The first tournament of 2025 is in the books as NSKA took to Table Rock Lake on a mid-March Saturday. The Jose’s Grill and Bar Table Rock West event was preceded by a week of very warm temperatures and some violent storms late in the week, and a slight cold front the morning of – the conditions for this event were a mystery going into tournament day. This mixed up recipe cooked up some big totals for those at the top of the final rankings.

Tournament Results

Fifty anglers took on the Rock and it was a productive day for most on the water. This event had a 6.78 Fish Per Angler (FPA) ratio, a very high number for a tournament this early in the year. Overall totals were very strong for Table Rock, or any event in the Ozarks region. Sam McClish took 1st place with 89.00″ followed by Levi Schneider with 86.25″ and Chris Needham taking 3rd place with 85.25″ on the day. Big Bass was also won by Sam, with a 20″ largemouth

Top 10 Anglers on Table Rock:

• Sam McClish 89.00
• Levi Schneider 86.25
• Chris Needham 85.25
• Christa Hibbs 83.00
• Kyle Long 82.25
• John Hall 79.00
• John Evans 79.00
• James Haeberle 78.75
• Tony Sorluangsana 78.50
• Maurilio Gutierrez 78.50

Anglers Roundtable

After a day of big bags on Table Rock Lake, our top three finishers – Sam, Levi, and Chris share how they did it and some insight into their trophy worthy day!

1) what part of table rock did you fish and why?

Sam – I fished the Kings river area. Anywhere there is stained water is where I wanted to be. I didn’t get a chance to pre-fish so knowing the water would have color and the warm temps we had this last week I figured the fish would pull up closer to the bank.

Levi – I went to Big Bay mostly because I did so well out there pre-fishing for the monthly by catching 96.50″ for my best five. So I knew if anything the size was there regardless of how they were going to setup.

Chris – Went to the Kings River area. I chose that solely because the first time I went there I won this tourney couple years ago.

2) what techniques or patterns were key to your success?

Sam – I only took 6 rods with me yesterday knowing I could catch fish on all 6 baits tied on (jerkbait, Rock Crawler, Frittside, A-rig, 3” swim bait, jig). I started the first few hours catching fish on a Berkley Stunna jerkbait around docks in 10-20’ of water. Then once that bite died down I fished the other 5 baits until I found that my go to 3” Sparkshad swimbait was the ticket the rest of the day.

Levi – I caught all my fish with a jig head minnow and an Alabama rig. Every single one came from a roaming pack just in the middle of a pocket or cruising the tree line.

Chris – I didn’t catch a lot but all bites were quality. Caught keepers using spinnerbait, jig, squarebill, and Wiggle Wart.

3) What’s the story of your key fish for the day?

Sam – The key fish of my day wasn’t a fish that I landed but a fish I broke off. I went back to a stretch I had caught fish on earlier in the day. Once I got to the spot on my first cast I caught a 17.75 which bumped me up to 3rd place at the time. It was what happened next that told me I was in the right spot. On my very next cast to the same spot I laid in to another heavy fish that immediately broke me off. Instead of getting mad like I would normally do I re-tied 2 rods with the same bait (3” Spark Shad) because I had a feeling it was about to get hectic. Sure enough over the next 35-45 minutes I caught all 5 winning fish off one tree in 16’ of water. 17.75, 17.25, 17.75, 20.00, 16.25 in that order. I had to leave the fish biting unfortunately, I was 30+ minutes from the boat ramp with zero cell service and I did not want to risk not getting my pictures submitted.

Levi – I caught my last keeper of the morning at 8:45 and when I checked the leaderboard around 12:30ish and saw Kyle had jumped me I knew I had to make a change so I tried to replicate my morning bite in a similar area and sure enough stumbled upon my 19.50” that was just roaming in the middle of a pocket looking for bait.

Chris – My key fish came in a small pocket that the wind had been blowing into the previous couple days on wood structure. I caught a 20″ and went to the very next pocket a short time later and missed another 20″ fish. Later in the day I went to another pocket almost exactly the same and missed another one the same size. All three were in wind blown pockets, on wood, about 2 feet deep. Missing those two will cost me a few nights of sleep.

AOY and Heavy Hitters Race

The first event of the year can set the tone for the AOY race, but doesn’t mean anyone is out of it yet. There is still time to replace a bad outing with a drop later on. For now though, the top finishers have a leg up in the standings.

The Heavy Hitters rankings not yet available.

Next Event: Beaver Lake

The next NSKA NWA event is the NWA Maker’s Beaver Lake North tournament on April 12.

Late August and early September on Beaver Lake brings a special challenge to the anglers each year. I believe this is the toughest stretch for fishing the lake and is the timing for the annual tradition of the NSKA Crucible – a situation of severed trial and pressure. This last regular season event is when the Classic field is finalized and some season long races take shape.

Tournament Results

Per usual, as the fishing gets tough during the late summer and anglers who have struggled fall out of the standings the field shrinks a bit. A total of 34 entrants took on Beaver Lake in early September, 53% turned in a limit, and almost everyone turned in at least one bass. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) ratio was 5.02, which was fairly respectable. There were fish caught on this day but size was elusive to almost all.

Tyler Zengerle took first place with 81.00″, and Levi Schneider took 2nd with 80.25″, while Jason Kincy was 3rd with 77.75: on the day. Jason Kincy also won Big Bass with a modest 18.75″ largemouth.

Beaver Lake top 10:

1. Tyler Zengerle – 81.00
2. Levi Schneider – 80.25
3. Jason Kincy – 77.75
4. Jacob Wilkie – 73.50
5. John Evans – 72.50
6. Jacob Webber – 72.00
7. Josh Landreth – 66.75
8. Jamie Schumate – 66.75
9. Bryan Caresia – 66.25
10. James Haeberle – 64.00

Angler Roundtable

As usual, kayak anglers are generous and helpful to other anglers learning the sport. Our top three finishers, Tyler Zengerle, Levi Schneider, and Jason Kincy share the details from their winning day.

Where did you go and why?

Tyler – I went to Indian Creek because I have a lot of confidence in that area in the summer. Even though the temperatures were going to be lower, I thought the summer patterns would still hold true (they didn’t).

Levi – I went to Indian Creek because I figured they’d be acting like the Bull Shoals fish I’d been chasing and looking for bait in the backs of creeks.

Jason – Fished the 412 / Blue Springs area because I just felt the river might be better than mid-lake this time of year. It took covering a lot of water to find the fish I found, no real pattern was evident.

What were some of the key baits or techniques that caught your fish?

