Tag Archives: Owner

NSKA

NSKA NWA Recap – Bella Vista Night Ops

A hot stretch of days near the end of June led up to a rare summer night kayak fishing tournament on the beautiful Bella Vista lakes nestled in the Ozarks. Fifty-seven kayak anglers battled pre-4th of July water skiers, swimmers and fireworks to try and sift through the vast amount of dinks in Bella Vista in order to put together a decent limit.

The in-person captain’s meeting was held jointly at Ozark Kayak and Hook Line and Sinker in Bella Vista – highlighted by some tasty barbecue prepped by the TD for the event. Shout out to Taylor Frizzell for this first class touch! As the fifty seven anglers peeled out of the parking lot at relatively high speed, the race was on to get their spots on one of the seven Bella Vista lakes – Windsor, Loch Lomond, Norwood, Avalon, Ann, Brittany and Rayburn.

Tournament Results

As expected, the Bella Vista lakes gave up a lot of fish to the anglers, just not much size. Word had been that the bass boat tournaments have had low weights and finding a big one was very difficult. On this summer Saturday 84% of the field carded a keeper while a respectable 60% turned in a limit. Fish were caught, but Kyle Long destroyed the Big Bass contest by catching a 22.5″ Largemouth at Lake Norwood.

Kyle Long’s very lengthy but flat tummy Largemouth Bass. Took home the Big Bass prize for the Bella Vista event.

Danny Dutton was a part of a very large contingent (18+) anglers on Lake Ann and he turned it into a First Place finish with 78.25″ fueled by a 17.5″ kicker. Jeff Malott took second on Loch Lomond with 75.5″ and I was fortunate enough to take third with 75″ on the evening.

The top ten:

  1. Danny Dutton
  2.  Jeff Malott
  3.  Jason Kincy
  4.  Carson McBride
  5.  Justin Phillips
  6.  Baron Meek
  7.  Tyler Zengerle
  8.  Roy Roberts
  9.  Kyle Long (What?! You had a 22.5″ bass!? 9th place??)
  10.  Josh King
Dangerous Danny Dutton danced a dandy Senko to victory in the NSKA Bella Vista night tournament.
Bella Vista Night Ops Angler Recaps

The top three anglers from the event shared where they caught them and how. Here’s the recap from Danny Dutton,  Jeff Malott and Jason Kincy.

What lake did you go to and why?

Danny – I went to Lake Ann. Never been on the lake before, but I looked at an article that showed the electric shock results of all the lakes. Looked like Ann was trending in the right direction.

Jeff – I went to Loch Lomond, until a few hours on Wednesday I had never actually fished in Bella Vista. So after limited success pre-fishing one of the smaller lakes I decided to head to the largest lake where I could cover some water and hopefully figure something out.

Jason – Did some pre-fishing and although I don’t love Lake Ann it was the place where I seemed to find the most reliable bite, and had caught a 20+ out there the week before the tournament which gave me some confidence.

Did you catch em early or late or when?

Danny – I had a limit by a 6:00. But culled 4 of them between 9:00 and 10:45.

Jeff – I caught fish steadily until dark, but really had a flurry of “good” fish the hour right before dark.

Jason – Had a decent limit by 5:00 and then tried to upgrade here and there over the next few hours. The final 15″ I caught at 11:30 and gave me an extra 1/2 inch for the night.

What did you think of the evening format and lake options?

Danny – I don’t usually fish nights but it worked out well for me this time. Liked going to Bella Vista.

Jeff – The evening format was interesting, I am not a fan of night fishing but the weather and bugs cooperated for this one so it was all good.

Jason – Night fishing is a lot of fun and something good for a change. Really enjoyed being able to be home in the morning and having some time during the day before the tourney. Bella Vista has beautiful lakes.

What did you catch em on?

Danny – I caught them on Senko in a variety of colors.

