Tournament four is in the books for 2025 with the H2 Heat & Air Lake Tenkiller event held this past weekend. This tournament followed by a week the Bassmaster Kayak Series stop on Tenkiller, but it was a completely different fishery from the previous week. Water was back close to normal levels, which took a lot of shallow cover out of play. As usual, some anglers really figured out how to catch’em and some did not.

Tournament Results

Overall, the Fish Per Angler rate was in the average range with a 4.57 – not too bad compared to some events, but not up to historical Lake Tenkiller standards. The water fluctuation and fishing on a post front day following storms I’m sure didn’t help. Tony Sorluangsana took 1st place with 88.25″ on the day, followed by Terrill Standifer with 82.75″ for 2nd place, and John Hall took 3rd with 82.75″. Terrill won the tiebreaker with an 18″ bass for his top fish. Big Bass went to Tony Sorluangsana as well, giving him quite a big day on Tenkiller! Additional winners included Fanny Phomsopha as the WM Trash fish winner with a gar that was around 36”, and the prize for smallest bass went to Bryan Sanders with a 7” beast!

Lake Tenkiller Top Ten:

1. Tony Sorluangsana 88.25
2. Terrill Standifer 82.75
3. John Hall 82.75
4. Will Atchison 82.50
5. Seth Jones 82.25
6. James Haeberle 82.25
7. John Evans 82.25
8. Dwain Batey 82.00
9. Billy Bowden 81.00
10. James Fortune 77.25

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Angler Roundtable

The top anglers share how they did it. Thanks to Tony, Terrill, and John for recapping their day on the water!

Question 1: What part of Tenkiller did you go to and why?

• Tony: “I launched at a ramp just north of Cookson bend, it was 10 minutes for the Airbnb. I was familiar with that area and knew I could find a limit there.”
• Terrill: “I launched at Chicken Creek. The thought process was after they sucked the lake down rapidly last week, most of the fish would be main lake. I went across to Party Cove and the entire shoreline was covered in dead shad. I had to go back to Chicken Creek to find fish.”
• John: “I fished near the dam. During practice, it seemed to have the best quality out of all the places I tried.”

Question 2: What were some of the main techniques or baits you used to catch your winning total?

• Tony: “In the morning I was using a Jackhammer and fluke, but moved off the bank by mid-morning and caught my best 5 on a jig head minnow and various deep diving cranks.”
• Terrill: “The early bite was all top water on a Whopper Plopper. A big key was seeing the bank covered in carp which pushed the bass out from the shore. You had to run it at least a few feet off the bank. Once that died after an hour, I switched to a jig. Super tough bite, but I found a few upgrades in the very far backs of pockets where there were waterfalls. It took multiple casts in the same small area and patience to finally get a bite.”
• John: “I caught all of my fish on a Megabass Magdraft and a shakey head.”

Question 3: Talk a bit about your key catch and what happened.

• Tony: “It was a 15.75” smallie that didn’t even make the cut in the final 5 but it confirmed what I was seeing on the graph. In practice I found huge schools of white bass and as I graphed over a ledge, I saw the same type of school. I almost didn’t cast at them, but glad I did bc it turned out to be a massive school of bass in the above average size.”
• Terrill: “I caught a 19” Smallie and let it jump off the board. I wanted to puke but just went back to casting and tried to block it out. A saw a fish bust out in open water, so I cast to it and landed an 18”. That 18” was the key fish that broke the tie.”
• John: “I caught 3 nice ones really fast after lines in on the Magdraft, but once the storm rolled out, I went 3 hours without a bite. I tried a lot of different baits but eventually picked up a shakeyhead just to get a limit. I started throwing the shakeyhead in the dark, shaded areas of a bluff wall, and I started getting bites. My 4th keeper of the day was really key because I knew I was on the right track after struggling for a few hours.”

Question 4: The three of you have been getting better and better. What’s the key to improving in tournament competition?

• Tony: “Map study and staying engaged mentally at all times. I go through a lot of scenarios in my head while on the water that usually gives me clarity on what I should be doing. I use to allow the pressure of tournament fishing get the best of me, but I have learned to trust what I know and just go fishing.”
• Terrill: “It’s the culmination of all of the input from the great guys in the club. It was super tempting to watch Kristine Fisher’s videos and want to throw a cull shad all day, but I could hear Kyle saying ‘Don’t try to catch another man’s fish. Fish YOUR strengths.’ Brandon Prince has worked a ton with me on reading the situation so recognizing the carp had pushed the bass back. Also teaching me to cast to the thickest prime spot first vs trying to pick off numbers and work your way to it. Haeberle teaching me about finding great fish in the absolute very back where fresh water is coming in. On Beaver, when I finally caught a good fish, I could hear Dwain asking ‘why’d you catch that fish?’. It led me to realize they were fry guarders and how to best target them. Remembering Cole talk about how great spots reload and how many times he’s done great in a small area he fished over and over made me head back to a dock where I caught all my good fish. So many more guys have shared great info that’s taught me so much. I’m forever grateful to everyone in the club who has generously given me info that they worked so hard to obtain.”
• John: “During my first year with NSKA I fished a lot of history – or for new lakes I would watch videos and see what other people had done and try to replicate it. I stopped doing that last year and started using Google Earth and my practice time to find areas that I think can be productive based on seasonal patterns, the available structure, and the way I like to fish. For example, I tried to avoid content from the Bassmaster Kayak Series last week because I was afraid it would sway me to do something different than what I had found in practice. This new strategy seems to be working pretty well so far, and even on a lake I’ve been to a thousand times like Beaver, I try to treat it like it’s new each time.”

