Tag Archives: Beaver Dam

NSKA

NSKA Beaver Lake – Tournament Recap

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.

Brayden Richardson took 1st place in the NSKA Beaver Lake event.

 

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.

Toua Khang won Big Bass on Beaver lake with this 20.25″ largemouth bass.

 

The top 10 finishers were:
  1. Brayden Richardson
  2. Jeriamy Vann
  3. Declan McDonald
  4. Roy Roberts
  5. John Evans
  6. Jason Cowell
  7. Tyler Zengerle
  8. Lloyd Mize
  9. Clay Johnson
  10. 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.

 

Fishing Tips

Winter Trout Fishing Tips

Arkansas kayak angler Jason Cossey shares his tips for winter trout fishing in this guest article for Kayak Fishing Focus.

People ask me what I do when I take a break from kayak fishing in the winter time. Sometimes it is deer hunting, but other times I like to fish for trout simply because it’s a sit on the bank and hang out with friends and family kind of fishing and I do not have to worry about a boat or a lot of tackle. Here’s how I like to approach winter trout fishing and have the greatest success!

To find trout in Arkansas, there are rivers below the dams, such as the White River below Beaver Dam which is my favorite place to go. Another place to do winter trout fishing is in the various small lakes that are stocked in the winter months. Check your local game and fish website for trout stocking information.

Winter trout fishing with floating egg baits can be an easy way to make a catch.
Winter trout fishing with floating egg baits can be an easy way to make a catch.
Bait and Tackle Setup for Winter Trout Fishing

1. Starting with rod and reel selection, I like a medium-medium light spinning rod with 6# monofilament for a main line. I use my favorite drop shot rod because I like to keep in practice feeling bites, it helps me get ready for the spring drop shot and finesse fishing.

2. Leader line is very important, I use 2# clear monofilament if the water has a little color you can get away with 4# but 2# always gets more bites.

3. Sinker selection, now is the time to use up some of those 1/4oz bullet and egg sinkers that have been rattling around. I also use a #10 or #12 swivel to attach this leader to my main line.

4. Hook selection is simple any #10 or #12 light wire hook. I like a wide gap hook it seems to get me better hookups.

5. Now bait…I am a fan of Berkeley power eggs because they come in their
own jar and unlike dough type baits they don’t get under your fingernails and smell up your fingers all day! Color is just about trying different options until you find a combination that works. I use two eggs of different colors most time like chartreuse and white or orange and bubblegum.

Now you have all of that stuff lined out it’s time to decide on leader length. Trout rarely feed on the bottom this is the reason 90% of all trout bait floats. I always start long on my leader and cut it according to how deep the water is and how deep they are feeding. I find that holes in a river right after a shoal is a good place to start looking for trout to congregate. When you find a school just stay on them for fast and consistent action.

Other Winter Trout Fishing Strategies

So you aren’t really keen on soaking power eggs there are other ways to catch trout, there are an assortment of lures that are old fish catchers. I always carry small rooster tails, they are one of the best ways to catch trout. Small jerkbaits and crank baits are also another way to catch em you just have to figure out how aggressive and what kind of mood they are in! I also keep on hand small marabou jigs, these tiny jigs tipped with a wax worm under a clear float can be deadly on pressured rainbows and can help you fill your limit with nice sized trout.

I hope these tips will help you with those winter time fishing blues, trout can be a fun way to spend the day with your loved ones. Great for kids and an awesome way to pass the time when it’s too cold or you just don’t feel like getting out the boat but need to feel the pull of something on your line.

– Jason Cossey