Jeff – I have always heard Bella Vista is full of 10-12 inch fish. So in a effort to avoid those I threw a 10″ worm and 1/2 oz jig almost all evening. By the end of the night my best five were all caught on the worm.

Jason – Most of my fish were on a beaver style bait rigged on an Owner 4/0 creature hook, flipped and dragged around the bank. The last few fish were on a Z-Man chatterbait with a YUM Christie Craw trailer.

How many rods do you carry on tourney day and how many are spinning vs baitcaster?

Danny – I had seven rods. Two bait casters and five spinning rods. I’m not very skilled with bait casters. But working on it.
Jeff – I usually carry eight to eleven rods on tourney day, but for this one I had nine total. Two spinning and seven baitcasting. I made a least a cast with all of them but settled in on the two mentioned above after a couple hours.
Jason – I can max out with 10 rods but carried eight on tournament night, including three spinning rods. I hate stopping to tie on baits so try to carry a rod for each bait I think will be important.
Next NWA NSKA event is a quick turnaround with a Road Runner on July 13. Watch for a preview article coming soon as the plastic armada prepares to across Northwest Arkansas.
Fish It Forward Results
A local Bella Vista tournament circuit also held an event concurrently with the NSKA night tournament. The Fish it Forward tournament featured 27 kayak anglers who also had access to all lakes. Justin Phillips took 1st place with 74.75″ followed by Baron Meek with 74.50″ and Tyler Zengerle with 73″ on the evening. The next tournament is July 27th in Bella Vista, check the FIF Facebook page for more info and sign up on TourneyX.
News

Thank You to 2018 Partners

A big shout out and THANK YOU to the various companies and brands who are contributing in some way toward my 2018 tournament season. These are all awesome products I am proud to use in competition on the water. Please consider them for your fishing needs.

 

Bending Branches – The best kayak fishing paddles available and manufactured here in the U.S.A. I have the Bending Branches Angler Pro and Angler Pro Carbon.

Stormr – Great foul weather gear and sun protection wear. From cold weather outerwear to hot summertime UV protection clothing, Stormr is my go-to for on the water protection.

Popticals – The innovative sunglasses line that folds into a compact case perfect for kayak fishing.

MTI Lifejackets – Wear your PFD! It prevents you from drowning. When choosing a PFD, I like having one that I know is very high quality and made with care in the U.S.A. I have MTI F-Spec, Neptune and Helios models.

Booyah Baits – A big part of my bait arsenal, Booyah makes awesome crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzz baits and jigs.

War Eagle Lures – Spinnerbaits and buzz baits that are made for the Ozark waters. Anglers swear by this brand for local fishing.

Heddon Lures – Makers of the Zara Spook and Super Spook Jr., some of my all-time favorite lures to throw. If I could only throw one hard bait, it would be a spook.

Norman Lures – Some old-school hard baits that still catch a lot of fish. The Deep N, Mad N, DD22 and others have to be in the yak.

YUM – Plastics for every situation at a good price. Dingers, plastic worms, trailers, flippin’ plastics, lizards, drop shot baits, swimbaits and Money Minnows. YUM has everything you need.

Dobyns Rods – Quality rod options at an affordable price. I carry the Fury series rods in my kayak, most of which are in the $109-$119 price range.

Flambeau – These storage tackle boxes are great for kayaks because of the Zerust protection. Our tackle is exposed to the elements at all times and Flambeau boxes provide great protection.

P-Line – This is an affordable fishing line that still is good for battling bass. I use primarily the Floroclear and the CXX line on my reels.

Reins – My tungsten weight source for use with drop-shot, flipping or Texas rigging. Reins slip sinkers are the best because of the insert that protects you from fraying line.

Shimano – The best reels around, period. Shimano reels are the best option on the water for all types of fishing.

Owner Hooks – Owner makes every kind of hook I need when fishing, and they are razor sharp.

