Lake Fort Smith really is a beautiful place, lush mountains surrounding water with all types of rock and wood cover…if only the fish would cooperate. Once again Lake Fort Smith lived up to its reputation of being notoriously stingy to kayak anglers on tournament days. The pre-tournament predictions from anglers were so cute and optimistic, with some predicting more than 80” to win and saying that a lot of fish would be caught. Once again, the lake had the last laugh.
History said it would be a tough day. Back in 2016, only 14% (10) of the field turned in a limit and 61% (45) submitted a keeper. In 2018 only 22% (14) turned in a limit and 77% (49) carded at least one keeper. For this year’s early-season visit to Lake Fort Smith, there were zero limits submitted and a paltry 55% (37) of anglers turned in a keeper. A group of 67 anglers caught a total of 68 fish.
Tournament Results
Cole Sikes took first place four keepers totaling 58.50”, with David Byrd second with 46.25” and John Evans third with 43.75”. Craig Wood caught a 22” tank to take the Big Bass prize.
The top ten anglers were:
- Cole Sikes
- David Byrd
- John Evans
- Lloyd Mize
- Craig Wood
- Josh King
- Jacob Hudson
- Chris Jones
- Erik Sanchez
- Thor Rooks
Angler Recaps
Top finishers Cole Sikes, David Byrd and John Evans talk about how they did it and keys to kayak fishing:
How do you generally approach Lake Fort Smith, or, what were you thinking about before the tournament?
Cole – My game plan doesn’t change much from one body of water to another. I typically try and put the odds in my favor and fish high percentage spots. This may mean you’re spending more time bouncing around but you’re skipping water that is most likely dead.
David – It was the first time I was ever on Lake Ft. Smith. So, I had planned on just fishing any points I came across. Mainly finesse fishing to put together a 5 fish limit.
John – I try to find out what the lake conditions are like and revisit it on Google maps. Also will check the weather forecast to see how many layers I’ll need to wear to keep warm.
How did you catch your fish and what on?
Cole – I caught all my fish on a 1/2 ounce wobble-head jig paired with a small crawdad trailer. Every fish I caught was between 5 to 12 feet.
David – I caught mine out in 10-12 foot of water. Used my Lowrance to locate brush on the bottom and dragged a KVD deep diving crank bait in a red craw pattern. It was my first time ever on Lake Ft. Smith. Only had 4 bites all day.
John – My go-to is a finesse rig, straight tail worms and craws.
What is the biggest challenge in kayak fishing tournaments?
Cole – The biggest challenge in fishing kayak tournaments is that it’s difficult to change game plans mid tournament. You’re typically committing to a plan prior to the tournament starting and once you’re out there it can be difficult to change. I fish bass boat tournaments as well and there has been times when I’ll be fishing dirty water in the river and if I’m struggling midday I may run up to clear water and really change things up. This can be done while kayak fishing tournaments however it takes more time to change locations.
David – The biggest challenge for kayak fishing is your limited to how much water you can cover if you make the wrong choice on starting locations.
John – For me it is the travel. Gauging the travel time and how early I’m leaving the house, having the truck packed with what I need…can’t forget the kitchen sink!
Does your strategy change at all when you know the bite is super tough?
Cole – Overall my strategy stays about the same, like I mentioned above, I like to hit high percentage spots but for this tournament I did scale my jig down from a normal football jig to a wobble-head which is a much smaller profile since I knew the bite would be tough.
David – The best strategy for a super tough bite is to slow down and watch those electronics. This helps you find the fish further off the bank that most people are not even fishing for. Most people are beating the banks and never look away from the shoreline.
John – I’m constantly changing up baits to see what will entice those tight lipped bass! That’s why the bottom of the kayak looks like a war zone of tried and failed baits.
Next Up
The next tournament for NWA NSKA is at Beaver Lake on April 20th.