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NSKA

NSKA NWA Road Runner Recap / Roundtable / Heavy Hitters

The first tournament of 2021 had some familiar and some new names in the top 10 as anglers to the road, seeking out the best water they could for this event. Shogun (thanks!) was the sponsor of the Road Runner and the radius for the event was 50 miles from the Shogun restaurant in Fayetteville.

A warming trend during the week were capped off by a serious round of thunderstorms and heavy rain in the northern part of the radius on Friday night. This made for some tough decisions on where to go. Because of the storms and rain, el presidente Taylor Frizzell wisely moved the start back an hour that morning.

Road Runner Results

With the event coming early in the season combined with rainy and stormy weather, participation was a respectable 73 anglers. Overall, 35 of 73 (48%) anglers turned in a limit, while 63 of 73 (86%) turned in at least one bass. This is on par with the last two Road Runners held in March, and in fact a bit up from last year.

Once again, one lake showed up as usual in the Road Runner. Siloam City Lake produced the win again. In five of the last six NWA Road Runners, Siloam City Lake has been the winning lake – 2018, 2019, 2020 (2nd RR) and 2021. Additionally, in these same six events Siloam City Lake has put NINE anglers in the top four spots.

Sam McClish’s 20.25″ bass looks like its downed some beer and wings right before this pic. It won Sam a NSKA 20+ sticker. Dwain Batey and Cole Sikes got’em too!

Event favorite, Dwain Batey, took first place with 93.25″ and Big Bass of 21.5″ to take home some good $$. Sam McClish took 2nd place with a strong 86.50″ while Carson McBride jumped back into things with 86.25″ for third place. The rest of the Top 10 were Michael Burgess, Roy Roberts, Ian Howard, Heath Berner, Cole Sikes, Justin Wright and Michael Sandlin. See the full results on the TourneyX tournament page.

My day was a disaster, marked by poor site selection followed by poor judgment and poor execution. If you haven’t seen the video of the debacle, check it out on YouTube.

Angler Recaps

Good news for those of us who didn’t do as well, the top four anglers sat down to share their secrets for finishing in the money! Kayak anglers are a different breed and one of the awesome things about our club is the willingness to share and help others. Here’s what Dwain, Sam, Carson and Michael had to say:

1. Where did you go and why?

Dwain – I chose Siloam Springs City lake, there were a lot of good options within the radius, but having just came from fishing the Hobie event in Broken Bow I didn’t have much time to pre-fish, so picking some random place especially this time of year didn’t feel right. I was able to fish a couple hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and just checked a few baits. As soon as I would catch a fish I’d put that bait up and switch to something else. I got bit on 3 baits in practice.

Sam – I pre-fished 3 other lakes the last couple weeks, but with the shad kill I was skunked each outing. I went to Lake Atalanta for a couple hours the weekend before the tournament and caught a few 14s on a jig and chatterbait.

Carson – I went to Lake Sequoyah, I have a lot of time on the water there and feel very confident during a road runner style event.

Michael – I started off at Mills Creek on Table Rock. My research for spring time screamed this would be a good cove to fish and catch some big girls. It had a channel creek running into it. Deep banks and a feeder creek.

2. Did the big rain the night before affect your fishing area?

Dwain – Yes, but in a positive way. This time of year City Lake gets a lot of floating slime that really hampers fishing with moving baits. Well Tuesday pre-fishing it wasn’t that bad, and I caught a few fish on a crankbait, but the very next day it was so bad I couldn’t throw a crankbait at all. So the rain actually pushed some of that stuff on through with the current and let me actually fish a crankbait during the event.

Sam – With the rain I had planned for it to really help push the fish to the banks, I was wrong. I paddled around trying to figure out my next move and kept graphing fish in the 25-30ft range on steep drops.

Carson – The big rain the night before majorly affected the whole lake, with the white rivers running into it, the lake progressively got muddier throughout the day, so I tried to stay away from the mud line by fishing the very north end of the lake all day.

3. General approach that worked for you, techniques, etc,?

Dwain – I started out by demoralizing Kyle and Cole by catching 4 fish in the first 16 minutes within sight of them throwing the new Skirmish Baits AIM7 jerkbait in my Batey Shad color. You have to set the tone for the day, you know? In all seriousness, I couldn’t believe those fish were in that spot, much less eating the jerk bait on command, but it really did help me mentally the rest of the day to pull up and look like I knew they’d be there. Then that stopped working, and I didn’t catch the 5th fish for a while, finally figuring out what I mentioned above that the slime wasn’t as heavy and I could throw my crankbait. Well I caught one pretty quickly on that for my limit fish. I culled all of those early fish starting with a 17” on a ned rig at 10:33 am, and then one about every half hour up to an hour, to cull to my final total at 1:06 pm. The last 4 culls were all on the flat sided crankbait, wasn’t one of mine, didn’t even have custom paint on it. The fish were off the edges of spawning flats feeding up as they waited on “go time” which isn’t far off if these warm temperatures hold up at least for these smaller lakes anyway.

Sam – The only option I had at that point battling the crosswind was to tie on an A-Rig.

Carson – I threw a jig all day long around lay downs and rock and that is what I threw all day long basically, never even had a ned rig tied on.

Michael – After 5 hours and only 1 good fish to show for it that creek wasn’t producing for me. When I arrived at my 2nd location the rain pretty much blew out every spot I fished the week before. I found a bank wall with the same setup and started to throw a jig. My 3rd cast and I got bumped, was the only thing I needed to know I was in the right area and throwing the right color. I also caught them early on a jerkbait and on a craw colored crankbait.

4. What was your key fish and anything special about the catch?

Dwain – After my jerk bait bite stopped working, I picked up the ned and caught a17” fish that was in my final bag, but that didn’t produce anything else, and I had just stopped running that down a full bank to give it a legitimate shot to work, and when I pulled off that bank I picked up the flat sided crankbait and hurled it out in a slightly deeper spot where fish have been known to stage and caught the 21.50″ which gave me confidence to keep throwing that flat side. From there I caught one almost an hour later that was a good cull, then about 30 minutes later again with a good cull, then another hour and my final cull all on that same flat sided bait. The main key was just believing that they’d show up as the day went on, and having the confidence to wait them out.

