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NSKA

2023 NSKA NWA Beaver Lake South Recap / AOY / Heavy Hitters

You can almost set the weather forecast by the NSKA NWA event calendar. Have a tournament coming up on a Saturday? It’s going to rain supernatural proportions on Thursday and Friday. This March tournament on south Beaver Lake, presented by Black Creek Electric, was no exception. With several inches of rain in the 48 hours before lines in. Combine this dirtied water with temps still in the very low 50s (if that in some spots) and it was a recipe for tough day on Beaver.

After several tournaments where our favorite stingy fishery has really shown out with big limits (89.25, 88.75, 84.25, 88, 88, 87, 86.25 89.25 for example in the past year), Beaver Lake humbled some folks on this post-front day in March.

This chart shows the precipitous rise in water level leading up tot he event, leading to unusually high water for March..

A low 3.95 fish per angler rate fell well below 5.95 from this tournament last year. Less than half the field (48%) turned in a limit, a fairly low number in recent history. Of the 48 registered anglers, 40 turned in at least one bass.

Josh Landreth took first place with 80.75″ on the day, followed by Sam McClish with 80.75″ (second on tie-breaker), with James Haeberle taking third with 76.50″.

“Big” Bass for this event was an 18″ monster, caught by Josh Landreth. This is the first event with no 20″ bass in the past 17 regular season NSKA NWA tournaments. (2022 Classic also had no 20s). On this day though, Josh caught a biggun’!

Big Bass?? Was on this day on the Dead Sea!

Complete Top Ten for Beaver Lake South:

  1. Josh Landreth 80.75
  2. Sam McClish 80.75
  3. James Haeberle 76.50
  4. Maurilio Gutierrez 74
  5. Tyler Zengerle 72.25
  6. Jimmy Chokbengboun 72.25
  7. Jacob Simmons 71.25
  8. Kyle Long 69.50
  9. Jason Adams 69.25
  10. Tony Sorluangsana 67.75

Angler Roundtable

Let’s all gather around the campfire to hear from the top anglers on the day. Josh Landreth, Sam McClish and James Haeberle share how they made it happen on a tough day at the Dead Sea.

What part of Beaver Lake did you fish and why?

Josh – I went to Natural Walk. I wanted to get away from the crowd and had decent success in a previous Beaver South tourney there in flooded conditions. I knew I wanted to go against the grain and take a chance in the muddy water, and felt like I knew the structure better there than other options.

Sam – I chose to go to Hickory Creek. The spinnerbait bite has been really solid for the last couple weeks. Plus I love dirty water.

James – I fished at Monte Ne. I know of a few spots the fish like to stage on before going back to spawn this time of year and hoping to find some cleaner water after the rain we had.

What were the baits used to catch your fish?

Josh – I caught several right off the bat on a chartreuse/white Strike King Spinnerbait with 1 big gold willow blade and 1 Colorado. Just fishing shallow near wood. Three of my keepers were on that bait. The key bait was the methiolate floating worm though. The two biggest fish I caught were on the floating worm. Casts had to be extremely tight to cover with both baits.

Sam – My first limit of fish came off a Booyah Covert spinnerbait with two Colorado blades. I started my day fishing shallow in and around all the flooded brush. I went an hour or so with out a bite so I knew I had to make a change. I switched to a Tru Faith custom bait coleslaw spinner bait with a big white willow blade and a small yellow Colorado blade. I also changed my strategy. I did a quick Google map check and found a big long point. I went to the original shore line (still only sitting in 12’ of water but about 70 yards off the bank) my very first cast slow rolling the blade across it i caught a 16″ bass and couldn’t believe it. I went on to catch 20+ fish on this one spot in about 45 minutes. At one point catching seven fish on seven consecutive casts. I upgraded every fish on this spot.

James – I was using a War Eagle 1/2 ounce double willow spinnerbait and slow rolling it around a flooded brush on channel swing points and pockets. After the spinnerbait bite was over, I moved out away from the bank and fished a chatterbait slowly along the bottom and finished off my limit with a 16″ bass.

Talk about how you caught your biggest bass on the day – what happened?

Josh – My big fish came at 8:24am to complete my limit that already had a 17″ and two over 15″. I tossed the floating worm out along the edge of some flooded bushes. Fished it like a fluke, basically. I saw the fish come out of the bushes and nail it! The floating worm bite is one of my favorites and it was a pretty awesome take! I thought the fish was probably 15-16″ when I saw it take the bait. I was fishing it on a medium action spinning rod with 8 lb mono. She took me for a ride for a few seconds and was lucky to keep her out of the bushes. I was surprised she was 18″. I knew that fish nearly guaranteed me a top 10 and gave me a chance to win. I never dreamed she would be the Big Bass though!

Sam – Eventually the bite died so kept moving and catching a ton more fish but nothing that would upgrade me until 2:00pm. Then, I decided to go back to the honey hole. As soon as I pulled up on the spot fish were pushing shad everywhere. I threw out a 3” Keitech and before I could even engage my reel a 16.5″ bass had it swallowed. That was my second 16.5″ on the day and by far the most meaningful fish of the day since it upgraded my length total to 80.75″ putting me in first place (for a very short time).

James – My biggest bass from the tournament was 17″ and came from pitching my spinnerbait up in the brush and bringing it out slow. I only had a few feet of line out when it hit, so I just boat flipped it so it wouldn’t have a chance to get me hung up in the brush.

What lure or technique have you historically caught more bass on than any other?

