This is my 11th season of competitive kayak tournaments, and one thing you learn over time is that every tournament season has its own personality.

Some years are numbers years. Some years are grind years. Some years are remembered for a large number of giant 20 inch bass. And then there are years like 2025, when it felt like every time you checked TourneyX, somebody was dropping another 20 inch bass on the board.

So far, 2026 has been different. Through the first five NSKA NWA events of the season, anglers have caught 1,518 total bass. Out of all those fish, only seven have reached the 20-inch mark.

That comes out to 0.46% of all bass caught in our events. In plain English: this year, only about one out of every 217 tournament bass has been a 20-Inch or better.

Historically, the club average from 2017 through 2025 is closer to one 20-incher for every 114 bass caught. So while the fishing has still been good in several events, true giants have been harder to come by in 2026.

2026 By the Numbers

Through the Road Runner, here are the 20-inch bass entered so far this season:

Event	Total Fish	20-Inch Bass
Beaver Lake – March 14	241	3
Table Rock – April 11	402	2
Tenkiller – May 16	235	0
Beaver Lake South – June 16	308	0
Road Runner – June 27	332	2
Total	1,518	7

The season started with three 20s at Beaver Lake, including the current biggest bass of the season, a 21.00-inch fish by Jason Adams. Table Rock added two more. Then things slowed down. Tenkiller and Beaver South produced plenty of tournament fish, but no 20s. The MLF-style Road Runner added two more, including Fanny Phomsopha’s 20.25-inch Big Bass and Kase Ingram’s 20.00-inch fish.

Biggest Bass of 2026 So Far

Rank	Angler	Length	Event
1	Jason Adams	21.00″	Beaver Lake
2	Danny Dutton	20.50″	Beaver Lake
3	Jeriamy Vann	20.25″	Table Rock
4	Fanny Phomsopha	20.25″	Road Runner
5	Seth Jones	20.00″	Table Rock
6	Nate Higgins	20.00″	Beaver Lake
7	Kase Ingram	20.00″	Road Runner

That is a solid list, but it also shows the story of the season. We have not seen a 22 yet. We have only seen one fish over 20.50. And after five events, nobody has more than one 20-inch fish recorded. That is unusual compared with the better big-fish years.

Year-by-Year Comparison

Here is how 2026 compares to recent NSKA NWA history:

Year	20-Inch Bass	Total Fish	% of Fish 20+
2017	25	1,528	1.64%
2018	17	1,635	1.04%
2019	11	2,128	0.52%
2020	19	2,721	0.70%
2021	18	2,865	0.63%
2022	28	2,425	1.15%
2023	19	2,543	0.75%
2024	15	2,203	0.68%
2025	29	2,620	1.11%
2026	7	1,518	0.46%

The first thing that stands out is that 2026 is currently the lowest 20-inch percentage in the data.

That does not mean the season will finish that way. There are still events left, and one big-fish tournament can change the whole chart. But through five events, the trend is clear: we are catching bass, but we are not seeing as many of the top-end fish.

2025 Was the Outlier

Part of what makes 2026 feel slow is that it follows 2025.

Last year was the best raw-total big fish season in the spreadsheet, with 29 bass over 20 inches. The 2025 Road Runner did a lot of the heavy lifting. Austin Nims had one of the wildest single-event performances in club history, stacking multiple 20-inch bass and winning with a huge 10-fish total.

That event alone changed the shape of the season. In 2025, the club had 29 twenties out of 2,620 fish. In 2026, we are sitting at seven out of 1,518. If the current rate continues, the season would project somewhere around 12 to 13 total 20-inchers, depending on total fish caught the rest of the year. That would be well below the modern average.

The Best Big-Fish Seasons

The top three seasons by total number of 20-inch bass are:

1. 2025 – 29
2. 2022 – 28
3. 2017 – 25

But the top season by percentage is still 2017. That year produced 25 twenties out of only 1,528 total fish, good for a 1.64% rate. That is the best big-fish rate in the spreadsheet. The interesting part is that 2017 and 2025 are very different kinds of seasons. 2017 was a high-percentage big-fish year. Fewer total fish were caught, but a lot of them were the right ones.

2025 was a high-volume and high-quality year. The club caught a lot of fish overall, and the big ones showed up too. So far, 2026 has been more of a volume year without the same number of kickers.

Road Runner Events Keep Matter­ing

One trend that keeps showing up is how important Road Runner-style events are to the 20-inch record.

It makes sense. In a normal lake tournament, everyone is locked into the same body of water. In a Road Runner, anglers can choose the lake, river, or creek that gives them the best chance. Some will chase numbers. Some will chase smallmouth. Some will chase one giant largemouth.

That freedom often leads to big fish. In recent seasons, Road Runner events have produced some of the most important 20-inch bass in the club record:

• 2017 Road Runner: Cole Sikes caught the biggest bass in NSKA NWA history at 23.50 inches.
• 2022 NWA Road Runner: Justin Brewer won, and Jason Kincy had Big Bass with a 20.75.
• 2023 Road Runner: Cole Sikes had a 22.25.
• 2024 Road Runner: Jake Wilkie had a 22.00.
• 2025 Road Runner: Austin Nims and others loaded the board with 20s.
• 2026 Road Runner: Fanny Phomsopha and Kase Ingram added two more.

The format matters. When anglers can pick their water, the odds of someone finding a big-fish lake go up. I personally think we need a second road runner on the schedule for this reason.

2026 Has Been Balanced, But Not Explosive

Another thing that stands out about 2026 is that the 20-inch fish have been spread out. Seven different anglers have caught the seven 20s. Nobody has doubled up yet.

That is different from years where one or two anglers carried the big-fish story. In 2025, Austin Nims had a historic Road Runner. In 2024, Josh Landreth, Levi Schneider, and Bobby Hogan all showed up multiple times. In 2022, Justin Brewer, Kyle Long, Robert Murphy, Vince Minnick, Terrill Standifer, John Evans, and others all put together a strong big-fish year.

This season has been more even. The giants have shown up one at a time.

That makes the Heavy Hitters race interesting because nobody has completely separated yet. One 21- or 22-inch fish in the next event could change the standings fast. It is wide open!

Table Rock Has Been Numbers, Not Giants

Table Rock has already produced a lot of fish in 2026. The April event alone had 402 bass entered. But only two of those fish were 20 inches or better.

