The top 25 anglers of the year in NSKA NWA faced a diabolical test in the end of season Classic Championship. Day one to day two stretched from one end of the NSKA region to the other and set up what would be an interesting and challenging event.
Lake Fort Smith, a.k.a. Snake Fort Smith, a.k.a. Dead Sea South, is always a fun time for anglers and presents a tremendous challenge. I’m not saying Lake Fort Smith can be tough, but Jacob Wheeler would keep driving past it on I-540 and won’t take the exit.
Day one had bluebird skies and little wind for most of the day, and it was a grinder! All except for Cole Sikes who took control on day one with 76.50″ – a huge lead over Sam McClish in 2nd with 67.75″ on the day. Sam did land what has to be a biological freak for that lake and took Big Bass for the event with a 20.75″ largemouth. As day one ended, the Classic was shaping up like last year’s event where the day one leader with a big lead would try to hold on day two.
Top 10 after day one:
- Cole Sikes
- Sam McClish
- Jacob Webber
- Tyler Zengerle
- Dwain Batey
- Jason Kincy
- Terrill Standifer
- Jason Cowell
- James Shumate
- Craig Wood
Day two was up on Table Rock, site of two previous events in 2021. Anglers could put in at Holiday Island or Eagle Rock. In stark contrast to day one, anglers really caught’em on the Rock. Jacob Webber made a big move on day two with 87.50″ followed by Craig Wood with 86.50″ on the day. Cole Sikes pulled a very respectable 80.25″ on day two – would it be enough?
Top 10 day two:
- Jacob Webber
- Craig Wood
- Devon Esry
- Dwain Batey
- Tyler Zengerle
- Jason Fields
- Terrill Standifer
- Kyle Long
- Cole Sikes
- Justin Brewer
2021 NSKA NWA Classic Champion
Cole Sikes had the total needed to take the title with 156.75″ for the two days, followed by Jacob Webber with 153.25″ and Tyler Zengerle with a 147.25″ total.
Final Top Ten
- Cole Sikes
- Jacob Webber
- Tyler Zengerle
- Dwain Batey
- Terrill Standifer
- Jason Kincy
- Craig Wood
- James Shumate
- Jason Cowell
- Josh Landreth
Angler Roundtable
The grueling two day tournament was challenging and fun. Cole Sikes, Jacob Webber, Tyler Zengerle and I share some of our experiences from the event in this season-ending roundtable discussion:
Overall, how did you attack Lake Fort Smith and what baits were key in your day?
Cole – I knew Lake Fort Smith was going to be tough so I wanted to make sure to get a limit. I knew my best chance of catching a limit would be fishing on the south end where there are more spotted bass. I started on a community hole and caught two keepers and then I moved to steeper banks to fill out my limit. I had a limit in the first hour and it was a huge relief. For the most part I junk fished and caught fish on 5 different baits (popper, jig, deep diving crank bait, spinnerbait and drop shot) but my most consistent bite was fishing a popper on the steeper banks really slow. I ended up catching almost three-limits worth of fish but most were 11” spotted bass.
Jacob – In practice, I tried fishing the north end and the south end. I did much better on the south end as far as numbers go. I threw some big baits in practice in the direction of the dam and had some quality fish show themselves. The plan was to fish a stretch and try to get a small limit early, then head to the dam end and try to catch a couple of those bigger fish. It was pretty much a junk fishing day, but the ones that mattered came on a fluke, pencil popper, and buzz bait.
Tyler – Going into day one, I knew most people would go left from the ramp, towards the creek. To avoid the larger crowd, I made the decision to go straight across from the ramp and fish to the buoys and back, as I fished this section several years ago. My key baits for the day were a wacky worm, a Jewel PeeWee Football Jig, and a shaky head.
Jason – I wasn’t very confident going into the day, pre-fishing was pretty terrible and really struggled. So going into the day I was just going to try to get a limit and stay in the mix. Having turned into a power fishing angler mostly, I put that stuff away for the most part and focused on using a drop shot on some key areas to secure a limit. After that I tried to find a kicker but had no luck. Had to leave early to get up to the Hill for the big game, turned into a fantastic day!
Where did you put in at Table Rock, how did you approach it and what were your key baits on the day?
Cole – I had no idea what to expect on Table Rock so I fished history. I have done well in the past launching at Holiday Island and going down river towards Eagle Rock so that’s what I did. I started my morning by covering a lot of water throwing a buzz bait and whopper plopper. After about an hour of not having much luck, I picked my trusted jig and starting catching a few on bluffs and points. I struggled on day two and couldn’t really figure them out but I was able to grind enough and put together a decent limit. Thank goodness I had a good lead after day one because the guys caught them on day two!
Jacob – I put in at Eagle Rock and went towards Rock Creek. I caught a few good fish right away on a whopper plopper and never got another bite on it the rest of the day. I switched to the chatter bait and every spot I pulled up to they were smashing it.
