decided to use a Ned rig head with a Z Zinker worm as my finesse bait. It had an exposed hook and my hook up ratio was way better! It was definitely the key bait for me. I caught at least ten fish on that bait, including three of my keepers. I am not a finesse angler at all. So I really had to focus on every single piece of structure and make multiple casts. I knew my area was limited and I had to maximize its potential.
How did the weather (storms early, bright sun later) impact your approach or fishing?
Christa – The weather helped my bite for the most part. The overcast conditions allowed me to really cover some water quickly with topwater. Once the sun came out I slowed down some and focused on the higher percentage spots that were firing for the day only.
Dwain – The clouds and storms keep me from launching until after 7am. I also wasn’t able to get bit on the same topwater as I have used in the past and had to mix it up and fish some new water as well as covering more water. The low water was also an issue. I was glad to see the sun come out later but there was a period late when I didn’t ever get another bite but I had already done my damage by noon. No upgrades after then.
Josh – The weather honestly had little to no impact on my approach. I guess the water was muddier than I expected, so that changed things a bit.
Summer fishing can be very difficult for most people. In your mind what is the key to being able to beat the heat and catch fish?
Christa – During the summer the key for me is to have a more aggressive approach early in the morning with some sort of topwater. If conditions allow, I would stick with this approach all day. On hot and clear sky days I will chase the shade around until it is gone and then look at structure offshore.
Dwain – I was able to adjust to the conditions and also stick to my game plan for the entire day even though it appeared that it wasn’t going to materialize for several hours and I stayed the course until I was able to make it happen. There was over an hour between each of my last culls and two hours on my very last fish.
Josh – I love the summer! But, most of my experience is on creeks and rivers. Usually I struggle on the lake if I can’t get a topwater bite. For this tournament, I just went to an area that was like the rivers I fish. If you’re going to fish shallow in August, fish real shallow was kinda my thought process.
Heavy Hitters Champion
It was a close one this season with Tony and Josh battling down the stretch. By a very close margin, Tony Sorloungsana is your 2023 Heavy Hitter Champion! The top twelve totals are here:
We asked Tony some questions about his championship run:
What do you think has contributed to an increase in bigger fish this year?
Coming into the season I want to add more diversity to my arsenal, so I forced myself to learned and get use to off shore fishing. The 20” at Tenkiller, 19.50” at Pumpback, and the 21” from the Roadrunner all came from an off shore point.
Is there a technique/bait that has accounted for your success?
Without a doubt cranking deep water w/ a Strike King 6XD has been absolute money for the me in the summer months, if it wasn’t for that lure I don’t know think I would’ve been able to catch Josh.
Many people go a long time without a big fish in a tournament, any advice for them?
We live in this day in age where there is so much free knowledge and advice about fishing, soak it all in and use what makes sense to you. Getting comfortable being uncomfortable will give u a leg up on the competition. Shout out to Dwain Batey, last year he sent a tweet out about the mental game of tournament fishing and how to overcome. That tweet has help me get a better understanding that this is deeper game than just throwing a line and reeling it in.
Angler of the Year Race
Just like Heavy Hitters, the AOY crown is going to be a close finish. With the Classic looming (which counts for two events in AOY totals!) there are several possible outcomes.
Tyler maintains his lead and has a nice cushion. As long as he has a decent performance in the Classic, he’s in good shape to hold on. If he bombs…Josh, Kyle, and Dwain are in reach. Big days from them and a so-so day from the current leader could make this interesting.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to all anglers who participated in an event this year. Kayak tournaments can make you a better at bass fishing, and I’m sure everyone who did an event learned something they can use down the road. Was a great regular season and hope everyone is back next year!
The10 fish road runner in northwest Arkansas promised to be an exciting event for some, and a challenging one for others. Even though the limit total increased, there were some familiar faces and familiar places in the Top 10.
Anglers fanned out in a 35 mile radius from Springdale, fishing any eligible body of water they wanted. The 10 fish limit did seem to change some dynamics on where anglers went, and thinned out the crowd at some of the usual suspect lakes – Lincoln Lake and Siloam Springs City Lake.
Tournament Results
Overall it was a great day of fishing for the field, and many fisheries got pounded in pursuit of 10 bass. Even though it took ten fish for a limit, a respectable 61% turned in a full limit. FPA is a bit off on calculation since we had 10 fish, but an adjusted total (Total fish/anglers/2) is a strong 4.88, putting it in the top half of tournaments this year.
In the preview I predicted the winning total to be in the mid 160s and I underestimated that total just a bit. Also shot a bit low on predictions for fifth and tenth place. Anglers just handled their business! We were correct in some tough fishing at Lincoln and Siloam, and that rivers would contribute to a couple of Top Ten scores.
Big Bass from Cole Sikes at Lake Elmdale.
Dwain Batey continued the Siloam City Lake tradition by taking 1st place with a robust 170.75″, followed by Cole Sikes on Elmdale with 170.50″, and Jason Adams with 155.00″ for third place. Cole Sikes also took Big Bass with a 22.25″ behemoth. Overall, it was a good big fish day with seven 20+ bass caught in competition. For the seventh time in eight road runners, Siloam City Lake was a major factor. Unreal.
Road Runner Top 10:
Dwain Batey 170.75
Cole Sikes 170.50
Jason Adams 155.00
Brandon Prince 152.25
Jason Kincy 151.50
Kyle Long 146.25
John Evans 145.25
Justin Brewer 144.50
Brian Lookadoo 142.75
Josh Goforth 142.00
Angler Roundtable
Dwain Batey, Cole Sikes, and Jason Adams shared the secrets of their success on the road in NWA:
1) What lake did you go to and why?
Dwain – Despite its nature of being so difficult to get a five fish limit let alone a ten fish limit I chose Siloam Springs City Lake. I felt like I would have my best chance to win there even at the risk of not getting a limit.