Josh – I’m not super patient and like to be on the move. I fish a spinnerbait a lot and love to fish top water in the summer. At heart, I’m a river smallmouth fisherman. You can’t beat the smallmouth whopper plopper bite!

Sam – I have a handful of “go to” or “favorite” baits. I love throwing a swim jig probably the most. Second would be a spinnerbait or jig. But my confidence bait that has caught me more fish in a crunch than anything year round is a small single swim bait, either a 2.8 Spark Shad or Keitech. It’s such a fun little bait that catches fish of all sizes.

James – I always have a few baits ready to go all year long. Some sort of crankbait, a spinnerbait, a weightless fluke, jig, and a Texas rig. Different times of the year and conditions call for a different approach to the day. But I will always enjoy and is probably my favorite way to catch them is a fluke.

Josh Landreth kicking tail and taking names on Beaver Lake South.

AOY and Heavy Hitters Races

There are a variety of new-ish names in the top ten for Angler of the Year after two events. A few anglers are off to a hot start, but in particular Josh Landreth is on fire, leading both Heavy Hitters and AOY at this point of the season. If you’ve tanked in the first two events like I have, this is it, need to make the rest of them count. Lots of season to go, but history shows you are better off being at the top of this list early than not.

Angler of the Year Top 25

Heavy Hitters Top 25

Back to Beaver Lake for the next event, get it on the calendar or sign up today!

Fishing Baits & Tips

Lipless Crankbait Tips for Bass Fishing / Limited Edition Baits

Fishing with a lipless crankbait can be an exciting and effective way to catch bass, all the way into pre-spawn. These lures, which do not have a bill or lip, mimic the appearance and movement of a wounded baitfish, making them irresistible to bass of all types. Looking for lipless crankbait tips?

Lipless Crankbait tips, bass with lure in mouth

One of the benefits of using a lipless crankbait is that it can be fished at various depths and retrieved at a variety of speeds. This versatility makes a lipless crankbait a good choice for bass fishing in different conditions and locations.

Two commonly available lipless crankbait types are those with rattles (hard knocker) and those with a one knocker. Rattles mimic the sound of baitfish on the move and can be better when the bass are feeding on shad or you are really trying to cover water with a steady retrieve. A hard knocker may be better when it’s colder, fishing deeper or ripping a lipless through grass.

Fishing Lipless Crankbait Tips

When casting, aim for areas with cover such as weeds, drops, or rocks, as bass are often attracted to these structures. Once the lure hits the water, there are a variety of retrieves – including just reeling it in, to a yo-yo retrieve or a lift-and-drop action. I’ve had most success with lift-and-drop, but this season hope to experiment more with the various lipless crankbait retrieves.

Overall, fishing with a lipless crankbait can be a fun and productive way to target bass. With some practice and time on the water, find the technique and retrieve that works best for you and the fish you are trying to catch. If it isn’t working change up the retrieve, the color, or the type of sound.

Party Craw One-Knockers and Hard-Knockers from Lurenet.com now available!

Limited-release Custom Color One Knocker & Hard Knocker Series from Booyah

Booyah is ringing in the new year with a limited-release set of one knocker & hard knocker lipless crankbaits. Only 300 of each these exclusive colors are available, in two sizes – 1/4oz and 1/2oz. Use the code, KINCY15 on Lurenet.com to save 15% on your purchase.

The custom colors look fantastic and give you something not available anywhere else:

  • Party Craw – Bold color for stained water.
  • Graffiti Craw – This one has an oil-slick finish with an orange belly. (can’t wait to throw this one!)
  • Bulletproof Gill – Lots of flash with a gold back.
  • Goldie – I hear this is good for tannic water like found in Florida, or stained water on a sunny day.
  • G Finish Red Craw – LOVE how this looks with the red paint with a finish that reflects sunlight. Very versatile.
  • G Finish Brown Craw – A great craw pattern for rocky banks, drops and bluff ends!
Limited edition Booyah One-Knocker and Hard-Knocker shown in G Finish Brown Craw and Goldie – from Lurenet.com

Get your custom color baits before they run out. Use the code, KINCY15 on Lurenet.com to save 15% on your purchase.

For a more in-depth article on lipless crankbaits, check out the Complete Guide to fishing Lipless Crankbaits for Bass on Lurenet.

Previous post: 2022 NWA NSKA Classic Championship Recap

NSKA

Table Rock 2.0 Tournament Recap / Classic Countdown / Heavy Hitters

The fishing-friendly waters of Table Rock welcomed back NSKA for Table Rock 2.0 for 2021 and it was a wild ride.

As many NSKA tournament anglers know, this was the sixth event that involved rain or thunderstorms this year…and this one was a doozy. As Forrest Gump said, “We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin’ rain and big ol’ fat rain, rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath.”

On Saturday a dead calm sunny morning turned into stormaggeddon in the afternoon. In fishing one thing is true, when the weather changes the fishing changes and it was going to help someone catch ’em late.

Tournament Results

As 53 anglers took to the water expectations for catching fish were high. Table Rock put out good numbers in the May event (1.0) and there was some optimism it would be a bit easer than Beaver Lake. Overall a very strong 73% of anglers turned in a limit and with 338 fish caught for a 6.5 average per angler the Rock was on fire again.

Levi Schneider took 1st place in his first NSKA event with 88.00″ on the day (after a 1″ deduction!), followed by Jason Kincy with 84.00″ squeaking by Josh King in a tie-breaker who finished 3rd with 84.00″ on the day. Levi also won Big Bass with a 20.00″ Table Rock tank.