Tyler – I caught a couple fish on Bryan Thrift’s micro football jig and the rest of my fish on the trusty shakey head.

Levi – I caught all my fish on a Damiki rig, Berkley Krej, and my last keeper on a Jackall counter back flutter spoon.

Jason – It was a junk fishing type of day for sure. Caught some on a War Eagle buzzbait, jig, swim jig, and War Eagle spinnerbait.

What was your key catch and how did it happen?

Tyler – My key catch came at 1:13pm on the jig. It was a 15.25” Smallmouth, which allowed me to finish with 81.00”. Without that fish, I would’ve finished in 2nd.

Levi – I managed a 17.50” largie and a 17” spot but the biggest one was my 16.75” smallie I caught in the last 30 minutes because it jumped me into second after going awhile with no big upgrades. I caught him flutter spooning brush piles.

Jason – You could say it was my first fish of the day, an 18.75″ on a buzzbait, but really it was probably the 16.25″ I caught later in the morning off a dock that gave me some confidence. Hadn’t caught a fish in a while and was starting to get discouraged before this one.

With the Classic coming up, how do you prepare or what’s your mindset going in?

Tyler – I try to keep it simple and fish my strengths. I don’t intend on trying something new or fancy. This one will take extra mental strength with being in contention for AOY, so I’ll have to manage my emotions better and make better decisions.

Levi – I honestly don’t have any plans or intentions of changing anything for the classic. All year I’ve been basically going in blind with a few ideas of what the fish might be doing but try to keep an open mind and just let the fish tell me what they want as the day goes on.

Jason – I agree with Tyler and Levi about keeping it simple and fishing your strengths. It is important to really focus on that first day and get off to a decent start for day one and just stay in range. Then day two you can close it out for the win.

Heavy Hitters Champ

Heavy Hitters was settled in this last event on Beaver Lake. Levi Schneider took the title for 2024 with his best five score of 96.00″ for the season. Jason Kincy was 2nd with 95.50″ followed by Josh Landreth in third with 94.00″ in total. Congrats to Levi on taking the win!

Angler of the Year and Classic Qualifiers Field

As the regular season comes to a close, it cements the outcome for the top 25 anglers who will be in the Classic Championship. The top 25 is below, congratulations to all who made it! For those who did not get in, you have another chance by entering the Classic Shootout on Sept 14 – enter by Sept 12!

The Angler of the Year race now seems to be down to three anglers: Jason Kincy, Levi Schneider, and Tyler Zengerle. Points are double for the Classic so any of the three could win. It is possible that if all three completely flame out someone else could make it interesting, but the way this season has gone I expect all three to be in the top 10 for the event.

Nominate NSKA NWA Sportsman of the Year

Kyle Long is taking nominations for Sportsman of the Year. The club has many great people as well as great anglers who are helpful, work in the best interest of the club, and are quality ambassadors of the sport. If you would like to recognize an angler and nominate them, please contact Kyle Long before the Classic with your nomination.

“I’m looking high and low, don’t know where to go
I got to double back, my friend
The only way to find, what I left behind
I got to double back again, Pumpback again”

Those lyrics from ZZ Top came to mind as we had to make a late switch from the planned Arkansas River for this event to Pumpback due to some logistical challenges. Pumpback has an up and down history in tournaments regarding to how it has fished in the past. For 2024 it was going to perform pretty well for most anglers!

For the Pumpback event, presented by Toadfish Outfitters, a pretty good turnout of 45 anglers hit the water in an always fun shotgun start. Anyone who has never done one of those of any size has missed out on a few minutes of chaos with furious pedaling, motoring, and jockeying for position.

Tournament Results

The switch to Pumpback led to some good totals at the top. Pumpback has a lot of good fish that are thick and love to fight – and they were on display on this past Saturday. Will Atchison took first place with 88.25″ on the day, followed by Fanny Phomsopha with 86.25″, and Dustin Wheeler in 3rd with 86.25″ by tiebreaker. Will also took Big Bass with TWO 20.75″ tanks, winning in a tiebreaker over Josh Landreth who also had a 20.75″ Pumpback beast.

Bryan Caresia won the Trash Fish prize, and Kase Ingram won smallest limit.

Overall for the field, we saw a 3.89 Fish Per Angler (FPA) which isn’t very strong in the overall scheme of things, while a low 40% turned in a limit. These Top 10 were able to catch some fish:

1. Will Atchison 88.25
2. Fanny Phomsopha 86.25
3. Dustin Wheeler 86.25
4. Terrill Standifer 85.75
5. Jacob Webber 84.50
6. Tyler Zengerle 81.25
7. James Haeberle 81.25
8. Josh Landreth 80.75
9. Kevin Tadda 80.75
10. Kyle Long 79.75

Angler Roundtable

Here’s how the top anglers on the day did their thing in catching some big limits on Pumpback:

What was your overall strategy going into the tournament?

Will – Coming into the tournament I felt like the fish would be holding on points feeding on shad. I knew the main lake points was going to get hammered by everyone, so I wanted to give the fish a different look, than they would be seeing by the rest of the field.

Fanny – My strategy was to go up to the Dam and get a limit with the first 2 hours then move to opposite side of the lake up in the creek arms to finish the day.

Dustin – I came into this event expecting to scope with a drop shot, ned, and jerkbait but I still brought my glide bait rod just in case. I actually had two different glides, a golden baits hellion and a versatile baits vg2 that I was going to throw.

Any key techniques or baits you used to catch them?

Will – My limit was almost exclusively filled by throwing a white 3/8oz buckeye swim-jig out in deeper water on the main lake points. Slow rolling, bouncing it off the rocks in deeper water, on main lake points turned out to be the key strategy.

Fanny – I sarted out with a buzzbait had blowup on it but no hook up and notice the wind pick up. I change to a jackhammer and slow roll it 19.5″ Largemouth hammer it so I stuck with the jackhammer had several bites only four came from it. Move to new location looking for drop off bank 14ft or less with wind on it throw the jackhammer if deeper no wind throw the shaky head. That was what we stuck with the rest of the day.

Dustin – The hellion caught my first fish in a couple minutes on the south east side of the lake. I followed it with a couple on a crankbait, letting one jump out of the yak on me then I started scoping and managed one each on drop shot and jerkbait. Both back in the creek that feeds into the lake. I decided to leave that creek area and head out to the big island. On my way out I heard a fish bust on a point right on the bank and pulled over with the vg2 and caught a decent fish putting me at 4 fish scored. Fished down that bank a short ways and caught another on the vg2 that was 18” filling my limit.

What’s the story on your key fish for the day?