Carson – I had 2 key fish actually, very late in the day I decided to do something big, I have a spot I can go to and normally feel good about catching a good one or two but wasn’t confident because of the rain, I said screw it and made the move anyways, that’s where I caught a 19.75″ and a 17.75″ in the last hour of the whole thing, bumped me from 74 inches to 86.25″ total.

Sam – I’d like to say my key fish was catching my 20.25″ but it had to be the first fish I caught that was a 16” it helped confirm (1) Those were definitely bass at 30ft and (2) they were hungry. That bite was hot from 10:15 ’till about 12:30. I caught about 11 fish in that timeframe doing that. I didn’t get a single bite before then or after that.

Michael – Highlights of my day was watching a coyote swim across the cove chasing a deer and getting checked by the game warden for the first time ever.

Dwain Batey’s Big Bass, I like how the top fins are at full attention!

Heavy Hitters Update

Well, I’m off to a bad start on this one. Need to get a good fish in the Road Runner to get things going. Here are the current standings, with Cole and Brian and Jason off to a great start! Who will be crowned this year’s Heavy Hitter? Still time to enter since you have 7 events left and only need best 5, check out the rules and how to sign up.

Next Up – MLF on Beaver Lake

How many “Beaver Lake Specials” can you catch? Those 12-inchers can win this one for you if there are enough of them. Get ready and see you on the water.

NSKA

2021 Heavy Hitters Pool – Roster and Rules

Welcome to the 2021 NSKA Heavy Hitters – a tournament season long Big Bass showdown combining your best five bass from the 2021 NSKA NWA tournament season.

GET SIGNED UP NOW – Only takes a few moments with Paypal.

Get ready to catch some of these in 2021!

Heard a story about someone who didn’t enter last year who might have won…but I didn’t do the math. hehe Don’t be that angler, get signed up!

How to join the Roster of Competitors to WIN Bragging Rights and $$

  1. Enter the Heavy Hitter competition by sending your entry of $10 to commissioner Roy Roberts. The sooner you enter, the sooner you can start counting your big fish. Visit the Heavy Hitters PayPal pool site to register and pay your entry. Sign up at any point in the season, but you MUST sign up before counting a bass from an NSKA NWA event. Don’t miss out on the Roadrunner, which always has some tanks caught.
  2. Your name goes on the Roster of competitors below once registered. Results and rankings will be kept and displayed on Kayakfishingfocus.com all season long.
  3. Compete in NSKA NWA regular season AOY events and catch some big bass. Your biggest fish from each regular season event can count toward your limit. There are EIGHT eligible events and you take the best fish from five of them to create your largest limit.
  4. Winner takes all the $$, the glory and the title of NSKA NWA Heavy Hitter Champion.

2021 NWA NSKA Heavy Hitters

Roy Roberts

Cole Sikes

Jason Kincy

Terril Lawton

Ryan Paskiewicz

Jonathan Swann

Josh Howard

Nathan Henthorn

Vince Minnick

Chris Needham

Josh Meyers

James Haberle

Jeriamy Vann

Taylor Frizzell

Jason Coleman

Brian Lookadoo

Baron Meek

Trevor Snider

Kyle Long

Devon Esry

Danny Dutton

Uncategorized

New Tackle? I Forgot What I Ordered! – Video

When the winter storm hit I spent some time shopping for tackle online. Two weeks later when the box arrived, I had completely forgotten what I ordered! So, thought it might be fun to open it up on camera and talk about whatever pre-spawn baits were in the box. Check it out!

Video

Beaver Lake Kayak Fishing Recap – Video

This is a recap of how I caught my keepers in the end of season NSKA NWA Classic in September. See every bait and hear how they were used to catch some bass on Beaver Lake in September.

Video

Kayak Fishing on Lake Fork – Video

Kayak Fishing on Lake Fork is some of the most fun I’ve had on the water. It can be an intimidating place until you get used to it and get your bearings. There are many options for kayak anglers to launch from and to get almost anywhere you want on the lake. This video is from 2017 when I was there for the Tournament of Champions in November. In all, I’ve been kayak fishing on Lake Fork for five tournaments, with my best finish as 6th in the Hobie BOS Lake Fork in 2019.

HEY! If you like reading this blog, go subscribe to my YouTube Channel! I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

Hope you enjoy the video!

Check out more content by visiting the Kayak Fishing Focus main site.

Kayak fishing on Lake Fork in Texas! kayakfishingfocus.com
Catching bass at Lake Fork in Texas! Source: kayakfishingfocus.com

NSKA

2021 NSKA NWA Schedule Preview and Pre-Season Top 25

It’s about one month out from the season opener for Natural State Kayak Anglers in NW Arkansas. The schedule-makers this year put together an interesting run of tournaments which should provide something for everyone – whether you are just having fun or are trying to win.

What can we expect from the coming schedule? What are anglers saying? Going into the season who is in the top 25 angler list for NWA? Read on and find out!

2021 Schedule Breakdown

This will be my sixth season fishing events in NWA and I think this is the best and most diverse schedule yet. The board did some surveying of anglers after last year and took their feedback to craft this gauntlet of events that will be fun, but will also ensure the Angler Of the Year will have earned it!

NWA Road Runner – March 13

Don’t miss out on the Road Runner.

Road Runners are always a wildcard, this time of year finding the right spot within the 50-mile radius may mean more than how good an angler is at catching fish. With the freezing weather in February it will be interesting to see where things stand on tournament day. Historically the first event gets some big totals, someone will catch ’em but it could be tough for a lot of folks. Don’t over think this one, go somewhere you feel most confident and see what happens. Last year this was won on Oklahoma water, will it happen again? Shout out to Shogun for sponsoring this event!