The Table Rock top ten:

  1. Levi Schneider
  2. Jason Kincy
  3. Josh King
  4. Tyler Zengerle
  5. Ryan Paskiewicz
  6. Josh Landreth
  7. Jason Adams
  8. Dwain Batey
  9. Justin Writght
  10. Jason Coleman

Check out the full results on TourneyX.

Please hit subscribe on YouTube if you like the recaps, will keep me going!

Angler Roundtable

Top finishers of the event break down the day in the roundtable discussion. A lot of fish were caught that day by Levi, Jason, Josh and Tyler.

What part of Table Rock did you go to and why?

Levi – After having a horrible practice at the Kings River I looked elsewhere. I found a random ramp just north of Emerald Beach that looked really good with a mix or brush piles, docks, and main lake bluff walls with rock. With multiple main lake points, secondary points, and a couple of coves so I had plenty of options no matter where the fish went.

Jason – Put in at Beavertown because I’d pre-fished a couple of spots on Table Rock and just couldn’t get things going so tried something different for the tournament. Rock Creek and Big M was where I wanted to fish because they are so good.

Josh – I wanted to go to the same spot I did in the first Table Rock tournament, but with the water being down 4’ I didn’t think it would be as good. I got on the internet, looked at some maps and found a spot that wasn’t too far of a drive and had several main points. I ended up fishing Owl Creek arm.

Tyler – I chose to fish at Shell Knob because I figured most of the crowd would be at the Kings River ramp or around Big M area. After doing map study, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of bluff walls, but rather shallower water which best suits my fishing style. I chose to fish behind the island (Lost Hill) and that’s where almost all my fish came from.

Key baits or techniques used to catch keepers?

Levi – I caught ’em early with a Rapala X Rap in a gaudy orange chartreuse color although those fish flopped off the board before I could snap a picture of them. After that all of my fish came of a CJs custom 1/2 oz PB&J football jig with either a green and purple Strike King Rage Craw or a Googan baits Krackin craw.

Jason – I got to power fish all day…pleased to say I didn’t touch a spinning rod one time! Heddon zara spook, War Eagle buzzbait, ZMan chatterbait, Booyah Covert spinnerbait and Slowtown football jig were all contributors.

Josh – I started with a buzzbait and landed one keeper pretty early. I switched to a wacky worm and turned out a small limit. I then put on a 1/2oz football jig, caught several and culled up four fish.

Tyler – All of the fish in my final five came off of a Jewel Finesse jig in PB&J with a Gambler Lures craw in orange/green pumpkin for the trailer. I did catch a few on a shaky head and Ned rig, but nothing of significant size.

Anything notable about catching your biggest fish?

Levi – My biggest fish came off the same main lake point I caught my 5th fish of the day to fill my limit. After I fished the cove by the point with little luck I decided to back out to the point mainly cause the clouds had came back and that’s when I had noticed my biggest bites would happen and sure enough after a few casts and a couple of hops the 20” largie ate my jig and if you saw my picture of him he was a little messed up.

Jason – I’d found a specific pattern by about 10:00 and was running it, catching a fish almost every time I’d find a certain thing. My 19.25″ kicker was cool because I saw it flash a second before it thwanked my bait and the fight was on. Sadly, shortly after this I lost my chance to catch Levi when another biggie pulled off after doing the exact same thing.

Josh – Absolutely, it was in the last five minutes of the game. It was literally going to be my last cast and I was almost back to my vehicle. I’ve never worked so fast and so hard at reeling, catching, unhooking and photographing a fish as I did for that one. I was very nervous it wouldn’t upload before 3:00pm.

Tyler – My biggest catch was 18.50”. I caught him going back through the same stretch of water I already fished about 45 minutes before the hurricane came through. I threw between some chunk rock and wood and pulled him out. He went airborne, and as soon as I had him in the net, the jig popped out. One second later, she probably wouldn’t have been in my final five.

What is one tip on getting good photos you can give new anglers?

Levi – A couple of things are recommend are take your measuring board with you anytime you go fishing and practice taking picture with every single fish you catch. Also if you’re a visual learner like I am, I mostly learned how to from watching many Greg Blanchard videos which is why when I started tournament fishing it was like second nature. Also measure in the lowest part of your kayak to reduce the chance of your fish from flopping out of the kayak.

Jason – Like Levi said, take your board and take photos when not in a tournament. Also like what Josh said about a routine and having everything in its place so you have to think less when in the moment. I’m very superstitious about this and have to put everything back exactly where it goes before starting to fish again, haha.

Josh – What is one tip on getting good photos you can give new anglers? I’m still learning myself and I still make several mistakes, but for me the key is having everything ready and always in the same place and doing the process the same way. Having that muscle memory helps when I have those rushed or excited moments.

Tyler – I recommend practicing at home. I went in the garage, sat in my kayak and moved my board around and figured out the best orientation that is most comfortable for me. After taking a few pics, I found a way that I don’t have to worry about my identifier being cutoff and that my whole board will fit in the picture. I’ve also reached out to other people with the same boat as me and looked at the way they did it. Yes, I know there are more variables when you’re out on the water, but having a plan in place before you hit the water is important. You can tweak some things when you’re actually measuring a fish. Snap a couple pics and always review them before submitting. It’s not fun getting an 18”+ fish DQ’d…I would know.