That is not a knock on Table Rock. It is one of the best tournament lakes on the schedule because of numbers, spotted bass, smallmouth, and the ability to catch fish several different ways. But this year, at least so far, it has not been the best place to find a 20-inch bass.

That also showed up in the Road Runner. The MLF-style format produced big totals, led by Levi Schneider’s 475 inches, but the event only added two 20-inch bass to the season total. Table Rock can win tournaments with numbers. But the 20-inch chart is a different game.

Beaver Still Carries Big-Fish Weight

Beaver Lake produced three of the seven 20-inchers so far this year, all in the season opener. That is still the strongest big-fish event of the 2026 season to this point. Jason Adams had the 21.00. Danny Dutton had a 20.50. Nate Higgins added a 20.00.

Beaver can be frustrating, but it continues to produce enough quality fish to matter in these records. Over the long run, Beaver is always going to show up because the club fishes it often and because it has the size to produce true kickers. The question is whether one of the remaining Beaver-related events can produce another wave of 20s.

What Needs to Happen for 2026 to Catch Up?

If 2026 wants to get back to an average big-fish season, the club probably needs 12 to 14 more 20-inch bass before the year is over. That is not impossible, but is very unlikely to happen. How could it happen?

One strong event can do it. The 2025 Road Runner proved that. The 2024 Road Runner produced six 20s by itself. The 2023 Road Runner had five. Big-fish years often come in bunches, not steady singles.

But the season needs a jump soon, and Table Rock is not the place to rally. Nor is the Dead Sea. Right now, 2026 is tracking closer to 2019 than 2025. The difference is that there is still time left. Summer and fall events can change everything, especially if the right lake hits at the right time.

Final Takeaway

Through five events, 2026 has been a tough year for 20-inch bass and the anglers who are regularly on the big bass board. The club has caught plenty of fish. We have seen strong tournament performances, big totals, and some tight finishes. But when it comes to true kicker bass, the season has been below the historical pace.

That is what makes the rest of the year interesting. Heavy Hitters will likely come down to the final event, which makes things exciting. Let’s get out there and bag some 20-inch bass!

There may not be another NSKA NWA tournament format that creates more second-guessing than the Road Runner. A normal lake tournament asks one big question: Where on this lake can I catch them? A Road Runner asks something bigger: Which lake gives me the best chance to beat everybody else?

That sounds simple until you start looking at the history. The winning water has changed over time, especially when the format has changed. The radius and eligible waters have shifted. The scoring has moved from five-fish events into the current ten-fish version and now into MLF-style unlimited fish catches. But one thing has stayed the same: Road Runners reward anglers who understand both the lake and the math.

Looking back from 2017 through 2025, the Road Runner history tells a clear story. The winners were rarely just lucky, they also had a good strategy. They usually made the right water choice, understood what that year’s rules demanded, and then caught the right class of fish for that format.

Historical Results Snapshot

Year / Event	Format	Winner	Winning Total	Big Historical Note
2017 NWA Road Runner	5 fish	Dwain Batey	93.75″	Lake Elmdale was the big player, producing the five fish winner.
2017 King of the String	All-fish / MLF-style	Roy Roberts	27 fish / 344.25″	Beaver Lake showed out with a giant total for the first MLF style event for NSKA.
2018 NWA Road Runner	5 fish	Bo Sarratt	93.50″	Siloam City Lake took over the spotlight, producing first and second. Justin Brewer had Big Bass with a 22.00″ fish from Lincoln Lake.
2019 NWA Road Runner	5 fish	Bo Sarratt	91.25″	Another Siloam-era event, with 64 anglers and a strong but not runaway winning total for five fish.
2020 Road Runner	5 fish	Justin Brewer	94.25″	COVID-era rules expanded the radius, and the winning water was not disclosed by the winner (but was not in NWA)
2020 King of the String	All-fish / MLF-style	Roy Roberts	28 fish / 375.75″	A different scoring format, MLF-Style. Indian Creek area of Beaver Lake took the prize.
2021 Shogun Road Runner	5 fish	Dwain Batey	93.25″	Siloam City Lake won again, continuing one of the strongest five fish lake-specific runs in club history.
2022 Las Fajitas Road Runner	5 fish	Justin Brewer	92.00″	Lincoln Lake bounced back in a big way for five fish, with 1st, 2nd, and Big Bass.
2023 ZPro Road Runner	10 fish	Dwain Batey	170.75″	The ten-fish era began with a another win on Siloam City Lake, does that mean it can play in MLF?
2024 Jackson Safety Systems Roadrunner	10 fish	Kyle Long	173.25″	The ten-fish winning mark settled into the low 170s on Pumpback Lake.
2025 Capps Road Runner	10 fish	Austin Nims	204.25″	A historic outlier with an insane total!: Nims broke the event open with seven bass over 20 inches. Can Lincoln break 400?

The pattern seems to be fairly obvious. In a five fish event, chances are one of Siloam, Lincoln, or Elmdale is going to play well. 10 fish opens things up a bit with Pumpback taking a win due to the number of fish available. MLF-style, all bets are off and bigger bodies of water and more fish available seem to change the equation with Beaver Lake taking the win in both instances.

The First Era: Five Fish, One Great Lake Choice

From 2017 through 2022, the standard Road Runner was mostly a five-fish game. In that format, one or two big bites could change everything.

That is why the early Road Runner years were so lake-driven. You could win by choosing a small lake with enough quality fish, even if it did not have the biggest population. The question was not always, “Where can I catch the most?” It was often, “Where can I catch five that average 18 inches or better?” Only five bites were needed.

That explains the run by places like Siloam City Lake, Lincoln Lake, and Elmdale – with brief high points by Lake Atalanta, Elk River, Illinois River, and Pumpback.

The key lesson from that era is simple: in a five-fish Road Runner, quality beats numbers. You did not need a lake full of 14-inch fish. You needed a lake that could give you five tournament fish, and preferably one or two over 20.

The Siloam City Lake Dynasty

No lake has defined the NSKA NWA Road Runner quite like Siloam City Lake.

By 2021, the pattern was impossible to ignore. In five of the previous six NWA Road Runner events, Siloam City Lake had produced the winning bag. Even more impressive, it had put nine anglers inside the top four during that stretch. That is not a fluke. That is a dynasty.