MLF Beaver Lake – April 10

Very excited to take on an MLF event where everyone is on same water – Beaver Lake. The Dead Sea is no longer dead in recent years, it should be rocking in April and over a zillion bass may be caught on this day. For those who don’t know, an MLF event means you catch as many keepers as possible, not just your best five. Just keep catching and submitting fish. It’s going to be fascinating to see if shallow largemouth or deeper smallmouth will be the key to this one. (Don’t forget those feisty spotted bass!) Size doesn’t matter as much in this one, everybody has a chance if they can generate enough bites. This is the one event this year that there will be a 11″ minimum. Thanks Wasabi of Fayetteville for sponsoring this one!

Table Rock Lake – May 8

This is a new one, an event on Table Rock Lake, considered a much better fishery than Beaver. Anglers will be able to choose from the Beavertown area all the way down covering a good portion of Table Rock. Having an ‘away’ tournament like this should really help even the playing field and as someone who loves to fish new places, I’m really looking forward to this one. Table Rock is known for a great fish population, there should be LOTS of limits turned in. Custom Tees and Graphics is sponsoring this one, thank you!

Beaver Lake South – May 22

Back to Beaver for this late-may slugfest. Bass should be in spawn or post-spawn mode all over the lake so there will be plenty of fish caught. This section of the lake is the most diverse, with skinny water fishing in the War Eagle or White River areas all the way down to the deeper and usually clearer water of Horseshoe to Beaver Shores. In this event you should literally be able to catch bass with almost any technique you prefer. Thank you to Ozark Kayak for their support of this event!

Don’t touch the tail this year, body groping only. That red Ketch board looks hot!

Pumpback – June 5

If you have never caught a smallmouth, especially a giant smallmouth, this is the tournament to enter. Pumpback is a really interesting place and holds a lot of fish and some BIG smallies. Don’t sleep on the largemouth though, there are some real tanks in this lake. It was really cool, yet bizarre, to have this lake drop several feet in a couple of hours during the tournament last year. We may see some Oklahoma Kayak Anglers entering this one, it should be a lot of fun! Ginger Rice and Noodle Bar is the presenting sponsor of this one.

North Beaver Lake – June 26

Ah, my jet-ski and wakeboat friends…we meet again. Beaver Lake will be party central by late June and the fishing is going to start to get tougher. This time we’re up North in the big water. Unlike the South end, there are almost unlimited places to put in and fish, giving everyone plenty of room and options. Smallmouth may be a factor down by the dam, or you might chase bigger largemouth in Prairie Creek. Turn in a limit and you’ve had a good day. A big kicker will be needed though to be in the money.

Nice jet-ski bro. Thanks for showing it to me fifty times.

River Road Runner – July 17

A River Road Runner is back on the schedule for the first time since 2017, and immediately controversy began. What’s a river? What’s not a river? Is this drainage pipe a river? That’s not a river, it’s a lake! And so is that one! To clean up the debates, boundaries have been set for sections of the White River between Twin Bridges to Blue Springs, White River from Beaver Dam to the Beaver Bridge, Elk River from Pineville to Mt Shira, and the Illinois from some random place I can’t identify on the map to Siloam Springs. July is a great time for a river event, glad to see it back on the schedule.

Beaver Lake – August 14

Beaver Lake in August is the crucible that tests an angler’s patience, spins some out, and can break your confidence in two. And I LOVE it! Going on the Dead Sea in the dog days of summer and catching a limit is a rewarding achievement. And our friends the jet-skiers and wake boarders? Yes, they will be there as well. Will anglers find their winning bag dirt-deep in the rivers, or in the cooler blue waters near the dam? This one will be key for those on the edge of making the NSKA Classic 25 angler field.

End of Season Classic

The 25 anglers who finish highest in the AOY will get to compete in this end of year, two day Championship event. Making the Classic is an achievement in itself and culminates a successful season. This season the Classic is going to be amazing! One day on the wild waters of Lake Fort Smith (a.k.a. – Snake Fort Smith) and one day up by the Missouri line around Holiday Island. If you win this one, you’ve done something! We are also hearing there may be more rewards in store for Classic anglers this season…

Wild and mysterious Lake Fort Smith is back this year for the Classic!

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Season Preview Angler Roundtable

We asked veteran NSKA NWA anglers Billy Bowden, Kyle Long, and Tim Hotchkin to join me in sharing some thoughts on the season and advice for new tournament anglers:

What event are you looking forward to the most and why?

Billy – I am for sure looking forward to our Table Rock event due to the fact that I’ve never fished there. From what I have heard, Table Rock fishes much better than Beaver but also sets up a lot like Beaver which is what everyone in our group is used to.

Tim – This one is a tough one for me. I am looking forward to both the MLF Event on Beaver and then the Pumpback Event in Oklahoma the most. The MLF Event on Beaver because I love the format and I think it will create some excitement. The Pumpback event because its just a unique lake and has the potential of catching some trophy sized Smallmouth like John Wofford caught last year.

Kyle – Usually I’m always looking forward to the first event because I’m so anxious to get going, but this year I think I’ve thought more about the MLF than any other event. Where can I go on Beaver and catch 40 fish? Also Pumpback again just because…tank smallies.

Jason – The River Road Runner, because it is going to be the most unpredictable one due to the different options. The flowing rivers of the Elk and Illinois versus the lesser current sections of the White River offer good contrasts. No matter where I wind up, it will be water I’m not as familiar with, which is always fun to explore somewhere new.

Best advice for someone new to tournaments?

Billy – Best advice for new anglers…Make sure your fish is legal before submitting it to TourneyX and make sure the place you plan on launching from is public and accessible according to the rules. Navionics and Google maps sometimes run right into people’s back yards so watch for that.

Tim – Take your time reviewing the rules and if you have questions reach out to someone for clarification. Also, while on the water take your time and not get into a rush while taking pictures. Make sure and ask plenty of questions, everyone was new at one point. Also don’t get upset if you get a fish DQ’d or a deduction. It has happened to all of us when we are learning how to submit correct photos. Anyone that is new is welcome to reach out to me directly if they have questions. If I don’t know the answer I can probably help point them in the right direction.

Tim in the hot tub in Gentry.

