Tag Archives: Tournaments

NSKA

The Dead Sea Strikes Back! – Beaver Lake 2020 Recap / Heavy Hitters / AOY Race

After a Covid-19 induced ban on tournaments on Beaver Lake by the Corp, NSKA anglers were finally able to hit the water for a day-long fishing expedition on the Dead Sea. Some of the recent tournaments on Beaver lulled anglers into a comfort zone and the predictions for this tournament had big totals and big bass in mind. Not so fast…this is post-spawn Beaver Lake.

Tournament Results

It was a mixed story for the 60 anglers entered into the event, with a lot of fish caught, but size was hard to find. A very good 92% of anglers turned in at least one keeper, with 75% turning in a limit. Ryan Paskiewicz took first place with 79.5″, Craig Wood second with 78.5″ and Tyler Zengerle took a leisurely route to third with 78.25″ on the day. Ryan Paskiewicz also won “Big” Bass with a 19.25″ largemouth, followed by Tyler Zengerle’s 18.75″ 2nd place Big Bass.

The top ten finishers were as follows:

  1. Ryan Paskiewicz
  2. Craig Wood
  3. Tyler Zengerle
  4. Chris Needham
  5. Jeriamy Vann
  6. Billy Bowden
  7. John Wofford
  8. Jason Kincy
  9. Chad Warford
  10. Devon Esry
Click to view
Ryan’s “Big” bass on the day took home the money. I can’t figure out how that camera orientation worked on this photo.

Angler Recap Roundtable

Top three finishers took a few minutes to share how it went down on Saturday.

What section of Beaver did you go to and why?

Ryan – I fished the south end of Beaver. I prefer dirtier water and have more experience and confidence on the south end. I hadn’t actually been to the area I fished but it set up to my strengths so I gave it a go.

Craig – I like the stained water of the War Eagle arm and it is an area i know fairly well. I targeted pockets of wood and brush on the main lake and avoided coves.

Tyler – I chose to go mid-lake, below Highway 12. I am very familiar with the area I chose to fish, as I have fished there a numerous amount of times. I always prefer the water color and the types of structure that surround that area. As a shallow water angler, it allows me to fish my strengths and fish with confidence.

What were the main type of baits you used (category is fine) to catch most of your fish?

Ryan – I caught my fish on four different baits. I found a few keepers early on topwater. When that dried up a bit I began throwing a Slowtown jig and a 12” Ol’ Monster worm. My big fish came on a jig. Late in the day I did some cranking deeper and caught a few but couldn’t upgrade. I caught 20+ fish on the day and was fortunate to find a kicker. I did lose one off the board that i thought was going to haunt me. It would have given me two more inches. Thankfully it didn’t!

Craig – I had a shaky head, Whopper Plopper, crankbait and a swim jig tied on. The swim jig by Slowtown Custom Lures did all the work, I caught over twenty bass during the tournament.

Tyler – My main baits were pretty simple. I used a jig made by Slow Town Custom Lures in green pumpkin. I also Texas-rigged a Burner Worm (speed worm) and Bacon Rind (creature bait), both made by Gambler Lures.

How many rods do you carry for a tournament and how many are spinning vs baitcaster?

Ryan – Too many! I brought 12 on this trip. I hate retying. I used 5 of them on this trip. I carry 3-4 spinning setups and 8-9 casting.

Craig – I carry four Trinity Fishing custom rods that I build, and my heavy action rod is my jig rod.

Tyler – I carry 11 rods. 8 of those are baitcasting and 3 spinning.

What’s one thing you have in your kayak on tourney day that people might not think to take or have handy?

Ryan – Super glue and an extra measuring device. I also carry a spare charging battery for my phone.

Craig – I don’t really carry anything special on tournament day except for a exceptional lunch – usually a Dagwood sandwich cut in six pieces so I can munch on it while moving spots.

Tyler – I’m just going to say…I’m always thankful to have Dude Wipes with me and it stinks when I don’t. Besides that, I always have a socket set for my drive, and an extra measuring device (Fish Stik) just in case I lose my Ketch overboard.

Heavy Hitters Update

Beaver Lake was stingy when it came to big fish which made it difficult for anyone to really make a big move this week. Time is running out to put some big fish on the board. I was lucky to extend my lead for the moment a bit with a decent 18″ addition to put me at 93.5″. Michael Burgess (87.75″), Cole Sikes (86.75″) and Justin Phillips (86.5″) are still in the hunt but they need to haul in some tanks coming up to take over the lead. It appears that with Ryan’s “Big” Bass from this week he’s creeping into contention but needs two or three more big fish. Or, maybe someone else will smash’em in the next events to come out of nowhere for the lead – anything can happen!

AOY Update

The Angler of the Year race took an interesting turn this week as the top contenders all came up a bit short in earning any meaningful AOY points. In fact, most of the leaders missed a huge opportunity to gain on the field, but since the top four in the rankings all had a difficult day, there wasn’t much movement at the top. Some other anglers really helped their chances to have a shot to get into the mix, especially

Watch for my AOY Breakdown later this week where we will break down some hidden data, handicap the field vs upcoming schedule, and I’ll make a prediction for the AOY winner this season.

Here are the top 25 if the Classic were held today. Green indicates a “good” points total, yellow “fair” and pink “poor” and needs replaced by a better score. Dwain Batey and Jason Coleman are the only anglers with all Green and Yellow for each event thus far.

Tournaments

NSKA Pumpback Recap / John Wofford / Heavy Hitters / AOY Race

As the crazy 2020 calendar keeps rolling along with the ‘Rona and all of its side effects causing chaos in the kayak tournament circuits. The latest disruption this past weekend was not pandemic, murder hornets or ‘Karen’ driven – it was the Bella Vista Bass Club scheduling a boat tourney on Lake Fort Smith on the same date, causing NSKA to make a move to the deep water of Oklahoma on Pumpback.

Pumpback Lake (or Chimney Rock Lake) is an interesting and confusing place. According to an old article in the Tulsa World, it uses more electricity to pump the water uphill into the lake than is generated when the water is released back into Lake Hudson. I guess it’s a profit deal that they do when there’s peak demand and can charge more for the electricity. Which explains the unpredictable timing of when water goes up and down. But I digress…

Preparing for a “shotgun” start on Pumpback. Photo: kayakfishingfocus.com

NSKA Pumpback Tournament Results

For a lake that not a ton of NWA anglers had fished very often and a very tough, hot day, a lot of good fish were caught. This is a testament to the fish population and angler skill. The numbers reflected a strong showing by the lake with 91% of anglers turning in at least one fish and a respectable 51% posting a five fish limit.

When the lake was announced my immediate thought was that all of the Okies were going to get paid with NSKA making the trek over into their territory. This was flat wrong – in fact – the top 13 finishers were from Arkansas even though there were at least a dozen Oklahomans in the field.

First place was won by John Wofford with a whopping 93” on the day including TWO Smallmouth over 20” contributing to his total. Dwain Batey was second with 89.5” and Justin Brewer third with 85.25”.

John Wofford’s 21″ Smallmouth that won Big Bass. Photo: TourneyX

John also won Big Bass with his 21” bruiser Smallmouth and Justin Phillips took second Big Bass with a 20.75” Largemouth caught late in the day.

The top 10 were as follows:

  1. John Wofford – 93”
  2. Dwain Batey – 89.5”
  3. Justin Brewer – 85.25”
  4. Cole Sikes – 83.25”
  5. Kyle Long – 83.25”
  6. Michael Burgess – 82.50”
  7. Jason Coleman – 82.25”
  8. Billy Bowden – 82”
  9. Roy Roberts – 81.25”
  10. Danny Dutton – 81”

Angler Profile – John Wofford

John Wofford dominated the day on Pumpback with his first-place finish and Big Bass. This is another good day in a recent string of good performances by John (we’ll forget the bracket challenge…) in competition with a second place finish in King of the String and first place on Pumpback. In this tourney recap I thought we’d focus a bit on getting to know John and how he’s been catching them.

John with his giant Smallmouth on Pumpback. Photo: John Wofford

First of all, what happened on Pumpback!? How’d you catch those monster Smallmouth?

Pumpback was literally a magical day. I had only fished the lake one time and only caught 3-4 fish so my expectations were not high at all and I was just concerned about getting a limit.