Angler of the Year Update

The AOY race is starting to take shape, but it is still early and several anglers are in it. With the ability to drop two event scores, there is a lot to happen still to determine the AOY champion. Standings through four events:

Heavy Hitters Update

Unlike AOY, getting off to a fast start with Heavy Hitters is a must if you want to take the title. What’s interesting is this year, there are not a lot of bigs on the board, leaving room for someone to make a late run. If you have a 20+ already, you have a leg up, but there are only a few of them so far, so ground can be made up!

Next Event: Table Rock West

The next NSKA NWA tournament is June 28 on Table Rock West. The All-American Kayak Series also has a tournament on Table Rock that same day if you want to double dip and do both events!

Looking Back at Beaver South!

We were not able to do a recap after the NSKA NWA event on Beaver South, presented by Southtown Sporting Goods, but want to recognize the winners. Justin Brewer took 1st place with 86.25″, followed by Terrill Standifer with 84.75″, and Jeff Mallot took 3rd place with 84.00″ for the day. Jason Alexander won Big Bass with a 21.50″ Beaver Lake giant. Jim Hall won the trash pot with a 28″ Striper (!), and Bo McDaniel won smallest limit with 47.25″! Congratulations to all of these winners and other participants!

Stop number two for Natural State Kayak Anglers was on the beautiful waters of northern Beaver Lake! Am I the only one that gets myself confused that north Beaver Lake is up on a map, but is considered ‘down’ lake as the current flows? Anyway, this early April matchup follows a quick jump in water level and drop in water temps – confusing the bass and adding mystery to where they could be found in the spawn cycle.

North Beaver Lake Results

The NWA Makers Beaver Lake North event proved to be a very difficult day for the 62 anglers who entered the field. With a 3.76 FPA (Fish per angler), this tournament had one of the toughest fish catch rates in the past couple of seasons for NSKA. Of the 62 anglers, only 40% had a limit, and only 77% turned in at least one catch. Nonetheless, fish were caught – mainly smallmouth at the top of the standings! Jason Kincy 1st place with 87.50″ total of all smallies. Blake Weilant went a different route, turning in a limit of largemouth for 82.25″ and took 2nd place. Levi Schneider took 3rd place with a 81.50″ bag of smallmouth. Josh Landreth won Big Bass with a 21.25″ Beaver Lake giant.

Tournament Top Ten:

1. Jason Kincy 87.50
2. Blake Weilant 82.25
3. Levi Schneider 81.50
4. Justin Brewer 81.25
5. Tony Sorluangsana 79.25
6. Austin Nims 77.50
7. John Hall 76.50
8. Jason Adams 76.50
9. Christa Hibbs 76.00
10. Seth Jones 74.75

Additional winners included Jake Wilkie capturing the Trash Fish trophy wish a 23.50″ Drum, and Kyle Long won for Last Fish submitted.

Angler Roundtable

Our top anglers Jason, Blake, Levi, and Josh sat down to recap how they did it on tournament day. Let’s dive into how they made it happen.

1. Where did you go on Beaver and why did you choose it?

Jason – I haven’t been able to get out much to pre-fish and knew the water had risen quite a bit, so I wanted to go somewhere I was pretty familiar. Prairie Creek seemed to have 25 kayak anglers there which wasn’t great, but it was the closest drive from the house – so it made sense.

Blake – I’m not 100% sure of the boat launch name that I was. I believe it was called Hobbs it’s a nice cove I found on Google maps and it won the coin flip between there and one other ramp that was closer to the weigh ins. I’ve never been to Beaver Lake before so I was all luck landing at the right spot at the right day.

Levi – I chose Indian Creek because I’m very familiar with it and it treats me well. Ironically I did most of my damage In a creek arm that I had never fished before.

2. What were some of the main patterns or techniques that were key to your success?

Jason – I told a couple of other anglers before the event that I was going to keep it low key and drag some things around instead of chucking and winding. That turned out to be the deal as all of my fish came off of a shakey head or a Carolina rig. With all the fancy and sexy baits we have in the tackle box, sometimes the basic ones are the best. Most of my fish came off of steep banks or offshore drops around 19-20 feet deep.

Blake – With it being a new lake and some really clear water I just stuck to my confidence. Shakey head, which wasn’t my game plan coming into this. I thought it would be all moving baits. But once I launched and saw the clear water I went straight to bottom contact. I was catching them pretty consistently in about 16-20 feet.

Levi – I caught every fish on a flutter spoon and a jig head minnow. Flutter spoon was for the fish relating to structure such as docks, boulders, and brush piles. The minnow was fish roaming either by the structure or in deep open water.

3. Talk about the key fish catch, what happened and why was it important?

Jason – I had a plan to hit the backs of creeks that failed miserably to start the day. So, I got my first big clue when I caught a 15.50″ Kentucky deep off of a steep bank. That got me going and I caught three more in the next 45 minutes which settled me in for the day. My other main catch was in the last thirty minutes with an 18.00″ smallmouth that was going to cull a 15.50″ largemouth. Once I got that I felt like it sealed the deal for the win.

Blake – My key fish would have to be my 18.50″. She upgraded me from a 15.50″ I believe. The good Lord blessed me with her about 30 minutes after I snapped off a real good one. Lesson to change out my old line.

