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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 Beaver Lake North Recap – The Perfect Storm

For the third time in 2019, Natural State Kayak anglers took to Beaver Lake in mid-May as focus shifted down lake to the northern end below the Hwy 12 bridge. The streak continued for Beaver Lake showing out by producing a lot of fish for the anglers. The spawn, rising water and overcast skies set up a perfect storm for anglers.

Out of 59 total kayak anglers, 54 (92%) turned in at least one bass, while a very strong 83% (49) of anglers had a limit. This was the highest limit percentage of any NSKA event on Beaver Lake.

Winning Anglers

Overall the numbers were strong and fish were plentiful. Dwain Batey took first place with 90.25″, followed by Roy Roberts with 86.5″, Craig Wood with 84.75″ and Christa Hibbs in fourth with 81.25″ total. Big Bass went to Dwain Batey with 20.5″ which is a very good sized bass for Beaver.

Top Ten Finishers:

  1. Dwain Batey
  2. Roy Roberts
  3. Craig Wood
  4. Christa Hibbs
  5. Justin Brewer
  6. Dylan Kelley
  7. Kyle Long
  8. Carson McBride
  9. Jonathan Brewer
  10. Devon Esry

Dwain Batey takes 1st place and Big Bass in the NSKA Beaver Lake North tournament in May 2019.

 Angler Recaps

The top four finishers were kind enough to share how they found the fish and got them to bite. Here’s a brief recap and some other good info from the best of the event – Dwain Batey, Roy Roberts, Craig Wood and Christa Hibbs.

What part of Beaver did you choose to go to and why?

Dwain – I went to an area I had never been to, Rocky Branch, mostly because I was afraid it would be muddy where I normally fish. So basically I was in search of clear water.

Roy – I launched at Lost Bridge and fished that area close to the dam. I chose this area hoping it had less fishing pressure than farther up the lake and I like fishing super clear water.

Craig – I went to a cove near Navy Point that I had pre-fished and thought it looked good but didn’t do well in pre-fishing due to high winds.

Christa – I fished the Rambo creek area. When checking out spots on the map during prep I liked what this area had to offer.

 What were the overall bait types (as Specific. or not as you want) worked for you to catch your keepers.

Dwain – I caught a lot of fish on a Zoom Fluke, this lasted all day long. I found a couple of beds that had 4 fish on them, and I caught 3 of the 4 on a Ned rig with a 1 ½” piece of a white worm so I could see when they had it and set the hook before they spat it out. Catching 3 of those 4 fish only took about 30 minutes of my day, and one of those fish probably wound up staying in my final limit. Between the fluke and the Ned rig I was in the 80” inch range, and while they continued to eat the fluke all day I just wasn’t getting a quality bite to cull with so I had to do something to get a bigger bite. I had packed a few soft swimbaits and decided to get one of those out and give it a try. Within a few minutes of throwing it I was rewarded with a fish over 18” and I managed to get two more great culls on it including the 20.25” big bass before time was up.

Roy – I caught fish on just about every bait I tried. I was planning to throw a topwater and Ned rig a lot but they didn’t produce the better bites. My keepers came on a Spro McStick Jerkbait, Jewel Football Jig, and a Zoom Trick Worm.

Craig – I use a Slowtown Custom Jig for all my fish mainly because it seems to net me larger fish.

Christa – My keeper fish were all caught on top water baits. I started the day throwing a top water and caught 2 small fish quickly so I decided to stick with it. The keeper fish all came on long casts  with very aggressive retrieves.

 What is the first bait you really learned to fish with? 

Dwain – I have been fishing for bass since before I can remember, but the first bait I remember throwing a lot for bass was a Heddon Tiny Torpedo in the frog color, and I didn’t know how to fish it so I would just reel it straight in, but I do remember catching a lot of fish on it so it must have worked.

Roy – I’m really thankful my Dad took the time to take me fishing a lot when I was young and teach me how to fish. Some of the first baits I remember learning to fish with are hula grubs, Wiggle Warts, and Zara Spooks. I learned how to fish on small creeks, the Buffalo River, and Bull Shoals Lake.

Craig – The first bait I really used proficiently was using a jig in gravel pit lakes in Northern California.

Christa – The first bait that I learned to fish with was a worm.

On a tournament day, does your strategy change after you catch a limit? If so, how?

Dwain – That really depends on the day, for this event it did because I needed to catch a certain size fish to cull, and I changed to a bait I thought could get me those larger fish. I think it’s all about decisions every time, I rarely do what people always talk about, where they get a limit “quick” and then do something for bigger fish. This time just happened to work out that way, but I fully expected to catch large fish on the Fluke. It wasn’t planned to be a limit getter and then move on, it’s just how it worked in the decisions of the day. Another thing is how much pre-fishing I do can really have an effect on what my plans are for the day. If I had known they were eating that swimbait before I started I probably would have thrown that one bait all day until it stopped working, and just looked for five big bites. Since I didn’t pre-fish, and had never been where I was it was really just a day of good decisions on the fly.

Roy – Most tournaments I focus on looking for quality bites and don’t worry about filling a limit early. If I know the conditions are really tough I might adjust and just focus on getting any bites I can. Saturday I had 4 nice fish pretty early but struggled to find that last good cull. There were lots of small fish shallow but I was getting better quality bites in 8-10 feet of water. Sometimes it’s tough to adjust your strategy when you are getting bites, but often in a five fish limit tournament that is what it takes to make a good finish.

Craig – My strategy really is formed through pre-fishing. I power fish with crankbaits and swim jigs to cover water, then when I find spots that look good or produce fish I will mark that spot and fish every square foot  with a jig. I don’t change my strategy on tournament day if at all possible.

I really enjoy tournament day and all that goes with it, even the grind of difficult conditions.

Big thanks to NSKA and all the people that make a sacrifice to pull it off.

Christa – My strategy does change sometimes on tournament day after I’ve caught a limit. It depends on where I’m fishing and the time of year. For this Beaver North tournament, I shifted my focus midday on larger fish. If I was going to break into the top 3 I knew I needed to find some better quality of fish. I didn’t find them this time but I stayed on the hunt and remained focused until the last cast.

Next Event – Bella Vista Night Tournament

The next NSKA event is coming up in Bella Vista on June 29. This is a night event and is a great opportunity to see some new lakes. Get signed up and don’t miss it!