The reason Siloam was so dangerous is that it fit the five-fish Road Runner format almost perfectly. It had enough quality to win, enough familiarity for the right anglers to fish with confidence, and enough history that serious contenders knew they had to consider it.

The 2021 Shogun Road Runner was the clearest example. The event had 73 anglers. A delayed start because of thunderstorms made the day even trickier, but Dwain Batey still won with 93.25″ and also had Big Bass at 21.50″. Sam McClish finished second with 86.50″, and Carson McBride was third with 86.25″.

That event showed something important about Road Runners: bad weather, late starts, and pressure do not always level the playing field. Sometimes they make local knowledge even more valuable.

2020: The Strange Year

The 2020 Road Runner deserves its own chapter because COVID changed the event.

That year’s Road Runner expanded to a 60-mile radius from Siloam Springs, and there was no normal captain’s meeting or weigh-in. Participation and catches were down compared to 2019: 41% of anglers caught a limit and 77% submitted at least one fish, compared with 52% limits and 83% with fish in 2019. Justin Brewer won with 94.25″, Devin Mathews was second with 90.50″, and Roy Roberts was third with 88.00″.

The 2020 result matters because it interrupted the expected Siloam/Elmdale/Lincoln script. It proved that when the map expands, the Road Runner becomes more of a scouting contest. More water creates more opportunity, but also more ways to choose wrong. Brewer won on a body of water that has not since seen the leaderboard.

The 2020 King of the String added another layer, and showed what can be done on a bigger lake like Table Rock, Tenkiller, or in this case, Beaver Lake. Roy Roberts won that format with 28 fish for 375.75″ in the Indian Creek area of Beaver. That event was not a normal five-fish Road Runner, but it is valuable history because it shows the opposite scoring pressure. Instead of hunting five giants, anglers had to keep catching and keep upgrading their total body of work from start to finish.

That is the heart of Road Runner strategy: the rules decide what kind of lake is best.

2022: Lincoln Lake Returns

By 2022, the Road Runner story shifted again.

Justin Brewer won the Las Fajitas Road Runner with 92.00″. Jason Kincy was second with 90.25″, Dwain Batey was third with 88.75″, Cole Sikes was fourth with 84.50″, and Kyle Long was fifth with 84.25″. Jason Kincy also had Big Bass at 20.75″.

This was a classic five-fish Road Runner leaderboard. The winning number was not wildly different from the earlier era. The winner still needed a five-fish average over 18 inches. The runner-up was right there. Third place was one good upgrade from making things very interesting.

The biggest takeaway from 2022 was that Lincoln Lake was still capable of producing a winning Road Runner result. It had always been known as a place with big fish potential, but Road Runners are not won on reputation. They are won by matching the right lake to the right day. In 2022, Lincoln was the right call.

The Ten-Fish Era Changes Everything

The biggest historical dividing line is the move to ten fish. Starting in 2023, the Road Runner became a different tournament. A five-fish event allows an angler to win with one special stretch, one good school, or one big bite mixed into a solid limit. A ten-fish event demands more. You need depth. You need enough fish to fill the board. You need a lake that can survive pressure, produce numbers, and still give you quality.

The 2023 ZPro Road Runner showed that immediately. Dwain Batey won with 170.75″. Cole Sikes was second with 170.50″. Jason Adams was third with 155.00″. That quarter-inch margin between first and second is one of the best examples of how precise kayak tournament fishing can be. Cole also had Big Bass with a 22.25″ fish, but even that was not enough to overcome Batey’s total. That is one of the best lessons from the ten-fish era: Big Bass can help you, but it cannot carry you by itself.

2024: The New Baseline

The 2024 Jackson Safety Systems Roadrunner helped define the new standard.

Kyle Long won with 173.25″. Dwain Batey was second at 170.75″, and Jacob Simmons was third at 166.00″. The top of the leaderboard showed that the ten-fish Road Runner target had settled around the low 170s. That number matters.

In the five-fish era, the magic number was usually somewhere around 92 to 94 inches. In the ten-fish era, the normal winning target appears to be around 171 to 174 inches. That means an angler needs to average roughly 17.25 inches per fish across ten fish to win most years. That is a very different challenge.

A five-fish average of 18.50″ can win almost any Road Runner. A ten-fish average of 17.25″ requires more total production. It rewards anglers who can find multiple quality bites, not just one magic dock, one brushpile, or one morning flurry.

2025: The Austin Nims Outlier

Then came 2025 when a 200″ plus mark blew out the new standard. Austin Nims won the Capps Road Runner with 204.25″. Justin Brewer was second with 170.00″. Tony Sorluangsana was third with 169.75″. Jason Kincy was fourth with 165.75″, and Levi Schneider was fifth with 165.00″. The event had 48 anglers, a 4.81 fish-per-angler average, and 42% of the field caught ten-fish limits.

The 2025 event was not just a win. It was a historical break from the pattern. Nims had seven bass over 20 inches. That is almost impossible to overcome in a ten-fish format. In most years, 170 inches puts an angler right in the winning conversation. In 2025, 170 inches was second place by more than 34 inches.

That tells us two things. First, the ten-fish Road Runner ceiling is much higher than the early results suggested. Second, the 2025 result should not be treated as the normal target. It was the kind of day that happens when an angler chooses the right lake, adjusts quickly, and lands on the right class of fish.

The Biggest Historical Trends

The first major trend is that the five-fish winning number was remarkably stable. From 2017 through 2022, the winning totals generally lived in the low-to-mid 90s. The lakes changed, but the winning math did not. You needed about five fish averaging 18 to 19 inches.

The second trend is that Siloam City Lake was the defining water of the early Road Runner era. By 2021, it had built a résumé that no other lake in the format could match.

The third trend is that Lincoln Lake has become one of the most important swing lakes in the format. It has produced big bass, winning bags, near-winning bags, and the historic 2025 runaway. It may not always be the safest choice, but it has one of the highest ceilings.

The fourth trend is that the ten-fish era has raised the floor. In 2023, 170.50″ was not enough to win. In 2024, 170.75″ was second. In 2025, 170.00″ was second by a landslide. That is a brutal standard.

2026 NSKA NWA H2 Heat & Air Road Runner Preview: Every Bass Counts

The 2026 H2 Heat & Air Road Runner is not just another Road Runner. It is a different animal. For years, the Road Runner format has been one of the best tests on the NSKA NWA schedule because it starts with a decision before the first cast is ever made. Where do you go? What lake gives you the best chance? Do you chase history, comfort, numbers, big fish, or something off the wall?

