As the sun beat down on this July Saturday, 40 anglers descended upon the pristine waters of Lake Eucha and Lake Spavinaw for the event sponsored by H2 Heat and Air. These twin jewels of Northeast Oklahoma, known for their stunning “Green Country” scenery and reputation as top-tier largemouth bass fisheries, promised a challenging yet possibly rewarding day on the water. Temperatures soared into the high 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit, accompanied by oppressive humidity with dew points around 71°F, making for a muggy atmosphere.
Lake Eucha, a picturesque 2,860-acre reservoir, boasts 49 miles of scenic shoreline and is known for producing big bass and giant bags. Just downstream, the slightly smaller Lake Spavinaw, completed in 1924, offers 20 miles of shoreline and a robust population of largemouth and crappie surrounded by a grassy shoreline.
Tournament Results
This event was truly one of the haves and the have nots. Choosing the right lake and right area had a lot to do with the outcome for anglers. Overall, the fishing was TOUGH for the field with a very low FPA of 3.49, compared to 6.8 recently on Table Rock, and 4.6 on Tenkiller. For anglers on Spavinaw, it was a bad choice – of the close to a dozen anglers who started the day on Spavinaw none of them turned in a limit. Dwain Batey was the highest finishing Spavinaw angler, coming in 15th overall in the field. The top 14 anglers came from Lake Eucha. There were some newer names at the top of the standings, making for a fun event!
Maurilio Gutierrez won first place with a big 89.50″ on the day, including a 20″ Largemouth bass. Fanny Phomsopha was second with 87.50″, and Mandie Adams took third place with 86.25″ on the day. Big Bass went to a tiebreaker between Jason Kincy with a 21.50″ Spavinaw Largemouth and Kase Ingram with a 21.50″ Eucha Largemouth. Kincy won the tiebreaker with an 18.75″ as the second biggest bass.
Seth Jones won trash fish with a 18.25″ Drum as well as the Eucha/Spavinaw plaque raffle. The awesome Ketch doorprize drawing was won by Kase Ingram.
Eucha + Spavinaw Top Ten:
- Maurilio Gutierrez 89.50
- Fanny Phomsopha 87.50
- Mandie Adams 86.25
- Cole Sikes 84.50
- Kase Ingram 83.50
- Jason Adams 83.50
- Justin Brewer 83.25
- Seth Jones 83.25
- Nate Higgins 83.25
- Terrill Standifer 83.00
Angler Roundtable
Join Maurilio, Fanny, and Mandie as they recap their day and how they conquered Lake Eucha to win the trophies and the money!
What lake and general area did you decide to go to and why?
Maurilio – I decided to fish lake Eucha, I pre-fished a few weeks ago at the ramp that has the main office and I liked everything It had to offer in the area so I decided to launch there. As for the storm I told my self if my area was blown out then I would just move to the next ramp to try and find better water conditions, luckily past the bridge the water had a nice stain to it and not much debris in the water. I prefer fishing stained water anyway.
Fanny – I got to Eucha around 4:30pm Friday stood at the boat ramp look around saw some bluff banks reminded me of Tenkiller, I like Tenkiller. I started at the bluff across the lake from ramp then back to the boat ramp side looking for more bluff banks.
Mandie – I fished Lake Eucha. It was a lake I had never been on before. A few days before the tournament, I did a quick drive-by and spotted grassy areas and standing timber that immediately caught my eye. Even without time to fish it, it just looked right. After the flooding hit, I questioned if it would still hold up, but I stuck with my gut. Jason and I ride together, so I had to talk him out of his mid-lake plan and get him on board with this spot. Thankfully, he went along with it—and it worked out!
What are some of the techniques you used to catch your fish?
Maurilio – I started the day off with a Berkley Choppo for top water, a chatterbait, and a crankbait to try and locate some fish and get an idea of the mood they had after the storm. Started getting bites on the crankbait and the fish I was catching were very shallow around rocks. My 3rd fish caught me by surprise and when I was fighting him he took me under the front of the kayak and caught my trolling motor and broke me off, it was a good one! I decided to lock the crankbait in my hand until I had a limit. After my limit the crankbait kept producing but I also used a big jig and a big Texas rigged worm to cull up.