Kyle – Best advice is watch some tournament videos (Shameless plug: Kyle Long Fishing) and just familiarize yourself with everything that doesn’t have to do with actually the catching of the fish. Fishing is fishing. Kayak fishing is just fishing but from a kayak. Learning the rules, how to measure a fish, how to photo, TourneyX…that’s the part that every newcomer needs to get familiar with and practice. Also have a good organization system that fits what you do and what you like.

Jason – If you are new to tournaments overall or kayak tournaments, most importantly just go have a good time. Tournaments make you better, but they are supposed to be fun. You don’t have to win to meet personal goals. Don’t get frustrated if you lose a fish off the board or mess up a photo submission. We’ve ALL done it and it’s a part of the sport. Finally, ask questions of others – kayak anglers are friendly and willing to help out!

Do you have a personal goal for the season?

Billy – Personal goal for this season is to win an event. I feel I’ve been so close for a while now. Just looking forward to getting it done!

Tim – Just to fish all of the NSKA NWA Events. The last couple of years have been really difficult for me to fish and now that things are somewhat settling down I am really looking forward to fishing with everyone more. My stretch goal is to do well enough to finish in the Top 10 for AOY, but I know that will be incredibly difficult with the quality of anglers we have in this club.

Kyle – I’d love to break PB’s, love to win ’em all, love to make a ton of money…but I guess if I had to narrow it down, my goal is this…at the end of each tournament, I wanna feel like I have a chance to place/win with what I have in my bag regardless of what anyone else has. If I don’t then I don’t but I wanna know my bag has a legit shot when 3:00 hits. If someone else wins then hats off for beating me…but you had to earn it.

Jason – Really want to improve in a couple of type of events. I always stink early in the year, so want to do better in the pre-spawn timeframe. The MLF-style events have been disasters for me with a total of eight fish in two tournaments. Really am hoping to improve upon that one in particular!

Pre-Season NSKA NWA Top 25 Anglers

This list means nothing and is done just for fun! It really means nothing once it is lines in for the first tournament – the fish will do the talking then. Until then, thought it would be fun (and controversial) to list out a pre-season Top 25 for NSKA NWA.

This is NOT the Angler of the Year ranking and will not be a recurring list. Every year new anglers jump in and win events and do very well. For this list I took the 2020 regular season finish, Classic finish and State Tournament finish averages. Then I did a bit of nudging up and down in a few places to get the list right. It’s not perfect.

But as of today…this is the list.

RankAngler
1Dwain Batey
2Justin Brewer
3Ryan Paskiewicz
4Cole Sikes
5Roy Roberts
6Jason Kincy
7Kyle Long
8Tyler Zengerle
9Chris Needham
10Jeriamy Vann
11Devon Esry
12Michael Burgess
13James Shumate
14Jason Coleman
15Justin Phillips
16Jeff Malott
17Andrew Newsom
18Billy Bowden
19Josh Howard
20Craig Wood
21Danny Dutton
22Jon Swann
23Chad Warford
24Wayne Johnson
25Jason Cowell

Not on the list? Don’t worry, it’s not a real list and doesn’t matter when the first tournament starts! There are some anglers who didn’t fish much last year such as Tim Hotchkin, Bo Sarratt, Brandon Prince and Taylor Frizzell that easily could be in this list with a full season.

John and Hope Wofford are not on the list because they will be competing in NSKA Central this year (we’re going to miss you!). A few anglers such as Chris Needham, Andrew Newsom and Jason Coleman got bumped up because they couldn’t fish either the Classic or State but deserved to be ranked higher. Finally I just moved a few around based on gut feel.

Dwain deserves to be number one based on winning the State Championship, but honestly take the top five and you can put them in any order!

GLHF

It’s almost go-time! If you are a new kayak angler or an old-school yakker, hope to see you on the water and have some fun fishing with you this year. Tournaments aren’t everything, let’s get out and do some fun fishing as well! Good Luck, Have Fun!

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bass fishing

Fall Bass Fishing – Video

Fall bass fishing can be a blast, here’s a little video put together with some footage from last October. Fish were feeding up on a flat and we caught one giant and some other solid keepers.

HEY! If you like reading this blog, go subscribe to my YouTube Channel! I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

Fall bass fishing - kayakfishingfocus.com
Fall bass fishing can be some of the most fun all year! Source: kayakfishingfocus.com

Check out more content by visiting the Kayak Fishing Focus main site.

NSKA

Hammer Time – 20+ Inch Bass Historical Breakdown for NSKA NWA

What is an iconic number in kayak fishing that gets everyone’s attention? It doesn’t matter where you go, what the event is or who is fishing – catching a “Twenty” immediately is recognized as an accomplishment. It’s a clear bar of what’s seen as a “big” fish. Even more so in a live tournament setting when the pressure is on. There are times you are out on the water in a tournament and run into someone who says they heard so and so has a twenty.

It’s big news.

Cole Sikes caught this 23.50″ giant in 2017. Source: TourneyX

Catching a big bass as a kicker in a tournament to finish out your limit usually will put you in contention to place in the money – especially in NW Arkansas where giants can be elusive. (except for Swepco!) With half of the season or more on Beaver Lake, it can be particularly difficult to catch these big fish.

So how often are 20s caught in NSKA NWA tournament competition? Who catches them? What does catching a “20” means to your chances to win?

Let’s find out.

Just How Rare is a 20+ in Competition?

Honestly when I started doing some of this research along with Kyle Long, we thought it was maybe more rare than it really was. However, as I look at the data, it actually is VERY rare in the overall big picture. During the past three tournament seasons (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) there have been 8,012 keepers submitted in NSKA NWA events – yet only 72 20+ bass submitted. Out of these 8,012 keepers, here is how it breaks down year by year as a percentage:

 Total Fish# 20+Percentage
2020            2,721190.70%
2019            2,128110.52%
2018            1,635171.04%
2017            1,528251.64%
             8,012720.90%

This is pretty clear…there is less than a 1% chance that any of the bass an angler submits in live competition will be twenty inches or longer. But don’t despair or give up, it can happen for any angler and lightning can strike at any time!

One of the very few 20+ Smallies. Caught by Jon Wofford on Pumpback. Source: TourneyX.