This is an MLF-style event. Any bass over 12 inches counts toward your total. No five-fish limit. No ten-fish limit. Just catch every scorable bass you can catch from 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

That changes everything, because 2026 is not five fish. It is not ten fish. It is every fish.

The best historical comparison is the King of the String format. In 2021, 62 anglers caught 541 bass for an average of 8.7 fish per angler. Roy Roberts won with 28 bass for 373 inches, almost matching his 2020 winning total of 28 bass for 375.75 inches. Josh Howard was second with 27 fish for 358.25. That tells us the number: if you want to win this style of event, you probably need to catch close to 30 scorable bass and push toward 380 inches or more.

What Wins This Format?

In a regular Road Runner, one 22-inch bass can change your day. In this format, it helps, but it does not save you. A 22-incher is great. But two 12-inch bass beat it. Four 13-inch bass are better than 2 giants. That is the cold math of an MLF-style event. If there’s ever been an event designed for the scopers out there – this is it.

The best water will have three things: numbers, scorable size, and just enough upside. That is why multi-species water could be a major factor. The 2017 and 2021 King of the String results pointed out that Roy Roberts leaned on an area with a strong population of all three bass species, and that ability to change techniques and target different groups of fish was key to getting consistent bites all day.

Water to Watch

With a 55-mile radius from Springdale and a long list of public water in play, anglers have options. The obvious names from five and 10 fish events will get some, but less attention: Lincoln, Elmdale, Siloam Springs, and Pumpback. The format should make some anglers look at the map differently.

Table Rock becomes interesting because of numbers and spotted bass and Smallmouth. Beaver and Tenkiller have enough quality and variety to matter. Rivers and creeks could be sneaky good if the water is right, especially because 12-inch fish count and current can group bass up and blow away a 400″ mark. Small lakes can still win, but only if they have enough scorable fish to keep the scoreboard moving all day, which is a gamble. The key is not just picking “the best lake.” The key is picking the best lake for this scoring system.

Predictions

My best guess is that the winning total lands somewhere between 400 and 450 inches, likely with 32 to 35 scorable bass. If someone really gets on them, it could go higher.

If the bite is tougher than expected, the winning number may look more like 350 to 375 inches, which lines up closer to the King of the String history. But if someone gets on a true numbers deal with decent size mixed in, 430 inches or more is absolutely possible.

For the rest of the field, I would set the rough marks like this:

Finish Range	Projected Total
Winning total	400-450″
Top 3	370–400″
Top 5	325–370″
Top 10	275–320″
Big Bass	22.00–22.75″

Big Bass could absolutely break 22 inches, although 20+ fish have been scarce so far in 2026. Road Runner history has already shown it can produce giants. But in this format, the most important fish in the winner’s bag may not be a 22. It may be the 13.25-incher caught at 2:47 p.m. when everyone else is out of ideas.

Final Takeaway

In this Road Runner, the best strategy may be simple: Find them fast. Catch them all. Never stop moving the number upwards! Regardless how it goes, just have fun in a format where every fish counts and you can fish for any and all of them!

The third stop of the 2026 NSKA NWA season, fueled by Eco Fishing Shop, took us to the clear, rocky waters of Lake Tenkiller on April 25th. This event marked a crucial pivot point in the season, moving away from the “no-FFS” rules of the last event and letting the “video gamers” turn their screens back on. Was that decisive to the outcome? Turns out both types of anglers were able to find success in Oklahoma on Lake Tenkiller.

Conditions were challenging, to say the least. While it was a beautiful 74°F day under post-front, mostly sunny skies, the wind was a major factor, gusting from the South all day long with gusts approaching 30 miles per hour. This wind, combined with a 5:15 AM launch time and the presence of the Oklahoma Bass Nation High School Boat Tournament on the water, made for a chaotic environment that tested the patience and stamina of the 47 anglers who launched that morning.

By the Numbers

• Total Anglers: 47
• Total Fish Caught: 235
• Fish Per Angler: 5.00
• Anglers with at least one fish: 94% (44 of 47)
• Limit %: 57.7% (27 of 47 anglers brought in a 5-fish limit)

---

The Leaderboard (Top 10)

The competition was incredibly tight, with the top spots separated by mere fractions of an inch. Kyle Long took home his first trophy of the year for first place with 85.50″, followed by Chris Jones with 84.75″, and Levi Schneider with 84.25″ on the day. Here is how the top of the pack shook out:

1. Kyle Long – 85.50″
2. Chris Jones – 84.75″
3. Levi Schneider – 84.25″
4. Jobie Vee – 83.75″
5. Justin Malott – 83.50″
6. John Hall – 83.50″
7. William Atchison – 83.25″
8. Dwain Batey – 82.25″
9. Jason Adams – 82.25″
10. James Haeberle – 81.75″

---

Big Bass / Heavy Hitters

The Advanced Automotive Big Bass of the event belonged to Jeff Malott. He managed to trigger a beautiful 19.50″ smallmouth. Jeff reported that the fish was so aggressive it came up right beside his boat and absolutely nailed a spinnerbait.

Jeff took home $141 and a custom swimbait from GiffGlidez Custom Swimbaits for his big fish.

---

Angler Roundtable: Top 3 Q&A

As is tradition, NSKA top finishers sat around the campfire to share how their day went down. Read how Kyle, Levi and Chris made it happen!

1. Where did you launch on Tenkiller and why?

• Kyle Long: I went to the dam. Since I don’t prefish, I didn’t have any reason to go any place in particular. I didn’t feel like fighting the wind and other boats, and I love to catch smallmouth, I figured this was my best chance for all of those things. Proved pretty true. I never saw one pleasure boat down there and only 3 other bass boats all day. It was pretty pleasant.
• Chris Jones: I went up North to the Caney area. I was looking for dirtier water so I could try to fish shallow and faster.
• Levi Schneider: I went to the dam because I’d done a lot of map study before hand and found lots of pre-marked offshore structure. I also noticed the distance between the dam, Pine, and Strayhorn was close enough to be able to hit all three in one day so I made the gamble.

