A hot June Saturday greeted the Natural State Kayak Anglers to Beaver Lake along with 90+ degree temps, a poly-flake blend boat tournament, wake boarders and tough fishing conditions on the Dead Sea. The NSKA event produced a big turnout of 63 anglers who scattered across the lake from Twin Bridges down to Beaver Dam.
Although the lake was stingy, overall the fishing wasn’t among the toughest historically on the Dead Sea, with 23 of 63 (37%) turning in a limit, and a robust 84% (53 of 63) turning in a keeper. These numbers may seem huge when NSKA returns to Beaver Lake in August.
Top Anglers
Junior angler Brayden Richardson took first place with 77″ on the day with 17″ being his big fish of the day. Jeriamy Vann took second with 75.5″ followed by Declan McDonald and Roy Roberts with 74.75″ each. Big Bass was won by Toua Khang with a 20.25″ largemouth.
The top 10 finishers were:
- Brayden Richardson
- Jeriamy Vann
- Declan McDonald
- Roy Roberts
- John Evans
- Jason Cowell
- Tyler Zengerle
- Lloyd Mize
- Clay Johnson
- Carson McBride
Angler Recaps
The top finishers of the event share where they went and how they got the fish to bite in this roundtable recap.
Where did you go on Beaver Lake and why did you choose that place?
Brayden – I fished the event at Beaver shores; originally I was going to head to Van Winkle, but with my dad not fishing the event I chose to go to the area I was most comfortable with and prefished some.
Jeriamy – Horseshoe Bend due to familiarity with the area.
Declan – I went to the north end of Beaver lake around Kirk Hollow after seeing the lake went down and the fish weren’t in the bushes I thought it would be my best chance to catch a limit.
Roy – I started the day near the dam at Lost Bridge Marina. I am the most comfortable fishing clear water so this has been my go to area on Beaver Lake. Later in the day I made a move to the mid-lake area.
In general how did you catch them, what techniques and anything noteworthy you did?
Brayden – Early morning treated me well with a 17″ on a Whopper Plopper. Soon after that I realized I left some of my key plastics In the truck and has to pedal back so I missed out on more topwater time. As soon as the sun came out I switched to my old reliable, a 4″ trick worm Neko rigged. I was fishing it right off the rock shelves from about 4 feet of water to 15 feet in the back of coves.
Jeriamy – I fish jigs…mostly. I got lucky.
Declan – I started the morning throwing a Whopper Plopper and a weightless fluke. After I worked a good section of bank and had no bites I picked up a Ned rig and worked a point and got a 18 incher so I fished the rest of the day with the Ned rig.
Roy – I caught 10 keepers on the day. The two baits that were producing for me were a Balsa Pro topwater and a 3/4 oz Jewel Football Jig in PBJ.
What is the key to fishing in the summer in your opinion?
Brayden – To me the key to summer fishing is fishing early in shallow water near deep water where they will head later in the day. All my fish came before 10:00 a.m. so the early bite was key.
Declan – I think the key to summer fishing is to get on the water early morning or late evening into night. For me the bite shuts off around 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. A big thing for tournament fishing is to keep grinding it out through the day and keep a good mindset.
Roy – Summer is my least favorite time to fish. To me the fish are less predictable and harder to pattern. A couple tips I would suggest are always pay attention to shady areas and don’t be afraid to use big baits. I would much prefer to fish at night this time of year.
Anything else happen you want to mention or say?
Declan – After changing my mind two days before the tournament about where I was going to go I was nervous about it being the wrong move, but after catching a good fish I felt a lot better about it. Later around 8:00 or so the rod I was throwing my Ned rig on broke, it was hard not to be negative about it but I had to get another rod and keep fishing hard. A big key to tournament fishing is to not give up and keep fishing hard.
Roy – Last Saturday I got to practice and noticed several fish hanging out around a particular dock. I started at this dock and caught a double on the topwater right off the bat, a 14.25” and 15.5”. This really gave me a boost for the rest of the morning. I made a move up the lake and picked out a point with lots of wind and waves that I had never fished. This quickly paid off with a 15” and a 15.5” Smallmouth.
Next up for the Natural State Kayak Anglers is the Draw 4 event on July 14th, watch for more information coming soon.