NSKA NWA Hammers

Overall, only 38 anglers are responsible for catching the 72 20+ bass in live NSKA NWA competition. Of this group, only a handful of anglers have more than one 20+ over the past three years. Cole Sikes leads the way with the highlight of three 20+ largemouth caught on one day at Lincoln Lake. He’s followed by Rance Richardson who caught FIVE 20+ largemouth that same day at Lincoln. Wow! Overall there were nine 20+ caught that day on Lincoln lake.

Here’s a list of the anglers who caught a 20+ in live NSKA NWA competition since 2017. (Note – There are anglers who have a 20+ in previous years, before the current NSKA was formed)

Angler# 20+
Cole Sikes8
Rance Richardson7
Jason Kincy5
Dwain Batey4
John Wofford3
Justin Brewer3
Kyle Long3
Justin Phillips3
John Evans3
Bo Sarratt2
Jose Rodriguez2
Rob Barnica2
Craig Wood2
Sam McClish1
Jason Coleman1
Wayne Johnson1
Avery Metcalf1
Ryan Paskiewicz1
Chris Needham1
Michael Burgess1
Clay Johnson1
Billy Bowden1
Andrew Newsom1
Toua Khang1
Josh Goforth1
Brayden Richardson1
Bill Campbell1
Danny Dutton1
Baron Meek1
Ethan Dhuyvetter1
William Jones1
Celo Delgado1
Declan McDonald1
Nathan Henthorn1
Jerry Cornelius1
Cody Milton1
Jason Cossey1
Tyler Zengerle1
72

The largest concentration of big bass caught in live events is no doubt from Lincoln Lake, followed by next level lakes of Elmdale, Pumpback and Siloam City Lake. Beaver Lake produces some, but they are few and far between.

The Biggest and Baddest Bass

So enough about numbers, what about size? Here are the largest bass caught in live NSKA NWA competition since 2017:

LengthAnglerYear
23.5Cole Sikes2017
22.75Jason Coleman2020
22.5Kyle Long, Craig Wood, Sam McClish, Sikes2019, 2019, 2020, 2017
22.25Nathan Henthorn2017
22Justin Brewer, Rance Richardson, Jason Kincy2018, 2019, 2020

Jason Coleman’s 22.75” was an absolute monster and probably more like 23.75” or 23.5″ because he had a 1” penalty on his photo submission! Wow!

The largest official NSKA NWA bass caught in live competition is the 23.50” tank caught by Cole Sikes in 2017 at Lake Elmdale, I suspect on a jig. Ha!

Jason Coleman’s beast which should have measured more than 23″ but that mouth is a bit open… Source: TourneyX

It’s Go Time!

In 2021 get out there, have fun and fish! Any cast could net you a 20+ tank! You don’t have to only throw certain baits to catch them either, almost any technique can do it at the right place and right time. I’ve caught 20+ bass on crankbaits, topwater, chatterbaits, jigs, spoons, and soft plastics. Keep fishing and be optimistic that you can catch ‘em!

Heavy Hitters Coming Back for 2021!

If this is getting you excited about catching big bass, watch for information coming soon on the return of the NSKA NWA Heavy Hitters competition for the upcoming season. This is a live tournament cumulative big bass competition that gives you something to aim for in every tournament. There will be a $10 entry and the pot goes to the winner at the end of the season.  Details coming soon.

Tournaments

2020 Arkansas State Championship Recap – Beaver Lake

The 2020 kayak fishing schedule in Arkansas came to a close with the State Championship held on beautiful Beaver Lake in the Ozarks. As one of the most well-known lakes in the state thanks to previous FLW Tour stops, Beaver Lake was a tough test for locals and visitors alike as they tackled the two day format.

The first state-wide Championship held at Beaver Lake in the modern kayak fishing area brought together anglers from clubs around Arkansas. The two-day format required anglers to fish south (upper end) of the lake one day and north (lower end) on the other day, with the Hwy 12 bridge as the dividing line. This approach did give some NSKA NWA anglers a bit of a home field advantage since it was very similar to the end of season Classic just a few weeks earlier.

Beaver Lake is a great lake and I love it. There are times you can catch them there and there are times where it will burn you. Patterns don’t hold very well day to day, so advice to those not from here, pre-fishing needs to be more about scouting than trying to lock in a pattern. Wait until tournament morning to see what they want for sure.

State Championship Results

On day one of the tournament the lake was its usual stingy self but did allow some good limits to anglers, mostly who were in the upper ends of the rivers. Only 45% of the 51 anglers submitted a five fish limit on Saturday, with Dwain Batey turning in the largest bass with a 20″ tank. The top five after day one:

  1. Dwain Batey – 84.5″
  2. Kyle Long – 77.25″
  3. Cole Sikes – 77.25″
  4. Ryan Paskiewicz – 76.50″
  5. James Schumate – 76.00″
Dwain Batey’s day one 20″ tank from Beaver Lake helped him build day one lead. – source: TourneyX

On day two, it got even tougher as only 43% of anglers submitted a five fish limit. Colton Shumate struck lightning with a 22″ Big Bass (won for the event) which is an absolute giant on this body of water. Day two leaders were Kyle Long, Justin Brewer, Cole Sikes, Jeriamy Vann, and John Wofford.

Most of the names who were on top in day one had a good day two and the local NSKA NWA anglers took all of the top five spots and seven of the top 10 overall. Dwain Batey’s day one lead held on as he won with 160.75″ followed by Kyle Long with 158.25″ for the event.

Top ten finishers:

  1. Dwain Batey – 160.75
  2. Kyle Long – 158.25
  3. Cole Sikes – 155.5
  4. Ryan Paskiewicz – 150.50
  5. Justin Brewer – 142.75
  6. Jeff Otts – 142.25
  7. Christa Hibbs – 139.75
  8. Jeriamy Vann – 138.5
  9. Jeff Malott – 137
  10. Hope Wofford – 134.50

It’s also notable that Kyle Long finished first in the Arkansas B.A.S.S. Nation Championship, held in conjunction with the State Championship.

Angler Roundtable Recaps

The top three finishers for the State Championship spilled the info on how they did it over two days on Beaver lake. These are three of the most consistent and best anglers in NSKA NWA and really know what they are doing on this fishery.