Will – My key fish, I felt like happened twice. Caught the first 20.75 early, on a point with the swim jig. It’s always a good feeling to get the kicker out of the way on your first three casts. When I finally had filled my limit I knew it was enough for a top ten but I felt like one big one would put me in a good spot. The one that sealed the deal, came later in the day on a crank bait, also on a point. When I finally got him in the boat I knew it could get interesting. The other guys definitely had me scared though, being that they had 86in before the leader board even went off!

Fanny – 30 minutes left came out of the creek sitting at 82.50 caught 2 more no cull 7 minutes left I noticed tree split like a Y in 10ft deep with wind on it took about 2 minutes to get there. The jackhammer came out on the second cast 18” Smallie absolutely crushed it and went airborne three times! I’m a nervous wreck with my history on this lake losing fish after hook up. I had my net out as far as it could reach and caught it in the air on it third jump – pure luck! Thank NWA for always putting on a good tournament. Starting to put names to faces and you guys have been great to me.

Dustin – Now my biggest fish is on my glide so I locked it in my hand figuring I needed to upgrade two more times to secure a win. An hour of glide chunking passes before I catch my biggest, a 19.25” smallmouth at 10:30. I ended up fishing the rest of the day until 1:20 without another bite but at 1:20 I hook into a 20” class fish to only watch it jump off and with it my tournament ended! Had I great time and was a great event! Best day I’ve ever had on pumpback too!

What type of line do you generally use for main techniques?

Will – I usually try to use 12lb Seaguar fluorocarbon on most techniques , but the size of the smallmouth in pump-back caused me to upgrade to 15lb. Turns out I’m glad I did. The two big smallmouth in my limit put up a heck of a fight!

Fanny – I use Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon 10lbs on my shaky head and 17lbs fluorocarbon on the jackhammer.

Dustin – I was using 20lb mono with the vg2 glide and 17lb fluorocarbon with the Hellion.

Heavy Hitters

The Heavy Hitters race is coming into final shape for the year after six events. Anglers keep their best five for the season for their total. With only a couple of events left we have a new leader. Levi can’t get too comfortable, though. Jason Kincy needs only a 20″ in one of the last two events to take the lead, while Josh Landreth is in great position and I predict is the favorite for the title. He can drop two low totals in the last two events and would leap to 1st place! The next two events are not big bass producers, so it’s going to be interesting. I’d rather be sitting in 1st than not at this point!

Angler of the Year Race

Angler of the Year still has a long way to go, but there was a shakeup in the standings after this event. Tyler Zengerle now sits in first place after Levi and Jason failed to deliver a good finish on Pumpback. I’m calling it now, this is a four angler race between Tyler, Kyle, Levi, and Jason. Not saying all the events to now didn’t matter, but if you calculate the best four scores (allowing for two drops), these four are almost all sitting at 388 – basically a dead heat. This is going to go down to the Classic Championship!

Speaking of the Classic, here is your current Top 25 who would make it in if it were today. This Top 25 is going to fluctuate quite a bit with score drops in the next two events, right now I think there are about 35-40 people still in the mix for a Top 25 qualifying ranking!

It is heating up in the Ozarks and it appears that ole Beaver Lake is in full summer pattern based on what anglers saw this past weekend. Some still caught them, and in VERY different ways. No matter how the sport progresses, there’s always opportunity for creativity in catching bass. Read on for the results of Beaver Lake South, sponsored by Capps Mens Cuts.

Tournament Results

This event was a pretty standard warm-weather affair on Beaver Lake. Some good fish caught at the top, but it was a grind for most of the field. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) was a reasonable 4.75, but finding quality was the big challenge. Pretty short story: If you caught a limit with a fish over 17, you did pretty well.

Levi Schneider took first place with 83.50″ caught in a unique fashion (see below), while Tyler Zengerle took second with 78.75″ followed by Jacob Webber in third with 78.75″ on the day (by tiebreaker). Doug Watson took home the Big Bass prize with a mammoth 21.75″ Beaver Lake largemouth bass. Overall, 24 of 44 (55%) turned in a limit, and 41 of 44 (93%) of registered anglers turned in a bass.

The Top Ten anglers:

1. Levi Schneider 83.50
2. Tyler Zengerle 78.75
3. Jacob Webber 78.75
4. Jason Kincy 77.75
5. Doug Watson 76.50
6. Bobby Hogan 74.50
7. Cole Sikes 74.25
8. Christa Hibbs 73.25
9. John Evans 73.00
10. Kyle Long 72.50

Angler Roundtable

Hear from our top three finishers how they did it. Levi, Tyler, and Jacob sat down at the table to share how they did it on a hot June Saturday on Beaver Lake.

What area did you fish and why?

Levi – I fished primarily all the mouths of the small cuts across from Horseshoe Bend marina and Joe’s Creek.

Tyler – At first, I launched at Monte Ne because I practiced there a couple weeks prior and felt confident that I could pick up a quick limit…didn’t happen that way on game day. I only had two fish when I decided to leave at 9:00. I packed up and went to Beaver Shores and picked up the rest of my limit there.

Jacob – I chose to launch at Horseshoe because it’s the area I’m most familiar with and had a couple spots I figured would be good.

Key baits used on the day?

Levi – I caught every fish on either a white or shattered glass flutter spoon.

Tyler – I caught fish on a few things. white fluke, jig, Ned rig, and the trusty shakey head.

Jacob – I caught the most fish on a Freeloader, but the three better fish all came on something different (freeloader, 4” swimbait, and Plopper)

What was your key bass and how’d you catch it?

Levi – My key fish was my 20.50″ I caught around 9:00. I had just switched to the white spoon because the fish weren’t committing well to the shattered glass spoon so I knew I needed to make some kind of change. Within three casts from switching colors that 20.50″ smoked it. I was king of horsing it in because I thought I’d hooked a striper. She also got wrapped up in my livescope pole but I was luckily able to just grab her by the mouth without losing her. I also didn’t catch my last two keepers until 12:30-12:55 and that big fish was my motivation to fill my limit and not let the day go to waste.

Tyler – My key bass was my 3rd fish. It was only a 12.75” fish, but it gave me the boost and confidence I needed to keep fishing the rest of the day. I kept my head down after that and caught my 5th around 11:00 and it was a 19.50” chunk.

Jacob – I think I had a key spot rather than a key bass. I pulled up to a main lake brush pile and caught three fish in about 10 minutes, with two of those being 18”. I would have been in trouble if I didn’t stumble upon that brush pile.

What’s something you wish you had tried that you thought about after the tourney ended?