First thing in the morning I noticed a Shad spawn happening so I automatically began throwing shad-like baits. Right off the bat I missed a MONSTER Smallie bigger than my 21” because I was using a rod that was too light for what I was doing. Shortly after losing the first big one I noticed on my graph I was coming up on a ledge at the end of a flat/point. My first cast into there I caught my 19.5” Smallmouth. Between losing the first Smallie and catching the 19.5” one I realized I had stumbled upon my patterns for the day. I fished out that whole cove losing more and more fish and one Largemouth that would’ve went 18-19” at least.

I was almost spinning out in my head after losing the Largemouth but I took a second to compose myself and changed gears. Started throwing my fluke on a MH power rod and only lost maybe 1-2 fish the rest of the day. After fishing the back of my first cove I had a few people come in on me so I decided to leave and make some runs to areas that my graph looked similar to where I hooked up with the big fish – and man did that pay off. I believe it was on my second cast in the second spot that I hooked into the 21” and the fight was on! I swore I had a Drum or a Striper on because it took forever for her to come up but once she did I about had a heart attack as I did everything in my power to get her in the net. Once I got her in a wave of emotion came over me and I had a feeling that today just might be my day. Thankfully, Ryan Paskiewicz was nearby and I hollered at him to come get a picture because I not only just broke my Smallmouth PB but I broke my kayak bass PB with a 21” Smallie!

After getting my pictures we let her go and I thanked Ryan and we went our separate ways. I tried to calm my nerves for a moment before getting back to fishing and it wasn’t two casts after the 21” I hooked into the 20.25” on a ledge 20 yards down the cove. This one I was sure was a drum but to my surprise it was the hardest fighting smallmouth I’ve ever caught. It took longer to get this one in the boat than any bass I’ve ever caught. That last big bite came at about 9:15 and from then on it was a dink fest. I moved to the north side of the lake and found some shaded areas with deeper pockets adjacent to them and managed to cull some 14’s with a 15.5” and a 16.75” around noon but other than that the bite slowed down and what I was catching were all smaller than 15.5”. I had an amazing time fishing Pumpback and it is a heck of a fishery! 

You seem to have really taken a step forward in tournament finishes this year, what’s been the biggest change or contributor to that?

I lost my Grandpa at the beginning of the season this year and I decided that I was going to dedicate this year to him. Also, I have really been working on myself to stay out of my head to not put too much pressure on myself and just fish. I ask the good Lord before every tournament to keep everyone safe for the day and to allow me to fish clean and give me the knowledge to fish to the best of my abilities.

I know you fish a lot with your wife, Hope, can you talk a bit about that and how that’s helped your fishing and/or relationship?

Haha! Oh man…kayak tournament fishing with my wife has been fun and a strain at the same time. I love taking her out with me and seeing her learn new techniques and catching fish on bodies of water she used to zero on. I’m probably a little hard on her at times but that’s because I want her to do the best she can do and she has really surprised me this year and has learned a lot each time we fish a tournament. I do worry about her sometimes though when we are on the water if there’s a lot of boats around with the weather starts to turn a little, I’ll make my way around the corner or where I can see her and she’s just out there fishing away not letting any of it bother her. I really do love the fact that she has that competitive drive like I do and we are always competing against one another in the tournaments as much as we are the rest of the field and I think that has made both of us better anglers.

John with a Beaver Lake Largemouth Bass. Photo: John Wofford

What’s the biggest thing you’ve improved on this year from a fishing standpoint?

My biggest improvement this year has just been getting back to my strengths and not trying to go out and fish other techniques that are other people’s strengths. And I am always studying bass fishing every single day, it’s almost as if that is all I think about anymore. Anytime I talk with someone, read an article or watch a YouTube video I soak up every bit of information I can and then I try to apply that to my style of fishing. And most importantly I have been able to stay out of my head for the most part this season and just went out and fished the conditions that were dealt to me instead of getting upset the conditions aren’t the exact same they were when I pre-fished.

What’s the best advice you can give an angler who is struggling halfway through a tournament? Take what you’ve done earlier and try to learn from it, make your changes and go catch some fish…but most importantly, never give up. I didn’t cull out my smaller fish until right at noon, but if I would’ve given up before that Dwain and I would’ve tied for first instead of winning.

Heavy Hitters Update

More big fish are in the books after Pumpback. I’m still lucky enough to be in the lead (75.5) followed by Michael Burgess (71.75), but there are some strong moves being made, especially by John Wofford (69.5) with his two 20+ and Cole Sikes (70.5) and Justin Phillips (71) who have 20+ inch fish on the board. It’s still anyone’s crown to win.

NSKA Angler of the Year Update

Things are starting to take shape and contenders are emerging for AOY for NSKA. After four events the contenders and pretenders are starting to separate. There is a long way to go and some big events coming up but so far it looks like Roy Roberts, Dwain Batey, Justin Brewer, Jason Coleman and Michael Burgess are best positioned. Cole Sikes is still within striking distance but has no more room for error.

Here are the top 25 anglers if the Classic were held today. Green indicates a “good” points total, yellow “fair” and pink “poor” and needs replaced by a better score.

Fishing Recap

Hobie BOS Lake Fork Recap

When the Hobie Bass Open Series (BOS) schedule came out for 2020, Lake Fork in February was one that many anglers circled on the calendar as a big fish showdown throwdown. The Hobie BOS returned to Texas with 155 top kayak anglers fired up to catch a PB or at least to try and string together a couple of limits to finish in the money.

Kayak anglers racing to their spots on Saturday morning on Lake Fork for the Hobie BOS.

This was my fifth kayak tournament on Lake Fork, one of my favorite places to go for a big event like this and a place I’d had some past success. Although the weekend didn’t go well for me overall, I still had a great time and it was once again good to be back that the Lake Fork Marina & Motel and swapping stories while eating at Tiffany’s.

Lake Fork tank from day one of the Hobie BOS tournament.

The nice warming trend leading up to practice week was moving the lake in the right direction and by all accounts big fish were being caught everywhere the weekend before the tournament. A cold front and cold rain descended on the area on Wednesday changing things up and making it brutally difficult to find active fish. Things began to improve slightly for Saturday and Sunday, just enough for a few anglers to find the bite.

Tournament Results

At the Captain’s meeting on Friday night there was much speculation as to what would win and what would place someone in the money. Most I spoke to felt like two limits would get you a check based on how difficult things had been in previous days. The conditions absolutely made anglers earn it as a paltry 17 of 155 (11%) caught a limit on day one and only 13 (8%) boated a limit on day two. Those are some stone-cold tough numbers. Conversely, a whopping 32% (49) zeroed on day one and 47% (72) didn’t turn in a bass on day two, although many had given up by then on the tough conditions. These are some of the worst catch rate numbers I’ve seen in any of my tournament recaps.

Matthew Scotch pulled in the largest bass of the event and in the history of Hobie BOS events with a 24.75″ monster pulled out of a grass mat. He also led day one with 106.75″ – another record for Hobie BOS. Day two was a slugfest for the heavyweights at the top, with Rus Snyders taking the top spot posting a 192.25″ total (98/94.25). Rus has been on fire to start the year and this continued on Lake Fork with two days that made him the champ. Talking with Rus he was very gracious and open in discussing his win and shares some of how he did it in the Angler Roundtable below. Full results can be seen on Tourney X and some great photos and videos on the Hobie BOS Facebook page.

Rus Snyders took 1st place in the Hobie BOS Lake Fork event by catching 192.25″ for his two day limit. Photo source: Hobie BOS

Arkansas Anglers Showed Out + Angler Roundtable

One of the great things about these events is that they attract top anglers from all around the country. Arkansas had a solid contingent of sticks who hit the water and placed more in the money than any other state: Arkansas 5, Texas 4, Tennessee 2, New Mexico 2, and Georgia, Missouri and Nebraska each with one.

Arkansas anglers Garrett Morgan, Eric Morris, Cody Milton, Dwain Batey and Jason Adams cashed a check in the Hobie BOS on Lake Fork.

Hobie BOS Lake Fork champion Rus Snyders and four of our top Arkansas anglers agreed to share how they did it in our roundtable recap: Rus Snyders (1st), Jason Adams (7th), Garrett Morgan (9th), Eric Morris (10th) and Cody Milton (16th).