How did you prepare for the event which took place on both ends of the lake?

Dwain – I only went to the lake one time a couple weeks before the event, and fished a couple of hours at Prairie Creek just to see if I was going to miss anything if I ran with my plan. I caught just enough to confuse myself, an 18.75” and a 15” off one dock, but I decided to ignore that and stick with my plan ultimately.

Kyle – I didn’t really have much time to pre-fish so my original plan was to fish where I did in the classic the 3 weeks before.

Cole – I didn’t prepare much for this tournament. Beaver Lake can be difficult and everyday is different. I did pre-fish a couple of hours on the north end because I wasn’t 100% sure where I was going to go. I was able to find some fish dirt shallow in the afternoon while pre-fishing and was able to catch them in the high-bright sun. It gave me confidence that I would be able to catch them early in the morning there during tournament day.

What parts of the lake did you fish and why did you choose them?

Dwain – I fished way down in the river and way up by the dam again similar to our NSKA Classic event. Basically I used this as a do-over for correcting the mistakes I made in the Classic and I was hoping that as fall progressed the things I had done there before would only get better.

Kyle – The one plan I was questioning was my south plan. So the one day I pre-fished I went all the way down to Twin Bridges. I caught like 71-72” which was ok and I didn’t blast it…but leaving there I thought I’d likely go back down the river a ways. But the morning of I decided to go back there and hope for a kicker. North I went to Indian Creek. I was pretty confident in that area.

Cole – On the south side, I chose to fish near Highway 412 bridge. We recently fished there for the NSKA Classic and it’s the area I have most confidence in. I knew I would be able to catch a limit there but wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into any quality. On the north end, I fished near point 5 because I had a pretty solid day pre-fishing up shallow. There was a little color in the water so it would fit my style of fishing better.

What was your key bait and technique on your best day and why do you think it worked?

Dwain – I fished a swim jig more recently than ever in my life, and though I’m still learning the subtleties of the technique I’m starting to figure it out and it was the key bait for me this weekend accounting for the majority of my length. I think the swim jig is a big deal late in the year because it’s so subtle and the fish have been pounded by people throwing spinnerbaits and crankbaits all season. The more success I have with a swim jig the more I want to keep figuring out when, where, and to incorporate it into my arsenal.

Kyle – Both days was Buzz Bait and Spinnerbait. I mean shad is the deal in the fall right? Down south was dirty so I wanted them to have a good target and up north the wind blew so that was pretty much textbook with the spinnerbait.

Cole – My key bait for both days was a strike king buzz bait. It accounted for around 90% of my fish during the tournament. The fish were up dirt shallow on both ends of the lake for me. Typically in the fall, bass will start feeding on shad so I just covered water with it and had it in my hand majority of the tournament.

Those from NSKA NWA dominated the top five, we haven’t seen that before. Is Beaver lake that tough for someone out of the area? If so why?

Dwain – Beaver is a crazy tough place to fish, but at the same time the area I fished for the South I’d only been to one time before this event, and the place I went to in the North I’d been to 2 times before this event. So I can’t really say that I had any advantage as far as knowing the waters I was fishing. I also caught my fish on 2 baits that I’d never thrown on Beaver successfully before so at least in my case it really didn’t help me to be local. I could have went with what I know, fishing history and areas that I know and probably finished ok, but I felt like doing something out of my comfort zone was my best shot even though if it hadn’t worked I could have been at the bottom of the leader board.

Kyle – Beaver is tough. I mean I love it but it’s still really really tough. It just seems like every day has a thing that’s working and if you aren’t doing that thing that day it can be bad. I mean you can catch fish but that quality you need is so hard to come by most days. It helps to fish it as much as we do but we don’t really have many other options.

Cole – Beaver lake can be intimidating if you have never fished it. Everything looks fishy and water can be super clear. The key is to find areas that fit your style of fishing and just cover water. Overall, Beaver Lake has a bad reputation but it is getting better every year.

You had a good day 1, how do you carry that good mentality into day 2?

Dwain – I was figuring that I needed 75” to make anyone chasing me have to really earn if they wanted to win. That being said on Beaver 75” isn’t that easy to get especially going from the dirty river on day 1 to the gin clear water up north on day 2. Basically I just set my mind to fishing one bait all day, and I almost made it happen, honestly I took a 30 minute break to fish a shaky head trying to get one more cull, but never got a bite on it. As soon as I picked up my primary bait again and went back to work I caught my fifth fish, then a nice cull at around 1”00 and 1:30 PM. And another one at around 1:30 on it. I absolutely didn’t feel good about the plan working at times during the day because it was so slow, but I was willing to fail to stick it out and give my plan the full tournament day to develop. It’s a good thing I didn’t freak out and try something else though because I wound up basically needing every bite I got in the kayak to win. Having a good day 1 only added more pressure, and made me have to force myself to stick to the plan and give it time to work.

Kyle – My day one I had a tiny limit within 23 minutes. I checked my time stamps. And I also caught fish most of the day including a kicker so I was riding pretty high. Day 2 I had two fish by 7:07 including a 17.5” and didn’t catch another one until 9:41. I was sweating it. I slowed down and picked apart a few trees with a jig and caught a couple but they were barely keepers. I got my 5th on a buzzbait at like 10:30 and even though it was a small limit it was a huge relief. That’s about the time the wind picked up which was what I had been waiting on all morning. From there I just went to work with both the spinnerbait and the buzzbait because I was confident I’d catch them eventually and those are big fish baits which is what I needed. Having caught so many the day before on those exact baits and having the conditions be almost perfect for it, I had the utmost confidence I’d catch them I just needed to keep throwing them. 4 of my 5 day two keepers came after 11:30. It’s amazing what confidence does.

Cole – In this format where you are forced to fish a different section of the lake the following day, it’s all about fishing instincts and where you’re comfortable. Because you have to fish different sections of the lake, I knew it was still anyone’s ballgame even with Dwain’s huge lead which gave me some motivation to keep grinding.

