I saw one of our anglers compare fishing on Pumpback (Chimney Rock Lake) to fishing on the moon – with craters and rock as the main terrain. Historically Pumpback is a smash-fest where 80 inches might get you into the top 12. On a day like we had on Pumpback, Craig was right, it was like the moon. Not much to be found for 62 registered anglers on a sunny March day with light winds.
Tournament Results
I believe this is the second most difficult tournament in NSKA history, with the numbers to back it up. In 2019 on ‘Snake’ Fort Smith there were only 68 fish caught by 67 anglers and the winner, Cole Sikes, only had four fish. Now…on that day it was chocolate milk, very cold water and cold day. You could argue that a nice March day on fish-factory Pumpback Lake with water 50+ degrees should have been a LOT better – but it wasn’t.
A paltry 107 fish from 62 anglers resulted in a 1.72 fish per angler score – compared to 2.99 FPA from the tough opener on Beaver Lake. Five limits out of 62 is incredibly low (7.6%), but oddly 66% (41) of the field caught a fish, which is a solid number. That early bite I think helped out a lot of anglers get at least one. From a size perspective, it was a strong 15.64″ average, compared to 14.42″ in the opener on Beaver Lake.
Looking at the fish volume based on time, the VAST majority of fish were caught in the first couple of hours, then a steady drop-off the rest of the day. If you look at big bass each hour though, there was a 19+ submitted almost every hour, so the big ones were eating throughout. Tough fishing, resulting in only three anglers culling a bass to upgrade.
Four 20s were caught, including two 20.25″ which tied Vince Minnick and Jacob Simmons, with Jacob winning the prize by going to second largest bass.
The Top Ten from Pumpback:
Levi Schneider
Jamie Shumate
John Evans
Sam McClish
Roy Roberts
Jason Kincy
Andrew Newsom
Terrill Standifer
Devon Esry
James Haeberle
Newbie Jacob Simmons won Big Bass over Vince Minnick (tie) with a 20.25″ largemouth. Congrats! Source: TourneyX
Angler Roundtable
Our top finishers from Pumpback sat down to give a bit of the juice on how they caught ’em on a tough day. Let’s hear from Levi, James and John.
What was your strategy going into the day, and did it work?
Levi – My only strategy really was to fish this one flat I had found on Navionics, but since the lake was so low I knew that wasn’t going to happen so I just went out there and just decided to cover water and fish points and different areas that caught me eye and looked like fish may hold to. Also, whenever I checked the water temp in my graph and saw it going up the further I went back into coves I decided to go to the very back of one that produced 4 of 5 keepers and even lost a giant Smallie that might’ve gone for big bass but hey – with treble hook baits you’re bound to lose fish.
Jamie – Going into the day I didn’t have much of a strategy. With the lake being the size that it was and how many anglers there where I knew I would be fishing behind guys so I just started beating the banks.
John – No real plan, it had been a few years since I fished Pumpback, I just focused on the back of the coves.
Any key baits or techniques that helped you catch your fish?
Levi – My only key bait was Berkley Stunna +1 that I didn’t intend on throwing at first but I saw an Alex Rudd Instagram post of a huge Smallie he caught with the Stunna +1 so I decided to tie it on and sure enough – it produced every single fish I caught.
Jamie – I started out throwing the normal spring time baits – crankbaits, square bills and jerk baits but gave up with in an hour. I tied on the A-rig and within the first 10 minutes I had a 16.25″ smallmouth and an 18″ black bass. I had my limit by 10:00 and when I added it all up and saw what I had I thought ‘dang this is great!’ Everyone I talked to said it was tough…I went from around 10:30 till around 1:15 without a bite. I caught 3 at the end of the day with the last one coming at 2:45 and I upgraded a .25 inch. Congratulations to Levi on the win.
John – It was a mix of crankbaits, shaky heads, and jigs. Didn’t find a set pattern they preferred, they were scattered around for me.
What is your favorite lure to throw in the spring?
Levi – Without a doubt my favorite spring time bait is a finesse jig. It just seems to get a ton of bites and quite a few big ones as well. My PB came off a finesse jig in the middle of April so I’m ready to go whack ’em this April with it.