Cole – I’m not able to get out and go fishing as much anymore so I went with Lake Elmdale because I know it really well and knew I could easily catch 10 fish out there. I also know there are plenty of giants in there from my experience on the lake and figured one kicker would go a long ways in this 10 fish format.
Jason – Oh, let me tell you about my latest bass fishing adventure at Crystal Lake in NW Arkansas! It’s one of my favorite lakes around, and with the Yak Pot success a few weeks back, it was an obvious choice. Initially, I almost changed my mind due to the rain, considering Elmdale, but decided to stick with my gut and headed to Crystal Lake.
2) Any particular baits or ways you caught them?
Dwain – My pre-fishing patterns all fell apart and I junk fished with two crankbaits, three plastic worms and a topwater bait.
Cole – I was able to get out briefly to go pre-fishing and I was able to put together two patterns. I had an early-morning shallow bite with a buzz bait and spinnerbait to get a quick 10 fish limit of 13-14 inchers. Once the sun got up, I drug a Texas rigged worm offshore where I would catch my kickers and better quality.
Jason – Now, when it comes to baits, I’ll admit I haven’t been fishing much lately. But that trusty jig from my last tournament at Table Rock did the trick yet again. I hadn’t even prepped my equipment before the event, but luckily I checked the jig and knot just in time. That same jig was responsible for all 10 fish I caught that day – no culls, 10 bites, and 10 solid catches!
3) What’s a bait you thought would work going into the event that didn’t work as well as you thought?
Dwain – I had a strong pattern with the chatterbait and wound up not catching a single fish on it during the event despite others at the same lake reporting it was their primary bait.
Cole – During the few hours of pre-fishing I was able to catch some good fish offshore with a jig and free-rig but those didn’t pan out during the tournament.
Jason – I did have a bit of a nostalgic moment when I thought a squarebill crank bait would do wonders. You know how it is when we remember that one time we hooked a massive bass with a particular bait in a specific spot? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me at Crystal Lake before, but unfortunately, lightning didn’t strike twice, and the crank bait didn’t produce the same magic this time.
4) What did you think about the 10 fish limit and did it change any strategies?
Dwain – I loved the challenge of 10 fish and I hope we do that again in the future. I didn’t really change my strategy for the 10 fish and tried to focus on catching larger fish the entire time and letting the limit come naturally. I didn’t want to waste time looking for a small limit first and wind up not having enough time to upgrade.
Cole – The 10 fish limit was a lot of fun and would love to do it again but maybe with everyone on the same lake. The new format didn’t change my strategy, I fished the patterns that made sense for the time of day and for summertime.
Jason – Now, the 10 fish limit was a game-changer for me. Usually, getting a 5-fish limit is already a challenge, but this time, I was thrilled to reach the 10 fish mark. I must say, though, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. By 1 PM, I had only managed 8 fish, and I prayed for those last two to complete my limit. Thankfully, the fishing gods smiled upon me, and I got a 16″ and a 17″ to round out the limit. But boy, those two stubborn 13-inch bass just didn’t want to budge! Overall, it was an exciting and challenging day at Crystal Lake, and I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. Bass fishing always keeps me on my toes, and that’s why I love it! Can’t wait for the next adventure on the water!
Angler of the Year
The Angler of the Year race is very tight going down the stretch. Nobody in the top spots hurt themselves badly, but Kyle Long and Dwain Batey made solid moves. With the Crucible on Beaver Lake and the Classic to go, it’s a race between Landreth, Zengerle, Long, Webber and Batey.
The real drama starts to unfold in the final spots for the Classic. The top 25 make the field. Right now there are folks in the top 25 who may fall out if others have a good Crucible and replace low scores. If you are numbers 20-25, you need a top 20 finish to feel good about getting in.
Heavy Hitters
As we identified in the last recap, this is a two horse race, and one of them just galloped into the lead in this event. Tony Sorluangsana caught a Beaver Lake beast and has vaulted into the lead. As it stands right now, Josh needs a very big fish in the Crucible to win at the wire over Tony.
One more regular season event to go – fish anywhere you want on Beaver Lake and find the best five keepers you can!
Back on the road again for the 2023 NSKA NWA ZPro Road Runner event. This event gives anglers the opportunity to fish the waters they feel the most comfortable on, close to home, or where they have the most confidence they can catch a limit. What is in store for the 2023 edition – now requiring a 10-fish limit – and where will the winning totals come from?
Last year in the road runner preview, we pretty much predicted where the winning total and the pool of waters where the top limits would come from. This time around it’s going to be a bit more of a mystery and a LOT more wide open. With the dramatic change to a 10 fish limit, the playing field between lakes has been leveled and there are many options.
To win the title this year, an angler will need to turn in a limit of 10 fish for the longest total. There are two recipies for a winning total thanks to the change. Two or three big fish at the top along with bass of descending size to smaller 13s or 14s at the bottom can make up a winning total, however, what may be more likely is a total of 10 fish ranging from 15-17s across the board. So where can you find a limit for either of those recipes?
Clues from AGFC Data
Everyone has their own experiences and opinions on the quality of fishing at area lakes and waterways. That said, let’s look at some data to see what the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says from their fisheries management studies.
Two key measures are what we’re most interested in for this preview:
CPUE – Cost Per Unit Effort measures the abundance of a particular species in a body of water. (higher is better)
PSD – Proportional Stock Density is a ratio (expressed as percentage) between the number of quality-sized individuals or larger individuals and stock-sized individual fish. (higher is better)
In the chart below, we see the ratios for CPUE and PSD for the bodies of water in bounds and available data for Black Bass, averaged for the past 10 years. (data available only on these lakes)
So what does all this mean? For the lakes shown here, it indicates that there is a higher density of Black Bass at Elmdale and Crystal than the others. Note the low CPUE for Beaver Lake, but keep in mind this is only for Black Bass and does not include Spotted Bass or Smallmouth. So the aggregate CPUE for Beaver in total is much higher than shown here. According to the PSD ratio, there are more quality fish (proportionately) as a share of the population at Crystal, Lincoln, and Beaver. Would have to believe that Siloam City Lake would be very similar to Lincoln and Bob Kidd numbers if we had the data – lower fish population fish density, but larger size penetration.