2. What were the primary baits and techniques you used?

• Kyle Long: I tried to make some moving baits work throughout the day. But the shakey head was the only thing I could get bit on and really only in a couple of pretty specific areas. I moved into the wind to try and upgrade but still nothing and really not much action on anything other than in my best spots.
• Chris Jones: I used a popper, buzzbait, chatterbait and a spinnerbait. All my keepers were on the buzzbait.
• Levi Schneider: I lost one early on a pink spook and also had some missed opportunities on a Chad Shad but ultimately ended up catching every fish on a shatter glass Nichols Flutter Spoon once the sun came out.

3. What was the key decision you made that made a difference?

• Kyle Long: Since I had planned to be down there a good portion of the day, I probably stayed in one spot way more than I normally would and really broke down the area. Missed my first bite of the day and caught almost back to back 17.5 and 15.75 early on a little point which helped me stay around even longer than normal. Then I found another little ledge and caught a couple of 17.25” fish which made me bounce back and forth between these two spots for the first 5 hours since nothing else was working and I was pretty much alone.
• Chris Jones: Early in the morning I had a few 12-13” fish on a popper but I got it hung up and wrapped around a tree. When I went over and got the limb broken off I was untangling the line and a fish busted up the bank and so I grabbed a buzzbait and threw down there and in 1 second my biggest fish of the day hammered it and then that’s the go to for me anytime I found shad activity. There was shad spawning back there and I got a lot of short strikes and swipes at it but I just kept with it knowing the bigger fish would bite it. Once I got out to clear(ish) water I saw fry all over the place and caught 2 to cull out some small ones and the other 18” fish to get me into second.
• Levi Schneider: My most important fish was my 19.25” around 2 PM. It was nothing crazy I had just happen to find this unmarked brush pile I’d say around 9-10 AM. When I came back around 2 there was a group of largemouth that had pulled up on the brush pile and they were actually willing to eat.

4. How much did you watch the leaderboard throughout the day?

• Kyle Long: I looked a couple times once I had 82” early just to see where I was. When I culled up to 85.5” I looked again but as the day went on and I stopped culling, I stopped looking. I was too nervous lol. I usually don’t even look unless I feel like I’m doing really good or really bad.
• Chris Jones: I’m wishy washy on the leaderboard. If I’m struggling I look to see if anyone else is. If I’m doing well I often assume everyone else is so I don’t look to add pressure. Standard for me is when I get 5 I submit and look and then go about my business.
• Levi Schneider: I’m an avid leaderboard watcher for strategical purposes of influencing how I need to adjust my gameplan throughout the day. Mostly to know if I just need to keep doing what I’m doing or if I can/need to take more extreme gambles.

AOY Race Update

The consistency shown by John Hall and Seth Jones has paid massive dividends. John Hall moves into the #1 spot, but the defending AOY champion Levi Schneider is making a statement, vaulting into the Top 3 with this 3rd-place finish.

Ketch Angler of the Year Race: Grind or Go Home

Three events are now complete, and the grind is beginning to show who has the stamina for a season-long hunt. Consistency isn’t just a trend; it is the entire rulebook in multi-event trails, and right now, John Hall is writing it.

John Hall solidified his top spot with another stout performance (95 pts) at Tenkiller. He leads the field with a total of 286 points, proving that avoiding the dreaded ‘bomb’ event is more valuable than any single trophy when points are totaled. He leads Tyler Zengerle and Justin Malott, who are both within striking distance at 277 points.

The Chase is On: Points-and-Trend Breakdown

Kyle Long leveraged his win (100 pts) at Tenkiller to rocket into the Top 10, now sitting at 6th place with 272 points. Jobie Vee used his fishing skills to land his monster 97-point rookie performance, moving himself firmly into 18th place.

Meanwhile, the defending champion, Levi Schneider (276 pts), is creeping back into the top conversation, sitting in 4th place after his third-place Tenkiller finish (98 pts).

The gap between Hall and 6th place (Long) is just 14 points. This race is wide open, and with the ‘drop’ factor still in play, the next couple of events will completely scramble this entire leaderboard.

20 different anglers have at least one score in the 90s, while 8 have two scores in the 90s, and only John Hall has all three in the 90s!

Heavy Hitters Standings

Arvest Heavy Hitters: Hammer Time

The Arvest Heavy Hitters race isn’t a grind; it is a shootout. This competition tallies the biggest individual fish from each tournament, rewarding explosive size over a solid average.

Jason Adams continues to hold the #1 position with a combined total of 56.50 inches. He built this lead with a consistent average across all three lakes, refusing to take a zero in the kicker department. Levi Schneider follows in 2nd place with 55.50 inches, demonstrating he has both the consistency for AOY and the big-stick potential for Heavy Hitters.

The key to winning Heavy Hitters is to stack in big ones early. So far the giants haven’t come out to play in big numbers. We have four anglers with a 20 inch fish, and only 3 others with a 19 or above. There is a lot of runway for other anglers to make a move. Nobody has a strangle hold on things yet.

The second stop of the 2026 NSKA NWA season, sponsored by Grime Away NWA and fueled by Eco Fishing Shop, took us to the rugged west end of Table Rock Lake on April 11th. This event threw a challenge at the field for this one: a total ban on Forward Facing Sonar (FFS). For one day, the “video gamers” had to put down the remote and pick up the old-school intuition and playing hide and seek with the bass. For those that picked up the Wacky worm rig – they had a good day.

Conditions were quintessential Ozarks spring. We saw a high of 81°F and a low of 57°F under mostly cloudy skies, with a manageable 9 mph breeze. Table Rock historically has produced a lot of bass year round, the west end showed out for those who could read transition banks without a screen telling them where to throw. It was an incredible day for fish catches!

By the Numbers

• Total Anglers: 43
• Total Fish Caught: 402
• Fish Per Angler: 9.35 (Insane total, maybe an all-time high?)
• Anglers with at least one fish: 98% (42 of 43)
• Limit %: 93% (41 of 43 anglers brought in a limiit)

The Leaderboard (Top 10)

The competition was incredibly tight, with the top spots separated by mere fractions of an inch. Jeriamy Vann took 1st place, with Seth Jones in 2nd, and Chris Robbs in 3rd. All three had big totals! Here is how the top of the pack shook out:

1. Jeriamy Vann – 89.75″
2. Seth Jones – 89.50″
3. Chris Robbs – 88.25″
4. Justin Mallot – 85.25″
5. Tony Sorluangsana – 85.25″
6. John Evans – 85.00″
7. John Hall – 84.25″
8. Jim Hall – 84.25″
9. Tyler Zengerle – 84.25″
10. Maurilio Gutierrez – 84.00″

---

Big Bass / Heavy Hitters

The Advanced Automotive Big Bass of the event belonged to our tournament winner, Jeriamy Vann. He landed a stout 20.25″ largemouth that anchored his winning bag.