With the tough weather conditions how did you attack the lake and handle pre-fishing?

Rus – Due to the weather that week on a couple of days I slept in a bit and had breakfast, not wanting to get out in the wind and the cold too early. Got on the water around 8 or so on these days and was wanting to fish shallow. Knowing that the north end of the lake had a lot more grass and shallow cover, that’s where I wanted to fish. However, with all of the rain, that end got really muddy and there was more rain on the way. At that point I decided to try and find some clearer water. My buddy Matt Scotch helped me jump around checking out a few different areas as I tried to put together a pattern. I found some fish on Thursday, and on Friday I expanded on that by finding a good area which was a little more isolated from the crowd and decided that’s where I was going to start.

Jason – The lake has always been tough for me. I thought about the wind direction mostly thinking the south wind on Sunday would be best. I like to fish wind blown banks and that is what I did. I didn’t have much time for pre-fishing. Got in late Thursday and got out Friday early to drive around looking at ramps. I put in at the first spot and fished for an hour. Ran into a guy who I’d helped rig his boat but had never met. His name is Bill Nelson from Fort Smith who bought his second Hobie from OMTC. I really enjoy the social aspect of these events especially talking with other anglers from Arkansas.

Garrett – Pre-fishing I checked the entire lake for water clarity, temps and signs of possible spawning activity. The first spot I went I caught a 20incher and knew I’d likely be there. I spent the majority of pre-fishing time eliminating other options and scouting for my next event there March 14th. The weather leading up had been warm and stable, we got hit we some cold winds and low night temps the three days leading up. I knew the bite would be tough but I embrace these events and feel they play to my strengths of being driven enough to always feel I have a chance until the clock hits 3 pm to find my five fish.

Eric – For me on the lake I decided to pre-fish four different areas of the lake and catch two in each spot looking for bigger fish and also looking for a good amount of bites. But then the temps dropped and changed the whole pattern and the fish locked up.

Cody – With the tougher and changing water conditions I chose to fish more mid lake. Which i don’t Generally do at lake fork but the mid lake area was fishing so much better. You had a lot cleaner and warmer water.

In general, what were some of your techniques that you used to catch fish?

Rus – Most of my fish for the tournament were caught punching grass mats with a 1 oz weight and a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver on a flipping hook. I switched colors for the Beaver depending on the water clarity, with black and blue in dirtier water and something like a watermelon red in clearer water. In many cases the mats would be spread a little ways apart from each other, sometimes I would have to go up to a 1/4 mile away to find the next good mats. My setup consisted of an iRod Air 775 7’7″ rod with a high speed Quantum reel with 65# braid to a 25# floro leader. Sometimes I will use 50# to 20#, but just because of bigger fish and the thickness of the mats I bumped it up for Lake Fork. One other tip I’ll share is that when I tie my leader, I’ll make it only about 4′ long because I never want the knot inside of my guides.

Jason – I planned to fish a couple of different techniques but started cranking and didn’t stop.

Garrett – On day one I caught a 20incher on a SheAngler Customs rattle trap. In pre-fishing I had caught some in shallow green grass with a chatterbait and remembered Friday I had talked with a local at the boat ramp that said he had been catching fish on white flukes Carolina rigged in shallow grass. I rigged up a Texas rig with a small 3/16 once Wicked Weights Quality Tungsten mortar bomb. It was a white neko stick with silver glitter and I cast out over a ditch onto the grass flat in the middle of this pocket and got hit right away, catching a 21incher. The next day I committed to the grass flat for the day. I had a good early bite. Setting up the same way, using the wind to my advantage as it would push my fluke on the fall toward the ditch off the flat. I caught four before 10 am, all were over 17 inches giving me 74 inches. I worked extremely hard never taking a break the rest of the day to get that 5th fish but just couldn’t find it.

Eric – On tourney day I decided to go after numbers because of the huge weather change but that didn’t work, so I threw everything out the window and went with a different strategy and it paid off on Saturday. Sunday was totally different. I went back to my Monday and Tuesday strategy throwing a black & blue football jig for the first half and the Saturday strategy the second half throwing a red crankbait.

Cody – I caught every fish on a double Colorado bladed spinnerbait and a 1 oz black and red jig. In the mornings I was slow rolling a spinnerbait in alligator grass and after about 9 a.m., I punched the same areas the rest of the day.

What makes Lake Fork special and what are some things you like or don’t like about that fishery?

Rus – Man, I was a little surprised how small the lake was for how famous it is. It definitely has some giant fish in there…I lost a 10 pounder on the first day, and caught an 8 1/2 pounder in pre-fishing. It fishes pretty big because there are a lot of ways to fish whether it is power fishing in grass/shallow or you can fish offshore, with jerkbaits, or many other ways. There is a ton of wood in the water and standing timber. This reminded me of a lake in California, Lake Sonoma, where there is a ton of wood like this. For lakes with a lot of standing timber, I try to pretend almost that it isn’t there. Some people target the trees but there are so many it can be hard to find the fish. Really, it can sometimes be better to just pay attention to depths, underwater structure, rock or other features and ignore the timber.

Jason – Lake Fork is special to me because I took 3rd place my first time here in the 2015 TOC. I came back the following year for the TOC and didn’t catch a measurable fish. That discouraged me from coming back until now. The Hobie BOS event had a 12″ limit instead of the 14″ limit at the original TOC and I thought I could get a limit easier. After this weekend I feel much more confident at this lake and look forward to coming back in the future.

Eric – The lake has amazing features with all the flats and secondary points and I’m sure with all the dead mats in the spring and summer it’s a great frog bite. Such a great experience for my first Hobie BOS tourney and national event ever. A top 10 is still unbelievable for me.

Cody – Lake Fork has always meant so much to me. I started going down there most every March since I was 9 and cashed my 2nd check ever on Fork. Every time I get around the lake it brings back so many good memories. I’ve always loved towns that live and breath bass fishing and the little towns around Lake Fork do just that. There’s several top-notch bait companies just a few miles from each other. All of the gas stations do a great job catering to fishermen. It’s a must visit lake for sure!

A Well Run Event – See you next time!

A.J. McWhorter and crew do a great job with the Hobie events. For having more than 150 anglers to deal with and a multi-day tournament it was run very smoothly. The venue of the Captain’s meetings and weigh-in was good and the identifiers top-notch. The Hobie BOS tournaments are the best run events I’ve personally been to. Will be interesting to see how B.A.S.S. conducts their events this year, I hope they have been paying attention to Hobie!

See you all back at Fork in March for B.A.S.S.!

NSKA

2019 NWA NSKA Classic Recap and AOY Race

The first ever Natural State Kayak Anglers NWA end of season Classic was held over two days on beautiful Beaver Lake in the Ozarks. The Classic was going to crown an event winner, but also would go a long way in deciding the NSKA Angler of the Year. Day one was launched out of the Hickory Creek area and day two would be out of Prairie Creek. The top 25 anglers from the regular season were ready to battle it out.

Day One – Hickory Creek

On the first day there were 24 participants who took the water on a very tough post-front, high skies bluebird day with little wind. Beaver wasn’t going to make it easy. Of the 24 anglers, all but one (96%) turned in at least one keeper, while a strong 17 (70%) turned in a limit. Big Bass for the day was a Beaver Lake beast at 20.50″ and after day one the leaders were Jeriamy Vann with 75.25″ and Ryan Paskiewicz with 75″ followed by Devon Esry, Jason Cowell and Justin Brewer with 70″ each.

Kyle Long’s 20.50″ Big Bass led the way in the NSKA Classic.

Day Two – Hickory Creek

The second day of the event was more of the same with little to no wind, clear skies and lots of sun and heat. The anglers would have a big challenge to find quality bass. On day two 23 (95%) of the 24 participants turned in a keeper and only 13 (54%) of the anglers turned in a limit. The numbers, including Big Bass for the day by Jason Kincy and Jacob Hudson both at 18.57″ showed that it was a tougher grind than day one. Top performers on day two were Andrew Newsom with 79″ followed by Cole Sikes with 76.5″ and Jeriamy Vann with a 74″ total.