Classic Standings & AOY Race

Well the season is about over but there are a LOT of anglers in the hunt for a Classic berth. Right now I’d say there are 10-12 spots up for grabs depending on how everyone does in the final event on Beaver Lake. Lots of movement coming for sure.

In the AOY race, Dwain Batey has a chokehold on first that I believe nobody can overcome based on the numbers. (but I’m no mathematician) There is a slight chance for a few…Kyle Long and Tyler Zengerle in particular to catch up if they dominate the last event and the Classic and Dwain stumbles in the Classic. We will see what we see.

Take a moment to check out Dwain’s article about his day on Table Rock, and subscribe to his blog – it is a great read.

Heavy Hitters Not Over?

Was looking pretty early like Kyle Long had his own chokehold on Heavy Hitters, but like last year things tighten up down the stretch. Although he has a good lead, there are some threats to the crown in this last event.

If Kyle does not upgrade…Tyler, Ryan and Jason all have an outside shot at stealing it in the last event. Tyler would need a 21.75″ to win, Ryan needs a 21.75″ to win, and Jason needs a 21.50″ to win. These are not likely on Beaver Lake, but possible!

NSKA

NSKA Table Rock Recap / Heavy Hitters Update

The latest battle on the water for NSKA NWA took place on a section of Table Rock Lake, from the Shell Knob area up into the Kings and White River arms. It was a great opportunity for anglers to try out some new water and to catch a lot of fish on a great fishery.

Bass on Table Rock were biting for the NSKA gang.

A week and a half before the event there was significant rain and flooding which were going to affect the water for tournament day. Although Table Rock was a complete muddy mess a week out, when Beaver Lake and Table Rock both were running water through their respective dams, it really flushed a lot of the mud and debris down lake. This resulted in evolving conditions leading up to the event, meaning anglers had to find the water they were most comfortable with.

Table Rock Tournament Results

There were 53 anglers entered in the event and they accounted for a lot of fish caught. A strong 87% of anglers turned in a limit, about 20% higher than the average event. Timing worked out well for the event with bass in all phases of spawn in the lake, meaning there were many good fish to be had.

Michael Burgess won Big Bass with this 20″ Largemouth

Dwain Batey took 1st place with 89.75″, Michael Burgess was second with 88.25″ and Justin Brewer third with 85.50″ on the day. Brewer beat me out on a tiebreaker putting me in 4th on the day, also with an 85.50″ total. Big Bass was also won by Michael Burgess with a 20″ largemouth.

Here are the top 10 finishers:

  1. Dwain Batey 89.75″
  2. Michael Burgess 88.25″
  3. Justin Brewer 85.50″
  4. Jason Kincy 85.50″
  5. Carson McBride 85.00″
  6. Kyle Long 84.50″
  7. Devon Esry 84.00″
  8. Justin Phillips 84.00″
  9. Josh Landreth 82.75″
  10. Jason Coleman 82.25″

The complete tournament results are available on TourneyX.

Video recap and highlights from my day on Table Rock with 85.5″

Table Rock Angler Recaps

Here are some thoughts and insight from the top five anglers from the NSKA NWA Table Rock event. Dwain Batey, Michael Burgess, Justin Brewer, myself and Carson McBride share how things went down on the water and some other thoughts.

In general what area did you go and why?

Dwain – I fished the Kings River hoping it would have more color in the water than the White River did.

Michael – I fished on the white river side. I didn’t have time to practice so I just went to the same area as my previous tournament for MOYAK.

Justin – I chose to put in at Viola. I figured that section would still be the dirties water and dirty water is my strength.

Jason – Fished a creek arm around the Big M section of the White River area. Had fished there previously in the Moyak event and the water looked like the color I wanted to fish.

Carson – I fished the Kings River arm, mainly because I wanted to get as far away from Beaver Town as I could because I don’t like fishing that area

Overall what was the key bite for your day’s success, any specific baits you want to call out?

Dwain – I found fish in debris mats which had shad spawning on them. I used a Big Bite Baits BFE with a Trokar TK130 flipping hook and a 3/8 oz weight Texas rigged to punch into those mats.

Michael – My day started off slow with no bites in my first 1.5 hrs. I connected my first fish on a jig in the bushes but it was a small one. I continued to try to repeat the pattern but only came up with three small fish. I switched to the other side which was shallower and picked up a spinner bait. Within 10 casts I had caught three, one being a 18″ fish. It dialed me into what I needed to throw and where to fish.

Justin – I started early with a spinnerbait and flipping a big creature bait to catch my small limit. I threw a wacky rigged dinger and got bit twice which keyed me in to my main pattern of flipping a Texas rigged black and blue Yum Dinger with the smallest weight I could get away with and still penetrate the and the trash on the bank.

Jason – Unlike a lot of others, seems like my fish came on more variety of baits. Early on caught them on a War Eagle buzzbait and late morning got my 18″ and a 17″ on a Booyah Covert spinnerbait. As the day wore on still caught several on the spinnerbait but did some late culls on skipping a football jig with a YUM Spine Craw at bushes and sawdust areas.

Carson – My key bait was a half ounce flipping jig with a Rage Menace trailer, I was flipping it around isolated buck brush and bushes and punching through the debris mats, and any time I came to a spot where someone’s yard was flooded, a white spinnerbait with gold willow leaf blades always produced a bite.

First NSKA on Table Rock, how did you feel about it and do you like events outside of Arkansas, why?