Check out these brands on Instagram for a better look at their products:

@bending_branches @stormrusa @popticals @booyah_baits @war_eagle_custom_lures @heddon_lures @normanlures @dobynsrods @yum_baits @mti_life_jackets @flambeau_outdoors @plinefishing @reinsfishing @shimanofish @ownerhooks

 

Fishing Tips

Carolina Rig Summer Bass Fishing Setup

When the weather heats up for summer it is time to break out the Carolina Rig to catch bass. Finding the bass can be difficult in the summer and getting them to bite can be even more challenging. One thing I really like about Carolina Rig summer bass fishing is how versatile it can be – allowing me to fish it quickly in areas to locate bass, but also can really slow it down to entice a bite.

Carolina Rig summer bass fishing with Reins tungsten sinker, Owner hook and YUM Ribbontail.
Carolina Rig summer bass fishing with Reins tungsten sinker, Owner hook and YUM Ribbontail.

For my Carolina Rig summer setup I use a fairly lightweight and downsized rig. For the weight I’ll use a 1/2 oz Reins tungsten slip sinker. Using a tungsten sinker allows you to really feel the bottom to detect cover, and the Reins slip sinker comes with an insert which reduces abrasion of your fishing line. For line, especially at night I like to use the extra strong P-Line CXX co-polymer line with t blacklight visibility.

Reins slip sinkers have an insert that protects your line while using the Carolina Rig.
Reins slip sinkers have an insert that protects your line while using the Carolina Rig.

For the hook, I use the super sharp Owner hooks, and the size will vary from 3/0 to 5/0 depending on what bait i’m adding to the Carolina Rig. Add in a swivel, beads and a mono leader and you are all set. Leader length also varies, but I’ll generally have a longer leader in daytime and a shorter leader at night. Type of rod can vary to taste, but overall I will use a Dobyns jig rod so it is stiff enough to cast the rig as far as possible.

Plastics for Carolina Rig Summer Bass Fishing

One of the great things about a Carolina Rig is how many options you have for plastic baits. Although I have some favorites, it can be good to have a few options available and cycle through them until you can determine what the bass will bite. Some of the YUM bait options I’ll use include a Ribbontail worm, YUM Dinger, Christie Craw or a Wooly Hawg Craw.

Good luck with your Carolina Rig summer bass fishing!

 

NSKA

NSKA River Road Runner Recap

Predictions prior to this year’s river focused event said that there would be a lot of fish caught, and some big limits turned in. These predictions were mostly correct regarding the Natural State Kayak Angler’s River Road Runner from the weekend. Due to the heavy canoe and tube traffic on some area rivers in June this should be called the “Ya’ll catching anything?” event. For the most part, NSKA fishermen were able to say “Heck, yeah!”

None of the groups of floaters on the river that day looked like this.

In the tournament preview article, Jeff Malott and Sam Philip almost hit big bass on the nose, while Sam was ultimately the closest in predicting the winning length.

On a sunny, breezy, day in June, 26 of 38 (64%) anglers were credited with a limit. Although there were some big fish caught, there weren’t very many.  Only five fish 17″ or larger were caught, by a total of four anglers. Having a good kicker was key to placing near the top in this event.

I was lucky enough to finish 1st for this event with 81.5″, Dwain Batey 2nd with 78.75″ and Jonathan Brewer 3rd with a solid 76.25″ limit. Big Bass was won by John Evans with a 20.25″ largemouth, while I won runner-up Big Bass with a 20″ largemouth.

The Top 10 looked like this:

  1.  Jason Kincy
  2.  Dwain Batey
  3.  Jonathan Brewer
  4.  Jeriamy Vann
  5.  Faron Davidson
  6.  Tim Hotchkin
  7.  Jose Rodriguez
  8.  Roy Roberts
  9.  Josh Sherrill
  10.  John Evans

Angler Recaps

Jason – Not knowing hardly any rivers in the area at all, I went to the Elk River, the one with which I had at least some experience. Started out throwing my favorite baits (topwater) but only caught a few small ones. After switching to a squarebill I caught a 17″ off a log, and was catching some others off wood with a ned rig. One of these bass had a large craw claw (2.75 inches! Who knew they had crawdads that big in the Elk?) in its throat that had a blue/green color to it. This clued me in to what they were feeding on, so at this point I pulled out a YUM worm in blue laminate with a claw-like tail. From that point forward I spent most of the rest of the day dragging that worm slowly around logs and wood.