Levi – I usually ask myself what I would’ve done different every tourney and the only things I wish I would’ve tried or even just given more time with would’ve been a weighted glide bait, a deep diving jerkbait or a slimmer profile hair jig. I threw some really large hair jigs that they wanted nothing to do with.

Tyler – I tried many other baits and nothing worked, so there wasn’t really anything else that I wish I would’ve tried. I do wish I would’ve just went to Beaver Shores first, though, and maybe I also need to learn how to fish a flutter spoon…

Jacob – I wish I just covered more water. I fished a pretty small stretch all day. I knew there was more good fish in that brush pile and decided to come back to it a couple times and try and pull 1 more out. I threw almost everything I brought with me at them but couldn’t get bit.

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Heavy Hitters Race

At this point in the season, we now have five events to get the official five best fish limit. There will be opportunities ahead for anglers to drop smaller fish. Technically there are lots of anglers who have a shot remaining – you want lots of green blocks to be in contention. Four anglers in particular I believe have the best chance with three events to go: Jason Kincy, Levi Schneider, Josh Landreth, and Bobby Hogan. They each have at least one 20″ and several other green-rated bass. As always, going to be tight!

Angler of the Year

This has been an incredibly unusual season so far, with all five wins from only three anglers. The consistency at the top of the AOY chart is amazing, with the top four anglers being in the top ten in each event. Because of this, what should be a solid lead is razor-thin, with Levi, Kyle, and Tyler all within easy striking distance. Because you can drop a couple of events, and, the Classic counts double, there are other anglers in the mix as well. If you have 3-4 green rated finishes and do very well here on out, you have a shot.

More importantly, it is going to start being crunch time for the top 25 to get into the end of year Classic. Hard to tell where veryone stands because of drops, etc., but right now, here are your Top 25.

Event four on the season was the first of back to back trips to the Dead Sea for the NSKA NWA crew. Beaver Lake has actually done pretty well in recent years and put out some good limits. The northern stop was likely to be the smaller winning total over the southern stop coming up on June 22nd. With road closures, runaway docks and marinas, and summer boats everywhere, it wasn’t quite as wide open as usual in fishing options. But as usual, the NSKA anglers found a way.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Going forward, the tournament recap will be emailed to NSKA subscribers 48 hours before posted live to Kayakfishingfocus.com. If you want to receive the recap sooner than later, GO SIGN UP HERE to receive the club emails.

Tournament Recap

On the heels of a stormy week in Northwest Arkansas, the fishing was pretty good for some and pretty tough for others. It seemed to come down to location as a key factor – as several of the Top 10 fished within sight of each other.

Kyle Long won his second event in a row with a good 83.00″ limit! Dwain Batey was second with 80.75″, and Josh Landreth third with 80.25″ for the event. Big Bass also went to Josh Landreth for a 20.50″ largemouth.

The Top Ten Finishers:

1. Kyle Long 82.00
2. Dwain Batey 80.75
3. Josh Landreth 80.25
4. Levi Schneider 80.25
5. Tyler Zengerle 80.00
6. Jason Kincy 79.00
7. John Hall 79.00
8. Mike Zajicek 78.50
9. Jobie Vongpraphanh 77.75
10. Justin Brewer 77.50

Angler Roundtable

Pull up a chair and learn how the top finishers found and caught their bass. Thanks to Kyle, Dwain, Josh, and Levi for sharing their experiences with us.

Where did you go and why?

Kyle – I went to Prairie Creek. I had to leave early for my daughter’s dance recital so that was the closest place to be able to stay the longest before I had to go. And because it’s a great area of the lake.

Dwain – I fished Prairie Creek, if the event had been later in the summer I would have went further north, but because of the time of year I wanted to stay mid-lake. It’s always super busy in PC, but I felt like I could fish differently enough to still catch fish.

Josh – I fished a creek arm with the most stain I could find. Thursday evening I fished there for about an hour and found really high quality fish.

Levi – I went to Indian Creek because I knew it’d be the clearest water I could fish that also suits my strengths.

What were some of the key baits or techniques you used to catch your bass?

Kyle – Three baits got almost every bite. Fluke early, shakyhead midday, and spinnerbait late.

Dwain – I started off using a buzzbait, then caught one on a fluke, then one on a carolina rig, then a few pitching a creature bait, and even caught a key fish or two on a wake bait. Basically I was 100% junk fishing after the first run with the buzzbait stopped working.

Josh – I caught my big fish on a chatterbait in about two feet of water. Other than that, it was just junk fishing all day. Two of the fish in my bag were on a wacky rig and two were on a shakyhead. I knew from my hour of pre-fishing that if the fish were still there on Saturday, I’d be in contention.

Levi – I caught my best five on a spook and a flutter spoon but caught others on a Damiki rig and a hair jig.

Describe when you knew you might be in contention for a trophy.

Kyle – I’d say at around 1:00. Culled an inch on a spinnerbait with a 16” which doesn’t seem like much, but based on where I was and the conditions, I knew if I made enough casts in the highest percentage areas I had a chance to upgrade some more. I knew I was in contention for a Top 5 before that, but when I caught that 16 I really believed I was gonna place top three with a chance to win.

Dwain – I was on top of the leader board most of the day and having the board showing was nice, several of us had a good back and forth going towards the end of the event and even though I usually don’t look at the leader board anyway it was exciting to watch it go down real time.

Josh – When I caught the 20.5″ at 6:20am, I knew I’d have a chance if I could get enough bites. I have a feeling it was a fish I shook off on Thursday night.

Levi – Whenever I pulled up to a point and caught my two biggest on back to back casts I knew I had a shot to win because they jumped me to second at the time. Unfortunately I jumped my biggest bite off in the last 10 minutes that would’ve sealed the deal. It still stings a little but I’m always grateful for the opportunity to be in contention

What’s your favorite rod and reel setup and what do you use it for?

Kyle – That new spinnerbait rod y’all got me last year has been phenomenal. It’s without question the best quality set up I own. But after that one, it’s got to be my shaky head rod. Reel is just a spinning reel from Walmart, the rod is a BPS rod that isn’t fancy, but I sure love the way it puts them in the boat.

Dwain – I would probably have to go with an 8:1 gear ratio bait cast reel, I’m not brand loyal but I have a lot of the white BPS reels. I like a MH 7′ 6” rod with that and even though this sounds like a single rod, depending on the brand the vary wildly in how light or heavy their MH rods are. So I have several different brands to cover different techniques. For example the way I rig and fish a fluke I need a MH rod that’s on the heavy side of MH, but for a Chatterbait I might go with a MH rod that is more on the light side of MH.