Levi – None of my fish were giants that made them more significant however like I mentioned at the weigh in I was battling an awful stomach bug the night before and all day that also made me question even just leaving the house. Because of that I’d say they were all important because as long as I kept catching fish it made it worth going through the trouble of being out there.

4. Talk about something new you bought in the off season for this year, have you used it and how has it worked out?

Jason – This offseason I switched over to using Falcon rods and I love them so far because they get pretty technique specific. My favorites already are the Lowrider Swim Jig rod, Lowrider Lizard Dragger rod, and the Bucoo Bladed Jig rod.

Blake – No new anything for this year. Hopefully that will change soon. All and all the lake is a beautiful area and it was a great event. Thanks to everyone that helps put it together and everyone that comes out and competes! Hope see you all again soon.

Levi – My biggest offseason change was going to a Bonafide pwr129 with a 24v 80# thrust terrova. It’s so much lighter than any kayak I’ve owned and I’ve gotten it up to 5.8mph and I believe with a few small modifications I can get it up to 6mph.

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Hey Josh Landreth, how’d you catch that Big Bass winner?

I launched at Rocky Branch. I had been out twice without catching a fish leading up to the tournament. But met a guy throwing a glide bait the day I practiced at Rocky Branch. He caught several solid fish, literally off the ramp. So I talked myself into launching there and committing to throwing the glide all day. That lasted about an hour, then I started junk fishing. I found a couple small Kentuckys on docks. So I just started dock hopping to get a limit. There was a point I wanted to fish between docks. I’ve caught good smallmouth there before in the spring off a ledge. So I started throwing a jerk bait along that ledge. I was absolutely shocked with that big largemouth hit it, to be honest. Thought I was hung up when she hit. Honestly, just a lucky catch. Didn’t catch any other fish that way all day. Beautiful fish. One of the biggest I’ve ever caught on Beaver.

Angler of the Year Race

Angler of the Year is early, but it’s a good idea to get off to a good start. Don’t sleep on those not in the top 25 so far, there are some that will leap up into the standings once the tournament drops come later in the season. So far, Levi, Christa, John, Tony, and Sam are off to a hot start.

Heavy Hitters Race

The Heavy Hitters is much more important to get off to a good start than AOY. You want to be ahead in this race as summer months come along and the bite gets tougher. Not many giants caught yet this season, although that should change in the next two events. Josh is in the lead for now, but this one will change quickly the rest of the spring. What you want to look for early is anyone with 19s and above which currently includes Josh, Sam, Jake, Levi, and Seth in the top 20.

Next Event

Get geared up for the next event, the NSKA NWA Southtown Sporting Goods Beaver Lake South tourney on May 17th! Get signed up and be ready for some big spawning bass.

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Special thanks to Kayak Fishing Focus friends: Lurenet.com (Code: KINCY15), Eco Fishing Shop, Falcon Rods, P-Line Fishing

The first tournament of 2025 is in the books as NSKA took to Table Rock Lake on a mid-March Saturday. The Jose’s Grill and Bar Table Rock West event was preceded by a week of very warm temperatures and some violent storms late in the week, and a slight cold front the morning of – the conditions for this event were a mystery going into tournament day. This mixed up recipe cooked up some big totals for those at the top of the final rankings.

Tournament Results

Fifty anglers took on the Rock and it was a productive day for most on the water. This event had a 6.78 Fish Per Angler (FPA) ratio, a very high number for a tournament this early in the year. Overall totals were very strong for Table Rock, or any event in the Ozarks region. Sam McClish took 1st place with 89.00″ followed by Levi Schneider with 86.25″ and Chris Needham taking 3rd place with 85.25″ on the day. Big Bass was also won by Sam, with a 20″ largemouth

Top 10 Anglers on Table Rock:

• Sam McClish 89.00
• Levi Schneider 86.25
• Chris Needham 85.25
• Christa Hibbs 83.00
• Kyle Long 82.25
• John Hall 79.00
• John Evans 79.00
• James Haeberle 78.75
• Tony Sorluangsana 78.50
• Maurilio Gutierrez 78.50

Anglers Roundtable

After a day of big bags on Table Rock Lake, our top three finishers – Sam, Levi, and Chris share how they did it and some insight into their trophy worthy day!

1) what part of table rock did you fish and why?

Sam – I fished the Kings river area. Anywhere there is stained water is where I wanted to be. I didn’t get a chance to pre-fish so knowing the water would have color and the warm temps we had this last week I figured the fish would pull up closer to the bank.

Levi – I went to Big Bay mostly because I did so well out there pre-fishing for the monthly by catching 96.50″ for my best five. So I knew if anything the size was there regardless of how they were going to setup.

Chris – Went to the Kings River area. I chose that solely because the first time I went there I won this tourney couple years ago.

2) what techniques or patterns were key to your success?

Sam – I only took 6 rods with me yesterday knowing I could catch fish on all 6 baits tied on (jerkbait, Rock Crawler, Frittside, A-rig, 3” swim bait, jig). I started the first few hours catching fish on a Berkley Stunna jerkbait around docks in 10-20’ of water. Then once that bite died down I fished the other 5 baits until I found that my go to 3” Sparkshad swimbait was the ticket the rest of the day.

Levi – I caught all my fish with a jig head minnow and an Alabama rig. Every single one came from a roaming pack just in the middle of a pocket or cruising the tree line.

Chris – I didn’t catch a lot but all bites were quality. Caught keepers using spinnerbait, jig, squarebill, and Wiggle Wart.

3) What’s the story of your key fish for the day?