That’s a wrap

Thank you to all the anglers who participated in the 2020 Arkansas State Championship, especially those who came in from other clubs around the state. Several of these out of town sticks like Jeff Otts, Christa and Caroline Hibbs and Chris Jones had very good showings and got the most out of Beaver Lake. We hope you come back soon and give me a ring and will be happy to go fishing with you in NWA.

Tournaments

2020 NWA NSKA Classic Championship Recap / AOY / Sportsman of the Year

The second annual NSKA NWA Classic Championship took to Beaver Lake for a two-day tournament that stretched from the dirt and wood of the White River to the open crystal clear rocky waters near Beaver Dam. A great angler Jeriamy Vann won the 2019 Classic and the field was strong and set for a showdown in September. The Classic Championship was a great idea and has really gained traction in the club as a goal to qualify for many anglers. The Top 25 were invited to fish, and 23 were able to take on the lake in 2020. Special thank you to Nite Ize who sponsored the event yet again and to Chad Warford for his help in making this all happen.

On a personal note, I was very concerned about preparing and competing in the Classic because my Hobie 360 Drive broke down halfway through the Beaver Lake North event and needed replaced. As the days ticked by working with Hobie on a replacement I was getting very nervous but the new drive arrived a few days before the event and I was all set. Thank you to Dave at Oklahoma/Tulsa Kayak – they have been great to work with and he’s had my back every step of the way!

Classic Results

Being a two-day event it’s a bit difficult to capture the action from both days, but it is important to recognize individual daily performances by these anglers.

Day One – Hwy 412 and Twin Bridges

It’s unclear if any anglers went to the Twin Bridges launch area, it sure seemed like everyone was at the 412 launches on Saturday morning. This day we’d be battling the Elites boat tournament for water as well. As expected from this strong group of anglers, 87% turned in a limit and everyone had a keeper. Nobody knew what each other had, but Taylor released the rank order and the top five were: Jason Kincy (83.75″), Cole Sikes (78″), Chris Needham (76.5″), Justin Brewer (76.25″), and Ryan Paskiewicz (75.5″) .

There were some big fish caught on day one. I was able to land a 20.25″ largemouth in the first half hour which got the juices flowing for the day. That Beaver Lake bomb held up for Big Bass of the weekend. Jon Swann also pulled a nice 19″ Largemouth to put him in the top ten for day one!

This big Largemouth hit my War Eagle lure like freight train. – Photo: Kayakfishingfocus.com

Day Two – Indian Creek and Beaver Dam

The conventional wisdom that day one would be the big fish day and day two would be the dinkfest didn’t really play out that way. Monster Smallmouth came to play on day two. Ryan Paskiewicz, sitting in fifth after day one had a monster day two, leading the top five: Ryan Paskiewicz (83″), Devon Esry (77.5″), Cole Sikes (77″), Dwain Batey (76.75″) and Roy Roberts (76″). Ryan pulled the biggest bass for day two with a 19.5″ Smallmouth, and others caught some tanks up north: Devon Esry (19), Roy Roberts (18.5), Cole Sikes (18.5, 17.25), and Tyler Zengerle (18.75).

Ryan’s big smallie from day two almost shook up the Classic. What a Birthday present! – Photo: TourneyX

In the end, it was close close close! I did just enough to hold on with 75.75″ on day two to win the Classic by one inch over Ryan. He sent me a picture of his giant smallie with some smack in the middle of the day and had me FREAKED out! Just knew he was going to catch me and I tip my hat to him for a dominating day two.

Your Top 10 finishers for the Classic Championship:

  1. Jason Kincy 159.50
  2. Ryan Paskiewicz 158.50
  3. Cole Sikes 155.00
  4. Chris Needham 149.50
  5. Dwain Batey 148.25
  6. Michael Burgess 146.75
  7. Tyler Zengerle 145.00
  8. Jeriamy Vann 145.00
  9. Jon Swann 144.75
  10. Billy Bowden 144.25
Receiving the hardware from the legend himself, Taylor Frizzell. Photo: Kayakfishingfocus.com

Angler of the Year Race

The Classic plays a huge role in the AOY points race, contributing double the points as a usual event. The race really came down to how a couple of anglers were going to finish in this event unless both of them completely tanked. Dwain Batey or Justin Brewer were most likely to take the AOY title, and it was a razor-thin margin in the end. Dwain had a strong tournament, finishing 5th overall. Justin’s strong day one gave him a leg up to survive Dwain’s day two push. Justin Brewer is your 2020 NSKA NWA Angler of the Year!

The Top 10 AOY finishers qualify for the All-American Classic on Harry S. Truman Lake:

  1. Justin Brewer
  2. Dwain Batey
  3. Ryan Paskiewicz
  4. Cole Sikes
  5. Chris Needham
  6. Jason Kincy
  7. Tyler Zengerle
  8. Jon Wofford
  9. Roy Roberts
  10. Michael Burgess
Justin Brewer, 2020 NWA NSKA AOY – Photo: Justin Brewer

Angler Recaps

The top finishers from the Classic shared their stories of how they did it on the opposite ends of Beaver Lake:

Overall, which way/where did you go on day one and day two?

Jason – On day one I launched from the smaller 412 ramp and chose to fish in that general area and didn’t go too far south or north. Really just covered a lot of water on day one zipping around running a pattern or two. On day two I put in at the dam, thinking there would be a lot fewer anglers up in that area for more empty water.

Ryan – On day one launched out of the north ramp at Ramsey and headed north near War Eagle Marina. Day two I went across the main lake and through the cut. I fished my way back to the ramp both days at around 12:00.

Cole – Day one, I ran south because it’s probably the area I know best of the entire lake and I prefer dirtier water. On day two, I ran to the very back of Indian Creek hoping there would be some stain in the back and possibly get into some Largemouth. I was able to get a very small limit first thing but didn’t like the way it looked so moved to the main lake and started fishing for Smallmouth.

Chris – I put in at the southern ramp at 412 and worked my way north. Found a very specific pattern early which gave me confidence. On day two I just winged it. I’ve never fished that area before and made my decision on where to go when I got to the ramp and saw there was more wind than projected. I went east from Indian Creek and focused on wind blown banks.