Angler Roundtable: Top 3 Q&A

Recapping the 2026 NSKA NWA Table Rock West event are your top anglers – Jeriamy, Seth, and Chris, who share with us how they caught such big bags on Table Rock Lake in April.

1. What part of Table Rock did you go to and why?

• Jeriamy Vann: I put in at Holiday Island Marina. I picked out a couple spots during the week, but I couldn’t make my mind up, so I made the decision to go there while driving in Saturday morning.
• Seth Jones: I went to Eagle Rock. I had planned to mark brush piles with LiveScope during pre-fishing (since FFS was banned for the event), but those spots were private or closed. I settled on Eagle Rock as my backup.
• Chris Robbs: I fished more towards the main lake. I was familiar with the area, and my pre-fish spots didn’t give me the confidence that winning fish were there.

2. What were the primary baits and techniques?

• Jeriamy Vann: I caught all 5 keepers on a Watermelon Candy Senko worm, wacky rigged. They were in 2 feet of water or less on 10 to 30-degree banks with gravel and chunk rock.
• Seth Jones: I started with a wacky rig but it was too slow. I actually bought a new rod and reel specifically for crankbaits for this event and stuck with that until noon.
• Chris Robbs: My best 5 fish all came on a custom painted topwater bait by Council Bluff Crankbaits.

3. What was a key decision that made the difference?

• Jeriamy Vann: Keying in on the specific bank angle and rock composition. Once I found they liked that gravel/chunk mix, I just hunted similar stuff the rest of the day.
• Seth Jones: I marked every spot I caught a fish on the crankbait, then circled back later in the day with a 2.5-inch Hula Grub. That’s when the big upgrades happened.
• Chris Robbs: Since I hadn’t pre-fished my primary area, I decided to cover water fast until I keyed in on how they were set up. Once I found them, it was on fire.

---

If you read these recaps and enjoy them, please do me a favor and take advantage of my discount code KINCY15 at Lurenet.com to buy War Eagle, Booyah, YUM, Bandit, Rebel, Heddon, Bobby Garland, or many other brands. Saves you 15% and helps me out. Thank you!

---

Ketch Angler of the Year (Top 25 Standings)

Two events are in the books for the 2026 NSKA NWA season, and the race for the Ketch Angler of the Year is already starting to separate the grinders from the one-hit wonders. In the Ozarks, consistency is the hardest thing to catch, and the current Top 25 represents the guys who have figured out how to pivot from the clear waters of Beaver to the rugged banks of Table Rock.

Here is the official Top 25 standings as we head toward the mid-season stretch after the 2026 NSKA NWA Table Rock West tourney.

2026 Ketch Angler of the Year: Top 25 Standings

Rank	Angler	Beaver North	Table Rock West	Total Points
1	Seth Jones	96	99	195
2	John Hall	97	94	191
3	Tyler Zengerle	98	92	190
4	Maurillio Guitierez	93	91	184
5	Justin Malott	84	97	181
6	Levi Schneider	100	78	178
7	Danny Dutton	92	86	178
8	Tony Sorluangsana	81	96	177
9	Jason Adams	99	74	173
10	Kyle Long	91	81	172
11	Dwain Batey	89	79	168
12	Terrill Standifer	95	72	167
13	Josh Landreth	83	82	165
14	Jim Hall	72	93	165
15	James Haeberle	73	90	163
16	Nate Higgins	94	64	158
17	Jason Kincy	68	89	157
18	John Evans	62	95	157
19	Josh Goforth	86	67	153
20	Jose Abraham Garcia	82	71	153
21	Jeff Malott	76	75	151
22	Justin Wright	71	80	151
23	Justin Smith (R)	74	70	144
24	Richard Souvanaraj	58	85	143
25	Jamie Shumate	69	73	142

---

Arvest Heavy Hitters (Top 25 Standings)

While the Angler of the Year race is about the grind and building up solid point totals, the Heavy Hitters race is about monster catches. This is the hunt for your biggest individual fish of each event, where a single cast can vault an angler past the field in the totals. Do it consistently through the season and you might just become a Heavy Hitters champion.

After two stops, the leaderboard is starting to see some separation between those who find the “dinks” and those who find the “kickers.” Jason Adams sits on top after two events with a golden 21″ in his bag that is a strong advantage early in the season. Danny Dutton, Seth Jones, and Nate Higgins all have 20″ or better in their totals so far.

2026 Arvest Heavy Hitters: Top 20 Standings

Rank	Angler	Table Rock West	Beaver North	Total Inches
1	Jason Adams	21.00″	18.00″	39.00″
2	Danny Dutton	20.50″	17.00″	37.50″
3	Jason Kincy	18.50″	19.00″	37.50″
4	Seth Jones	17.25″	20.00″	37.25″
5	John Hall	18.25″	18.25″	36.50″
6	Levi Schneider	18.50″	17.75″	36.25″
7	Nate Higgins	20.00″	15.75″	35.75″
8	Terrill Standifer	17.75″	17.25″	35.00″
9	Maurillio Guitierez	16.75″	18.25″	35.00″
10	Justin Malott	16.75″	18.00″	34.75″
11	Tyler Zengerle	17.00″	17.25″	34.25″
12	Dwain Batey	16.25″	18.00″	34.25″
13	Jeff Malott	15.00″	19.00″	34.00″
14	Kyle Long	16.50″	17.25″	33.75″
15	Josh Goforth	17.50″	15.75″	33.25″
16	Justin Smith	16.75″	16.50″	33.25″
17	Jamie Shumate	16.00″	17.25″	33.25″
18	Josh Landreth	15.75″	17.25″	33.00″
19	Jose Abraham Garcia	15.25″	17.75″	33.00″
20	Tony Sorluangsana	14.75″	18.00″	32.75″

A huge thank you to Eco Fishing Shop for being our title sponsor and supporting the NSKA NWA trail!