Another large crawfish claw shows from the throat of my 20″ bass.

My biggest fish, a 20″ largemouth bass came off some submerged brush and when I hooked it I was sure it was a gar or catfish or something because it just would not surface. Once I caught this fish a bit after noon, I knew it might be possible to contend. About 30 minutes before the end of regulation I hooked a 15.25″ to cull a 13″ and was hoping at that point that I had enough to place a top three. Four of my top five fish came from that worm imitating the craw claw, so I was very fortunate to spot that and have a great YUM bait to turn to. The rest of that rig setup was a 3/8 oz Reins slip sinker, Owner all-purpose worm hook, 12lb P-Line CXX Floro, Shimano Curado70 and Dobyns rod.

Dwain – Last year was my first year to fish kayak tournaments and the River Road Runner event last year was by far my worst finish, so this year I really wanted to make a better showing. I had intended to pre-fish some rivers in the year between these events, but never did. So I got on trusty Google Earth and tried to find an area within bounds that looked like it was deep enough to use my pedal drive and might hold larger fish. I settled on an area of the Illinois River in Oklahoma near Watts that looked like it would be a good fit.

I started off the morning throwing a buzz bait, and it paid off quickly with a limit of fish, including my best of the day a 17.75 inch largemouth. I milked the buzz bait bite most of the day, but shortly after catching my best Smallmouth bass of the day on it I discovered an area that I could catch fish on a crankbait. It was an area about 200 yards long that was around 4 or 5 feet deep from the shore out to about 10 feet from the bank, and then also had a flat where the water became shallow between two pools. I first found the fish in the shallow area, and then followed this area up the bank. I was cranking the Skirmish Baits MP7 (a small squarebill), and it was producing both Smallmouth and Spotted Bass. I caught about 10 fish on my first pass, and one of them was a nice Smallmouth that gave me a decent cull. A second pass produced more fish but no culls, so I switched to an M9 squarebill which is a larger profile, and caught a very nice Spotted Bass on the same run with the larger bait. That was my final cull of the day, and I was more than happy to get a 2nd place finish in a river event since 99% of my fishing is on lakes. The area I found happens to be really close to my house, and I’ll probably go back during the year and refine my knowledge of the area, and up my river fishing game.

Jonathan – I chose the Elk River to fish this event this year, and started off fishing a topwater bait.  Caught a limit within the first 30 minutes and two of those I was able to use for my best five. After that they were still busting the topwater but I think they were seeing it too well so I switched to my personal go-to bait on rivers and creeks (the Wiggle Wart). I was able to add three more decent fish to my limit on that bait.  Overall, I couldn’t tell you how many fish I caught – it was a blast.

River Valley – Lee Creek

On the same day as the NWA event, those in the River Valley had an NSKA river event on Lee Creek. I’ve fished there twice now, one time was good, one time was really bad. Looks like they had a tough day out there, with only four of 16 entrants turning in a limit. The winners were:

  1.  Toby Bogart 74. 75″ (Plus Big Bass at 18″)
  2.  Scott Accord 70.25″
  3.  Lloyd Mize 66″

Congrats to these kayak anglers!

Read recent articles: Lake Wilson Fishing, Reins Slip Sinker Review

 

Fishing Recap

Lake Wilson Fishing

Was doing some Lake Wilson fishing at the local Thursday night yakpot and caught this 5.5 lb largemouth bass on a Rebel Pop-R to win Big Bass for the evening. I was fishing back in the flat where the creeks run in and was throwing a Heddon Zara Spook when this giant blew up on it but missed. Grabbed the Pop-R and threw it in there letting it sit with a couple of small twitches and then it was pulled under.