So what does THAT all that mean?? In short, Elmdale and Crystal have more total bass density and should be easier to catch a limit than the others. Elmdale has the highest expected catch rate, but you may need to catch more than 10 to find the right quality – but there are definitely bigs there. Crystal may be the most balanced, with a surprising mix of number of fish with some decent quality available. However, the biggest number of quality bass and chances to catch larger fish seem to exist at Lincoln, Bobb Kidd, and Beaver Lake, but the quantity of fish makes this very challenging and can burn you. That’s the very scary thing, when’s the last time you caught ten fish (or even close) at Lincoln or Siloam or Bob Kidd in one trip?? Along with the pressure of other anglers at the same time? Six anglers on one small lake try to catch 60 fish?! That’s the risk.
The dark horse candidate for the best combination of ability to catch a limit and possibly win the whole thing could be Table Rock. It has everything needed, abundant fish population, large fish, and familiarity for a lot of anglers. Wish we had CPUE and PSD for it – but I couldn’t locate this data.
The hard numbers above of course do not include key locations such as Siloam City Lake, Lake Sequoya, Table Rock, Atalanta, Lake Wedington, Lake Fayetteville, and the main rivers (Kings, Elk, Sugar, War Eagle, and Illinois). The rivers likely have the highest average catch rate by far, but we don’t have this hard data. The right pool on a river can hold a limit in one spot. It is no secret that Beaver and Table Rock are serious contenders, and the ten fish limit immediately makes the rivers a major threat.
Big Fish Totals – Last Few Years
As we look back at NSKA NWA tournaments and where the largest limits were produced, there are some clear trends regarding those in the boundaries. The most productive big 5-fish limit lakes in bounds have been Siloam City Lake (4), Lincoln Lake (4), Table Rock (3), and Beaver Lake (3). How will they fare when 10 are required?
Last year Lincoln Lake bounced back after being completely irrelevant for a few years, and Siloam City Lake once again (sixth time in the past seven RRs) finished in the top three.
Winning Road Runner Locations over the past seven years:
2016 – Crystal Lake
2017 – Elk River (Rivers only RR)
2017 – Siloam City Lake
2018 – Siloam City Lake
2019 – Siloam City Lake
2020 – Lake X (not identified publicly)
2021 – Siloam City Lake
2022 – Lincoln Lake
What’s Going to Happen?
Due to the ten fish limit, this is new territory for the road runner, but I do think the numbers and history for road runners and MLF-style events lay out the most likely scenarios:
It will take 160+ to win. However, I think predictions of 170+ are too much. Sweet spot for a victory will be between 162-168 inches.
Likely a huge drop-off between 1st and 5th place. I’d estimate 5th place to be around 145-147 inches.
Tenth place will be in the 133-140 range as people start stacking up with tightly bunched totals in the 130s and 120s.
A LOT of people who go to Lincoln, Siloam, or Bobb Kidd will struggle to catch a limit. They are fishing very tough right now.
Rivers will be the ticket to a LOT of limits, and likely some Top-10 finishes.
The Last Word
Many people hate road runners because of the stress of trying to decide where to go. But they are great for giving options and involving all the area fisheries. If you don’t know where to go, simply choose where you want to spend the day and where you’ll enjoy fishing. This thing is wide open. Can’t go wrong with that. Good luck!
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” is a famous literary opening that could describe NSKA’s history on W.R. Holway Lake, Chimney Rock Lake, or Pumpback – A lake so nice they named it thrice. Once dubbed by Craig Wood as “like fishing on the moon” because of the lack of cover and barren, rocky landscape, Pumpback has provided the widest array of outcomes of any lake on the NSKA NWA trail.
Live look at the bottom terrain of Chimney Rock Lake. (A.K.A. “Pumpback”)
Looking back at the past four events at Pumpback tells the story:
June 2020 – 1st place 93.00″, 10th place 81.00″, FIVE 20+, FPA (Fish Per Angler) of 4.73
June 2021 – 1st place 89.25″, 10th place 83.00″, FIVE 20+, 4.08 FPA
March 2022 – 1st place 84.50″, 10th place 59.75″, THREE 20+, 1.73 FPA
June 2023 – 1st place 90.00″, 10th place 52.00″, ONE 20+, 3.07 FPA
Another angler commented that they were catching fish with previous hook marks, and I’ll say the same happened to me. These fish are pressured and those shallow are seeing tons of baits. You might take note of how the top two finishers caught their bigger limits…
Josh King’s Big Bass for the event!
Overall, it was tiny fish day, with 30 fish submitted that were under 10″ – which is ridiculous on a day where the winner had 90.00″!
Josh King took the win with the 90.00″ total, including a 20.00″ Big Bass. Tony Sorluangsana took 2nd with 87.50″, and Devon Esry took 3rd with 72.25″ – with a huge drop-off after the top five. Overall, it was tiny fish situation, with 35 fish submitted that were under 10″ – which is ridiculous on a day where the winner had 90.00″!
Your Pumpback Top 10:
Josh King 90.00
Tony Sorluangsana 87.50
Devon Esry 72.25
Kyle Long 70.50
Jason Kincy 70.25
Jason Sibert 61.00
Dwain Batey 57.00
Tyler Zengerle 55.75
Jordan Rozenblum 54.25
Bryan Pennington 52.00
Pumpback can still put out some big fish, especially if you are looking for a PB Smallmouth. But it can also be a grind on a given day. Limits may have been higher without the storms and weather situation, but can tell you that tournament day matched exactly what anglers saw in pre-fishing.