Final Standings

Jeriamy Vann took first place with a two day total of 149.25″ followed by Andrew Newsom in second place with 147″ and Cole Sikes third with 145.25″.  Kyle Long’s day one 20.50″ bass was the largest of the tournament.

The top ten finishers:

  1. Jeriamy Vann
  2. Andrew Newsom
  3. Cole Sikes
  4. Ryan Paskiewicz
  5. Dwain Batey
  6. Tyler Zengerle
  7. Jason Kincy
  8. Jason Cowell
  9. Jonathan Brewer
  10. Justin Phillips

Jeriamy Vann wins the 2019 NSKA NWA Classic on Beaver Lake.

Angler Of the Year

Cole Sikes wins the 2019 NSKA NWA Angler Of the Year title.

The NSKA Angler of the Year race came down to the final event, with Dwain Batey and Cole Sikes in a dead heat in points. Cole’s higher finish in the Classic propelled him to his second AOY in a row – an impressive achievement.

Angler Recaps

The top finishers in the Classic provided their insights as to how they did it and their final thoughts on the season. Jeriamy Vann, Andrew Newsom, Cole Sikes and Ryan Paskiewicz shared their thoughts in the roundtable.

How do you compare or contrast Hickory Creek and Prairie Creek? Did you approach them differently?

Jeriamy – First off I want to thank my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ. I love him and everything good in my life flows through him.  I’ve never had much luck at Hickory Creek so to be honest I tried to fish as far away from there as I could. For some reason it’s always been a tough area on Beaver Lake for me. Prairie Creek I’ve always enjoyed and one difference I think is access to a bigger portion of the of the main lake.

Andrew – I try and fish my strengths no matter the area of the lake I’m fishing. I just try and find an area I’m comfortable with and go for it. At Hickory Creek, I was able to stick with my game plan pretty much the whole day. I know the area well, so I knew where I was going all day long. At Prairie Creek, you have a lot more boat traffic. Bass boats fishing the same area kind of dictated where I was able to go. My game plan changed multiple times so I was hopping from spot to spot all day.

Cole – In my opinion, Hickory Creek and Prairie Creek fish quite a bit different even though they are only 12 miles apart. The great thing about Beaver Lake is that you can target different species depending on which part of the lake you’re fishing. Hickory Creek bass population is primarily Largemouth and Spotted bass and the water clarity usually has a little more color than Prairie Creek. Usually you’ll be able to target Largemouth up shallow and can catch a few spots around bluffs. The wild card for Prairie Creek are the Smallmouth, an angler could win a tournament by just catching Smallmouth in that area. Typically, an angler will need to fish out deeper around Prairie Creek once the sun gets up. Knowing this, I did approach them differently. While fishing Hickory Creek, I stayed up shallow all day trying to find the better quality Largemouth. While fishing Prairie Creek, I fished shallow for the first few hours until the sun got up and started targeting Smallmouth and spots out deeper.

Ryan – I actually ended up pedaling to War Eagle marina area to start and didn’t fish much if any in the Hickory area. With that being said, it fished vastly different for me. My approach on day one was to move from main lake/river channel swings and transitions to the next, covering a lot of high percentage areas. Prairie provided more water clarity and obviously fished a bit different. My initial plan was to hit a couple key main lake points. Unfortunately this didn’t produce and I then began targeting smaller main lake pockets with docks These produced some fish early but as the day went on I couldn’t get bit. Not having a lot of known areas i was left scrambling a bit as the day went on. Boat traffic and wake was another key difference and factor in comparing the two areas.

What were the primary baits that led you to victory?

Jeriamy – I caught all my fish on a jig and craw. Surprise, surprise.
It’s kinda what I do. 😁

Andrew – All my keepers both days came on a Slow Town jig. I threw a few other baits, but the jig bite was what seemed to be working.

Cole – By no surprise, every single fish I caught this weekend was on a football jig by Slowtown Custom Lures. The great thing about a football jig is the versatility, I used the exact same bait and caught fish in 6 inches to 35 feet of water during this tournament.

Ryan – No victory here but a solid finish, lol. I used a  3/8 oz round ball jig with a Rage Menace and ½ oz football jig with a Rage Craw.

What were the key fish you caught and what were the circumstances?

Jeriamy – Probably the key fish for me were my last two culls on day one. I had a long dry spell without a bite so I decided to change everything up in my approach and it worked out.

Andrew – At Hickory Creek, I caught my biggest bass of the day around 1:30 pm. I had not had a bite for a few hours and found myself in an area that had been heavily fished by fellow kayakers all day. Catching a good one that late in the day really gave me a lot of confidence going into day 2.

Cole – On day one at Hickory Creek, I was able to catch one quality Largemouth of 18.5 inches skipping my jig under a boat dock. That fish was the only reason I had somewhat of a decent day on day one. Prairie Creek was a grind for the most part, I had a small limit majority of the day but at 1:30 I was able to cull over 10 inches on an offshore spot where bass were loaded up. I was such in the zone, I forgot about all of the ski boats whizzing only 30 yards away from me.

Ryan – I caught a day 1 kicker around 1:30 that went 17”. On day 2, I couldn’t find the right size and fell short because of it. I was able to scrape together a limit but it just wasn’t enough against the sticks ahead of me.

First year of the Classic, what did you think?

Jeriamy – I loved the classic idea from the start. You have to earn your way there and when you get there you know you’re fishing against the best 25 anglers in our club for the year. It was a great challenge indeed. We have hammers.

Andrew – My goal all season was to make the Classic. When I realized I had enough AOY points to get in, I was super excited. The entire tournament was a blast and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to be in it.

Cole –  I thought the Classic was a lot of fun, it gives the anglers all year something to work towards even if they are out of the Angler Of the Year race. I think it would be cool if we rotated different spots each year on Beaver so it’s not Hickory and Prairie Creek each time.

Ryan – Man, this was awesome. After a really disappointing season on the whole, I was able to qualify and gain some confidence on Beaver Lake and in general. The format is great and requires you to adjust, adapt and also have different plans for each day. You get to test your skills against the best that year, as well as, test yourself against a grinder of a lake. I can’t think of anything I would change.

Season is over, what’s your best memory from it?

Jeriamy – I gotta say holding that classic trophy at the end was pretty dang sweet, but I did enjoy this year overall.  I feel like I got to know some good people a little better and to me that’s really cool.
What a great fishing family !

Andrew – This was my first full season and meeting so many awesome people along the way made for my best memories.

Cole – This is a tough one, overall I had an amazing season and had lots of great memories. There are two tournaments that stuck out to me the most and I didn’t win either one. The first one would be the road runner. I chose to fish War Eagle Creek and was able to catch a huge Smallmouth and Largemouth that was good enough for 2nd place. The reason this memory was so great was because this exact creek is where I really learned to fish, it is where my family would go almost every weekend in the summer and it’s a special place to me. The second memory was that last hour of the Classic. Fishing that offshore spot in the last hour to cull over 10 inches was an adrenaline rush, grinding all day and finally pull up to the right spot in the last hour to win Angler Of the Year was an amazing experience.

Ryan – Lots of good memories but participating in the State Championship was number 1. Spending 4 days with a great group of guys fishing and hanging out was awesome. I learned a ton on that trip and can’t wait to do it again.

 

 

NSKA

NSKA NWA Beaver Town Recap

Orlando Bloom on the bridge on the Beaver bridge…probably dreaming about a giant Table Rock bass.

The region where the tailwaters from Beaver Dam merge into Table Rock Lake is one of the most scenic spots in Northwest Arkansas. The waters from Beaver Town to Holiday Island provided a lot of diversity for anglers as they took on the final regular season event of 2019. The most striking feature of the area is the yellow bridge in Beaver, Arkansas, which was the backdrop in some key scenes for Orlando Bloom in the pretty terrible movie called Elizabethtown from 2005. Hopefully director Cameron Crowe and Orlando hit the water while they were on set.

This year’s regular season finale had a lot of drama as the top AOY contenders entered crunch time and had to catch’em. Additional drama was in the air as the rest of the field tried to solidify their spot in the top 25 for the NSKA Classic coming up in September. The final 25 isn’t out yet, but based on some initial calculations there were risers and fallers based on this event.