Lake Wilson Fishing - 5.5 lb largemouth while kayak fishing.
Lake Wilson Fishing – 5.5 lb largemouth while kayak fishing.

My full gear setup on the Zara Spook rod included 12 lb P-Line Floroclear, Owner Stinger Trebles, Dobyns crankbait rod and Fish Allure scented tab. For the Pop-R I had 10 lb P-Line Floroclear, Owner Stinger Trebles, Dobyns crankbait rod and my awesome Shimano Citica baitcast reel. Like always, I had my MTI life jacket on board and on my body – wear a life jacket!

Was tough that night with Lake Wilson Fishing, but this big bite made it worth the trip.

Fishing Recap

YUM Thumpn’ Dinger Scores at Night

First round of night fishing for the year and hit a jackpot with this FAT 21.25″ largemouth. Caught in transition from deep water to spawning areas by hopping the YUM Thumpn’ Dinger along the bottom.  Gear setup: 3/0 Owner Worm Hook, 1/4 oz Reins tungsten weight, 15 lb P-Line CSX, Dobyns worm rod, Shimano Citica reel.

Bass are moving up for spawn, caught this tank just after dark on a YUM Thumpn' Dinger rigged Texas style.
Bass are moving up for spawn, caught this tank just after dark on a YUM Thumpn’ Dinger rigged Texas style.
Fishing Recap, NSKA, razoryak tournament trail

Swepco Lake NSKA Recap

Winter had one more blast of icy air to launch the Natural State Kayak Anglers into the 2017 season on Swepco Lake. With air temperatures at 29 degrees at take-off and water temps ranging from 68-75 degrees across the hot water lake, it was an interesting setup for the day.

As discussed in this previous article, historically Swepco Lake has not been friendly to recent kayak tournaments. This year was a different story as many fish were caught, including several big ones. Of the 61 anglers who entered, 85% turned in a score-able fish and 44% turned in a limit. Overall a great day of fishing on Swepco Lake, evidenced by 260 fish caught which included eight big fish at 20+ inches.

First place went to Rob Barnica with 89″ and second to Baron Meek with 88.5″ who both fished most of the day up around the discharge area near the power plant. I came in third place with 87.25″ while David Preston took fourth with 83.75″ and Ethan Dhuyvetter with 82.5″ was fifth.

Top 10 finishers:
  1. Rob Barnica
  2. Baron Meek
  3. Jason Kincy
  4. David Preston
  5. Ethan Dhuyvetter
  6. Roy Roberts
  7. Robert Murphy
  8. Justin Wright
  9. Rance Richardson
  10. Wayne Johnson

Rance Richardson won big bass with 21.25″. View complete NSKA – Swepco Lake Results here.

Rob, Baron and David did not provide a tournament recap, but here are mine and Ethan’s look back at the day.

Jason – A week or so out from the tournament I was feeling pretty solid on a game plan, but that was thrown out when the weather took a nasty turn that weekend. Knowing they had the generators running most of the night before it was clear that bass would be feeding early up toward the discharge but I decided to avoid the crowd and to try and find more unmolested water down on the dam end of the lake.

I wasted some time throwing a bit of topwater and tried a few other different things but did not really get settled in until mid-morning and figured out that a combination of some different YUM plastic baits (Thumpn’ Dinger and Kill Shot) on Owner hooks was the way to go. Most fish were in 12-8 feet of water and bit on a slow-moving presentation.  The bite was good until about 11:30 when the clouds began to break up and then once the sun fully emerged the bite shut off for me. As a last gasp effort to pick up a couple of inches I went up to the discharge area for the last hour but couldn’t cull a fish.