Angler Roundtable
The gap between the top three finishers and the rest of the field was significant. Let’s hear how they caught the top limits in this Angler Roundtable, featuring Josh King, Tony Sorluangsana, and Devon Esry!
With the weather delay and late start, did that change your strategy and if so, how?
Josh – Not too much. I was hoping for a Buzzbait bite to start the day. Once we started I went near the spot I wanted and tried the Buzzbait, but switched gears pretty quick.
Tony – 100%! I was committed to throwing the topwater until at least 10am. I had actually had three rods tied up for topwater. Even with the cloud cover, I figured there was too much commotion on top w/ the rain drops – I just abandoned that plan completely.
Devon – It changed what I fished with but not where I was going to start.
What were the primary techniques you used to catch’em today?
Josh – I started seeing fish near the bottom in 20-ish foot of water so I started dragging the bottom with crankbaits and a Carolina rig. Caught a couple on some other things, but bottom fishing was key for me.
Tony – I assumed that the majority of anglers will be beating the banks, so I made the call to back out to deeper water and caught all the quality ones on a Strike King 6XD.
Devon – I started with a Pop-R, and put it down after four casts. After that, I threw a 4” Ned rig all day!! Tried to upsize here and there, but nothing. Kind of sad! That caught all eight I fish I got yesterday. Not one cull.
Tell us about the main key fish you caught – how did that go down and what did it mean?
Josh – It has to be either the first or the last. The first one confirmed that the fish I was seeing on the bottom were bass and the last one gave me a 3” cull to pull ahead of Tony.
Tony – The first three were the most important because it confirmed that they were on deeper points and that I had found a legit pattern.
Devon – My better fish came off of points when it was windy. One on the main lake, one on secondary points. My main lake fish was my fifth, caught around noon! Just a 15.50″ bass…but everyone I talked to said it was tough!!
Beaver Lake is the ‘Dead Sea’, Lake Fort Smith is ‘Dead Sea South’, and Pumpback is ‘The Moon’ because of it’s bare rock bottom. Which is the toughest for you and why?
Josh – Definitely Beaver Lake. I’ve spent a lot of time on Beaver and still suck at it. Every time I think I’ve had a good tourney day, everyone else has had an even better one. The other lakes I rarely fish, but seem to do pretty decent on them.
Tony – Lake Fort Smith, I have only fished it once before and got skunked. Maybe I need redemption. I feel like I can always catch a fish on Beaver or Pumpback – if not at least it’s a better lake to enjoy instead of Lake Fort Smith.
Devon – Lake Ft. Smith?!? Is that even a real lake?! I hate it!! Too many small fish. It’s so hit and miss.
Do you tie different type of knots based on the bait, how many?
Josh – I mainly use an improved clinch knot on everything except I use a Palomar knot for drop shot, A-Rig and the standing end of a Carolina rig.
Tony – I tie a lot of knots pending on my mood. FG knot if I’m going from braid to leader, Palomar or double Uni Knot if I’m using straight braid (rarely use), but three tag knot/Jimmy Houston knot is my primary knot for my fluorocarbon setups. But every now and then I’ll use an improved clinch. I been fortunate to haven’t had a knot break or slip…yet.
Devon – nope! Always stick with Palomar, or Uni Knot to leader Palomar knot. I mostly fish with 8lb test on all my spinning tackle. Just have to set the drag right.
Angler of the Year Race
Is the AOY crown being sized for Tyler Zengerle? He took a big step forward to the title in this event, securing an 8th place finish and quality points. A fairly healthy lead at this point in the season – he’s going to be hard to catch.
Credit to Zengerle – I ran into him a couple of times on the water and he was struggling and not catching them. But he continued to grind and found a way to get into the Top 10. IF he wins the title, I think this event may be the biggest key factor.
Others are lurking, and still can give it a run. Jacob Webber, Kyle Long, Terrill Standifer, and Tony Sorluangsana all have three green-rated finishes and Devon Esry is close with an 88. If you don’t have three greens or close at this point, sorry, you are out of it.
Heavy Hitters Race
Heavy Hitters haven’t changed much since the last event, with Josh Landreth in the driver’s seat, followed by Tony Sorluangsana in second. Tony was the only angler to really make a move in this event, gaining on Josh a bit. This is a two horse race down the stretch. Everyone else is out at this point, mathematically.
The recent fishing report for Lake Tenkiller from May 21st says “Bass are good on crankbaits, jerk baits, spinnerbaits, and topwater lures.” Well, throw that out the window, because that’s not how the day was won on Lake Tenkiller kayak fishing for the H2 NSKA NWA mid-May tournament. They anglers in the little plastic boats did a pretty good job with some basic approaches.
Tournament Results
Lake Tenkiller kayak fishing produces some pretty good limits in kayak tournaments, so it was no surprise that 80″ wasn’t going to get you very far in the standings. There were lots of fish to be caught. Out of the 58 anglers, 44 (76%) turned in a limit, while the FPA was a robust 6.6 on the day. It was a fun day with lots of new names in the Top 10, with different winners from events earlier this year.
Devon Esry took 1st place with 86.75″, followed by Jason Cowell with 86.25″, and Tony Sorluangsana took 3rd place with 86.00″. TIGHT scores! Big Bass was caught by Will Atchison – a 20.00″ Largemouth. Will beat out another 20.00″ bass caught by Aaron Sabatini by winning the tiebreaker.
Will shared some info about his big catch: I had a few small fish early on, I had my mind set on using a wacky worm while flipping bushes. However, that bite was not on for me. But I knew of a good shallow bank where the wind would be crashing on. Went there and started slinging a spinnerbait. The spinnerbait was a double willow brass, Strike King Kvd sexy shad color. Three of my keepers came from that specific bank including the 20.00″ that locked me in for big bass!
Will Atchison’s Big Bass from Lake Tenkiller.