Josh – My equipment needs an overhaul, honestly. I spend a lot of time on the river, and the river is hard on stuff. And I’m cheap. So, I don’t have the best equipment. If I could avoid ever having a spinning rod in my hand, I would. So those need to be thrown in the trash. Right now, my favorite setup is a 7′ MH TPO Professional rod that I won in a drawing at the Classic in 2022. It’s paired with an old RevoX reel. I’ve been using it as my chatterbait rod. Pretty soon, I’ll swap over to using it for topwater. It’s just a good utility setup.

Levi – My favorite combo is my flutter spoon setup which is a 8.3:1 Johnny Morris platinum with a 7’6” MH bass pro cranking stick that’s equipped with 17lb fluorocarbon.

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Heavy Hitters

There were some good fish caught on Beaver Lake, but only one 20, so it didn’t do too much to shake up the Heavy Hitters race. This was Landreth’s second 20 of the year, so it definitely puts him in a good position to move up. With four events left, it is still pretty much anybody’s to win.

Green means it is a “great” score and yellow means a “good” score – no color means it needs replaced by another score if possible.

Angler of the Year Race

It has been an unusual season so far, with all four events being won by only two anglers. This has resulted in a couple of leaders, but others have also had consistent top finishes. With four events to go and the ability to drop two, there SEVERAL anglers in serious contention. More importantly, almost the entire field has a chance for the Top 25 and a Classic spot. Theoretically, with four events to go, an angler would only have to keep two of their first two scores. It’s going to go down to the wire!

Green means it is a “great” score and yellow means a “good” score – no color means it needs replaced by another score if possible.

Yakpots in NW Arkansas

Summer Yakpot season is underway, with the first one of the summer at Hwy 412 ramp on Wednesday, June 5 at 6:00pm. We will set up a Yakpot schedule for the next 2-3 months. Stay tuned! In the interim, be sure to join the NWA WEEKLY YAKPOT FACEBOOK GROUP to stay on top of days and locations going forward.

Next Event

The next event is Beaver Lake South on June 22nd. Go sign up now on TourneyX!

My Dad has always said that April is the toughest month for fishing in this part of the country – the bass may not have moved up as much as you think they have, or have moved up faster. It can be feast or famine depending on the day and location. This seemed true leading up to the Lake Tenkiller kayak tournament for NSKA, presented by H2 Heat and Air. Several who pre-fished were finding it stingy, and seemingly behind other lakes like Table Rock or Beaver. Tenkiller wouldn’t be a pushover on tournament day.

Tournament Results

Overall, it was a case of the have and the have nots among the anglers on Lake Tenkiller. Of the 48 registered anglers, only 38 (79%) turned in a bass, while a paltry 20 (42%) turned in a five fish limit. The Fish Per Angler (FPA) metric was really low as well with a 3.71 FPA. This FPA rate is much lower than the 6.18 we had for the NSKA Table Rock 1.0 event in March and among some of the lower FPAs in recent seasons.

For the second straight event, Jason Kincy took first place with a total of 87.25″ on the day. Justin Brewer took second with 84.50″, Tyler Zengerle third with 84.25″, and Christa Hibbs fourth with 83.75″. Abraham Garcia took the Big Bass prize with a 20.00″ Smallmouth!

Top 10 Lake Tenkiller Anglers:

1. Jason Kincy 87.25
2. Justin Brewer 84.50
3. Tyler Zengerle 84.25
4. Christa Hibbs 83.75
5. Levi Schneider 83.75
6. John Evans 83.50
7. Cole Sikes 81.75
8. Caroline Hibbs 81.50
9. John Hall 80.25
10. Will Atchison 80.00

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Angler Roundtable

The four top anglers from the Lake Tenkiller kayak tournament shared how they did it on a very, very windy day in Oklahoma. Here are the deets from Jason, Justin, Tyler, and Christa.

Where did you go on Tenkiller and why?

Jason – I went to the Snake Creek area, as it was about the only place I caught a fish in pre-fishing, and was going to be a bit more out of the wind on the east side of Tenkiller.

Justin – I chose to go to Chicken Creek and fish the mid-lake section. I would normally got to the river area because I’m not a clear water guy but that area hasn’t been fishing well and I got good bites in practice mid-lake.

Tyler – I chose to fish between Snake Creek and the State park, primarily to be protected from the wind.

Christa – I fished in Snake Creek. I selected this area to have a little bit of a break from the strong winds.

How did you catch your fish, what techniques or baits?

Jason – I caught a keeper on my first cast with a Booyah Covert spinnerbait, and all of my other keepers came on a Carolina rig. I had a feeling a Carolina rig would play, so had to drive to the Tahlequah Walmart the night before to pick up some beads, swivels, and hooks. Didn’t have a c-rig weight so I used a flipping weight instead.

Justin – I caught fish a a few different baits but the majority and bigger fish came on a War Eagle heavy finesse jig with Yum Craw Chunk trailer. One keeper in my limit was on a 6” Magdraft swimbait.

Tyler – First fish was on a 6” Swimbait and the rest of them were on a shakey head.

Christa – I caught all of my fish on a jigging spoon. I focused mainly on the tire reefs and used my xi3 to position my boat in the wind.

What was the key fish for you and how did it go down?

Jason – I should say the 18.00″ one that put me in first, but honestly it was a 14.00″ that was my third bass that day. I’d gone a while without catching a fish, so I relocated to a different area to find some activity. Caught this one on my second cast in that area which told me I was on the right track. I stayed the rest of the day in a stretch probably no more than 40 yards long.

Justin – A 17.00” cull fish around 1:00 that helped me settle in to my spot after I made the risky decision to go across the lake. I went on to catch another 17.00” cull a few minutes later to bump me to my final length of 84.50”.

Tyler – Key fish was around 1:30. I went back to the area I started in and when I got there, boats were leaving and some were entering, so I knew it had been fished over pretty well. First dock I pulled up to, I threw my shakey head at the front corner and let it sink to the bottom. Few seconds later, line started moving and set the hook on a decent smallmouth. I fought it for a few minutes, thinking it was my PB (it wasn’t), and was doing whatever I could to keep the fish from jumping and spitting the hook. It was a glorious feeling to get her in and also catch her in front of a bass boat

Christa – My key fish was a 19-incher I caught later in the day. I was on the far wind blown edge of where I was fishing at that time. The fish hit it on the fall and quickly ran off with it. If I wasn’t spot locked in place, that fish would have probably never made it in the boat in that wind.

Is that the windiest tournament you’ve been in? If not, what was?