Sam – The key fish of my day wasn’t a fish that I landed but a fish I broke off. I went back to a stretch I had caught fish on earlier in the day. Once I got to the spot on my first cast I caught a 17.75 which bumped me up to 3rd place at the time. It was what happened next that told me I was in the right spot. On my very next cast to the same spot I laid in to another heavy fish that immediately broke me off. Instead of getting mad like I would normally do I re-tied 2 rods with the same bait (3” Spark Shad) because I had a feeling it was about to get hectic. Sure enough over the next 35-45 minutes I caught all 5 winning fish off one tree in 16’ of water. 17.75, 17.25, 17.75, 20.00, 16.25 in that order. I had to leave the fish biting unfortunately, I was 30+ minutes from the boat ramp with zero cell service and I did not want to risk not getting my pictures submitted.

Levi – I caught my last keeper of the morning at 8:45 and when I checked the leaderboard around 12:30ish and saw Kyle had jumped me I knew I had to make a change so I tried to replicate my morning bite in a similar area and sure enough stumbled upon my 19.50” that was just roaming in the middle of a pocket looking for bait.

Chris – My key fish came in a small pocket that the wind had been blowing into the previous couple days on wood structure. I caught a 20″ and went to the very next pocket a short time later and missed another 20″ fish. Later in the day I went to another pocket almost exactly the same and missed another one the same size. All three were in wind blown pockets, on wood, about 2 feet deep. Missing those two will cost me a few nights of sleep.

AOY and Heavy Hitters Race

The first event of the year can set the tone for the AOY race, but doesn’t mean anyone is out of it yet. There is still time to replace a bad outing with a drop later on. For now though, the top finishers have a leg up in the standings.

The Heavy Hitters rankings not yet available.

Next Event: Beaver Lake

The next NSKA NWA event is the NWA Maker’s Beaver Lake North tournament on April 12.

Late August and early September on Beaver Lake brings a special challenge to the anglers each year. I believe this is the toughest stretch for fishing the lake and is the timing for the annual tradition of the NSKA Crucible – a situation of severed trial and pressure. This last regular season event is when the Classic field is finalized and some season long races take shape.

Tournament Results

Per usual, as the fishing gets tough during the late summer and anglers who have struggled fall out of the standings the field shrinks a bit. A total of 34 entrants took on Beaver Lake in early September, 53% turned in a limit, and almost everyone turned in at least one bass. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) ratio was 5.02, which was fairly respectable. There were fish caught on this day but size was elusive to almost all.

Tyler Zengerle took first place with 81.00″, and Levi Schneider took 2nd with 80.25″, while Jason Kincy was 3rd with 77.75: on the day. Jason Kincy also won Big Bass with a modest 18.75″ largemouth.

Beaver Lake top 10:

1. Tyler Zengerle – 81.00
2. Levi Schneider – 80.25
3. Jason Kincy – 77.75
4. Jacob Wilkie – 73.50
5. John Evans – 72.50
6. Jacob Webber – 72.00
7. Josh Landreth – 66.75
8. Jamie Schumate – 66.75
9. Bryan Caresia – 66.25
10. James Haeberle – 64.00

Angler Roundtable

As usual, kayak anglers are generous and helpful to other anglers learning the sport. Our top three finishers, Tyler Zengerle, Levi Schneider, and Jason Kincy share the details from their winning day.

Where did you go and why?

Tyler – I went to Indian Creek because I have a lot of confidence in that area in the summer. Even though the temperatures were going to be lower, I thought the summer patterns would still hold true (they didn’t).

Levi – I went to Indian Creek because I figured they’d be acting like the Bull Shoals fish I’d been chasing and looking for bait in the backs of creeks.

Jason – Fished the 412 / Blue Springs area because I just felt the river might be better than mid-lake this time of year. It took covering a lot of water to find the fish I found, no real pattern was evident.

What were some of the key baits or techniques that caught your fish?

Tyler – I caught a couple fish on Bryan Thrift’s micro football jig and the rest of my fish on the trusty shakey head.

Levi – I caught all my fish on a Damiki rig, Berkley Krej, and my last keeper on a Jackall counter back flutter spoon.

Jason – It was a junk fishing type of day for sure. Caught some on a War Eagle buzzbait, jig, swim jig, and War Eagle spinnerbait.

What was your key catch and how did it happen?

Tyler – My key catch came at 1:13pm on the jig. It was a 15.25” Smallmouth, which allowed me to finish with 81.00”. Without that fish, I would’ve finished in 2nd.

Levi – I managed a 17.50” largie and a 17” spot but the biggest one was my 16.75” smallie I caught in the last 30 minutes because it jumped me into second after going awhile with no big upgrades. I caught him flutter spooning brush piles.

Jason – You could say it was my first fish of the day, an 18.75″ on a buzzbait, but really it was probably the 16.25″ I caught later in the morning off a dock that gave me some confidence. Hadn’t caught a fish in a while and was starting to get discouraged before this one.

With the Classic coming up, how do you prepare or what’s your mindset going in?

Tyler – I try to keep it simple and fish my strengths. I don’t intend on trying something new or fancy. This one will take extra mental strength with being in contention for AOY, so I’ll have to manage my emotions better and make better decisions.

Levi – I honestly don’t have any plans or intentions of changing anything for the classic. All year I’ve been basically going in blind with a few ideas of what the fish might be doing but try to keep an open mind and just let the fish tell me what they want as the day goes on.