Lake Tenkiller Top Ten:
Devon Esry 86.75
Jason Cowell 86.25
Tony Sorluangsana 86.00
Fanny Phomsopha 86.00
Jimmy Chokbengboun 85.75
Will Atchison 85.50
Jacob Webber 85.00
Cole Sikes 84.50
Anthony Bertschy 83.75
John Evans 83.50
Angler Roundtable
Anglers Devon Esry, Jason Cowell, and Tony Sorluangsana share how it went down on Tenkiller kayak fishing on their big day in May:
What part of Tenkiller did you choose to fish and why?
Devon – I put in at Chicken Creek because I pre-fished well there the day before, and figured I had other close options if the pattern didn’t hold true.
Jason – I fished at Snake Creek. I had fished there last year and had a decent day. Yesterday was the second time I have been on the lake. There is an island across the lake from the boat ramp. The wind was pretty crazy first thing so I was just trying to find a spot not so wind blown. There is a little pocket on that island that’s slightly out of the wind. And that’s where I caught my first five fish.
Tony – It’s a area north of Burnt Cabin, based off the map it had a lot of offshore structure that I thought could come into play.
Overall, how did you catch most of your good fish?
Devon – My first two 16″+ fish came off of a Pop-R earlier that day by docks, but my larger fish came off of a shaky head with an 8” Big Bite finesse worm in the windiest areas on main lake from 11:00-3:00.
Jason – All of my fish were caught on a shaky head. I threw a Whopper Plopper about four times and that was the only other bait I threw all day.
Tony – I caught the majority of my fish in the first five hours of the day on a main lake flat that just kept reloading.
What’s the story with catching your largest bass? How’d you catch it?
Devon – I was catching a lot of fish where I started but the quality wasn’t getting better, and the area was getting hit hard by other anglers. I decided then to upsize my worm and head to the island by Chicken Creek around 10:00am. I found a couple quality fish on the bank the day before, and I figured I’d end up there in the end. I started where the wind was lightest but soon figured out they were stacking up where the wind and waves were the worst. Finally, at 11:00am I tossed that shaky head into some windy cover, pulled it once, and the fight was on with my first 18″+ inch fish of the day. I culled up 4.25″ with that fish, which got me onto a new pattern for the day.
Jason – My biggest fish was and 18 1/4″ Smallmouth that smashed the shaky head on the fall. That fish put me in 1st place with an hour and half to go. Only by a quarter of an inch…both Devin and Tony had 86″.
Tony – As I was going to the spot I saw a boater sitting on it and watched him throw a big swimbait at it for about 15 minutes. I literally went behind him with a Carolina rigged baby brush hog and caught that 20” fish in 18 feet of water on the 3rd cast after he left.
How did you feel in the last couple of hours of competition, how did you stay focused to finish where you did?
Devon – I was exhausted in the last couple of hours of the day. I culled up a couple inches after my largest at 11:00, but then hooked into an 18.5″ Smallmouth at 1:00 that put me in a tie at the top 3. The adrenaline from that kept me going for another hour and a half, but I knew I needed to cull one more fish to get there. I went back to the spot I caught my first large fish hoping it had reloaded at about 2:30, but had no luck. I was both mentally and physically ready to quit! With one more point to fish, I made a cast from the bank into the wind on the point, and BAM, a 16.5″ Smallmouth at 2:47 to cull up .75″! I felt like it was what I needed, but still 100% sure.
Jason – The last hour I was nervous. A 1/4 of an inch is not much when you fish against some of the best anglers in the state.
Tony – This is the part of the day where I failed. I caught myself just casting and reeling, but I was definitely fatigued from being beat up by the wind and boat wakes and I’m sure forgetting my snacks didn’t help either, lol.
Favorite place you’ve ever fished and why?
Devon – Table Rock and Tenkiller kayak fishing are in a tie with my favorite places to fish. They both hold quality fish and fish similarly. I do feel like you can’t beat the fight from the Smallmouth fish on Tenkiller. I love the rocky structure that both offer!
Jason – I really don’t have a favorite place to fish but I’m growing pretty fond of Tenkiller.
Tony – Below the Ozark Dam on the Arkansas river. It’s just where I first learned how to fish as a kid and I have a lot of memories there. Also, in my opinion it’s the best catfish fishery in the South.
As the weather starts to warm up, things often shake up in the AOY race. The kayak fishing Tenkiller event saw some of the contenders stumble, and others inserted themselves in the race. Right now Tyler Zengerle still looks to be in the driver’s seat, but he needs to bounce back on Pumpback. The big mover from Tenkiller kayak fishing is Jacob Webber who now owns three green-rated scores (90-100). Josh Landreth, Terrill Standifer, Kyle Long and James Haeberle are lurking. Barring an explosion from another angler down the stretch, I think your AOY winner will come from the names above.
Heavy Hitters Race
The big fish champ for 2023 is going to earn it if they are going to take it away from Josh Landreth. Even though Josh didn’t catch a big one on Tenkiller, none of his close competitors picked one up either. When you are leading, that’s a win for the leader. Last chance for someone to gain ground will be Pumpback. If nobody makes a move, Josh will be the champ at the end of the year. Someone in the top 5 or so drops a 20+, then maybe there’s a chance…
Natural State Kayak Anglers NWA hit the water for Table Rock 2.0 a week after winning the Club Championship for the All-American Classic on Truman Lake. Several Moyak kayak anglers joined the fray as well, looking to cash a check and maybe get some payback for the All-American. Turned out to be a pretty good battle on the Rock. On a side note, can I just say this has felt like a weird year and a weird spawn season? No rhyme or reason it seems to what’s going on from day to day. But back to the subject at hand…
Micah Funderburgh’s 20.50″ Big Bass from Table Rock.
A total of 66 anglers were entered for Table Rock 2.0 and for most it was a good day of fishing, although size was hard to find. Only one 20+ in this event out of 450 fish caught – wow! Micah Funderburgh won Big Bass with at 20.50″ largemouth. The rest of the field caught a lot of fish. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) was a really strong 6.82, the highest of the year for an NSKA NWA event. Just over 80% of anglers turned in a limit, making it a good day overall.