Beaver Town Results

It was a hot, hot day in the Ozarks but the fish cooperated with a few of the anglers while they frustrated others. Overall, 39% of anglers turned in a limit while a very strong 84% turned in at least one keeper. Once again some familiar names finished at or near the top. Cole Sikes took first place with 83.75″, Dwain Batey took second with 77″ and Jeriamy Vann third with 73.25″. Sikes also took home the Big Bass prize with a 19.5″ kicker.

Top Ten Finishers:

  1. Cole Sikes
  2. Dwain Batey
  3. Jeriamy Vann
  4.  Chad Warford
  5.  Craig Wood
  6.  Michael Sandlin
  7.  Kyle Long
  8.  Tyler Zengerle
  9.  John Wofford
  10.  Jonathan Brewer

Big Bass from Beaver Town in 2019 was caught by Cole Sikes.

Beaver Town Angler Recaps

So how did the top finishers catch ’em on tournament day? The top four finishers – Cole Sikes, Dwain Batey, Jeriamy Vann and Chad Warford spill the tea on how they conquered this picturesque fishery. As the anglers did their interviews, one shared some words I felt were appropriate for the amazing natural setting and the blessings we all have to participate in this sport.

“Thank you Jesus
For your beautiful creation
And your sacrifice
‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’”

What was your overall strategy going into the Beavertown tournament?

Cole – More or less my strategy for the tournament was the same as the year before. Try to cover water early with topwater early to catch a limit, then switch to a jig and try to upgrade throughout the day. I didn’t pre-fish before the tournament but was able to figure out a pattern around 10:00 to catch some quality and for the remainder of the day I just ran that pattern.

Dwain – I had never been to Beaver Town before, So I peeked at Navionics on the computer, didn’t see anything special, just decided to go to the closest ramp, and fish it like I would any river this time of year.

Jeriamy – My overall strategy was to try to capitalize on the early bite and get a limit…and stay really focused on trying to cull before lines out. I focused on shade and ambush points mostly.

Chad – Since I had never been to Beaver Town and didn’t get a chance to pre-fish, the first part of my strategy was to pray…a lot as I needed at least a top 15 finish to secure my spot in the upcoming Classic. With that, the pressure was on. I haven’t fished rivers much for bass but overall, find structure on a shady bank and start there. Also, in doing my homework, I knew there would be good water movement at just after 11:00 as that is when the generation cycle for the day was set to start. Knowing that, I also keyed in on ambush spots. At least initially that was the plan.

What time of day did you catch your largest fish and what on?

Cole – I caught my biggest fish just after noon next to a boat dock with a Slowtown Custom jig.

Dwain – My largest fish at 17.75” was around 9 am. It was already hot and I had already put up the topwater and started using the chicken rig at that point.

Jeriamy – My largest fish was my last fish between trying to take a picture and trying to get service I barely got it in on time. I caught that one on a jig.

Chad – My big fish were scattered throughout the day up until about 1:30. Not knowing the river and where to fish, I simply headed up-river towards the dam. The fishing was slow at first with a few small ones but as the morning progressed, the bigger they got. My primary baits were the Strike King KVD 7” Super Finesse Worm on a Shaky Head Jig (multiple colors) and their new Thunder Cricket, mostly bluegill color. I had to be on the fast track to learning the water and I can’t stress enough to always watch and adapt to the changing conditions, and on that river, they changed a lot for the short time we were there. From which way the river flowed (stumped me in the morning it was moving uphill), to where the shade and limited wind was, the water temperature change, the slight rise in the river to how fast it was flowing and when. Lots of variables to consider but I quickly put the puzzle together and ended up catching my biggest fish in some very specific conditions.

Looking back on the season, what was your favorite event and why?

Cole – My favorite event of the year was the Road Runner. I decided to float War Eagle with the mindset of just trying to get a top ten finish. I knew I would catch fish but I was shocked to catch 89.25 inches with a mix bag of Largemouth, Smallmouth and Spots.

Dwain –  Probably Beaver Lake North, not only was it a win, but I got to catch some great fish on a swimbait, and that’s always really fun, especially on a lake like Beaver where it’s rare.

Jeriamy – My favorite tournament every year is the Road Runner. I like that format and I like how everyone is spread out. I would like to see the River Road Runner come back for 2020.

Chad – My favorite tournament this year (I can already hear the groans) was Lake Ft. Smith. I am always up for a good challenge and that lake seems to be the most challenging for NSKA anglers each year…except for a select few (Cole/Christa).

With the classic coming up, what are your thoughts on it and how you approach a two day cumulative tournament?

Cole – I’m excited to fish the classic, I think it will be a fun way to end the year. My approach for a two-day cumulative tournament will not change, I will treat each day as if they are just another tournament and I’ll go out there and just try to catch fish and have fun!

Dwain – I really like having it in two different areas and being two days, it will really give us a nice challenge. Multi day events are good because someone who just wanders into some fish can win a single day event, but catching fish two days in a row in two different areas is going to really give us a good idea of who was able to adapt to the different areas, and conditions. I think it will really be a fun event because of this format, and I’m looking forward to it.

Jeriamy – I really think it’s cool to have the top 25 for the season battle it out for the NSKA classic trophy. Even if you can’t win AOY you still have a shot at winning “The Classic”.  Two day tournaments are tough, and I think the most important thing is to get a limit the first day then you have a chance of winning because anything can happen. I want to thank Jeff Malott for everything he’s done for our club. I know he is looking forward to fishing more events next year and his shoes will be hard to fill.

Chad – For the upcoming NSKA Classic, I am thrilled with the new format to help determine the ultimate NSKA AOY for 2019! One lake, different launch each day, 25 of the very best for the year grinding to be the last one standing. This new format gives everyone something to compete for all season to earn one of those coveted 25 spots. I will stay with my same approach I take to each tournament with one exception, it’s a marathon and not a sprint like the others. That may change the approach slightly but going against the very best of the best NSKA anglers, the grind must be 100% focus, 100% of the time to have any chance against these great anglers!

 

NSKA

Fishapalooza on the Dead Sea – Beaver Lake Recap

Kayak anglers had high hopes on 4/20 when they hit the water on Beaver Lake for the Natural State Kayak Anglers (NSKA) and Hobie Bass Open Series (BOS). The NSKA field consisted of a record total of 87 anglers, while there were 35 entered in the Hobie BOS event. As predicted based on a combination of a nice warming trend, well-timed moon phase and reports of fish being caught all over the lake – Beaver Lake was uncharacteristically generous. There were 525 fish submitted, or just over 6 average  per angler.

Beaver Lake NSKA Results

Not only was there a record number of anglers for an NSKA tournament, but the performance of these anglers set new highs for a Beaver Lake event. A whopping 95% of all anglers turned in at least one keeper for the day, and a very high (for the Dead Sea) 66% of anglers submitted a limit. This is compared to the last Beaver Lake tournament where only 41% turned in a limit.

Local angler Declan McDonald continued his hot streak and took first place with 84.5″, followed by David Cruz from Kansas with 84.25″, and local Jon Swann took third place with an 83.25″ total.  David Cruz also was the winner of the Hobie BOS event, go here for those final standings.

This 21.75″ tank caught by Justin Phillips on a crankbait took Big Bass in the NSKA Beaver Lake event.

 

Justin Phillips won the YUM Big Bass with a thick 21.75″ behemoth caught on a red crankbait. Cher Vue won a Bending Branches Angler Pro for the largest Smallmouth/Spotted bass. Below is the top ten for the event, but visit the TourneyX page for full final standings.

Top Ten Finishers

  1. Declan McDonald
  2.  David Cruz
  3.  Jon Swann
  4.  Billy Bowden
  5.  Cher Vue
  6.  Danny Dutton
  7.  Tyler Zengerle
  8.  Justin Brewer
  9.  Dwain Batey
  10.  Cole Sikes

Top five NSKA Beaver Lake finishers, right to left: David Cruz (2nd), Billy Bowden (4th), Declan McDonald (1st), Jon Swan (3rd), Cher Vue (5th)

Top Angler Recaps for Beaver Lake

The top three finishers, Declan McDonald, David Cruz and Jon Swann share where and how they found the fish. Great info here shared by some great anglers.

Where did you go on the lake and why did you choose that location?