Jason – I agree with Tyler and Levi about keeping it simple and fishing your strengths. It is important to really focus on that first day and get off to a decent start for day one and just stay in range. Then day two you can close it out for the win.

Heavy Hitters Champ

Heavy Hitters was settled in this last event on Beaver Lake. Levi Schneider took the title for 2024 with his best five score of 96.00″ for the season. Jason Kincy was 2nd with 95.50″ followed by Josh Landreth in third with 94.00″ in total. Congrats to Levi on taking the win!

Angler of the Year and Classic Qualifiers Field

As the regular season comes to a close, it cements the outcome for the top 25 anglers who will be in the Classic Championship. The top 25 is below, congratulations to all who made it! For those who did not get in, you have another chance by entering the Classic Shootout on Sept 14 – enter by Sept 12!

The Angler of the Year race now seems to be down to three anglers: Jason Kincy, Levi Schneider, and Tyler Zengerle. Points are double for the Classic so any of the three could win. It is possible that if all three completely flame out someone else could make it interesting, but the way this season has gone I expect all three to be in the top 10 for the event.

Nominate NSKA NWA Sportsman of the Year

Kyle Long is taking nominations for Sportsman of the Year. The club has many great people as well as great anglers who are helpful, work in the best interest of the club, and are quality ambassadors of the sport. If you would like to recognize an angler and nominate them, please contact Kyle Long before the Classic with your nomination.

“I’m looking high and low, don’t know where to go
I got to double back, my friend
The only way to find, what I left behind
I got to double back again, Pumpback again”

Those lyrics from ZZ Top came to mind as we had to make a late switch from the planned Arkansas River for this event to Pumpback due to some logistical challenges. Pumpback has an up and down history in tournaments regarding to how it has fished in the past. For 2024 it was going to perform pretty well for most anglers!

For the Pumpback event, presented by Toadfish Outfitters, a pretty good turnout of 45 anglers hit the water in an always fun shotgun start. Anyone who has never done one of those of any size has missed out on a few minutes of chaos with furious pedaling, motoring, and jockeying for position.

Tournament Results

The switch to Pumpback led to some good totals at the top. Pumpback has a lot of good fish that are thick and love to fight – and they were on display on this past Saturday. Will Atchison took first place with 88.25″ on the day, followed by Fanny Phomsopha with 86.25″, and Dustin Wheeler in 3rd with 86.25″ by tiebreaker. Will also took Big Bass with TWO 20.75″ tanks, winning in a tiebreaker over Josh Landreth who also had a 20.75″ Pumpback beast.

Bryan Caresia won the Trash Fish prize, and Kase Ingram won smallest limit.

Overall for the field, we saw a 3.89 Fish Per Angler (FPA) which isn’t very strong in the overall scheme of things, while a low 40% turned in a limit. These Top 10 were able to catch some fish:

1. Will Atchison 88.25
2. Fanny Phomsopha 86.25
3. Dustin Wheeler 86.25
4. Terrill Standifer 85.75
5. Jacob Webber 84.50
6. Tyler Zengerle 81.25
7. James Haeberle 81.25
8. Josh Landreth 80.75
9. Kevin Tadda 80.75
10. Kyle Long 79.75

Angler Roundtable

Here’s how the top anglers on the day did their thing in catching some big limits on Pumpback:

What was your overall strategy going into the tournament?

Will – Coming into the tournament I felt like the fish would be holding on points feeding on shad. I knew the main lake points was going to get hammered by everyone, so I wanted to give the fish a different look, than they would be seeing by the rest of the field.

Fanny – My strategy was to go up to the Dam and get a limit with the first 2 hours then move to opposite side of the lake up in the creek arms to finish the day.

Dustin – I came into this event expecting to scope with a drop shot, ned, and jerkbait but I still brought my glide bait rod just in case. I actually had two different glides, a golden baits hellion and a versatile baits vg2 that I was going to throw.

Any key techniques or baits you used to catch them?

Will – My limit was almost exclusively filled by throwing a white 3/8oz buckeye swim-jig out in deeper water on the main lake points. Slow rolling, bouncing it off the rocks in deeper water, on main lake points turned out to be the key strategy.

Fanny – I sarted out with a buzzbait had blowup on it but no hook up and notice the wind pick up. I change to a jackhammer and slow roll it 19.5″ Largemouth hammer it so I stuck with the jackhammer had several bites only four came from it. Move to new location looking for drop off bank 14ft or less with wind on it throw the jackhammer if deeper no wind throw the shaky head. That was what we stuck with the rest of the day.

Dustin – The hellion caught my first fish in a couple minutes on the south east side of the lake. I followed it with a couple on a crankbait, letting one jump out of the yak on me then I started scoping and managed one each on drop shot and jerkbait. Both back in the creek that feeds into the lake. I decided to leave that creek area and head out to the big island. On my way out I heard a fish bust on a point right on the bank and pulled over with the vg2 and caught a decent fish putting me at 4 fish scored. Fished down that bank a short ways and caught another on the vg2 that was 18” filling my limit.

What’s the story on your key fish for the day?

Will – My key fish, I felt like happened twice. Caught the first 20.75 early, on a point with the swim jig. It’s always a good feeling to get the kicker out of the way on your first three casts. When I finally had filled my limit I knew it was enough for a top ten but I felt like one big one would put me in a good spot. The one that sealed the deal, came later in the day on a crank bait, also on a point. When I finally got him in the boat I knew it could get interesting. The other guys definitely had me scared though, being that they had 86in before the leader board even went off!