Moyak anglers showed out, taking several spots in the top 10, while the top three had a tri-state feel: Missouri’s Chad Davison taking first place with 87.00″ on the day, Arkansas’ Brandon Prince taking second with 84.75″ and Richie McMichael from Kansas took third with 84.75″ – losing on the tie breaker.
Your Table Rock 2.0 Top Ten:
Chad Davison (MO) 87.00″
Brandon Prince (AR) 84.75″
Richie McMichael (KS) 84.75″
Jason Fields (AR) 84.50″
Chris Robbs (MO) 83.25″
Tyler Zengerle (AR) 83.00″
Joe Hayes (MO) 82.75″
Terrill Standifer (AR) 82.50″
Micah Funderburgh (MO) 82.00″
Jacob Simmons (OK) 81.25″
Angler Roundtable
The winners from the Rock 2.0 shared how they got it done. Chad Davison, Brandon Prince and Richie McMichael shared their tournament details.
What area of Table Rock did you fish and why?
Chad – I fished what I refer to as the mid-lake part of Table Rock which I define as the section from Kimberling to Campbell Point. I was in a large creek in this section. I chose this part of the lake because I have a lot of history, and I liked the water color which wasn’t as clear as the Dam area. It was about 5-6ft of visibility in my area. I only had a few hours to pre-fish on Friday afternoon, and when I launched, I immediately started catching solid fish, so that made the decision easy.
Brandon – I ended up fishing history on Table Rock and choosing a area that would be one of the last areas on the lake to warm up being later in the spawn and full moon.
Richie – I was fishing in the Eagle Rock area of the lake. I found baitfish stacked in the back of a creek and followed them around all day.
What were the key techniques or ways you caught your fish?
Chad – I caught the majority of my fish on a jerkbait shallow (<5ft) on secondary points with mixed rock and gravel. Also caught a few fish on a CrockOGator Shaker Head with a Shortie worm.
Brandon – I mainly threw a glide bait on bluff walls or 45 degree banks leading into spawning pockets try to catch those pre or post spawn fish.
Richie – I threw a variety of shad imitation baits. spinnerbait, Pop-R, Choppo, Frittside 5 bladed jig and a 3.5″ Keitech. Caught fish on everything with the bladed jig getting the bigger bites.
When fishing a tournament around the spawn, do you target spawning fish? If so, how?
Chad – I have never been one to sight fish, but I definitely blind fish spawning areas. I feel like this was a wave of fish that had just moved shallow due to the full moon we had. There were a ton of bass boats in my area, but most were fishing deeper than I was, so I was able to catch fish behind them all day. I feel like the jerkbait is an overlooked way to catch spawning fish.
Brandon – If I have a day of practice and can locate area where fish are spawning or pulling up I will definitely spend my time in that area locating bigger fish. I do love to sight fish. If I don’t have time to practice I will focus on those pre-spawn fish so I don’t spend so much time looking during the tournament. I always want to be in a area where the fish are coming to me not leaving.
Richie – With no pre-fishing I had no idea what I wanted to target but not a big fan of bed fishing. I only saw a few beds but no fish on them so decided to stay with moving baits and follow the bait fish around. I left the area midday to go fish points but found bass boats on everything I wanted to fish so went back in the creek and continued to follow the baitfish around. Caught over 30 bass but nothing bigger than 17.75″.
What’s your favorite lake in Missouri? And, in Arkansas?
Chad – Table Rock is probably my favorite lake in Missouri. I really enjoyed fishing Lake Conway last month for the first time.
Brandon – My favorite lake in Missouri would probably be Table Rock and for Arkansas it would be Lake Conway.
Richie – Table Rock has always been my favorite lake to fish. My first tournament win was on Table Rock and always finish well in tournaments there.
What is your biggest bass caught this year? What did you catch it on?
Chad – My biggest so far this year is 22.5” caught on a Wiggle Wart in March.
Brandon – My biggest for this year would be a 23.5″ largemouth caught on a Senko.
Richie – My biggest bass in 2023 so far was 8.2 lbs caught on a Megabass Popmax at Lake El Salto.
NSKA NWA AOY Race
Table Rock 2.0 extended the AOY lead for Tyler Zengerle, who is looking very strong with four green-rated scores in the 90s so far. The good news for Tyler is none of his pursuers really made a key move in this event, with some tough scores in the next several spots. When you get a big score in a tourney that includes a lot of anglers from another club, it’s like a bonus because it pushes others down the points list. Josh Landreth and James Haeberle are hanging tough and have a chance. AOY still feels like there are a lot of competitors, but another tourney like this one and Z may be hard to catch.
Heavy Hitters
The Heavy Hitter race is kind of like AOY, no dramatic moves made this week by those pursing the leader, Josh Landreth. However, I predict there are more in play to catch Josh than those in the AOY race. However, one more big on Tenkiller by Josh without a big by a close pursuer, and this could essentially be over…A couple of big fish caught by others and not by Josh can really make it tight down the stretch.
This past weekend, 196 of the top club anglers from around the country descended on Truman Lake, nestled between Clinton and Warsaw, Missouri. This was not the first All American Kayak Classic on Truman, but it was the first held in the spring. We were not really sure what to expect going into it, had hoped fishing would be strong – the guess was we would see pre-spawn or various stages of spawn and anglers could find the stage they wanted to take advantage of.
Harry S. Truman Reservoir is a HUGE body of water, cover 55,600 acres and 958 miles of shoreline. By comparison, Beaver Lake is roughly half as large, with 31,700 acres and 435 miles of shoreline. So, fair to say there’s a lot of water available. As big as it is, oddly it seems to fish small as anglers congregated in many of the same areas – but overall gave you many options. One other notable thing about the lake if you haven’t been on it is that there are no private docks or other man-made cover present on the lake, outside of marinas. What it does have is pole timber…millions of trees, in some places so thick you can’t even get a kayak through very well.