Jason – This was probably the one where I was exposed to the most wind, I fished wind all day long and was so tired by the end! But the windiest was several years ago on Swepco. Everyone knows that place is a wind tunnel in March and that day I quit before the day was over because I couldn’t hardly go against the wind and it was just dangerous.

Justin – Pretty close if not. There was a tournament on Lake Fork I fished that was pretty close but I can’t remember which was worse. All I remember is waves coming over the front of the kayak.

Tyler – Honestly, I think last Tenkiller tournament was worse than this one. Either that, or the TOC on Lake Fork in 2018 – this one probably felt worse because I was paddling at the time!

Christa – The windiest tournament I’ve fished was a few years ago on Dardanelle. I was fishing in a cut off of the main river channel most of the day. When the day was over, I came back to the main river to head back to the launch. The wind had picked up as the day went on. The combination of the current and wind made it unmanageable to cross the river safely. I no longer could control any direction I was moving. I banked the boat and waited a couple hours to cross safely.

How can anglers and fans of big bass keep up with you in social media?

Jason – Insta: @kayakfishingfocus Youtube: @kayakfishingfocus

Justin – Insta: @justinb_fishing Youtube: @JustinB_Fishing

Tyler – Insta: @tz_yakfishing Youtube: @tzkayakfishing

Christa – Insta: @chibbsfishing Youtube: @christa_hibbs_fishing (coming soon)

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AOY and Heavy Hitters Standings

Two events in and the early part of the season is taking shape. There’s a looong way to go – anyone off to a bad start can even drop these first two events. If you haven’t fished an event yet, you still can fish the rest and be in the AOY race. It’s not too late to sign up for a membership – contact Kyle Long for more information.

Here are your current Top 25 AOY rankings after two events. The Top 25 make the end of season Classic Championship!

Heavy Hitters still is up for grabs. Not many 20s have been caught and nobody is running away with it yet. The Heavy Hitters total is best five for the season, so plenty of time to make a move. Long season to go!

The 2024 season has started for NSKA NWA and it began on a frigid day at Table Rock Lake. With a cold front, 37 degrees at lines in, and winds out of the NNW, it would be a good challenge for the mix of Arkansas and Missouri anglers hitting the water. The event was presented by Moments by Mandie photography – thank you for the support!

The other day I was telling a guy at work that we had a tournament coming up on Table Rock. “What’s it like?” he asked me. “Well, it’s a lot like Beaver Lake but with way more fish and bigger fish.” Beaver has actually really picked up as a bass fishery, but Table Rock was going to be a great place to start the season in pre-spawn conditions due to the large fish population.

Tournament Recap

Even with the cold, harsh conditions, 56 anglers signed up for the kickoff event. Kudos to the tournament director for launching us at 7:00, there was no reason to get out into the cold earlier than that! For a March event, it was a pretty prolific fish fest. More than 96% of registered anglers turned in a bass, with a strong 71% turning in a limit. Overall, a very high FPA of 6.18 dwarfed previous March tournaments over the past couple of years – 5.95, 3.95, 3.52, 2.99, and 1.72. (looking at you, Pumpback)

Jason Kincy took 1st place with 84.50″ in a tiebreaker with Micah Funderburgh who also had 84.50″ on the day. Corey Sims took third place with 84.00″ followed by Kyle Long with 83.25″ – Kyle did win Big Bass with a 19.75″ largemouth.

Top 10 Table Rock Anglers

1. Jason Kincy 84.50
2. Micah Funderburgh 84.50
3. Corey Sims 84.00
4. Kyle Long 83.25
5. Stony Floyd 82.75
6. Levi Schneider 82.50
7. Terrill Standifer 82.00
8. Trevor Motzkus 81.50
9. Caleb Derryberry 79.50
10. Jim Hall 79.00

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Angler Roundtable

The top finishers from Table Rock 1.0 gathered to share how things went down on the ‘Rock on a blustery and cold March Saturday. Here is the 411 from Jason Kincy, Micah Funderburgh, and Corey Sims.

What part of Table Rock did you fish, and why?

Jason – I fished the Big M to Rock Creek area of the White River arm. Usually fish at Owl Creek or Holiday Island. This time around I just decided to try something different and I hadn’t fished there much before.

Micah – I put in near Shell Knob and tried to do exactly what I did to win last year but quickly figured out that it wasn’t going to work.

Corey – I decided to put in a Campbells Point and I was originally looking for warmer water in the coves to see if the fish were starting to move up. Big Bay is just north of Campbells Point and there is a cove just south of Campbells Point that had some shallow water with creek beds in them. When I got there the plan changed 100%.

Cold front came in the day before the tournament and it was COLD that morning. How did that change anything you were doing?

Jason – First of all, I dreaded getting out there in such cold temps and wind, but that probably hurts the fisherman more than the fish, lol. I expected any fish that had been super shallow to pull out a bit, or, for most fish to sit tight offshore. Because of this, I started fishing out deeper for the first couple of hours but only caught one that way. In reality, I only caught one keeper deep and my others came in fairly shallow water along the bank.

Micah – The water level and clarity was much different so I had to junk fish the whole are instead concentrating on two very specific spots like last year. The main pattern for me was main lake banks with chunk rock.

Corey – It was colder that morning than I though it would be, the wind was blowing harder than I though it would be. Right straight across the lake from Campbells Point is a bluff with timber and it sits right on the channel swing. The stars couldn’t have line up more perfect to fish that stretch of bluff than it did yesterday.

In general, what baits worked for you in catching most of your fish?

Jason – I caught about a dozen bass on the day, and as I mentioned above the vast majority were shallower than 10ft. My catches mostly came on a crankbait and a couple of jigs. In pre-fishing it was the A-rig that dominated, but that just didn’t work for me on tournament day.

Micah – The bass were relating to whatever wood could be found on those banks and I caught them on finesse jigs and jerkbaits. Unfortunately I only caught a handful of largemouth and probably 30+ spotted bass so it was hard to upgrade throughout the day. I’ll be uploading a video of the day on my YouTube channel in the next day or so.

Corey – I started the morning off chucking a crank bait, catching several fish around 15” or so. Then I switched to a shad color chatterbait and that’s when the two big girls decided they wanted to eat. I got to the end of the bluff and went ahead and motored down to the south cove to see if the water was warmer since by that time the sun came out. Threw a crankbait for about 10 minutes and turned around and headed back to the bluff. Fished the bluff side again changing to a spinnerbait and caught a few more. After that it was about 1 o’clock, so I decided to go north and fish the bluff side right before Big Bay. All I threw there was a crankbait and caught several spotted bass and at 2 o’clock I headed back to the Campbell Point bluff to see if I could pull a couple more inches out of it but just kept getting the 15” fish. It was an awesome day to fish.