Fanny – 30 minutes left came out of the creek sitting at 82.50 caught 2 more no cull 7 minutes left I noticed tree split like a Y in 10ft deep with wind on it took about 2 minutes to get there. The jackhammer came out on the second cast 18” Smallie absolutely crushed it and went airborne three times! I’m a nervous wreck with my history on this lake losing fish after hook up. I had my net out as far as it could reach and caught it in the air on it third jump – pure luck! Thank NWA for always putting on a good tournament. Starting to put names to faces and you guys have been great to me.

Dustin – Now my biggest fish is on my glide so I locked it in my hand figuring I needed to upgrade two more times to secure a win. An hour of glide chunking passes before I catch my biggest, a 19.25” smallmouth at 10:30. I ended up fishing the rest of the day until 1:20 without another bite but at 1:20 I hook into a 20” class fish to only watch it jump off and with it my tournament ended! Had I great time and was a great event! Best day I’ve ever had on pumpback too!

What type of line do you generally use for main techniques?

Will – I usually try to use 12lb Seaguar fluorocarbon on most techniques , but the size of the smallmouth in pump-back caused me to upgrade to 15lb. Turns out I’m glad I did. The two big smallmouth in my limit put up a heck of a fight!

Fanny – I use Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon 10lbs on my shaky head and 17lbs fluorocarbon on the jackhammer.

Dustin – I was using 20lb mono with the vg2 glide and 17lb fluorocarbon with the Hellion.

Heavy Hitters

The Heavy Hitters race is coming into final shape for the year after six events. Anglers keep their best five for the season for their total. With only a couple of events left we have a new leader. Levi can’t get too comfortable, though. Jason Kincy needs only a 20″ in one of the last two events to take the lead, while Josh Landreth is in great position and I predict is the favorite for the title. He can drop two low totals in the last two events and would leap to 1st place! The next two events are not big bass producers, so it’s going to be interesting. I’d rather be sitting in 1st than not at this point!

Angler of the Year Race

Angler of the Year still has a long way to go, but there was a shakeup in the standings after this event. Tyler Zengerle now sits in first place after Levi and Jason failed to deliver a good finish on Pumpback. I’m calling it now, this is a four angler race between Tyler, Kyle, Levi, and Jason. Not saying all the events to now didn’t matter, but if you calculate the best four scores (allowing for two drops), these four are almost all sitting at 388 – basically a dead heat. This is going to go down to the Classic Championship!

Speaking of the Classic, here is your current Top 25 who would make it in if it were today. This Top 25 is going to fluctuate quite a bit with score drops in the next two events, right now I think there are about 35-40 people still in the mix for a Top 25 qualifying ranking!

It is heating up in the Ozarks and it appears that ole Beaver Lake is in full summer pattern based on what anglers saw this past weekend. Some still caught them, and in VERY different ways. No matter how the sport progresses, there’s always opportunity for creativity in catching bass. Read on for the results of Beaver Lake South, sponsored by Capps Mens Cuts.

Tournament Results

This event was a pretty standard warm-weather affair on Beaver Lake. Some good fish caught at the top, but it was a grind for most of the field. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) was a reasonable 4.75, but finding quality was the big challenge. Pretty short story: If you caught a limit with a fish over 17, you did pretty well.

Levi Schneider took first place with 83.50″ caught in a unique fashion (see below), while Tyler Zengerle took second with 78.75″ followed by Jacob Webber in third with 78.75″ on the day (by tiebreaker). Doug Watson took home the Big Bass prize with a mammoth 21.75″ Beaver Lake largemouth bass. Overall, 24 of 44 (55%) turned in a limit, and 41 of 44 (93%) of registered anglers turned in a bass.

The Top Ten anglers:

1. Levi Schneider 83.50
2. Tyler Zengerle 78.75
3. Jacob Webber 78.75
4. Jason Kincy 77.75
5. Doug Watson 76.50
6. Bobby Hogan 74.50
7. Cole Sikes 74.25
8. Christa Hibbs 73.25
9. John Evans 73.00
10. Kyle Long 72.50

Angler Roundtable

Hear from our top three finishers how they did it. Levi, Tyler, and Jacob sat down at the table to share how they did it on a hot June Saturday on Beaver Lake.

What area did you fish and why?

Levi – I fished primarily all the mouths of the small cuts across from Horseshoe Bend marina and Joe’s Creek.

Tyler – At first, I launched at Monte Ne because I practiced there a couple weeks prior and felt confident that I could pick up a quick limit…didn’t happen that way on game day. I only had two fish when I decided to leave at 9:00. I packed up and went to Beaver Shores and picked up the rest of my limit there.

Jacob – I chose to launch at Horseshoe because it’s the area I’m most familiar with and had a couple spots I figured would be good.

Key baits used on the day?

Levi – I caught every fish on either a white or shattered glass flutter spoon.

Tyler – I caught fish on a few things. white fluke, jig, Ned rig, and the trusty shakey head.

Jacob – I caught the most fish on a Freeloader, but the three better fish all came on something different (freeloader, 4” swimbait, and Plopper)

What was your key bass and how’d you catch it?

Levi – My key fish was my 20.50″ I caught around 9:00. I had just switched to the white spoon because the fish weren’t committing well to the shattered glass spoon so I knew I needed to make some kind of change. Within three casts from switching colors that 20.50″ smoked it. I was king of horsing it in because I thought I’d hooked a striper. She also got wrapped up in my livescope pole but I was luckily able to just grab her by the mouth without losing her. I also didn’t catch my last two keepers until 12:30-12:55 and that big fish was my motivation to fill my limit and not let the day go to waste.

