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.
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!
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.
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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