How can anglers and fans of big bass keep up with you in social media?

Jason – Instagram: @kayakfishingfocus YouTube: @kayakfishingfocus

Micah – Instagram: @Micahfunderburgh YouTube: @Kayaknbass

Corey – Instagram: @notsoprofishin

AOY and Heavy Hitters Standings

Angler of the Year and Heavy Hitters races have begun. It is a long season and these current rankings don’t mean a lot. As a reminder, AOY is best six events and the Classic, so you don’t even have to count this first one if you don’t want to. It’s also not too late to sign up for a membership if you want to be in these competitions going forward – sign up before Tenkiller!

Here are your current Top 25 AOY rankings. The Top 25 make the end of season Classic Championship!

Heavy Hitters is off to a slow start without a giant. That means everyone is still in good shape to compete this season. Your five largest fish from each individual event will make up your HH limit – lots of time left to get going on this.

See you at the next event: Lake Tenkiller, April 6

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Previous Article: Five Newbie Tips for a Kayak Bass Tournament

Previous Article: Cicada Bass Fishing Bonanza in 2024

The season came to a close for 2023, with the 2023 NSKA NWA Ace of Blades Classic on a stingy Beaver Lake. The top 25 regular season points leaders, plus the Shootout winner competed for the Championship.

History of the Classic has been fairly consistent in what it would take to win. Looking back at the one and two day totals for past Champions, you see a couple of patterns:

• 2019 – Jeriamy Vann – 75.25 / 74 = 149.25″ (Beaver)
• 2020 – Jason Kincy – 83.75 / 75.75 = 159.50 (Beaver)
• 2021 Cole Sikes – 76.50 / 80.25 = 156.75″ (LFS/TR)
• 2002 – Justin Brewer – 79 / 73 = 152.00″ (TR/Beaver)
• 2023 – Jacob Webber – 75.5 / 71.5 = 147.00″ (Beaver)

At the launch on day one, I said to an angler, “You can’t win it on day one, but you can lose it.” Looking at the history, this may not be totally correct. Each time except one, the higher total was on the first day. So, definitely have to get off to a hot start. Secondly, 147″ seems to be the floor for a chance to win. Each year I feel like if I can get to 150″ then I’ve got a shot. Thirdly, other than Cole, your name must start with the letter J. Ha!

2023 Classic Results

Overall, it was a very difficult day on the water. Beaver Lake seemed to be turning over, fish were scattered, a small cold front had just come through, and this may have been the lowest water level for an official NSKA event, ever. These created some challenging conditions.

Out of the 24 registered anglers, 13 caught a limit on both days – which is pretty good. Overall, the BPA was 4.81, putting it as slightly below average for an event. These numbers were buoyed by the fact that these were the top anglers for the year. But even that fact did not mean a fishing bonanza!

Jacob Webber took first place with a two-day total of 147″, with your AOY winner – Tyler Zengerle, finishing second with 146.75″. Third place went to Jamie Shumate with 137″. Big Bass was taken home by Justin Brewer for an 18.50″ largemouth bass.

Here were your top ten:

1. Jacob Webber 147
2. Tyler Zengerle 146.75
3. Jamie Shumate 137
4. Justin Brewer 16.50
5. Jason Kincy 133
6. Terrill Standifer 131
7. Tony Sorluangsana 130.75
8. Sam McClish 128
9. Jason Coleman 127
10. John Evans 126

Angler Roundtable

The Classic is a great two-day challenge that requires adjustment and diversity from the top anglers. Day one zone was from Hwy 12 bridge up lake to around Monte Ne. Day two zone stretched from Ventris down lake to just past Van Hollow. Our top finishers, Jacob Webber, Tyler Zengerle, and Jamie Shumate shared how they made it happen.

Going into the first day, what did you expect to work to catch fish…and did it work?

Jacob – I didn’t have any expectations going into it. I figured I would start with topwater and go from there. I had about five bites in the first 30 minutes on a Whopper Plopper and kept that in my hands for most of the day. Every once in a while I would try another lure, but couldn’t get anything else going. At the end of the day I pulled up to a giant brush pile that I marked earlier and was able to catch three on a jerk bait. I wanted to fish that spot earlier but there was a boat on it for the majority of the day.

Tyler – I expected to throw a Whopper Plopper for the first few hours but I gave up after a couple hundred yards of using it. It didn’t work in practice the weekend before, so I was quick to put it up on tourney day.

Jamie – Day one I went to Monte Ne. I started with a Whopper Plopper paralleling the bank when I would find a brush pile I would throw a shakey head. I basically kept the topwater in my hand all day.

What key baits or techniques caught most of your bass?

Jacob – I caught most of my fish on a Whopper Plopper day one, aside from three at the end that came on a jerk bait. Everything came on the Whopper Plopper on day two.

Tyler – Day one, all my fish came on a shakey head with a Gambler Sweebo 6.5” worm in Green Pumpkin and picked up a couple on a Ned rig using a Gambler Power Ned also in green pumpkin. Day two, my first three fish came on a Whopper Plopper (usually produces on the north end), and the same shakey head as day one.

Jamie – Whopper Plopper and shakey head.

Day two was a really difficult day for most. Were there any adjustments you made from day one that helped you get a limit?

Jacob – The only adjustment I made was going from a bone color to a more translucent color. I just wanted to cover as much water as I could on day two and hoped I would eventually come across some fish that would bite. I ran the battery on my motor down and ended up having to paddle back to the ramp.

Tyler – I didn’t make too many adjustments on day two, other than committing to the Whopper Plopper—As I knew it usually produces better on the north end. I tried to stay positive all day to grind out a limit which came later than it did on day one. I only caught six fish that day, but it was the self-encouragement that pushed me to the end.

Jamie – I started day two the same way but it was tough – I only caught six fish all day. They all came on a Whopper Plopper, last one at 9:27.

As the season ends, what was the biggest highlight for you this year on the water?

Jacob – The biggest highlight for me would have to be the first hour of the Beaver north tournament. It seemed like everywhere I threw resulted in a good fish. I feel like I’m usually grinding all day for a decent limit, so it felt great to have a good limit early for a change. Tenkiller is right up there too. I always have a ton of fun at that lake.

Tyler – This whole year has just been simply amazing. From a 13th place finish at the All-American Classic to placing my highest finish in an NWA event at our Classic(2nd) and of course earning the Angler of the Year title. I ended in a position that I didn’t think I would be in for a couple more years, and I’m thankful it happened this year.