Tyler – My key bass was my 3rd fish. It was only a 12.75” fish, but it gave me the boost and confidence I needed to keep fishing the rest of the day. I kept my head down after that and caught my 5th around 11:00 and it was a 19.50” chunk.

Jacob – I think I had a key spot rather than a key bass. I pulled up to a main lake brush pile and caught three fish in about 10 minutes, with two of those being 18”. I would have been in trouble if I didn’t stumble upon that brush pile.

What’s something you wish you had tried that you thought about after the tourney ended?

Levi – I usually ask myself what I would’ve done different every tourney and the only things I wish I would’ve tried or even just given more time with would’ve been a weighted glide bait, a deep diving jerkbait or a slimmer profile hair jig. I threw some really large hair jigs that they wanted nothing to do with.

Tyler – I tried many other baits and nothing worked, so there wasn’t really anything else that I wish I would’ve tried. I do wish I would’ve just went to Beaver Shores first, though, and maybe I also need to learn how to fish a flutter spoon…

Jacob – I wish I just covered more water. I fished a pretty small stretch all day. I knew there was more good fish in that brush pile and decided to come back to it a couple times and try and pull 1 more out. I threw almost everything I brought with me at them but couldn’t get bit.

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Heavy Hitters Race

At this point in the season, we now have five events to get the official five best fish limit. There will be opportunities ahead for anglers to drop smaller fish. Technically there are lots of anglers who have a shot remaining – you want lots of green blocks to be in contention. Four anglers in particular I believe have the best chance with three events to go: Jason Kincy, Levi Schneider, Josh Landreth, and Bobby Hogan. They each have at least one 20″ and several other green-rated bass. As always, going to be tight!

Angler of the Year

This has been an incredibly unusual season so far, with all five wins from only three anglers. The consistency at the top of the AOY chart is amazing, with the top four anglers being in the top ten in each event. Because of this, what should be a solid lead is razor-thin, with Levi, Kyle, and Tyler all within easy striking distance. Because you can drop a couple of events, and, the Classic counts double, there are other anglers in the mix as well. If you have 3-4 green rated finishes and do very well here on out, you have a shot.

More importantly, it is going to start being crunch time for the top 25 to get into the end of year Classic. Hard to tell where veryone stands because of drops, etc., but right now, here are your Top 25.

Event four on the season was the first of back to back trips to the Dead Sea for the NSKA NWA crew. Beaver Lake has actually done pretty well in recent years and put out some good limits. The northern stop was likely to be the smaller winning total over the southern stop coming up on June 22nd. With road closures, runaway docks and marinas, and summer boats everywhere, it wasn’t quite as wide open as usual in fishing options. But as usual, the NSKA anglers found a way.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Going forward, the tournament recap will be emailed to NSKA subscribers 48 hours before posted live to Kayakfishingfocus.com. If you want to receive the recap sooner than later, GO SIGN UP HERE to receive the club emails.

Tournament Recap

On the heels of a stormy week in Northwest Arkansas, the fishing was pretty good for some and pretty tough for others. It seemed to come down to location as a key factor – as several of the Top 10 fished within sight of each other.

Kyle Long won his second event in a row with a good 83.00″ limit! Dwain Batey was second with 80.75″, and Josh Landreth third with 80.25″ for the event. Big Bass also went to Josh Landreth for a 20.50″ largemouth.

The Top Ten Finishers:

1. Kyle Long 82.00
2. Dwain Batey 80.75
3. Josh Landreth 80.25
4. Levi Schneider 80.25
5. Tyler Zengerle 80.00
6. Jason Kincy 79.00
7. John Hall 79.00
8. Mike Zajicek 78.50
9. Jobie Vongpraphanh 77.75
10. Justin Brewer 77.50

Angler Roundtable

Pull up a chair and learn how the top finishers found and caught their bass. Thanks to Kyle, Dwain, Josh, and Levi for sharing their experiences with us.

Where did you go and why?

Kyle – I went to Prairie Creek. I had to leave early for my daughter’s dance recital so that was the closest place to be able to stay the longest before I had to go. And because it’s a great area of the lake.

Dwain – I fished Prairie Creek, if the event had been later in the summer I would have went further north, but because of the time of year I wanted to stay mid-lake. It’s always super busy in PC, but I felt like I could fish differently enough to still catch fish.

Josh – I fished a creek arm with the most stain I could find. Thursday evening I fished there for about an hour and found really high quality fish.

Levi – I went to Indian Creek because I knew it’d be the clearest water I could fish that also suits my strengths.

What were some of the key baits or techniques you used to catch your bass?

Kyle – Three baits got almost every bite. Fluke early, shakyhead midday, and spinnerbait late.

Dwain – I started off using a buzzbait, then caught one on a fluke, then one on a carolina rig, then a few pitching a creature bait, and even caught a key fish or two on a wake bait. Basically I was 100% junk fishing after the first run with the buzzbait stopped working.

Josh – I caught my big fish on a chatterbait in about two feet of water. Other than that, it was just junk fishing all day. Two of the fish in my bag were on a wacky rig and two were on a shakyhead. I knew from my hour of pre-fishing that if the fish were still there on Saturday, I’d be in contention.

Levi – I caught my best five on a spook and a flutter spoon but caught others on a Damiki rig and a hair jig.