Declan – I went up north near the Rambo area, I went there mostly because it’s a really fun place to fish and does have the potential for a nice bag.

David – Coming to the event I knew I wasn’t going to have much time to pre-fish, so I focused on good ol’ map study and experience. A bit of research and I learned that Horseshoe was one of three major areas in the south end of the lake. I looked for channel swings near small coves and arms with south facing banks, rocks, and points, and so for that reason I chose the area directly east from the Horseshoe Bend State Park ramp. (note – directly east is the Blackburn Creek area)

Jon – I went up in the river to muddy water as that is what I’m more comfortable and used to fishing. I felt like the fish were either spawning or about to spawn and figured that muddy water would warm up quicker than the main lake.

What was your overall strategy coming into the tournament?

Declan – My strategy was to just go get and limit and have a good time.

David – Coming into the tournament my strategy was to target pre-spawn staging areas near spawning coves and pockets, and move towards the back of the coves as the day progressed.

Jon – Overall strategy was to go out and have fun. Seriously. I haven’t bass fished on Beaver in 15 years so had to figure it out on the water.

What baits or techniques did you catch your fish on?

Declan –  I threw a Ned rig pretty much all day, I was in super clear water and wasn’t having much luck shallow so I went deep enough I couldn’t see the bottom and that’s where I started to catch some more quality fish.

David – I started with a Hermsen Custom Lures crankbait (8-10’). I caught my first fish and no more after that due to the lack of wind. I switched to a 1/4oz Stryker Jig in Green Pumpkin with a little brown accent, paired with a Strike King Rage Craw in Watermelon Red, throwing it parallel to the bank at 8-10’ of water on rocky points near spawning pockets, slowly dragging it across the hard bottom.

Jon – Caught fish on square-bill early but jig was the bait of the day.

Any advice for anglers new to tournament kayak fishing?

Declan – My advice would be to get out on the water as much as you can, nothing beats time on the water when it comes to learning, get used to taking pictures with fish on the board and getting them in your boat.

David – Time on the water is the most important aspect of tournament fishing, followed by understanding seasonal patterns and movements and learning how to read a topo map. Get out there and fish, take notes of time of the year and locations where fish were being caught, baits, as well as weather conditions at the time. Locating fish during tournament hours gets a little easier once we understand seasonal patterns paired with experience by way of time on the water.

Jon – Fishing is just like anything else, practice and challenge yourself to try new techniques. Most of all have fun.

Next NSKA Event

Back to Beaver Lake on May 4 for the Beaver Lake North NSKA tournament. Should be a great one with emphasis on the clear water.

 

NSKA

NSKA / Hobie BOS Beaver Lake Preview

The biggest kayak event of the year on Beaver Lake is coming up this weekend with the Natural State Kayak Anglers (NSKA) and Hobie Bass Open Series (BOS) holding a full lake tournament on the Dead Sea. With the spawn approaching and a warming trend this week, word is going around consistently that the lake is turning it up to 11 lately and will put out some serious fish this weekend.

One of the many non-ramp public launches on Beaver Lake. This is a good one in April.

Guaranteed: Stripers will be caught and will fool someone into thinking they hooked a giant Largemouth.

This is traditionally the time of year where the FLW tour would be in town beating up Beaver Lake and using a shakey head in the last hour to try to catch a 12″ Spot to round out a limit. FLW no longer comes, so it’s fitting that the biggest kayak event of the year in NW Arkansas will be in April. Beaver Lake has been said to be a “spot” lake, instead of a pattern lake. Patterns can be difficult to carry over from one day to another, so find a good spot and figure out how to get bit.

NSKA and Hobie BOS

There will be two concurrent events going on at the same time. Anglers can either one or both events, but there are separate entry fees. For more details on the NSKA NWA Beaver Lake event, visit the event page on FB and register on the TourneyX page – entry is $30.  For information on the Hobie BOS event, visit their iTournament Angler page – entry is $100.

A 21″ Beaver Lake Largemouth Bass. There are some big bass to be had if you can find them.

 

Angler Roundtable Preview

Some of the top anglers in NSKA agreed to share their insights for the upcoming event on Beaver Lake. First-timers to Beaver can find some good nuggets in here to help on the Dead Sea. Thanks to Tyler Zengerle, Cole Sikes and Roy Roberts for sharing their expertise.

This is an April tournament on Beaver Lake, what do impact do you think the spawn will have on the tournament?

Tyler – I honestly don’t think the spawn will be a huge factor at this point in time. With the inconsistent water temperatures I think the fish are confused and are still in that pre-spawn transition, but are making their way up shallow. The fish I’ve caught recently haven’t shown significant signs of spawning. I think the spawn will be soon, but not until after Saturday.

Cole – This is a great time of year to fish Beaver, there should be fish in all stages of the spawn however I believe the bulk of fish are still pre-spawn or will be spawning. Keep your eyes peeled and you might be able to catch a kicker or two spawning!

Roy – There should be fish in all stages of the spawn. The weather has been inconsistent but we do have a full moon approaching. The stained and shallow river arms of the lake are going to be the farthest along in the spawn with warmer water temps. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some post spawn patterns coming into play there. Farther north you are more likely to come across fish that you can sight fish for or even catch on transition banks in a pre-spawn pattern. Figuring out your chosen area and what the fish are doing that day will be key. It is changing everyday.

2019 has been a tough one on Beaver Lake in the boat and kayak tournaments, is the lake turning on or will it be a grind? 

Tyler – The lake is turning on for sure. The last few times I went to Beaver, I’ve caught more than a limit, which is pretty unusual for the “Dead Sea”. I’m sure with the bipolar weather, some days are better than others, but fish are being caught in good quantities.

Cole – It’s definitely starting to turn on with the fish moving up to spawn. I expect majority of the field will catch a limit but it’s about finding those quality fish 15 inches and bigger.

Roy – Numbers wise there have been lots of fish caught lately. There have been some 20+ Lb. bags brought in to some bass boat tournaments. I think we will see a high percentage of anglers turn in a limit and should see several big fish. Getting quality 15”-18” fish will be important. I wouldn’t rule out a big stringer of Smallmouth coming from the clear water.

With this being a Hobie BOS satellite we’ll have some out of towners visiting Beaver Lake, any friendly advice?

Tyler – Beaver Lake is tough and it can really be a grind to get a limit. The good thing about Beaver is that it is different in all parts of the lake. Choose your strength whether it’s rock, timber, sand, or ledges, and fish that area with your confidence bait. Don’t leave fish to find fish because with this lake, you’ll never know when your next bite will be. With nice weather approaching, beware of the glitter-rockets. They are abundant!

Cole – Beaver lake is a very diverse fishery, you can pick areas that fit your style of fishing. Typically people break the lake up into three sections and they all fish different. If you fish by the dam expect to see crystal clear water and the ability to catch some big Smallmouth and spotted bass. Also, in my opinion some of the biggest Largemouth live down on that part of the lake as well. The mid section of the lake is also typically clear as well but in the back of some of the creek arms the water will have some stain. There is a high population of fish in this section of the lake and expect to start seeing fish on beds. Lastly, the upper end of the lake in the river arms will typically have the most stained water of the lake. This part of the lake will typically catch Largemouth and spotted bass.

Roy – Don’t bank on a pattern you found pre-fishing or on past trips. This lake always fishes different so pay attention to the conditions and make adjustments. Don’t be afraid to load up and make a move. That decision got me a win at our last Beaver tournament.

What do you see as the winning limit total and big bass?

Tyler –  I think there will be some decent limits caught and someone will find some big ones. I’m saying winner will be 88.75” and big bass will be 22″.

Cole – My guess would be around 86” for total and big bass of 21”. There will be quite a bit of pressure on the lake with nice weather bringing out the weekend fisherman and also a big bass boat tournament going on. If we had the lake to ourselves I would expect close to 90″ would win.

Roy – 21.75” for BB and 90.25” for the win. It will take 80+” to be in the top 10.

What’s your personal best out of a kayak on Beaver Lake?

Tyler – My Beaver Lake PB was from a tournament on April 15, 2017, almost exactly two years ago. It was 21.50”.

Cole – My personal best from a kayak is 19.5”. Hoping to break the 20” mark this tournament!

