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.
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 | 2,721 | 19 | 0.70% |
| 2019 | 2,128 | 11 | 0.52% |
| 2018 | 1,635 | 17 | 1.04% |
| 2017 | 1,528 | 25 | 1.64% |
| 8,012 | 72 | 0.90% |
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!
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 Sikes | 8 |
| Rance Richardson | 7 |
| Jason Kincy | 5 |
| Dwain Batey | 4 |
| John Wofford | 3 |
| Justin Brewer | 3 |
| Kyle Long | 3 |
| Justin Phillips | 3 |
| John Evans | 3 |
| Bo Sarratt | 2 |
| Jose Rodriguez | 2 |
| Rob Barnica | 2 |
| Craig Wood | 2 |
| Sam McClish | 1 |
| Jason Coleman | 1 |
| Wayne Johnson | 1 |
| Avery Metcalf | 1 |
| Ryan Paskiewicz | 1 |
| Chris Needham | 1 |
| Michael Burgess | 1 |
| Clay Johnson | 1 |
| Billy Bowden | 1 |
| Andrew Newsom | 1 |
| Toua Khang | 1 |
| Josh Goforth | 1 |
| Brayden Richardson | 1 |
| Bill Campbell | 1 |
| Danny Dutton | 1 |
| Baron Meek | 1 |
| Ethan Dhuyvetter | 1 |
| William Jones | 1 |
| Celo Delgado | 1 |
| Declan McDonald | 1 |
| Nathan Henthorn | 1 |
| Jerry Cornelius | 1 |
| Cody Milton | 1 |
| Jason Cossey | 1 |
| Tyler Zengerle | 1 |
| 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:
| Length | Angler | Year |
| 23.5 | Cole Sikes | 2017 |
| 22.75 | Jason Coleman | 2020 |
| 22.5 | Kyle Long, Craig Wood, Sam McClish, Sikes | 2019, 2019, 2020, 2017 |
| 22.25 | Nathan Henthorn | 2017 |
| 22 | Justin Brewer, Rance Richardson, Jason Kincy | 2018, 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!
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.