Describe when you knew you might be in contention for a trophy.

Kyle – I’d say at around 1:00. Culled an inch on a spinnerbait with a 16” which doesn’t seem like much, but based on where I was and the conditions, I knew if I made enough casts in the highest percentage areas I had a chance to upgrade some more. I knew I was in contention for a Top 5 before that, but when I caught that 16 I really believed I was gonna place top three with a chance to win.

Dwain – I was on top of the leader board most of the day and having the board showing was nice, several of us had a good back and forth going towards the end of the event and even though I usually don’t look at the leader board anyway it was exciting to watch it go down real time.

Josh – When I caught the 20.5″ at 6:20am, I knew I’d have a chance if I could get enough bites. I have a feeling it was a fish I shook off on Thursday night.

Levi – Whenever I pulled up to a point and caught my two biggest on back to back casts I knew I had a shot to win because they jumped me to second at the time. Unfortunately I jumped my biggest bite off in the last 10 minutes that would’ve sealed the deal. It still stings a little but I’m always grateful for the opportunity to be in contention

What’s your favorite rod and reel setup and what do you use it for?

Kyle – That new spinnerbait rod y’all got me last year has been phenomenal. It’s without question the best quality set up I own. But after that one, it’s got to be my shaky head rod. Reel is just a spinning reel from Walmart, the rod is a BPS rod that isn’t fancy, but I sure love the way it puts them in the boat.

Dwain – I would probably have to go with an 8:1 gear ratio bait cast reel, I’m not brand loyal but I have a lot of the white BPS reels. I like a MH 7′ 6” rod with that and even though this sounds like a single rod, depending on the brand the vary wildly in how light or heavy their MH rods are. So I have several different brands to cover different techniques. For example the way I rig and fish a fluke I need a MH rod that’s on the heavy side of MH, but for a Chatterbait I might go with a MH rod that is more on the light side of MH.

Josh – My equipment needs an overhaul, honestly. I spend a lot of time on the river, and the river is hard on stuff. And I’m cheap. So, I don’t have the best equipment. If I could avoid ever having a spinning rod in my hand, I would. So those need to be thrown in the trash. Right now, my favorite setup is a 7′ MH TPO Professional rod that I won in a drawing at the Classic in 2022. It’s paired with an old RevoX reel. I’ve been using it as my chatterbait rod. Pretty soon, I’ll swap over to using it for topwater. It’s just a good utility setup.

Levi – My favorite combo is my flutter spoon setup which is a 8.3:1 Johnny Morris platinum with a 7’6” MH bass pro cranking stick that’s equipped with 17lb fluorocarbon.

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Heavy Hitters

There were some good fish caught on Beaver Lake, but only one 20, so it didn’t do too much to shake up the Heavy Hitters race. This was Landreth’s second 20 of the year, so it definitely puts him in a good position to move up. With four events left, it is still pretty much anybody’s to win.

Green means it is a “great” score and yellow means a “good” score – no color means it needs replaced by another score if possible.

Angler of the Year Race

It has been an unusual season so far, with all four events being won by only two anglers. This has resulted in a couple of leaders, but others have also had consistent top finishes. With four events to go and the ability to drop two, there SEVERAL anglers in serious contention. More importantly, almost the entire field has a chance for the Top 25 and a Classic spot. Theoretically, with four events to go, an angler would only have to keep two of their first two scores. It’s going to go down to the wire!

Green means it is a “great” score and yellow means a “good” score – no color means it needs replaced by another score if possible.

Yakpots in NW Arkansas

Summer Yakpot season is underway, with the first one of the summer at Hwy 412 ramp on Wednesday, June 5 at 6:00pm. We will set up a Yakpot schedule for the next 2-3 months. Stay tuned! In the interim, be sure to join the NWA WEEKLY YAKPOT FACEBOOK GROUP to stay on top of days and locations going forward.

Next Event

The next event is Beaver Lake South on June 22nd. Go sign up now on TourneyX!

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:

• 2019 – Jeriamy Vann – 75.25 / 74 = 149.25″ (Beaver)
• 2020 – Jason Kincy – 83.75 / 75.75 = 159.50 (Beaver)
• 2021 Cole Sikes – 76.50 / 80.25 = 156.75″ (LFS/TR)
• 2002 – Justin Brewer – 79 / 73 = 152.00″ (TR/Beaver)
• 2023 – Jacob Webber – 75.5 / 71.5 = 147.00″ (Beaver)

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.

Here were your top ten:

1. Jacob Webber 147
2. Tyler Zengerle 146.75
3. Jamie Shumate 137
4. Justin Brewer 16.50
5. Jason Kincy 133
6. Terrill Standifer 131
7. Tony Sorluangsana 130.75
8. Sam McClish 128
9. Jason Coleman 127
10. John Evans 126

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:

• Tyler Zengerle – Angler of the Year
• Tony Sorluangsana – Heavy Hitters Champ
• Jacob Webber – Classic Champion
• John Hall – Rookie of the Year
• NSKA NWA – All-American Team Champions
• Cole Sikes, NSKA NWA – All-American Champion
• AOY Standings
• Heavy Hitters Standings

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!

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:

1. Christa Hibbs 84.00
2. Dwain Batey 82.50
3. Josh Landreth 78.50
4. Levi Schneider 78.25
5. Tyler Zengerle 75.50
6. Nathan Higgins 72.75
7. Cole Sikes 71.75
8. Troy Enke 69.25
9. Kyle Long 67.75
10. 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.

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

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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!