Stop number two for Natural State Kayak Anglers was on the beautiful waters of northern Beaver Lake! Am I the only one that gets myself confused that north Beaver Lake is up on a map, but is considered ‘down’ lake as the current flows? Anyway, this early April matchup follows a quick jump in water level and drop in water temps – confusing the bass and adding mystery to where they could be found in the spawn cycle.
North Beaver Lake Results
The NWA Makers Beaver Lake North event proved to be a very difficult day for the 62 anglers who entered the field. With a 3.76 FPA (Fish per angler), this tournament had one of the toughest fish catch rates in the past couple of seasons for NSKA. Of the 62 anglers, only 40% had a limit, and only 77% turned in at least one catch. Nonetheless, fish were caught – mainly smallmouth at the top of the standings! Jason Kincy 1st place with 87.50″ total of all smallies. Blake Weilant went a different route, turning in a limit of largemouth for 82.25″ and took 2nd place. Levi Schneider took 3rd place with a 81.50″ bag of smallmouth. Josh Landreth won Big Bass with a 21.25″ Beaver Lake giant.

Tournament Top Ten:
- Jason Kincy 87.50
- Blake Weilant 82.25
- Levi Schneider 81.50
- Justin Brewer 81.25
- Tony Sorluangsana 79.25
- Austin Nims 77.50
- John Hall 76.50
- Jason Adams 76.50
- Christa Hibbs 76.00
- Seth Jones 74.75
Additional winners included Jake Wilkie capturing the Trash Fish trophy wish a 23.50″ Drum, and Kyle Long won for Last Fish submitted.

Angler Roundtable
Our top anglers Jason, Blake, Levi, and Josh sat down to recap how they did it on tournament day. Let’s dive into how they made it happen.
1. Where did you go on Beaver and why did you choose it?
Jason – I haven’t been able to get out much to pre-fish and knew the water had risen quite a bit, so I wanted to go somewhere I was pretty familiar. Prairie Creek seemed to have 25 kayak anglers there which wasn’t great, but it was the closest drive from the house – so it made sense.
Blake – I’m not 100% sure of the boat launch name that I was. I believe it was called Hobbs it’s a nice cove I found on Google maps and it won the coin flip between there and one other ramp that was closer to the weigh ins. I’ve never been to Beaver Lake before so I was all luck landing at the right spot at the right day.
Levi – I chose Indian Creek because I’m very familiar with it and it treats me well. Ironically I did most of my damage In a creek arm that I had never fished before.
2. What were some of the main patterns or techniques that were key to your success?
Jason – I told a couple of other anglers before the event that I was going to keep it low key and drag some things around instead of chucking and winding. That turned out to be the deal as all of my fish came off of a shakey head or a Carolina rig. With all the fancy and sexy baits we have in the tackle box, sometimes the basic ones are the best. Most of my fish came off of steep banks or offshore drops around 19-20 feet deep.
Blake – With it being a new lake and some really clear water I just stuck to my confidence. Shakey head, which wasn’t my game plan coming into this. I thought it would be all moving baits. But once I launched and saw the clear water I went straight to bottom contact. I was catching them pretty consistently in about 16-20 feet.
Levi – I caught every fish on a flutter spoon and a jig head minnow. Flutter spoon was for the fish relating to structure such as docks, boulders, and brush piles. The minnow was fish roaming either by the structure or in deep open water.
3. Talk about the key fish catch, what happened and why was it important?
Jason – I had a plan to hit the backs of creeks that failed miserably to start the day. So, I got my first big clue when I caught a 15.50″ Kentucky deep off of a steep bank. That got me going and I caught three more in the next 45 minutes which settled me in for the day. My other main catch was in the last thirty minutes with an 18.00″ smallmouth that was going to cull a 15.50″ largemouth. Once I got that I felt like it sealed the deal for the win.
Blake – My key fish would have to be my 18.50″. She upgraded me from a 15.50″ I believe. The good Lord blessed me with her about 30 minutes after I snapped off a real good one. Lesson to change out my old line.
Levi – None of my fish were giants that made them more significant however like I mentioned at the weigh in I was battling an awful stomach bug the night before and all day that also made me question even just leaving the house. Because of that I’d say they were all important because as long as I kept catching fish it made it worth going through the trouble of being out there.
4. Talk about something new you bought in the off season for this year, have you used it and how has it worked out?
Jason – This offseason I switched over to using Falcon rods and I love them so far because they get pretty technique specific. My favorites already are the Lowrider Swim Jig rod, Lowrider Lizard Dragger rod, and the Bucoo Bladed Jig rod.
Blake – No new anything for this year. Hopefully that will change soon. All and all the lake is a beautiful area and it was a great event. Thanks to everyone that helps put it together and everyone that comes out and competes! Hope see you all again soon.
Levi – My biggest offseason change was going to a Bonafide pwr129 with a 24v 80# thrust terrova. It’s so much lighter than any kayak I’ve owned and I’ve gotten it up to 5.8mph and I believe with a few small modifications I can get it up to 6mph.

Hey Josh Landreth, how’d you catch that Big Bass winner?
I launched at Rocky Branch. I had been out twice without catching a fish leading up to the tournament. But met a guy throwing a glide bait the day I practiced at Rocky Branch. He caught several solid fish, literally off the ramp. So I talked myself into launching there and committing to throwing the glide all day. That lasted about an hour, then I started junk fishing. I found a couple small Kentuckys on docks. So I just started dock hopping to get a limit. There was a point I wanted to fish between docks. I’ve caught good smallmouth there before in the spring off a ledge. So I started throwing a jerk bait along that ledge. I was absolutely shocked with that big largemouth hit it, to be honest. Thought I was hung up when she hit. Honestly, just a lucky catch. Didn’t catch any other fish that way all day. Beautiful fish. One of the biggest I’ve ever caught on Beaver.
Angler of the Year Race
Angler of the Year is early, but it’s a good idea to get off to a good start. Don’t sleep on those not in the top 25 so far, there are some that will leap up into the standings once the tournament drops come later in the season. So far, Levi, Christa, John, Tony, and Sam are off to a hot start.

Heavy Hitters Race
The Heavy Hitters is much more important to get off to a good start than AOY. You want to be ahead in this race as summer months come along and the bite gets tougher. Not many giants caught yet this season, although that should change in the next two events. Josh is in the lead for now, but this one will change quickly the rest of the spring. What you want to look for early is anyone with 19s and above which currently includes Josh, Sam, Jake, Levi, and Seth in the top 20.

Next Event
Get geared up for the next event, the NSKA NWA Southtown Sporting Goods Beaver Lake South tourney on May 17th! Get signed up and be ready for some big spawning bass.
Special thanks to Kayak Fishing Focus friends: Lurenet.com (Code: KINCY15), Eco Fishing Shop, Falcon Rods, P-Line Fishing