Dwain – I always like to fish new bodies of water, or be forced into fishing areas of familiar lakes that I’ve never been to, so I always like when we have diversity of venues.

Michael – I enjoyed fishing Table Rock, it’s a fantastic fishery with some big fish. I’m not much of a fan fishing small lakes, it just seems to easy and I want a challenge.

Justin – I feel like I have done pretty good at Table Rock events in the past so I was excited about this event. I like venturing out to different states and different waters. It helps you as an angler to travel and figure out different bodies of water.

Jason – I’d never fished Table Rock before the Moyak tournament a couple of weeks ago and now have fished it a few times. It’s a great lake and clearly has a better fish population than what we encounter on Beaver Lake. Hope we go back next year.

Carson – I liked having and NSKA event on table rock I just wish we could’ve went all over the entire lake.

If you could only have one rod / reel / line setup to fish with, what would it be and why?

Dwain – I would have to go with a 7′ 2” medium heavy baitcaster with an 8.3:1 reel, I am not brand loyal just anything that will get the job done. I picked this because it would cover a variety of different baits/techniques.

Michael – My main set up I would take would be my jig set up with 15# Invizx line. I personally love fishing a jig but I can also easily switch to a Texas rig or any bottom bumping bait.

Justin – I would have to go with a baitcast setup. 7:5:1 reel and 7’ medium heavy rod and 15 pound fluorocarbon line. That will cover with just about anything. Jig, cranking, spinnerbait and even a wacky rig.

Jason – My most flexible setup is a medium heavy jig / Texas rig rod with a Shimano Curado 7:4:1 reel with 12 lb floro. With this I can fish a jig, Texas rig, spinnerbait, fluke, or about any single hook style bait.

Carson – If I could only have one rod reel setup to fish with it would be a 7 foot 3 heavy fast with a jackhammer chatterbait, that’s about my all time favorite setup to throw when I can get away with it

Heavy Hitters Update

Three weeks into Heavy Hitters and Kyle Long is in the driver’s seat for now, with Josh Howard, Cole Sikes and Brian Lookadoo right behind him.

With five events left, everyone is still in it since it is the best five fish total. Things are going to tighten up and shake up quite a bit. Keep your eye on Tyler Zengerle and James Haeberle who both have a 20 in their list, they will close the gap quickly in coming events.

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Next Up – Beaver Lake South, May 22

The next tournament for NSKA will be the Ozark Kayak Beaver Lake South event, which depending on the water level could be a smash-fest or a dink-fest. Get signed up now on TourneyX for this battle royale on the Dead Sea. The highlight of the day will be the post-tourney weigh-in at Las Fajitas in Lowell. See you there!

Video

Beaver Lake Kayak Fishing Recap – Video

This is a recap of how I caught my keepers in the end of season NSKA NWA Classic in September. See every bait and hear how they were used to catch some bass on Beaver Lake in September.

bass fishing

Fall Bass Fishing – Video

Fall bass fishing can be a blast, here’s a little video put together with some footage from last October. Fish were feeding up on a flat and we caught one giant and some other solid keepers.

HEY! If you like reading this blog, go subscribe to my YouTube Channel! I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

Fall bass fishing - kayakfishingfocus.com
Fall bass fishing can be some of the most fun all year! Source: kayakfishingfocus.com

Check out more content by visiting the Kayak Fishing Focus main site.

NSKA

NSKA Beaver Lake South Recap – Dinkfest / Heavy Hitters / AOY Race Update

Beaver Lake in the spring earlier this year was a barrel of laughs for anglers who found lots of fish, including big fish, all over the lake and easy to catch. Well the laughter is on hold for now as Beaver Lake in the summer heat is an entirely different proposition.

The only two Beaver Lake South tournaments in the past few years prior to this one yielded winning totals of 70.25″ and 75″ which were indications of what was in store for the 61 anglers who took to the water on a scorching Saturday in July. Fighting the fish, the heat and the jet skis made for a grinder of a day.

Beaver Lake native species: Southern Fishus Interruptus

Tournament Results

Overall, the quantity of fish caught wasn’t that bad considering the conditions. The caliber of anglers in NSKA has certainly improved, accounting for more fish in the yak. A very good 54% of anglers (down from 75% in June) turned in a limit, with an awesome 95% turning in at least one keeper. The challenge of course was catching fish of good size.

Of the 274 fish caught and submitted, only 16 bass were 16″ or above. Sixteen! Out of 274! Thirteen of 61 anglers accounted for the 16″ and above club (J Brewer (2), J Phillips (2), R Paskiewicz (2), J Kincy (2), H Wofford, J Wofford, K Long, D Kelley, R Roberts, D Esry, P Vongpraphanh, D Mathews, and V Vang). The “Beaver Lake Specials” of 13s and 14s were the trend of the day.

Justin Brewer found the right formula to win with four OK keepers and a good kicker adding up to 76″ which is right in line with summer on Beaver Lake. Hope Wofford just barely missed out on the win by placing 2nd on a tiebreaker – she also had 76″ on the day. Justin Phillips finished 3rd with 74.5″ of bass.

Big Bass was won by John Wofford with a 19.25″ largemouth, and Justin Brewer edged out Hope Wofford again in a tiebreaker with an 18.50″ bass for 2nd Big Bass. (Tough breaks for Hope!)

Wofford’s 19.25″ Big Bass.

Angler Roundtable

Here’s how the top anglers on the day did their damage. Justin Brewer, Hope Wofford and Justin Phillips share their path to success on that hot day.