Did you change any approach when it came to strategy or pre-fishing with a two day tournament?

Jason – Unlike some of these other guys I have to really work on pre-fishing to figure out what’s going on. So I did pre-fish both areas in advance and pre-fishing was terrible, especially the south. Since I didn’t find anything good, especially in the south, I just stayed around some water I was just familiar with.

Ryan – My biggest concern was day one because you can’t win it on day one but you can certainly lose it. My goal was to simply find a limit hopefully a kicker. I fished history mostly on day one and it paid off. I didn’t pre-fish the South end. I eliminated some water pre-fishing on the north side. I chose to go away from the crowd and fish a relatively quiet area. I thought they’d be shallow and I knew I had ground to make up so I stuck with my jig and it produced some solid bites.

Cole – I was only able to pre-fish two weeks prior to the tournament because my wife and I were on vacation in Montana. I was able to get a rough idea of what could potentially work for tournament day and just ran areas I felt comfortable and confident in.

Chris – My approach didn’t change for a two day event. I just went fishing and was hoping to execute my game plan and fish clean which I did. I didn’t have any time to pre-fish since we just had a baby.

Of all the fish catches for the weekend, talk about the one that meant the most to you.

Jason – You would think it would be the 20.25″ which was huge, but I was really upset with myself later over a mental mistake. On day one I had a really good limit in the afternoon and was trying to cull. I threw back THREE bass between 15-15.25″ thinking my smallest was a 15.25″. Late in the day I looked at my limit and saw I had a 14.75″ and was just sick and wanted to puke right then in my kayak. Instead of panicking, I knuckled down and caught a 16.25″ with a Bomber crankbait to cull that smaller one and then I just knew it was my day.

Ryan – It was my Birthday and I really just wanted to have a good day up north. I seem to always catch fish but at times struggle to find size. About 8:00 on day one I caught my PB Smallmouth. I knew then I had a chance to make a run. It went 19.5″ and was I couldn’t ask for a better gift!

Cole – I had two fish catches this weekend that meant the most to me. On day one, I was able to catch a 16.25” at 2:58 pm that slightly separated me from the pack of 74 to 76 inch anglers. On the final day, I was really struggling and went hours without culling any fish. I moved to the main lake and was able to catch an 18.50″ Smallie which gave me more confidence to keep pushing and not quit.

Chris – The fish that meant the most to me was a 16” smallie on Sunday. I was hardcore struggling getting bites but as soon as I caught the fish my confidence came back. I instantly caught another decent one then another. I went up and down this 75 yard stretch of bank for hours. Every time I got bit or caught one. It was unreal it kept replenishing like that.

Making the Classic was an achievement, what was your favorite event from the year and why?

Jason – Love, love, love the Classic format that puts everyone on equal footing. And I’m not sure if there’s another kayak event in the country like this that put anglers in dirty river water on day one and big clear water on day two. It’s the ultimate test. Just not a fan of the road runners, Beaver Lake (a.k.a. Dead Sea) is an iconic fishery and always feels like a big-time bass event. Hope the King of the String is on Beaver only next year.

Ryan – This year started off horribly with a zero….. but I turned it around and had my best year yet. This Classic was amazing even though I came up an inch short. That being said, winning and getting Big Bass in Beaver South has to be my favorite this year. It’s incredibly hard to win, much less cash checks on this trail and I’m proud to say I’ve won one.

Cole – The Classic was by far my favorite tournament. I feel like the way we have the Classic set up makes it an equal playing field and really challenges the anglers. Everyone is dealt the exact same conditions and whereas some other tournaments it is all about if you’re on the hot lake or not.

Chris – I really enjoyed our MLF style format. That format suits my style of fishing. Catching numbers usually isn’t a problem but quality is.

159.9″ and 20.25″ won this event, what are your predictions for winning total and Big Bass for the State Championship on Beaver?

Jason – Beaver Lake is fishing pretty well lately, but it’s going to be tough for those coming in from the other clubs to get up to speed and some are going to get smacked right in the face by the Dead Sea. However, there are great anglers in Arkansas and Beaver heats up in the fall. BIG bag needed to win this one: 161.75″ and a 21″ for Big Bass.

Ryan – I think Beaver is gonna fish well for State. I’m predicting 157.5” will win. Big Bass will go 20.75”.

Cole – I personally think it will take an average of 80” a day to win but would not be surprised to see someone catch close to 163”. Big bass will also be about the same in the 20″ to 21.50″ range.

Chris – 155” and 20.5” for the W.

Sportsman of the Year – Kyle Long

This season’s Sportsman of the Year is Mr. Kyle Long. He’s very deserving of the honor and many people don’t know, he was key in getting us back on Beaver Lake with the permits and paperwork needed because of Covid. Asked Kyle a few questions about this honor:

Me with Kyle Long at Lake Fork, Texas.

What does it feel like to be named SOTY? I value it up there with any accomplishment or accolade I’ve ever received.  I am so appreciative. 

What does the club mean to you? I can’t even explain it fully but when you get to be my age, and that all the stuff you once had that’s gone can be found again…It’s overwhelming.  It’s emotional.  I didn’t know a single person in this club three years ago…and now it’s my team.  My guys I’d go into battle with.  I love it to my core.  And when I say it…I mean the people.  A club is only as good as the people that make it up.  And this club has elite people.

For people new to the club or to kayak fishing, any advice to find your place? I’m not saying the way I did it is the best but it worked for me.  I tried to integrate slowly.  A lot of these relationships seem to have been built and fire tested so I didn’t want to be off-putting lol.  I went to every meeting and tournament on the schedule.  I hung out and visited and formed relationships at the weigh-ins and then volunteered to help if the need arose.  When it did, I jumped on it.  Then I just tried to fill the role of a good team player.   As we get bigger, we’re going to need more people to help so if you think you have a passion for it…work your way in, find a role that needs filled…and fill it.

Performance Points Rankings

Performance Points show the history of competition finishes over a rolling 5 year and 3 year trend. This recap article got waaaay too long, so watch for an update on end of season standings on Performance Points coming next week.