NSKA returned to Missouri for the second time in 2025 for the Cherokee Casino Table Rock West event and had some pretty interesting conditions. Table Rock was as high as I’ve ever fished it for a tournament, and there were some pop-up thunderstorms and heavy rain showers rolling through some random areas. With so much water up in the bushes, trees, and cover, anglers had many options on how they wanted to try and catch fish.
Overall, the fishing was pretty good in this event with an average FPA of 6.8, which is a really good number of fish caught and submitted. Levi Schneider took first place with a hefty 92.75″, with Tyler Cokley taking second with 88.50″, and Christa Hibbs in third with 86.75″ on the day. Levi also won Big Bass with a 20″ largemouth bass – which contributed not only to this win, but his concurrent win in the All-American Table Rock event that same day!
Bobby Hogan won the Trash Fish prize with a 32″+ catfish, and Jason Kincy won the ‘Dead Middle’ prize for finishing in the middle of the standings.
Angler Roundtable
Top finishers Levi Schneider, Tyler Cokley, and Christa Hibbs shared their day on the water that won them a trophy!
What part of TR did you go to and why?
Levi – I went to the kings river because it had the most consistent bite of bigger largemouth compared to every other section the the lake I pre-fished .
Tyler – Baxter area, I’m familiar with the area and I know it fishes good when the water is up in the trees this time of year.
Christa – I launched at Campbell Point. I chose this spot because it has some good channel swing banks and off shore spots.
What overall techniques caught most of your fish?
Levi – I caught every single one of my fish on a white flutter spoon and a glide bait.
Tyler – My biggest fish and one other that was apart of my limit was on a 6” Magdraft skipping it up in the trees. The rest of my fish all came on a 10” worm.
Christa – I caught all my fish on a jig head minnow.
Some rain and storm rolled through, did it impact your day and how?
Levi – Not hardly at all. I just threw my rain jacket on (didn’t even bother with the bibs) and kept fishing while a group of people cheered me on from the dock I was fishing at the time. Once the rain quit I took it off and continued on my way.
Tyler – Nope. Put the rain gear on quickly and kept moving along.
Christa – When the weather was starting to move in, I decided to go scan docks. This allowed me to be closer to shallow banks, in the event I needed to get off the water. I ended up finding some cull fish around those docks. Overall it had a positive impact on my day.
How do you stay hydrated in hot weather? Any tips? What do you drink?
Levi – I always bring 3 Gatorades with me every fishing trip and then especially this time of year I try to drink enough water everyday.
Tyler – I always drink an LMNT hydration pack in the mornings of hot tournaments, then just keep water handy through out the day.
Christa – A few days before a summer tourney, I will start increasing my hydration level. On tourney day I start the day with a sugar free Liquid I.V. and water. Throughout the day I will drink Powerade and water. I pack fruit and some form of protein to have while on the water to help fuel me through the day.
Angler of the Year
The AOY race is really taking shape. Levi Schneider is in the lead and has a good cushion. It isn’t over if someone else gets hot, but he definitely is in a good position. A few tournaments are left as well as the Classic, which counts double. The top 25 make the Classic Championship and we can see below who is in as of today. Beware though, as anglers replace low finishes and zeroes, this will shake up a lot down the stretch!
Heavy Hitters
Just like the AOY race, Levi has a good lead in Heavy Hitters. However, this can change if an angler catches some bigs in the last event. Seems like this year is a down year for big bass overall in the tournaments. Anglers to watch to make a move include Josh Landreth, Jake Wilkie, and Tony Sorluangsana. They all have some decent fish that they can add to for a bigger total.