Where did you go on Beaver and why?

Justin B – I went in trying to find cooler water so I chose to fish way up the War Eagle.

Hope – To be completely honest, I don’t get a ton of say in where we choose to go. I let John make that decision and roll with it. I did tell him I didn’t want to get beat up by the wind and pleasure boaters so we opted for Twin Bridges.

Justin P – I ended up going to Blue Springs. I had pre-fished a handful of spots and it seemed my more consistent bites came from that area.

Overall what strategy did you have for the day and did it play out like you thought?

Justin B – My main goal was to get on a good early bite and maybe find a cull through out the day. It did not work that way. I didn’t find a limit until 9-10 and my key fish fish didn’t come until noon.

Hope – My strategy was simply to beat my last tourney score and catch a limit earlier than last time. I wanted to try and fish my strengths, but also to try out a few baits I tend to leave alone. I definitely stuck to my strategy and it worked.

Justin P – My strategy was fairly simple; start shallow with some top water and shallower crankbaits first thing in the morning and then move out to deeper water with sharper drop-offs as the sun climbed in the sky. Going into it, once the sun got up I felt like I could catch them on a jig and a deep diving crankbait in that 15′-19′ range as I had in practice.

What were the key baits for you for the day?

Justin B – I ended up finding a short section of the river that was super dirty with less than a foot of visibility and that small section is what held my fish. I rounded out my limit swimming a Booyah swim jig with YUM Baits chunk trailer. When that bite died off I tried something a little different and tied on a Booyah Flex II chartreuse squarebill and that’s what got me my bigger bites.

Hope – I played my strengths and stuck with a spinnerbait (which I used to despise) and Texas rig. I also landed my first fish on a squarebill. To say I hate treble hooks is an understatement, but I saw a spot where I knew the squarebill would work and it paid off.

Justin P – In the morning it was calm and with the low light conditions I caught my first small keeper on a whopper plopper. However I was having to fish it in a slow method utilizing short pulls. I felt like I was burning too much time so I put it up and got out a DT6 and started covering water. I caught my next 4 keepers utilizing it and pitching a jig. At this point it was just before mid morning. I had a 16″ and the rest small keepers. I decided to start transitioning to steeper banks and testing the deeper waters looking to cull. I finished my starting stretch and moved out to the “river” section focusing on the bluffs. With the wind picking up I was able to keep culling utilizing a chatterbait and a jig.

In the summer it is key to beat the heat, do you have any advice or steps you take to stay cool?

Justin B – I carry a gallon Yeti jug with me so I have plenty of ice cold water and I also where a long sleeve hooded shirt to keep as much sun off as me as possible. Periodically I’ll wet my hat and the sleeves of my shirt. That helps provide just a little more coolness throughout the heat of the day.

Hope – I always have my gallon jug of water. I added a bottle of Gatorade for the extra heat as well as a cooling towel. Feet are in the water as much as possible! Thankfully the breeze kept it very bearable until around noon.

Justin P – The Arkansas summer heat can be brutal. When the weather heats up I usually combat it by drinking something on my way to the ramp and freezing bottles of water, (my all time favorite) Diet Mountain Dew and storing them in the hatch. Then as the day goes on, and the temperatures climb, the drinks melt. By the time I’m ready for my next beverage it still has a little ice in it and serves as a cold refresher.

Heavy Hitters Update

With one regular season tournament to go, the Heavy Hitters crown looks like it will come down to either me or John Wofford. I’m sitting with 95″ for the best five, with John in second at 89″ followed by Ryan Paskiewicz with 88.75″, Michael Burgess with 87.75″ and Justin Phillips and Roy Roberts with 87″.

My Heavy Hitter for this event. Yellow socks may be the key.

John has the biggest opportunity because he can replace an 11.75″, needing only a 17.75″ to tie me and an 18″ to win. That is unless I can replace a 17.75 with something larger. Going to be a close one!

Angler of the Year and Classic Race

With one event to go things are taking shape to identify the final contenders for AOY and also the top 25 who will make the end of season Classic. Justin Brewer and John Wofford both helped themselves in the AOY race, with Justin making the strongest move. It still isn’t settled though with 4 or 5 anglers still in the mix with one event and then the Classic to go.

Many of the anglers in the top 25 who are planning on making the Classic better not get too comfortable. There are several anglers outside of the list who either only have four scores to date or have one horrific score they can drop. If those already in the top 25 don’t put up a good score, some of them may finish out of the Classic when the dust settles.

With a month off, there’s plenty of time to rest up for the regular season finale on Beaver Lake North. See everyone on the water!

NSKA, Uncategorized

NSKA NWA RoadRunner – Recap

The 2020 NSKA NWA RoadRunner was one to remember for a few reasons. First, an expanded radius of 60 miles from Siloam Springs put more water in play than ever for a road runner. Secondly, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and social distancing there was no captain’s meeting and no weigh-in get together. Finally, it will be remembered as a day where some big fish totals and giant bass were put in the kayak!

Tournament Results

My 22″ bass was only good for 2nd place Big Bass. Caught on a Norman Middle N.

Overall the road runner kept true to form by producing some big limits and a large number of fish submitted. What didn’t hold was involvement of the usual big fish destinations in the standings, with Elmdale, Siloam Springs City Lake and Lincoln Lake not making the top three. A really strong 41% of the field turned in a limit and an outstanding 77% of the field turned in fish, however, these totals are a step back from 2019 which were 52% and 83% respectively.