In this tournament, anglers were competing individually, but also competing for a Club Championship by taking the top five scores from the teams to determine the overall best kayak fishing group. More on that later… There were a couple of other kayak events going on at Truman, but for this recap we’re focused on the All-American Kayak Classic.
Some of the NSKA Championship crew at Truman Lake: (left to right) James Haeberle, Ryan Paskiewicz, Kyle Long, Cole Sikes, Levi Schneider, Jordan Rozenblum, and Tyler Zengerle.
Individual Classic Tournament Results
Fishing for the 2023 Classic was very strong overall. The fish you caught were healthy and feisty, a lot of fun and had fight in ’em. A good number of fish were caught. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) was a robust 5.04 for the two day average, and was likely higher than that because the field thins out a bit on day two. For comparison, the 2020 AAKS Championship had a FPA of 2.20 (167 anglers, November, single day) and the FPA in 2021 was 3.12 (170 anglers, October, two day average). Safe to say, April is a WAAAY better time to fish on Truman than the fall based on this data point.
NSKA’s Cole Sikes (left) receives his championship trophy and took home $10,000 for first place. Get that 1099 ready!
NSKA’s Cole Sikes (AR) took the individual top slot with a 1st place total of 174.75″, followed by Chad Davison (MO) with 171.50″ and Jake Gellersen (IA) in 3rd with 171.25″ for the event. Ryan Wells (IA) took Big Bass for the event with a 21.00″ largemouth. Interestingly, really big fish were not a major component on Truman. In the two days, my count is only seven 20s caught out of 1,974 fish submitted. Shockingly low number, especially for the spawn timeframe. I mean that’s Dead-sea Beaver Lake situation.
Here were the top 10 anglers:
Cole Sikes (AR) 174.75
Chad Davison (MO) 171.50
Jake Gellersen (IA) 171.25
Matt Kern (CO) 168.50
Joe Bailey (MO) 168.00
Sammy B (NE) 165.50
Joe Palmer (IL) 165.25
John Denton (MO) 164.75
Josh Swigart (NE) 164.50
Kyle Christensen (NE) 164.00
NSKA – Club Champions
One of the really cool aspects of the All-American Kayak Classic is the competition between clubs for the Club Championship. Top five totals from each qualifying club are combined for a club total. Natural State Kayak Anglers took the trophy as Club Champions for 2023! Last time, NSKA fell just short to the Moyak group who won it in a close one. Moyak fishes Truman frequently and it is a familiar lake for many of them. Not going to lie, the NSKA team was focused on winning this 2023 title on Missouri water. Congrats to the guys who stepped up big-time! We’re going to hear from them below in the Angler Roundtable…
Angler Roundtable
Once again, we’re going to hear the secrets to unlocking Truman Lake from the anglers themselves. This is the Truman Lake Angler Roundtable – NSKA Top Five edition. Cole Sikes, Tyler Zengerle, Ryan Paskiewicz, Kyle Long and James Haeberle were the anglers who contributed the top five totals to the Club Championship. They spill the beans below on how it went down:
When going to a giant lake you haven’t fished much, how do you break it down to find the fishing location?
Cole – Typically, I like to try to pick one area of the lake and focus my entire time on trying to learn that area. If you’re able to pre-fish, it allows you to maximum your time on the water and less traveling from ramp to ramp. I feel like it’s more risky to bounce around to different parts of the lake when you’re not familiar with it.
Tyler – When pre-fishing, I chose two different areas where I thought fish would be this time of year. One spot, I chose the river since it was shallower and more places for fish to spawn, if they were. My second spot, I chose an area on the main lake close to coves and pockets in case the fish were still in their pre-spawn pattern.
Ryan – I do some map study based on what phase I think the fish will be in and then break down sections of the lake with the most potential based on that. I try to think of breaking down a section into its own lake. Truman is huge and you can get caught up in thinking so many areas would be good. So I just pick an area and try to figure out what the fish and doing and fish as many of those high percentage areas as possible.
Kyle – I try to find things that fit my strengths and that I like to fish. With that lake being so big, just from the map, I was able to eliminate 95% of it just because it didn’t fit my eye. Also finding multiple high percentage areas in that area that aren’t miles apart but are different as far as depth, cover, structure etc. is a big factor.
James – Map study is first when trying to break down a new lake. I want to find areas with a lot of diversity. Feeder creeks, bluff walls, main lake and secondary points, and spawing ares. I like to check each area to find what the active fish are relating to. Then I can find other spots like that on the lake to target.
What type of an area were you looking for to fish for the tournament and why?
Cole – Going into the tournament, my assumption was the fish would be in all phases of the spawn. Because of that I wanted to focus on ideal spawning areas so I was looking for shallow water with gravel and small rocks and with numerous pockets in the area. Also, from what little history I have on this lake I knew for the most part it’s dirty up the rivers and dingy by the dam so I wanted to focus on that dingy water which eliminated majority of the lake for me and allowed me to focus on a smaller area.
Tyler – I was really looking for areas that were somewhat similar to Beaver Lake, to be honest. Even with the abundance of standing timber, my main lake spot set up much better for my style of fishing.
Ryan – During prefishing I determined that the fish weren’t as far a long in the spawning phase as I thought they would be. With that information I looked for small mainlake pockets close to deep water that the females would be staging at. For example, I fished a bluff line on day one and moved from each small cut that fish could be close to moving up into.
Kyle – I like to move quickly and make lots of casts. There is so much standing timber in that lake and lots of areas make moving and making lots of casts difficult. I tried to find areas where I felt like I could move and cast without being hampered all day long. Also launching in the dark and fishing in the wind makes the vast areas with timber unappealing and potentially rough on your equipment Some is fine, choked out is not my thing.