As September arrives, anglers on the Ozark reservoirs like Beaver Lake face a unique challenge. The intense heat of summer is gone, but the water hasn’t fully cooled, creating a tricky time to find and catch bass. The fish are often scattered, sometimes staying in deep water and other times moving to the shallows to follow baitfish. This change of seasons makes for an unpredictable tournament day with unpredictable results.

This past weekend, anglers converged on Beaver Lake, a 28,000-acre reservoir in the Arkansas Ozarks. Known for its clear water, rocky cliffs, and extensive shoreline, it is a favorite for those targeting largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. The lake’s diverse environment, from deep timber-filled coves to steep rocky points, makes for a complex fishery with many options. Beaver Lake was the perfect setting for the final event of the season for the Natural State Kayak Anglers (NSKA), the 2025 Beaver Lake Crucible, which was sponsored by Cherokee Casino.

Tournament Results

Your NSKA president, Josh Landreth, shared the results after the event:

A gorgeous day on Beaver Lake yielded some mixed results but some monster bags!

All results are pending a 24 hour protest period, and nothing is official (including Classic qualifiers) until that protest period is over.

Levi Schneider absolutely smashes’em with a winning total of 91.25″ including nearly identical 19.5’s which also earned him Big Bass honor. This is Levi’s second win of the season, and gets him one step closer to his season long goals. What a day!!! We talked at the weigh-in that this may be the biggest one day total on Beaver Lake in NSKA history. We’ll need Jason Kincy to weigh in on that! (Kincy believes that is correct!) Either way, what an incredible day!! Congratulations Levi. He takes $600 for 1st place, Big Bass, and 2 hourly Big Bass.

Justin Brewer stays hot as well with back to back 2nd place finishes. He had a total of 87.0″ which would win on Beaver Lake nearly any other day besides today. Justin said at the weigh in that he had his first crankbait bite of the season. He also had matching 19.5’s like Levi. I didn’t even realize it at the weigh in, but the event Big Bass had to go all the way to the third kicker, because both Levi and Justin had 2 19.5’s. Justin wins $285 for 2nd place and hourly big bass.

Dwain Batey got off to a super hot start and finished 3rd with 86.25″. Another amazing Beaver Lake total that had to settle for 3rd on the podium. It’s awesome to see Dwain taking home hardware. He wins $193 for 3rd place and hourly big bass.

1st off the podium and last check cashed goes to Josh Landreth with 84.0″. I can tell you that that’s about what my goal was for the day, and I certainly did not expect 84.0 would not earn a trophy. Wow. What a day!! I get $130 for 4th and 2 hourly Big Bass.

After the top 4, there was a substantial drop in the standings. The rest of the top 10 included:

5th: James Haeberle 77.5

6th: Tyler Zengerle 77.25

7th: William Atchison 77.25

8th: Jimmy Chokbengboun 77.25

9th: Tony Sorluangsana 74.25

10th: Maurilio Gutierrez 72.75

Josh Landreth won trash fish with a 30″+ striper.

John Evans won the second side pot which was given to the last fish caught in our 2025 regular season. John snapped his photo of a 13″ bass at 2:59.58!! Now that’s a buzzer beater!

Kyle Long also won an hourly Big Bass prize with a 17.75″.

We also gave 3 $42 free entries as door prizes thanks to our sponsors. The door prize winners were John Hall, Nate Higgins, and Mandie Adams.

Thank you so much to Moments by Mandie Photography for taking our weigh in photos throughout the season!

Angler Roundtable

Some familiar anglers are once again going to share how they dominated on the water! Thank you to Levi, Justin, and Dwain for dropping some knowledge on us!

1. What part of Beaver did you go to and why?

Levi – I went to Indian Creek because I know it like the back of my hand and it just sets up very well for how I like to fish.

Justin – I chose to fish the south end of the lake. I’m a dirty water power fisherman and that works best with dirtier water. The south end is usually the best place to find that.

Dwain – I chose to fish the White River mainly to avoid the heavy pleasure boat traffic. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was the right call this time of year since I hadn’t done any pre-fishing, but I decided to commit to it anyway.

2. What were some of the key baits or techniques that led to your success?

Levi – I had a multiple off-the-wall presentations tied on but the key players for me this go around were a Berkley Choppo, a deep diving jerkbait, various jig head minnows and lastly my reliable flutter spoon. I also applied the Strike Force crappie scent to everything.

Justin – Usually do pretty good on topwater in this tournament but it just wasn’t producing so I picked up the squarebill and first cast after picking it up, caught a 16” fish and then a few casts later caught my first 19.50”. Decided to keep it locked in and it turned out to be the deal.

Dwain – All of my fish came in the first two hours on topwater. After that early bite faded, I was able to catch fish throughout the day on other baits, but I never found another quality bite that helped me cull. My only real pattern was focusing on main river channel bends with wind.

3. How have you been approaching pre-fishing this season and if you have done it how has it helped?

Levi – At the start of the year I was just going into every event with some or little practice just sort of fishing with the flow and it was working. However after I lost my freak giant smallie in the last hour of the Tenkiller event and I knew we were going to Table Rock next that combo sort of hit a nerve that I needed to shake. Ever since that moment I’ve dedicated all of my free time to practice for each event from daylight to dark and it resulted in my biggest bag ever on both Table Rock Beaver.

Justin – I have not pre-fished for a single tournament. Just showed up and went fishing.

Dwain – It’s been a tough season for me, but I don’t believe the lack of pre-fishing is the reason behind it.

4. Do you look at the leaderboard during the event to see how it’s going, and why do you or why do you not?

Levi – I like to check the leaderboard periodically just to know how I’m keeping pace with the rest of the field plus it’s a great indicator on if I just need one more big one or if I need to make a serious adjustment to start making multiple culls.

Justin – Yes. I check it regularly. I just like to know what I’m up against. Whether it be me leading and what I’ve got to do to stay on top or for if I’m behind what I’ve got to get to gain some ground.

Dwain – Normally, I don’t check the leaderboard. This event was an exception, though, because I was sandbagging three good fish and didn’t submit them until later in the day.

AOY Race and Top 25 Classic Field!

The Angler of the Year race is winding down, but the Classic counts double and could still play a role. Levi is in the lead and has a cushion, but a disaster of a Classic combined with a top finish from a few others could result in a change at the top! If Levi can finish in the Top 10, AOY is likely his to win. The rest of the Top 25 is below, including some rookies and some old-timers. Should be a challenging and fun two days on Beaver Lake.