Fanny – I made up my mind up to keep it simple first thing in the morning buzz bait and Sexy Dawg walking bait first 30 minutes, then going to jigs and shaky head the rest of the day.
Mandie – I broke my buzz bait 5 minutes into the tournament so I used a jig and Ned and bounced them off anything I could… rocks, culverts, trees, you name it. With the water being muddy, it seemed like the fish couldn’t see it well, but they could sure hear the clank and commotion when it hit something or splashed in. That extra sound and vibration helped trigger bites.
Can you take about your key catch?
Maurilio – My Key catch was a 17” fish I caught in the shady area of a rocky bank next to a point, the sun was up by then and everything I had caught was in the shade so I threw the crankbait back in the same area and caught another 17” and a 16” so I new there had to be a big one in that area. I took a breather and tied on a big football jig and told my self to fish it slow, then bam on the first cast I caught the 20” fish. It felt unreal because this was the first time I had a limit of fish that could possibly win. I didn’t want to get over confident so I kept searching for another big fish to cull a 15.5 but it never happened Luckily my limit was enough for the win.
Fanny – Caught a 18.75″ on a jig at 9:00am gave me my limit sitting on 77″ then around 10:00am hooked up on 19.75″ on a shaky head a 6 inch cull with almost 4hrs left. Last cull came in around 12:45 (87.50″) around 1:00pm hooked up got excited oh baby, this is for the W! It was a stinkin’ 17” drum.
Mandie – My key catch was actually my first fish. It came off a rocky ledge that dropped about 4 feet. I cast into the shallow side and hooked something that felt… weird. It was fighting extremely hard. When I got a look at it, I actually thought it was a white bass. And honesty, I almost tossed it back and messed up my bag again, just like at Tenkiller. But something told me to really look, and sure enough, it was a largemouth. That fish gave me the confidence boost to keep grinding through the chaos.
As you are continuing to fish tournaments, what is the most important thing you have learned?
Maurilio – This tournament really taught me to be more patient and to try to keep a positive mindset, even after that fish braking me off and I also had another that spit my crankbait previously I would have been flustered and would of made bad decisions. I just kept telling my self be patient, shake it off and keep grinding. Another thing I really have been trying to improve on is how to catch bigger fish and making a change to bigger baits definitely helped me in this tournament. That’s what I really enjoy about this sport is the past 3 years I’ve been doing it, it has been a constant learning process. Can’t wait for the next one!
Fanny – Keep it Simple and enjoy the moment and make life lasting friends.
Mandie – Trust your instincts and don’t overthink it. Especially when the conditions are tough, your gut is usually more reliable than you think. I’ve also learned not to second-guess what I’m seeing just because it doesn’t “look” textbook. The mental side of tournament fishing is just as important as the technique… maybe more.
Angler of the Year
The Angler of the Year race didn’t shake up too much in this event. Most of those at the top struggled in this one but a few anglers moved up within the top ten, improving their overall position. In the race to qualify for the Classic Championship as a part of the top 25, this was an impactful event. A few really solidified their standing for the Classic including our top three finishers who really strengthened their points totals. Now that we have six events in the books, you can for the first time see the ‘best six’ top 25. There is going to be a lot of drama and some heartbreak down the stretch as several anglers have zeros that will drop after event seven. We may not know the last five in until after the final event!
Heavy Hitters
Like AOY, there weren’t many moves made in the Heavy Hitters standings, but a few put some good fish on the board to help their standings. With five 20+ bass submitted, anglers like Brewer, Kincy, Ingram, Gutierrez, and Mandie Adams added some big numbers to their totals. Right now Levi Schneider is in the lead with a cushion, but some close behind can make big jumps with a 20+ in the Road Runner. Several within 6″ of the lead can replace a relatively smaller bass with a big one – Landreth (17), Wilkie (17), Sorluangsana (17.25), Standifer (16.25), Brewer (14.75), S Jones (13.25), and Hibbs (16.25). This is not over if Levi fails to upgrade his 17, but if he does that may be tough to catch.
Special thanks to Eco Fishing Shop for being the trail sponsor for 2025. They do a lot to support our sport of kayak fishing and have great products and service!