Jamie – Can’t say that really had any highlights for the year – I guess finishing 3rd in the Classic is the best moment of the year for me.

That’s a wrap for 2023

Whether you finished at the top, met personal fishing goals, learned some things, or just did your first kayak tournament – Congratulations to all who participated this year. Thank you for turning out, and we look forward to next season.

Congrats to those who had some great accomplishments for 2023:

• Tyler Zengerle – Angler of the Year
• Tony Sorluangsana – Heavy Hitters Champ
• Jacob Webber – Classic Champion
• John Hall – Rookie of the Year
• NSKA NWA – All-American Team Champions
• Cole Sikes, NSKA NWA – All-American Champion
• AOY Standings
• Heavy Hitters Standings

Crucible – “A place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development; a severe test.”

Beaver Lake has been pretty good to us the past couple of years. We’ve often referred to it as the Dead Sea, but that’s fallen away lately as the Beav has generated some really good fishing. This time around, the Dead Sea was back in full force for the annual test, or crucible in the August heat.

Storms, wake boats, jet skis, low water and tough conditions ruled the day. Some caught’em though, as always!

Tournament Recap

Overall, anglers didn’t do too bad for August when it came to catching fish. Fish per anglers (FPA) was a decent 5.4, however, it was a serious dink-fest.

Christa Hibbs made the drive up from the River Valley to take first place with 84.00″, followed by Dwain Batey with 82.50″ and Josh Landreth in third place with 78.50″ on the day. Christa also won Big Bass with a 21″ largemouth, which is a giant for Beaver Lake.

Your top 10:

1. Christa Hibbs 84.00
2. Dwain Batey 82.50
3. Josh Landreth 78.50
4. Levi Schneider 78.25
5. Tyler Zengerle 75.50
6. Nathan Higgins 72.75
7. Cole Sikes 71.75
8. Troy Enke 69.25
9. Kyle Long 67.75
10. Jason Kincy 67.75

Angler Roundtable

Our top finishers – Christa, Dwain and Josh tell us how it went down on Beaver Lake. Kudos to these winners and others who participated in recaps throughout the season, it helps new anglers learn and is great sportsmanship!

What part of beaver did you go to and why?

Christa – I decided to fish the southern end of the lake. I was interested in fishing stained water with less pressure.

Dwain – I was up near the dam. I always fish up that way for this event, I have a pattern that is hit or miss and doesn’t always work out but if it does you can win.

Josh – I went to the far south part of the lake because I’m most comfortable fishing shallow water and felt like I could find areas that were less pressured. I also wanted to get as far away from the boat traffic as possible.

What particular baits or techniques did you use for success?

Christa – I used a popper and buzz bait the entire day.

Dwain – I threw several different topwater baits.

Josh – I caught several on topwater early. They were small, and with the muddy water it seemed they were tucked close to wood. In pre-fishing I was only able to catch fish with the shakey head, but had a hard time getting them stuck good. On tournament day, I decided to use a Ned rig head with a Z Zinker worm as my finesse bait. It had an exposed hook and my hook up ratio was way better! It was definitely the key bait for me. I caught at least ten fish on that bait, including three of my keepers. I am not a finesse angler at all. So I really had to focus on every single piece of structure and make multiple casts. I knew my area was limited and I had to maximize its potential.

How did the weather (storms early, bright sun later) impact your approach or fishing?

Christa – The weather helped my bite for the most part. The overcast conditions allowed me to really cover some water quickly with topwater. Once the sun came out I slowed down some and focused on the higher percentage spots that were firing for the day only.

Dwain – The clouds and storms keep me from launching until after 7am. I also wasn’t able to get bit on the same topwater as I have used in the past and had to mix it up and fish some new water as well as covering more water. The low water was also an issue. I was glad to see the sun come out later but there was a period late when I didn’t ever get another bite but I had already done my damage by noon. No upgrades after then.

Josh – The weather honestly had little to no impact on my approach. I guess the water was muddier than I expected, so that changed things a bit.

Summer fishing can be very difficult for most people. In your mind what is the key to being able to beat the heat and catch fish?

Christa – During the summer the key for me is to have a more aggressive approach early in the morning with some sort of topwater. If conditions allow, I would stick with this approach all day. On hot and clear sky days I will chase the shade around until it is gone and then look at structure offshore.

Dwain – I was able to adjust to the conditions and also stick to my game plan for the entire day even though it appeared that it wasn’t going to materialize for several hours and I stayed the course until I was able to make it happen. There was over an hour between each of my last culls and two hours on my very last fish.

Josh – I love the summer! But, most of my experience is on creeks and rivers. Usually I struggle on the lake if I can’t get a topwater bite. For this tournament, I just went to an area that was like the rivers I fish. If you’re going to fish shallow in August, fish real shallow was kinda my thought process.

Heavy Hitters Champion

It was a close one this season with Tony and Josh battling down the stretch. By a very close margin, Tony Sorloungsana is your 2023 Heavy Hitter Champion! The top twelve totals are here:

We asked Tony some questions about his championship run:

What do you think has contributed to an increase in bigger fish this year?

Coming into the season I want to add more diversity to my arsenal, so I forced myself to learned and get use to off shore fishing. The 20” at Tenkiller, 19.50” at Pumpback, and the 21” from the Roadrunner all came from an off shore point.

Is there a technique/bait that has accounted for your success?

Without a doubt cranking deep water w/ a Strike King 6XD has been absolute money for the me in the summer months, if it wasn’t for that lure I don’t know think I would’ve been able to catch Josh.

Many people go a long time without a big fish in a tournament, any advice for them?

We live in this day in age where there is so much free knowledge and advice about fishing, soak it all in and use what makes sense to you. Getting comfortable being uncomfortable will give u a leg up on the competition. Shout out to Dwain Batey, last year he sent a tweet out about the mental game of tournament fishing and how to overcome. That tweet has help me get a better understanding that this is deeper game than just throwing a line and reeling it in.

Angler of the Year Race

Just like Heavy Hitters, the AOY crown is going to be a close finish. With the Classic looming (which counts for two events in AOY totals!) there are several possible outcomes.

Tyler maintains his lead and has a nice cushion. As long as he has a decent performance in the Classic, he’s in good shape to hold on. If he bombs…Josh, Kyle, and Dwain are in reach. Big days from them and a so-so day from the current leader could make this interesting.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all anglers who participated in an event this year. Kayak tournaments can make you a better at bass fishing, and I’m sure everyone who did an event learned something they can use down the road. Was a great regular season and hope everyone is back next year!