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:
- 2025 – 29
- 2022 – 28
- 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!