James – I was assuming the fish would be in a pre-spawn pattern, giving the time of year and weather conditions. So I checked a bunch of stuff in the backs of creeks and spawning pockets and didn’t find anything. After finding some active fish on steep bluff walls and chunk rock banks, I found the fish were relating to ledges on the bluffs and steep banks that were about 5 to 10 feet deep. That is what I fished on day one. Day two was different. All the fish moved off that stuff and made their way to the secondary points and backs of pockets. I have never before seen this happen overnight.
What were the main techniques or baits that caught you most of your good fish?
Cole – On day one, I was using moving baits and was really struggling on catching fish. Around 10 am the sun popped out and there was zero wind so I started throwing a fluke on secondary points and weeded through tons of fish to finally landed a few above average fish but never could find a kicker but kept me in contention of winning the tournament. On day two, the wind was ripping so I started in wind-protected pockets with a fluke and caught some really nice quality. With the high winds, I was not able to work the fluke so I switched over to a spinnerbait and was able to catch fish on wind-blown points and pockets.
Tyler – In practice, I caught fish on literally everything. Day one, I fished a fluke and my trusty shakey head. Day two, conditions were different and rotated between the fluke, shakey head, and culled with a free rig the rest of the day.
Ryan – I caught most of my fish on day one with a free rigged creature bait. I like to fish a jig but I fought the rocks and getting hung up so much in pre-fishing that I needed a lighter presentation to avoid this. I used a 1/4oz cylinder drop shot weight that moves up and down the mainline giving some nice action and minimizes hang ups. Day two I caught fish on a fluke mostly but also added key fish with a RkCrawler, spinnerbait, and a donkey rig (double fluke rig). My two biggest fish came on the free rig on day one and the donkey rig on day two.
Kyle – Spinnerbait, fluke, squarebill. I should have taken time to drag a jig in some places where I knew fish were but weren’t eating moving baits but I didn’t do that and I think it cost me on day two.
James – 90% of my keepers for me were on a fluke. I caught a few on a Whopper Plopper, spinnerbait, and some on a squarebill.
What are the adjustments you made from day one to day two?
Cole – On day one, the fish were still positioned where they were while pre-fishing which was on the main-lake points. The main-lake was warmer than the back of the pockets to start the day so I believe that’s where they were. As the day went on the back of the pockets were warmer and fish started to move into those. On day two, I was fishing the same key stretches on the main-lake points and was struggling. So I slid into the back of a pocket and for the first time that week the pockets were warmer than the points first thing in the morning. I was able to catch three good fish in the very backs in super shallow water.
Tyler – After learning where the fish were NOT on day one, I focused fishing the stuff where the fish were for day two. Unfortunately, the fish weren’t really in those same areas, so I just covered more water and fished more thoroughly. The wind blew me around all day, so I couldn’t fish the weightless stuff efficiently, so I had to use heavier baits.
Ryan – I didn’t feel like I could replicate my day one in the same area, so I moved to an area I had fished in the previous Classic. It set up similar and felt confident there would be fishing in the area. The wind was also a factor on day two. The windy day helped my bite and allowed me to fish a spinnerbait a bit more.
Kyle – In pre-fishing it seemed every fish in the lake was on a main lake point. At some point from Wednesday afternoon to Friday morning a lot of those fish pushed back in my area. It took me a while to find them. On day two, I tried to make Friday afternoon’s bite work on Saturday morning regardless of a big water temp cool down in the backs. That’s where I should have slowed down and tried a jig in those areas. But instead I hopped from pocket to pocket to try and find them eating a fluke. Once the afternoon hit Saturday, they were back there eating the fluke again, but not in every pocket. It just took me too long to find them that day.
James – I actually stumbled on to the fish movement and the pattern for the day by accident. I went to a spot where I didn’t get a bite in practice or the first day of the tournament because I had a lot of company at my ramp and everyone was taking and asking how each other had done the day before. Knowing I would have eyes on me, I went to dead water where I could see my starting spot and wait for everyone to move on past so I could fish it without being noticed by everyone. Luckily for me, the fish moved, and I landed on them. I had my limit in 30 minutes. After that, I fished my good stuff without a bite for over an hour. That told me to go back to where I started and find more spots like that in the area.
What was the biggest key you unlocked on either day that made you feel like you were onto something?
Cole – As I eluded to in the previous question, I believe the biggest key for me was able to relocate the fish quickly on day two in the back of the pockets. It was the very first time of the entire four days I was on the lake that the water was warmer in the backs of pockets. Also, the area I fished the pockets were short so the fish didn’t have to travel far from the points to the back which helped me figure it out more quickly.
Tyler – I found that the best fish were on trees/stumps that were in 5-8 feet of water and were 18+ inches wide, so I targeted those mostly. The rocky banks that transitioned quickly to 5+ feet of water was also key in finding fish. When those two stars aligned, it was game on.
Ryan – I caught my big fish early on day one and that gave me the confidence to keep throwing what i was throwing and commit to it with confidence. Day two I had to share a small area with three guys (one being the 2nd place guy from day one), so I gave him first crack at the pocket and then was able to share it after. We communicated well and that was nice to see the sportsmanship side of this sport. They ate the fluke early and this was a confidence booster that carried my day.
Kyle – I’d say figuring out that a lot of fish had made the move back and also which type of pockets to target. Not all of them were good. It needed to have some timber, maybe 35-45° angle banks, and off the main lake. At least where I was at.
James – The biggest keys for me were two things. First was I was targeting bluffs and steep banks while most of the people at my launch were not. Second was I was getting bites on a fluke, and I didn’t see anyone else using one. I made sure to keep it hidden at the boat ramp, and I think it helped due to all the fishing pressure in my area.
Kudos to the Event and Organizers
I’d encourage everyone to try and participate in the All-American Kayak Classic if they can. It’s a very well run event, great organization and communication. Loved all the communication. Josh Boothe and others who run it do an outstanding job. Hope to qualify to get back again next year!