Ethan – I decided to fish this event because I thought it would be a great way to meet people and get out on a lake I’ve never been to. I was very hesitant because of the cruddy weather we had the day prior but opted to fish last minute. Having never fished a kayak tournament, I was a bit nervous that I would screw something up, but Jeff explained everything well so I had no issues.

When I got out, I figured an A Rig would work but after hearing the water temp, I quickly put that down and started tossing a jig. A football jig and a drop shot Roboworm accounted for all my fish. The fishing seemed to be best when there was cloud cover. I was catching my fish on transition banks in 5-10 ft of water, they all seemed to be pre-spawn to me which I found odd with the water temps as high as they were.

 

arkansas, Bandit Lures, crankbait, Video

VIDEO – Largemouth Bass on Bandit Crankbait

Caught this Arkansas largemouth bass while kayak bass fishing at Swepco Lake. Hooked it in two feet of water using a Bandit 100 in Green Speckled Craw pattern armed with Owner Stinger treble hooks. Was 20″ and weighed 5.55 pounds.

Gear setup: Hobie Pro Angler 12, Bending Branches Pro Angler Paddle, Dobyns Fury Rod, P-Line 12lb Floroclear, Owner Stinger Trebles and Fish Allure Scented tab applied to back of bait.

Please Help Start My YouTube Channel

I need your help, just getting started to YouTube and need 100 subscribers, please visit Kayak Fishing Focus YouTube Channel and hit Subscribe!  More and better videos on the way if I can get there. Thank you.

 

Fishing Recap, Fishing Tips

Carolina Rigging for Trout in Arkansas

Rainbow Trout Caught on Carolina Rig at Lake Atalanta, Rogers Arkansas
Arkansas lake Rainbow Trout.

Fishing in Arkansas during January can be a hit or miss situation with the weather. One day it could be mild and in the 50s and the next day you may encounter sleet and ice and below freezing temperatures. One thing that you can count on is lake water temps dropping well into the low 40s and even the high 30s in some small lakes.

This is a great time of year to do some trout fishing in Northwest Arkansas, either in the White River tailwaters of Beaver or Table Rock lake or in some select clear water lakes in the area like Lake Atalanta in Rogers.

As primarily a bass fisherman I don’t own a fly rod, but you can use some bass techniques for some easy trout fishing. One of these techniques is to fish Carolina-style, but with a different and more finesse setup.

Owner Fishing Hooks - Mosquito size 8 Model 5177-031
Use size 8 or 6 hook.

One of the keys to making this work is to have a good quality sharp hook in the appropriate size. When using an egg-style floating bait, I’d select an Owner Mosquito Hook in size 8, or size 6 if you prefer. These Owner hooks are reliable and needle-sharp which is critical in a situation like this. They also have very small barbs that are easily pinched down depending on the waters you fish. If your local tackle store doesn’t carry these, you can find Owner Hooks on Tackle Warehouse.

Simply set up your rig by using a lightweight spinning rod and Shimano reel and attach a small swivel to a 4lb (try P-Line) leader with a small bullet weight and glass bead on the main line. Tie your Owner Mosquito hook to your leader, making it anywhere from 1 to 3 feet depending on water depth. Apply your floating bait egg

Close up of Owner hook in Rainbow Trout Caught on Carolina Rig at Lake Atalanta, Rogers Arkansas
The Owner Mosquito Hook in size 8 is the perfect small size for trout, but is needle sharp for a nice hookset.

on the hook, adjusting so just the tip of the hook is showing.

To fish it, simply toss it upstream in a current allowing it to then slowly bounce along back to you, taking up slack as it goes. This is a great system for fishing ponds or lakes with trout because you can either cast it out and leave it until you get a bite, or periodically move it a bit. The floating bait will look like a natural snack for the trout. Once you get a bite, the sharp Owner hook doesn’t require a strong hookset.

Give this technique a try the next time you want to try some trout fishing on a cold day. It’s an easy transition for a bass fisherman to find some success with trout.