The recent fishing report for Lake Tenkiller from May 21st says “Bass are good on crankbaits, jerk baits, spinnerbaits, and topwater lures.” Well, throw that out the window, because that’s not how the day was won on Lake Tenkiller kayak fishing for the H2 NSKA NWA mid-May tournament. They anglers in the little plastic boats did a pretty good job with some basic approaches.
Tournament Results
Lake Tenkiller kayak fishing produces some pretty good limits in kayak tournaments, so it was no surprise that 80″ wasn’t going to get you very far in the standings. There were lots of fish to be caught. Out of the 58 anglers, 44 (76%) turned in a limit, while the FPA was a robust 6.6 on the day. It was a fun day with lots of new names in the Top 10, with different winners from events earlier this year.
Devon Esry took 1st place with 86.75″, followed by Jason Cowell with 86.25″, and Tony Sorluangsana took 3rd place with 86.00″. TIGHT scores! Big Bass was caught by Will Atchison – a 20.00″ Largemouth. Will beat out another 20.00″ bass caught by Aaron Sabatini by winning the tiebreaker.
Will shared some info about his big catch: I had a few small fish early on, I had my mind set on using a wacky worm while flipping bushes. However, that bite was not on for me. But I knew of a good shallow bank where the wind would be crashing on. Went there and started slinging a spinnerbait. The spinnerbait was a double willow brass, Strike King Kvd sexy shad color. Three of my keepers came from that specific bank including the 20.00″ that locked me in for big bass!
Lake Tenkiller Top Ten:
- Devon Esry 86.75
- Jason Cowell 86.25
- Tony Sorluangsana 86.00
- Fanny Phomsopha 86.00
- Jimmy Chokbengboun 85.75
- Will Atchison 85.50
- Jacob Webber 85.00
- Cole Sikes 84.50
- Anthony Bertschy 83.75
- John Evans 83.50
Angler Roundtable
Anglers Devon Esry, Jason Cowell, and Tony Sorluangsana share how it went down on Tenkiller kayak fishing on their big day in May:
What part of Tenkiller did you choose to fish and why?
Devon – I put in at Chicken Creek because I pre-fished well
there the day before, and figured I had other close options if the pattern didn’t hold true.
Jason – I fished at Snake Creek. I had fished there last year and had a decent day. Yesterday was the second time I have been on the lake. There is an island across the lake from the boat ramp. The wind was pretty crazy first thing so I was just trying to find a spot not so wind blown. There is a little pocket on that island that’s slightly out of the wind. And that’s where I caught my first five fish.
Tony – It’s a area north of Burnt Cabin, based off the map it had a lot of offshore structure that I thought could come into play.
Overall, how did you catch most of your good fish?
Devon – My first two 16″+ fish came off of a Pop-R earlier that day by docks, but my larger fish came off of a shaky head with an 8” Big Bite finesse
worm in the windiest areas on main lake from 11:00-3:00.
Jason – All of my fish were caught on a shaky head. I threw a Whopper Plopper about four times and that was the only other bait I threw all day.
Tony – I caught the majority of my fish in the first five hours of the day on a main lake flat that just kept reloading.
What’s the story with catching your largest bass? How’d you catch it?
Devon – I was catching a lot of fish where I started but the quality wasn’t getting better, and the area was getting hit hard by other anglers. I decided then to upsize my worm and head to the island by Chicken Creek around 10:00am. I found a couple quality fish on the bank the day before, and I figured I’d end up there in the end. I started where the wind was lightest but soon figured out they were stacking up where the wind and waves were the worst. Finally, at 11:00am I tossed that shaky head into some windy cover, pulled it once, and the fight was on with my first 18″+ inch fish of the day. I culled up 4.25″ with that fish, which got me onto a new pattern for the day.
Jason – My biggest fish was and 18 1/4″ Smallmouth that smashed the shaky head on the fall. That fish put me in 1st place with an hour and half to go. Only by a quarter of an inch…both Devin and Tony had 86″.
Tony – As I was going to the spot I saw a boater sitting on it and watched him throw a big swimbait at it for about 15 minutes. I literally went behind him with a Carolina rigged baby brush hog and caught that 20” fish in 18 feet of water on the 3rd cast after he left.
How did you feel in the last couple of hours of competition, how did you stay focused to finish where you did?
Devon – I was exhausted in the last couple of hours of the day. I culled up a couple inches after my largest at 11:00, but then hooked into an 18.5″ Smallmouth at 1:00 that put me in a tie at the top 3. The adrenaline from that kept me going for another hour and a half, but I knew I needed to cull one more fish to get there. I went back to the spot I caught my first large fish hoping it had reloaded at about 2:30, but had no luck. I was both mentally and physically ready to quit! With one more point to fish, I made a cast from the bank into the wind on the point, and BAM, a 16.5″ Smallmouth at 2:47 to cull up .75″! I felt like it was what I needed, but still 100% sure.
Jason – The last hour I was nervous. A 1/4 of an inch is not much when you fish against some of the best anglers in the state.
Tony – This is the part of the day where I failed. I caught myself just casting and reeling, but I was definitely fatigued from being beat up by the wind and boat wakes and I’m sure forgetting my snacks didn’t help either, lol.
Favorite place you’ve ever fished and why?
Devon – Table Rock and Tenkiller kayak fishing are in a tie with my favorite places to fish. They both hold quality fish and fish similarly. I do feel like you can’t beat the fight from the Smallmouth fish on Tenkiller. I love the rocky structure that both offer!
Jason – I really don’t have a favorite place to fish but I’m growing pretty fond of Tenkiller.
Tony – Below the Ozark Dam on the Arkansas river. It’s just where I first learned how to fish as a kid and I have a lot of memories there. Also, in my opinion it’s the best catfish fishery in the South.
Tenkiller Kayak Fishing Recap Video
Angler of the Year Race
As the weather starts to warm up, things often shake up in the AOY race. The kayak fishing Tenkiller event saw some of the contenders stumble, and others inserted themselves in the race. Right now Tyler Zengerle still looks to be in the driver’s seat, but he needs to bounce back on Pumpback. The big mover from Tenkiller kayak fishing is Jacob Webber who now owns three green-rated scores (90-100). Josh Landreth, Terrill Standifer, Kyle Long and James Haeberle are lurking. Barring an explosion from another angler down the stretch, I think your AOY winner will come from the names above.
Heavy Hitters Race
The big fish champ for 2023 is going to earn it if they are going to take it away from Josh Landreth. Even though Josh didn’t catch a big one on Tenkiller, none of his close competitors picked one up either. When you are leading, that’s a win for the leader. Last chance for someone to gain ground will be Pumpback. If nobody makes a move, Josh will be the champ at the end of the year. Someone in the top 5 or so drops a 20+, then maybe there’s a chance…