Tyler – I put in at Holiday Island and went to my normal section that I fish anytime I go there. At first, I attempted to throw a buzzbait and spook with no luck. I eventually got out a fluke and caught my first fish 30 minutes into the tournament. After a few more casts, I put the fluke away. I knew a jig worked well in that area, so I started throwing a Jewel PB&J finesse jig (what I used when I placed 4th during our TR 2.0 tourney). That’s when I really started catching fish. I had a limit by 7:30am and caught 82.75” by 9:00am. I decided to leave early at 1:00pm because I knew I was really competing for 2nd-5th place, since Cole had a commanding 12” lead to start day two.
Jason – Really have not had as much luck historically at Holiday Island so I chose to go to Eagle Rock even though I’d never fished there. Kyle, Ryan and I just pedaled to a creek we’d never fished and started working it over. Eventually started catching a few on a plopper and got things going. Later on I was able to catch a few on a jig and then when the wind picked up was able to catch a few on a spinnerbait. Little disappointed in the day because lots of people wrecked’em so I clearly missed out on the juice.
Of the two day event, talk about the key fish that put you in the money.
Cole – My key fish was the 19.75″ kicker I caught day one on Lake Fort Smith. I knew when I caught that fish I was going to have a chance to win the Classic because how tough the lake was fishing. I caught that fish on a transition spot on the bluff where it went from a vertical bluff to little small rocky point. I threw my popper right up on the bank and popped it a few times and she sucked it under.
Jacob – I think my key fish came on day one. I started out on a small stretch where I thought I was going to get a fast limit and ended up not getting a bite. I was about to switch everything up and go to a new area, but ended up catching my biggest of the day right before moving. That fish made me stick to the game plan and put together an alright limit.
Tyler – The fish that really gave me a chance to be in the money was the 14.75” bass I caught at 2:15pm on Lake Fort Smith. That put me at being one of the four people with limits over 60” and gave me a 5.75” cushion ahead of 5th place.
Jason – I didn’t finish in the money, but that very first drop shot fish I caught on Lake Fort Smith was a confidence booster and I milked an area for about two hours catching several shorts but eventually getting my limit. What a relief.
Did you do anything or think about anything differently for a two day event?
Cole – Like I mentioned above, I knew Lake Fort Smith was going to be the x-factor in determining the classic winner so that’s what I focused 100% on. I did quite a bite of map studying prior to the tournament expecting to be fishing offshore. I prefished and was able to get some confidence in catching a limit but knew it was going to take a kicker to have a chance to win. Other than that I treated the tournament like any other tournament. Hit high-percentage spots even if it meant covering miles of water.
Jacob – Nothing different. I just spent a little more time pre-fishing.
Tyler – I took this tournament one day at a time. I didn’t really treat it much differently than single day tournaments. I went into each day with the same baits tied on and used the ones that I was most confident in. One thing that I normally don’t do is leave early, but I was really craving Whataburger.
Jason – Like Cole said, I had no doubt this would be won or lost on Lake Fort Smith so it was the only place I pre-fished. Kudos to Cole, we both arrived at our starting spot around the same time and we agreed to share the water and it worked out well for us.
What’s your PB Largemouth, Smallie and Spot?
Cole -My personal best Largemouth was a 23.50” on Lake Elmdale in my second kayak tournament ever back in 2017. The largest Smallmouth I have caught was a 20” on Beaver and my largest spotted bass was 18” on beaver as well.
Jacob – PB largemouth was a 6.5lb in a tournament in Bella Vista. No idea for Smallie and Spot.
Tyler – My PB largemouth is a 22.25” from Lincoln. Smallmouth is 18.50, I believe, from Pumpback this year, and my biggest spot is 16.25” caught this year on a section of the Illinois River.
Jason – My personal best Largemouth was a 24″ giant from this year on Possum Kingdom, largest Smallmouth is only 17.50″ from Beaver Lake and largest Spot is 17.25″ on Beaver Lake. Really have a goal this winter into next year to get a 20″ Smallie.
Angler of the Year
The 2021 Angler of the Year race really wasn’t much in doubt halfway through the season. Dwain Batey was a consistent performer all season. Dwain is an exceptional angler and one of the things that makes him so good is he can adapt to any condition and any type of water. His versatility helped him excel all season long to take the crown.
Dwain is not only a great angler, he is a friend and a very giving person. He is always willing to help anyone and has made me a better angler as we’ve talked fishing and I’ve observed how he does things. He’s always willing to teach you a technique – because he knows he’ll still do it better! Really happy for Dwain.
Your 2021 AOY Top Ten:
- Dwain Batey
- Cole Sikes
- Tyler Zengerle
- Ryan Paskiewicz
- Justin Brewer
- Jason Kincy
- Kyle Long
- Jacob Webber
- Devon Esry
- Craig Wood
Jacob Webber also took home the Rookie of the Year award and Kyle Long was the 2021 Heavy Hitter Champion. Congratulations to them!
Congratulations to all
Thank you to all anglers who participated in the events, yakpots or just some fun fishing. Hope to see you on the water next year and will be rooting for everyone to catch their personal best!
Next up is the Arkansas State Championship – it’s a fun two-day event and hope many of you can make it.