Roy – My PB in a kayak on Beaver is 18.5″. I hope I can set a new one Saturday!

 

NSKA

NSKA/RVKA Lake Fort Smith Recap – Dead Sea, Mountain Edition

Lake Fort Smith really is a beautiful place, lush mountains surrounding water with all types of rock and wood cover…if only the fish would cooperate. Once again Lake Fort Smith lived up to its reputation of being notoriously stingy to kayak anglers on tournament days. The pre-tournament predictions from anglers were so cute and optimistic, with some predicting more than 80” to win and saying that a lot of fish would be caught. Once again, the lake had the last laugh.

Anglers from NSKA and RVKA getting ready for launch at Lake Fort Smith.

History said it would be a tough day. Back in 2016, only 14% (10) of the field turned in a limit and 61% (45) submitted a keeper. In 2018 only 22% (14) turned in a limit and 77% (49) carded at least one keeper. For this year’s early-season visit to Lake Fort Smith, there were zero limits submitted and a paltry 55% (37) of anglers turned in a keeper. A group of 67 anglers caught a total of 68 fish.

Tournament Results

Cole Sikes took first place four keepers totaling 58.50”, with David Byrd second with 46.25” and John Evans third with 43.75”. Craig Wood caught a 22” tank to take the Big Bass prize.

 The top ten anglers were:

  1. Cole Sikes
  2. David Byrd
  3. John Evans
  4. Lloyd Mize
  5. Craig Wood
  6. Josh King
  7. Jacob Hudson
  8. Chris Jones
  9. Erik Sanchez
  10. Thor Rooks

The top anglers of the day from Lake Fort Smith.

Angler Recaps

Top finishers Cole Sikes, David Byrd and John Evans talk about how they did it and keys to kayak fishing:

How do you generally approach Lake Fort Smith, or, what were you thinking about before the tournament?

Cole – My game plan doesn’t change much from one body of water to another. I typically try and put the odds in my favor and fish high percentage spots. This may mean you’re spending more time bouncing around but you’re skipping water that is most likely dead.

 David – It was the first time I was ever on Lake Ft. Smith. So, I had planned on just fishing any points I came across. Mainly finesse fishing to put together a 5 fish limit.

 John – I try to find out what the lake conditions are like and revisit it on Google maps. Also will check the weather forecast to see how many layers I’ll need to wear to keep warm.

How did you catch your fish and what on?

Cole – I caught all my fish on a 1/2 ounce wobble-head jig paired with a small crawdad trailer. Every fish I caught was between 5 to 12 feet.

David – I caught  mine out in 10-12 foot of water. Used my Lowrance to locate brush on the bottom and dragged a KVD deep diving crank bait in a red craw pattern. It was my first time ever on Lake Ft. Smith. Only had 4 bites all day.

John – My go-to is a finesse rig, straight tail worms and craws.

What is the biggest challenge in kayak fishing tournaments?

Cole – The biggest challenge in fishing kayak tournaments is that it’s difficult to change game plans mid tournament. You’re typically committing to a plan prior to the tournament starting and once you’re out there it can be difficult to change. I fish bass boat tournaments as well and there has been times when I’ll be fishing dirty water in the river and if I’m struggling midday I may run up to clear water and really change things up. This can be done while kayak fishing tournaments however it takes more time to change locations.

David – The biggest challenge for kayak fishing is your limited to how much water you can cover if you make the wrong choice on starting locations.

John – For me it is the travel. Gauging the travel time and how early I’m leaving the house, having the truck packed with what I need…can’t forget the kitchen sink!

Does your strategy change at all when you know the bite is super tough?

Cole – Overall my strategy stays about the same, like I mentioned above, I like to hit high percentage spots but for this tournament I did scale my jig down from a normal football jig to a wobble-head which is a much smaller profile since I knew the bite would be tough.

David – The best strategy for a super tough bite is to slow down and watch those electronics. This helps you find the fish further off the bank that most people are not even fishing for. Most people are beating the banks and never look away from the shoreline.

John – I’m constantly changing up baits to see what will entice those tight lipped bass! That’s why the bottom of the kayak looks like a war zone of tried and failed baits.

Next Up

The next tournament for NWA NSKA is at Beaver Lake on April 20th.

NSKA

NSKA Beaver Lake South – Tournament Recap

Sixty-three kayak anglers took to the water among frigid temperatures in the first event of the 2019 season for the Natural State Kayak Anglers. The Dead Sea is a pretty tough body of water to fish out of a kayak, but when you’ve had a few days of freezing temperatures and dirty water conditions, it can set up for an exceptionally challenging day of fishing.

NSKA Beaver Lake South Results

Many were predicting a slugfest on Beaver Lake for the opener based on some of the big numbers from last year. Although water temps were relatively similar year over year, this year the weather had been quite a bit different in the lead up to the tournament and the water was much more stained. The warming trend preceding the tournament in 2018 helped a strong 41% to turn in a limit, while this year the hard cold front allowed only 21% to card five keepers. The difficult day is best illustrated by whopping 51% of the field catching one or zero keepers this year, compared to 30% in 2018.  So, who did overcome the tough conditions to find fish?

Chris Needham's 19.75" Largemouth took Big Bass in the NSKA Beaver Lake South tournament.
Chris Needham’s 19.75″ Largemouth took Big Bass in the NSKA Beaver Lake South tournament.

Roy Roberts took first place with 70″, followed by Declan McDonald with 68.75″ and Cody Skelton in third with 68.50″. Big Bass was won by Chris Needham with a 19.75″ Beaver Lake fatty. The top ten is below and full standings are available on TourneyX.

The top ten finishers:

  1.  Roy Roberts
  2.  Declan McDonald
  3.  Cody Skelton
  4.  Billy Bowden
  5.  Andrew Newsome
  6.  Carson McBride
  7.  Jonathan Brewer
  8.  Christa Hibbs
  9.  Jason Kincy
  10.  Jason Adams
Top Angler Recaps

The top three anglers share how they caught them and how it went down on Beaver Lake.

Roy Roberts, Declan McDonald and Cody Skelton take 1st, 2nd and 3rd for NSKA Beaver Lake South.

What part of Beaver Lake did you go to and why?

Roy – I chose to fish in the War Eagle arm. I didn’t get a chance to practice so I made my decision based on my knowledge of the area and hoping to be less pressured from the Team Trail tournament going on. Water temperatures were in the 44-45 degree range, with pretty stained water, maybe 1 foot visibility.

Declan – I went to Beaver Shores mostly because I have a lot of confidence in the spot, but I also like the chunk rock and docks.

Cody – I went to Horseshoe Bend only because I rode with Lloyd Mize because I have never been on Beaver Lake a day in my life. I was going to put in and head to the marina but when we got there the gate was closed, so we headed to the next ramp there.

How did the hard cold front affect your strategy or how did you expect the fish to react?

Roy – I knew with the weather patterns and water conditions it was going to be a grind to get bites. I am more comfortable fishing clear water, but that wasn’t an option with the boundaries. I had a plan to mix it up using winter patterns and looking for staging/transition areas that would be holding groups of fish. My confidence baits under these conditions were to use a deep diving jerkbait with long pauses, slow roll an A-Rig in deep water, or use a stop and go retrieve with a Wiggle Wart on rocky banks.

Declan – The cold front really didn’t change my strategy, I just knew I needed to slow it down a bit more. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get bit on a moving bait so I went into the day fishing on the bottom and got bites so I stuck to it.

Cody – Changing ramps and with all of the big boats running around changed what I was going to do. So I just started fishing and I looked across the lake and saw a bluff wall and with the front moving in and 42 degree water I figured that was a good place to head.

How did you catch your fish? Any specific baits or method?

Roy – I fished the techniques mentioned above along with mixing in a jig, shaky head, and Ned rig for most of the day. I caught my first bass at around 1:15 on the Ned rig on some shallow rocks. At first I was just glad to get the skunk out of the boat. I got 4 more bites and landed 3 of them in the next few minutes to put me at 4 fish. I was surprised how shallow these fish were and I suspect they just pulled up for a minute to feed. As I was measuring my 4th fish, a 16” Kentucky, a boat came through my area and the wake muddied the shoreline. This shut the bite off and I started seeing fish suspended in deeper water on my graph. I let the area settle down for about 30 minutes and wound up being able to catch two more keepers to finish my day.