Justin Brewer dropped the hammer early in the day and took first place with 94.25″, followed by Devin Mathews with 90.5″ in second and Roy Roberts in third with 88″ on the day. Finishers fourth through ten were: Dwain Batey, Jason Ray, Cole Sikes, Devon Esry, Michael Burgess, Chris Needham and Kyle Fields. Check out all of the results on TourneyX.

Big Bass was a MONSTER

Angler Jason Coleman won Big Bass with a 22.75″ pig (that was really bigger but had a mouth open deduction) and beat out my 22″ 2nd place Big Bass. His story is too good not to share and I’m sure we all can identify with how he felt when he got it in the kayak:

“I was planning to fish Tenkiller for this event and drove over to OK Saturday afternoon to camp near the lake. I didn’t realize that Tenkiller was washed out and most of the launch sites were closed. I drove all the way around the lake and it was a mess and lake looked like chocolate milk and there was debris everywhere. I wasn’t feeling it so I ended up driving back to Bentonville…Glad I did! It wasn’t until about 9:00 Saturday night that I decided where I was going to go. I got on Google Earth and picked a place that I had fished near before. I felt wanted to get away from crowds and go somewhere that had quick limit potential. Big bass was not even on my radar in the area…I was fishing near Holiday Island. I was lucky to catch a small limit by 8:00 on a Green Pumpkin Strike King Shim E Stick. After I had five keepers, I switched to a White and Chartreuse Strike King Thunder Cricket (available at WM store 100 in Bentonville)! I was planning to fish the Cricket for a while and try and cull a few.

22.75″ scored Big Bass caught by Jason Coleman near Holiday Island would have gone 23″+ if the mouth deduction had not been applied. Likely 10+ pounds!

Within ten casts I hooked in to the big gal! When I first hooked her I knew it was a big fish. She turned my kayak 180 degrees real quick. When I first got a glimpse I thought I had snagged a big carp. The water was stained and I’d never seen a bass that fat. When I got a second glimpse, I realized this was a TOAD! I don’t know how long I fought her, but it seemed like forever. When I got her to the boat it took me about three or four swipes to get her in the net. She was too big for it! Once I was finally able to get her nose in it I could half swing her into the boat….I was shaking for about two minutes while I left her in the net. I don’t smoke but I needed a cigarette. She was so big I was scared to take her out and try and take a pic. Once I got my phone and bump board ready I pulled her out the net and started trying to get a photo. I was shaking like a heroin addict without methadone! The first two tries she started flopping around and I had to tackle her in my chair! It was a shit show! I finally got her to calm down enough to get a few pics. They turned out be be all bad. Her mouth was wide open and she was half on and off the board in all the pics. At this point, she had been out of the water for a few minutes so I held her back in to take a few breaths.

I then went back at it again. I snapped probably ten more pics between several close call flops, but could never get her to close her lips all the way. This went on for about three or four more minutes before I decided to give up. I had her out of the water for while and I didn’t want to stress her too much. I figured I’d rather get a penalty than to see her go belly up on the release. Over the years I’ve weighed several fish in the 8’s and 9’s, but never an official 10. This gal was by far bigger than any bass I’ve put my hands on. I didn’t have a scale, but I’m pretty sure she’d hit 10 and then some…Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Angler Roundtable – How they caught ’em!

The top four anglers were good enough to stay more than six feet apart and share how they caught their limits. Check out below how Justin Brewer, Devin Mathews, Roy Roberts and Dwain Batey did their damage:

Where did you go and why did you choose to go there?

Justin – Going into this event I wanted to find a lake as far south and secluded that I could find. First, hoping the water would be warmer and maybe warm enough for fish to start the spawning process. Second, to try and avoid the 95 other anglers that would crawling all over the local lakes. I do believe I accomplished that by the fact that I didn’t have another competitor on that lake, only local traffic.

Devin – I fished elk river in Missouri, water was high and murky making it move pretty good.

Roy – I went to the east end of Eucha. I probably would have fished closer to the dam but since I don’t have an “adult sized” kayak I decided to stay on the upper end to follow all the “local rules” for Oklahoma. That probably worked out for the best. It seemed like the bite was tough everywhere I went leading up to this event so I wanted to go somewhere I would be around quality fish and Eucha has that reputation. I had not been there in a few years but had some previous experience to draw off of.

Dwain – I was unable to practice anywhere more than a couple hours at Siloam City Lake, and practicing there I managed to only catch one 15” fish. I still felt that I would be able to catch them there, with the warming trend and fishing wanting so badly to begin spawning.

What was the water temp where you were fishing and how did that affect your approach?

Justin – The water temp was actually a lot cooler than I was expecting and hoping for. Started at 60 in the morning and slowly climbed to 66 by 2 p.m. But really did not change my approach due to the cooler temps the night before I figured the surface temps would be cooler.

Devin – I don’t know, didn’t have any electronics to check the water temp.

Roy – It was 53 degrees in the morning. A little cooler than I expected. I tried to slow down and use some pauses in my retrieves to trigger strikes.

Dwain – The water temperatures were from 57 to 59 degrees, and this was really getting those male bass in the mood to move up and start making beds.

What baits or general techniques that worked for you?