If you didn’t qualify, don’t forget about the Classic Shootout, a one-day event where the winner gets invited to the big party!

Heavy Hitters

The Heavy Hitters competition is concluded for the regular season, and Levi Schneider is your champion for 2025! As usual it was a tight race down the stretch, but Levi did what he needed in the final event to seal the deal. Congratulations to Levi, our 2025 Heavy Hitter!

For the first time, a 10 fish Road Runner in NWA occurred in August. I asked Google Gemini to rank all months in order for quality bass fishing in Arkansas. Guess which one came in last? You guessed it! AUGUST How would the field fare on a very hot day in the dog days of summer?

Tournament Results

Overall, it was a decent effort by the kayak anglers on the water, facing upper 90s and high humidity. Forty eight anglers entered the event and did a pretty solid job overall with a 4.81 FPA and 42% of the field submitting a 10 fish limit. Getting a limit was job one, second to that was getting a bigger than average size to push up the total. Austin Nims crushed it with 204.25″ on the day, likely a record that may not be broken in future road runners. His limit included an insane seven 20+ bass, which is by far the most 20s included in an NSKA tournament limit. Justin Brewer took a strong second place with 170.00″ on the day, followed by Tony Sorluangsana in third with a solid 169.75″ for the event. A mammoth total of 18 bass over 20″ were caught on the day, an amazing number of giants for one day! Big Bass was won in a tiebreaker by Austin Nims with a 22.00″ Lincoln Lake largemouth. Justin Brewer also had a 22.00″ giant in his bag, also from Lincoln.

Jeff Mallott won the smallest gap between the largest and smallest fish side pot, and John Hall took home the trash fish prize with a 23″ channel cat!

Top 10 anglers:

1. Austin Nims 204.25
2. Justin Brewer 170.00
3. Tony Sorluangsana 169.75
4. Jason Kincy 165.75
5. Levi Schneider 165.00
6. Brian Lookadoo 162.25
7. Andrew Newsom 154.25
8. Will Atchison 153.50
9. Dexter Scott 153.50
10. John Evans 150.75

Angler Roundtable

The top three Road Runner finishers share how they did it on a super hot August day. These guys did a great job with these thoughts and recaps. Here’s the tea from Austin, Tony, and Justin!

What lake did you choose and why?

Austin – I chose to fish Lincoln Lake because my main goal in the Road Runner was to finally catch a bass over 20 inches in a tourney. And after getting skunked at the Eucha/Spavinaw tourney i just wanted to fish something small I was comfortable with.

Tony – I chose to fish Elmdale but I didn’t make that decision until Friday evening. Table Rock was my pick up until that moment.

Justin – By now everyone should know if it’s a road runner I’m going to Lincoln lake. It’s a very hit or miss lake but in previous years if it’s on I’ll be able to finish at the top. If it’s not I am prepared to be at the bottom.

Were there major patterns or techniques that played into your success?

Austin – I started the first three hours of the tourney throwing a small jighead minnow and caught zero fish. The bait and bass were up high making anything hard to see on sonar. So i begain blind casting a Minnesota Mullet hair jig through the bait. I was slow rolling it with fast twitches like a spinnerbait just a few feet under the surface and the big girls loved it.

Tony – I tried to force a reaction bite in the morning, but realize fish was tight to offshore cover, I threw various styles and size of worms to get dialed in and started brush pile hunting the rest of the day.

Justin – There is really no technique for me that out does the other at Lincoln. I just bring every rod I own and try not to get locked into one technique. It’s usually a rotation that catches my fish. It’s a frustrating way to fish and mindset to have but it’s what has to be done.

What was the key catch for the day that was critical to your finish?

Austin – I finally hooked up with a 22 inch fish that struck the hair jig seconds after it hit the water at the end of a long cast. She gave me a couple of big jumps but I managed to keep her pinned. When I got her in the net I knew I had a chance at Big Bass.

Tony – The first fish of the day. It was caught 45 minutes in and confirmed what I was seeing on the graphs.

Justin – I’d say my 22” fish. It didn’t lead me on to anything, it was just late in the day and I was running out of confidence and time. I still had a few 10” fish in my limit so a 20” fish goes a long way in that case. It just let me know there was still a chance. It was a confidence booster fish. I proceeded to catch my 21 and 19.75 after that.

August is a very difficult month to fish, what advice do you have for other anglers?

Austin – August is a rough one and generally doesn’t end with a huge bag when you leave. The fish are hit or miss. Sometimes fired up or dead sluggish. Just try new things they haven’t seen a bunch and keep changing your cadence till you find what they want that day, even if it takes a few hours of being out of your comfort zone.

Tony – August can be tough but fish can still be caught with a variety of lures, fish your strengths and don’t overthink it. September, on the other hand, is horrible!

Justin – Usually I would say fish early and fish late because that is the best times to fish but surprisingly enough my four biggest fish were caught from around 1:00-3:00pm. With that being said, the advice would be don’t ever think the heat will make you not catch fish. There are always fish to be caught.

Angler of the Year Race

The AOY race is coming into focus, with Levi Schneider in the lead as he has been the entire season. He’s still the favorite, but it is possible for anglers like Tony, Christa, Justin, and John Hall to have a terrific finish and catch up. Don’t forget the classic is worth double – that could make all the difference! Levi is the favorite if he continues to fish well.

Heavy Hitters

The Heavy Hitters race almost took a dramatic turn in this event, but Levi saved himself with a late 20.50″ – otherwise, Justin Brewer would be in the lead. Looking at the numbers at this point, there appears to be five or six anglers who still have a chance to overtake Levi in the final event if he doesn’t upgrade. Justin would need an 18.50″ to tie, while Josh and Jason need a 21.00″ to tie. This is going to the wire!

Next Event

The next event is the annual Crucible on the Dead Sea (a.k.a. Beaver Lake). This is the yearly event that really tests the mettle of anglers and sets the tone for the upcoming Classic Championship!

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:

1. Maurilio Gutierrez 89.50
2. Fanny Phomsopha 87.50
3. Mandie Adams 86.25
4. Cole Sikes 84.50
5. Kase Ingram 83.50
6. Jason Adams 83.50
7. Justin Brewer 83.25
8. Seth Jones 83.25
9. Nate Higgins 83.25
10. 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!