Declan –  I caught my fish using a Ned rig, I love the Ned rig this time of year. I went pre-fishing last Sunday and only caught two. So going into tournament day I was a little bit nervous. My first fish came in between two docks and that outlined the rest of my day. In fact, three of my keepers came in that same spot. I was keeping my bait close to the bottom and slowly dragging it while giving it small pops.

Cody – When I got there I started throwing a drop shot knowing it was going to be a grind. I fished slower than I ever have in my life. I fished seven hours of the day on a three hundred yard stretch. Every fish I caught was on a Strike King KVD perfect plastic green pumpkin drop shot .

Not knowing the leaderboard status, how did you feel about your limit heading to weigh in?

Roy – I knew from the other anglers I had talked to on the water it was a really tough day. I figured limits would be hard to come by, but I was not expecting to be in the top 5 when the dust settled. I was excited to keep my limit streak in NSKA tournaments alive and to have a decent finish to start the AOY race. The scoreboard being off is a game changer. I didn’t realize how much it effected the way I fished and my effort towards the end of the day. I think I would do my best to ignore the leaderboard in the future even if it was turned on. I also would like to thank my wife for putting up with my fishing obsession!

Declan – With the shut off leader board I thought I would be lucky to be top ten. It was definitely less stressful. Although I think if I saw what place I was in I would have fished harder to get upgrades, but I definitely like it.

Cody – As far as the leader board being off I really liked not knowing because several times I wanted to stop and go to the truck, but not knowing keep me fishing hard until the last minute. With 68.50 inches going to weigh in I was just hoping for a top ten, never thinking it would be a third place finish.

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READ: 5 Tips for Pre-season Tourney Prep

READ: Kayak Fishing Measuring Board Showdown – Hawg Trough  vs Ketch Board vs Fish Stik

 

NSKA

2019 NSKA Tournament Schedule Announcement

The Natural State Kayak Anglers have released the upcoming kayak bass fishing tournament schedule for 2019 and it has some interesting changes from previous years which should make for an exciting season.

Here is a quick look at the scheduled events and some quick analysis from key NSKA anglers. This article covers the NSKA Northwest Arkansas schedule, watch for more coming on the Central Arkansas Schedule.

NSKA Tournament Dates and Locations

March 2,  Beaver Lake South – Cold water on the upper end of Beaver Lake will be an challenging start to the year, but past history shows there will be big fish caught along with good limits for some and zeros for many. #deadsea

March 16, Lake Fort Smith – Next stop is a joint tournament event with the River Valley Kayak Anglers on this mysterious mountain lake. Pulling a high limit here proves your mettle as an angler. Don’t miss the best shotgun start of the year.

Lake Fort Smith can be a riddle wrapped in a mystery. One thing is clear, the water will be milk chocolate in March.

April 20 , Beaver Lake – The full lake is in bounds at a time when the fish should be biting. Spawn will be on somewhere, and there should be lots of limits.

May 4,  Beaver Lake North – Smallmouth and Spot country for this one, but some will chase the largemouth for the win. In May this should not be the #deadsea on the bottom end and there should be a lot of fish caught.  Some good fishing to be had before the wake boats and party barges take over the lake for the summer.

June 29, Bella Vista Road Runner (Night) – A night event from 4 p.m. to midnight on the Bella Vista lakes. Should be an interesting and fun night on the water.

July 13, NWA Road Runner – Kayak anglers from NSKA terrorize the streets as they hit the road to their favorite honey hole. A road runner in July could be tough tough but the bass are always eating. Do you swing for the fences at a big fish lake or go for the guaranteed limit?

August 17, Beavertown – The traditional season-ending tournament comes a bit earlier. Clear water, bridges, trestles, river channels galore!

The bridge at Beavertown spans the White River entering Table Rock Lake.

September 14, NSKA Classic – Inaugural NSKA Classic will bring together the top 25 anglers from the season for a finale to crown a Classic champion. AOY to be crowned after the event. Location TBD.

October 5 & 6,  State Championship on Lake Ouachita – New venue for the State Championship. Plan to attend, the state event is a great turnout and this lake will be an awesome site.

Beautiful Lake Ouachita will host the State Championship in 2019.

Angler Schedule Previews

Defending NSKA Angler of the Year Cole Sikes, Tournament Director Jeff Malott, and 2018 Rookie of the Year Kyle Long shared their quick thoughts on the schedule and the upcoming schedule and new season.

Looking at the schedule, which event are you most interested in or excited for and why? 

Cole – I’m most interested in the Bella Vista Road Runner event. For me personally, I have never fished any of the lakes and excited about the opportunity to learn new bodies of water. From a tournament standpoint, I think it will be interesting seeing how each lake fishes differently with them being close in proximity to each other.

Jeff – Lake Ft Smith strangely enough. In four years I’ve carded a total of three fish there I believe, and while I hate the lake I invite the challenge of finally figuring something out.

Kyle – The first one.  March 2nd.  Beaver Lake South.  Once that first one happens I know that the season has begun and it’s time to get serious.  I had so much fun in 2018, it being my first year and all, that I can’t wait for 2019 to get going.  Also Bella Vista.  I’ve never been to any of those lakes so just fishing new water is always fun and exciting.

The event you expect the largest limit to come from is which one? And the smallest?

Cole – The largest limit will come during the Road Runner event at one of the small local lakes. The smallest limit will be either Beavertown or Lake Fort Smith.

Jeff – The largest limit will be from the NWA Road Runner most likely, the angler that picks right could bust 100. Smallest I will guess Beaver Town although I expect solid limits from every lake on the schedule.

Kyle – I’m going to say the smallest limit comes from Beaver Town.  With it being a month earlier than last year, I’d bet if someone gets 75” they’ll have a really good chance.  Largest limit…hard not to go with the NWA Road Runner.  Even though it’s almost in July, someone will know where to find some big ones.  I’m going to say it’ll take really high 80s at least to win that one…probably low 90s.

What’s the key to a successful AOY run for the year?

Cole – The key to a successful AOY run is to never give up and keep fishing. I had many late afternoon flurries and culls in the 2018 season where I almost loaded the boat up early but stuck it out and kept grinding.

Jeff – Consistency not only in how you finish but how you manage your schedule. Being able to prefish and make enough events to cull a bad finish or two is huge.

Kyle – When it’s tough, grinding out a limit, no matter how small it might be, could be the difference in a 12th place finish and a 24th place finish.  I looked back at last year’s first tournament and the difference between 15thth and 33rd was one 10” fish.  That’s 18 AOY points…exactly the points difference between our 2018 AOY and who finished 4th place.  One 10” fish could be enormous so grind when it’s tough.  Also, when they are biting, and everyone is catching them…you need to do your best and find a pattern and try to limit how much unproductive water you fish.  Don’t get lulled into just going down the bank.  Pick your spots and fish them out really well.  That said, you have to be able to adjust quickly if the pattern changes.

Best tip for new tournament anglers?

Cole – The best tip I can give a new tournament angler is learning to know when and how to ask your spouse for permission to go fishing. If you can’t fish you can’t win! Jokes aside, the best tip I can give is just to have fun and ask questions. The kayak community is very open and eager to help out new anglers.

Jeff – Show up and ask questions. This sport is full of people that enjoy helping and are very willing to share what they know.

Kyle – One, learn your boat and how you like it set up.  Get a routine established on how you load it, what you take, etc. so everything is always where you want it to be.  This comes with time on the water and everyone’s boats are set up differently.  Two, get used to the Hawg Trough and taking pictures of fish.  Practice on every fish you catch even when you are just out in a non-tournament setting.  It’ll save you some heartache.  Three, learn from the other guys when you’re just out having fun and don’t be hard-headed.  Learn new techniques every chance you get by watching other guy’s fish and listening to what they say when you are having conversations.  Lastly, you don’t need to spend $300 per setup to compete and have fun.  If you want to, go for it.  I got 7th in AOY last year and most of my stuff comes from Wal-Mart.  Practice, take good notes, listen and learn from other guys, pay attention to fish behavior based on different weather and water temps and really try to learn what fish are doing, why they are doing it, where they want to be, when and why they want to be there and what do you need to do to catch them.

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