Justin – With the lake still being a little flooded my main approach was to flip bushes all day because pre-fishing this lake I was able to catch 89.50″ in an hour doing this. But I did not start fishing till 10:00 that day. So when first cast rolled around I picked up a white Booyah Melee to pass the time and it just so happened to be the key bait for me catching three of my keepers at 6:43, 6:47, 6:55 then rounding out my first limit of 90.75 with one at 7:15 and 7:22. Eventually culled up later in the day.

Devin – I used moving baits all day long.

Roy – My best bites early came on a Megabass jerkbait (French Pearl) and a Jackhammer chatterbait (Black and Blue). There was some intense fishing pressure with 10-12 boats in my small area by 7:30, so I had to use some finesse tactics to finish my limit and cull a little bit.

Dwain – I caught one fish on a vibrating jig, and the rest on a weightless soft plastic bait.

Any interesting stories or tidbits you want to share from the event?

Justin – Seeing how the results turned out I could have loaded up and been headed home by 8:00 and still been alright. But I just knew that with the fisherman in this tournament and how good they were biting for me I was gonna have a lot of work to do to keep the lead.

Roy – I have a student in class who I was able to convince to fish his first kayak tournament. It was so rewarding to get to talk to him about his experience and how different this tournament was compared to a boat tournament. I challenge everyone else to find a youth angler they can encourage to join us and fish sometime.

Dwain – I had a few things happen, first off it was really slow and it took a while to boat my first fish. I got it in and thought, “I’ll use my new phone today.” So I snapped pictures of the 16.75” fish and checked to make sure they were good, let the fish go. Started to put it on TourneyX and it says it doesn’t have the location. I looked, sure enough no location, but the sunrise picture I took an hour before was fine. Go figure. Needless to say I didn’t take any chances and used my other phone the rest of the day with no issues. Second was just how the whole day went. First off, I fished Siloam City Lake, with the plan to move to Lincoln Lake at some point in the day. After that first fish that didn’t count, It was a long time before I caught another fish, and I was fishing my way back to load up when I caught my best fish at 19.25” and that made me stay until it was too late to move lakes.

After the sun came up I saw lots of beds, but no fish on them. I kept thinking that as the water warmed up it would get those fish back on those active beds, and they almost outlasted our event time. I had about an hour left when suddenly every bed seemed to have a male bass that was ready to eat on it. I got a couple of culls and missed a few fish, and then with seconds to go I missed a big one that I got to see, but I am really glad I didn’t catch it. My Dakota Lithium battery had been out a couple of trips since I charged it, so with an hour left my graph had died, so I didn’t know exactly what time it was.

As soon as I lost that fish I looked and it was 2:30 on the nose. If I had gotten that big fish in I would have been so mad that it was too late ha ha. Morals of the story: 1. Check all of your gear even your phone before you use anything in a live event. 2. Have a plan but be flexible and follow the conditions and the bass. 3. Don’t give up, it took all day to fill my limit and finally start culling.

Next NSKA Event: ONLINE Beaver Lake event in April – No AOY Points

News

Thank You to 2018 Partners

A big shout out and THANK YOU to the various companies and brands who are contributing in some way toward my 2018 tournament season. These are all awesome products I am proud to use in competition on the water. Please consider them for your fishing needs.

 

Bending Branches – The best kayak fishing paddles available and manufactured here in the U.S.A. I have the Bending Branches Angler Pro and Angler Pro Carbon.

Stormr – Great foul weather gear and sun protection wear. From cold weather outerwear to hot summertime UV protection clothing, Stormr is my go-to for on the water protection.

Popticals – The innovative sunglasses line that folds into a compact case perfect for kayak fishing.

MTI Lifejackets – Wear your PFD! It prevents you from drowning. When choosing a PFD, I like having one that I know is very high quality and made with care in the U.S.A. I have MTI F-Spec, Neptune and Helios models.

Booyah Baits – A big part of my bait arsenal, Booyah makes awesome crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzz baits and jigs.

War Eagle Lures – Spinnerbaits and buzz baits that are made for the Ozark waters. Anglers swear by this brand for local fishing.

Heddon Lures – Makers of the Zara Spook and Super Spook Jr., some of my all-time favorite lures to throw. If I could only throw one hard bait, it would be a spook.

Norman Lures – Some old-school hard baits that still catch a lot of fish. The Deep N, Mad N, DD22 and others have to be in the yak.

YUM – Plastics for every situation at a good price. Dingers, plastic worms, trailers, flippin’ plastics, lizards, drop shot baits, swimbaits and Money Minnows. YUM has everything you need.

Dobyns Rods – Quality rod options at an affordable price. I carry the Fury series rods in my kayak, most of which are in the $109-$119 price range.

Flambeau – These storage tackle boxes are great for kayaks because of the Zerust protection. Our tackle is exposed to the elements at all times and Flambeau boxes provide great protection.

P-Line – This is an affordable fishing line that still is good for battling bass. I use primarily the Floroclear and the CXX line on my reels.

Reins – My tungsten weight source for use with drop-shot, flipping or Texas rigging. Reins slip sinkers are the best because of the insert that protects you from fraying line.

Shimano – The best reels around, period. Shimano reels are the best option on the water for all types of fishing.

Owner Hooks – Owner makes every kind of hook I need when fishing, and they are razor sharp.

Check out these brands on Instagram for a better look at their products:

@bending_branches @stormrusa @popticals @booyah_baits @war_eagle_custom_lures @heddon_lures @normanlures @dobynsrods @yum_baits @mti_life_jackets @flambeau_outdoors @plinefishing @reinsfishing @shimanofish @ownerhooks