Jamie – Fishing a crank bait is probably my favorite spring time bait when the bite is on it can be a fun day. I’m still fairly new to kayak fishing and I want to say that this is the best group of guys and gals to fish with everyone is always helpful and fun to be around.
John – I don’t think I have a favorite, but I throw several options to see what they might like.
Recap of my day on Pumpback, good for 6th place. Check it out if you want.
Trash Pot Winner
Chris Needham smoked two drum of the same length (21.75) on a jerkbait to take the big Trash Pot prize!
Needham’s pile of trash that took the prize.
Heavy Hitters
Now we’re getting into it with Heavy Hitters and AOY, and a fantastic championship belt was unveiled at the event, courtesy of Justin Wright and Steadfast Plumbing. That thing is awesome! Here’s a look at the leaders, but there is a looong way to go this season. Anyone with 18s and above is in good shape early, with the top three looking strong!
AOY Race
It’s also very early in the Angler of the Year race for NSKA NWA. Some fresh names at the top for now, can they hang on? Anything 90+ is a good score that could factor in for the winning total. Andrew, James and Terrill are starting out hot! It’s a long road to win, lots of time for anglers to move up.
Back to the friendly confines of South Beaver Lake on April 9 for the next event – presented by Capps Mens Cuts. Know someone that kayak fishes? Invite them to come out and enter. The Dead Sea will be coming alive for spawn, you won’t want to miss it!
On a steamy Saturday in early June, the NSKA crew crossed the border into Oklahoma to take on Pumpback (a.k.a. Chimney Rock Lake) for the second year in a row. Pumpback is an interesting place and really seems to be an engineering marvel. Whatever it is, the fish are big and feisty on this lake! Shout out to Ginger Rice & Noodle Bar for sponsoring the event!
Caught this 21 which went 6.9lbs the week before the event. Of course. Source: Kayakfishingfocus.com
Pumpback Results
Of all the places NSKA fishes tournaments, I believe the most unpredictable results and chance for anyone to land a giant is highest at Pumpback. It was great to see some varied names on the leaderboard for this one. Overall, it was a feast or famine day with a skimpy 204 fish caught by the 50 anglers. Of the 50 anglers registered, only 24 (48%) turned in a limit, while seven (14%) didn’t turn in a keeper. Those are pretty tough numbers overall compared to most May/June events. I’ve wondered if the fact they really didn’t drop the water much plus the weather made it tougher than usual.
Ryan Paskiewicz didn’t have any trouble finding the fish, finishing first with 89.25″ in total. Josh King cranked his way late in the day to a 86.25″ total for second, followed by Kyle Long also with 86.25″ (those tiebreakers are heart breakers…). Justin Phillips took fourth with 85.50″ on the day.
Here were your top 10 anglers from Pumpback:
Ryan Paskiewicz 89.25″
Josh King 86.25″
Kyle Long 86.25″
Justin Phillips 85.50″
Clay Johnson 84.50″
Dwain Batey 84.50″
Devon Esry 84.25″
Jacob Webber 83.75″ (I always think, Jacob Wheeler!?!)
Nathan Henthorn 83.50″
Josh Howard 83.00″
Big Bass was won by Justin Brewer with a 20.75″ Smallmouth bass caught on a popper.
Justin Brewer’s 20.75″ Smallmouth took big bass on Pumpback. Source: TourneyX
One note, we had a little post-event judging discussion on a couple of photos. Advice to everyone involved…watch your photos. Take time with them. Taking the picture and submitting is a part of the sport. Staying well within the guidelines avoids any possible deductions or questions around a submission!
Angler Roundtable
The top anglers for the event share how they did it in this roundtable conversation. Ryan, Josh, Kyle and Justin break it down:
What was your overall plan for the day and did it work out as planned?
Ryan – My initial plan was to head to the back of the long arm where I missed a really big fish in practice, but as I started my commute that morning I wasn’t paying attention to my map and went around the wrong point and ended up headed to a totally different part of the lake. LOL! At that point I just committed to the area for an hour or more and when it only produced two small fish I changed my plan and left. I headed to a stretch where I had caught a few in pre-fishing. I love throwing a jig but it was evident that was not going to be the deal. After cranking and trying a few other things, I made myself commit to throwing a fluke for 2 long stretches of bank. I didn’t have a ton of confidence in the fluke personally but noticed the shad spawn was happening and it made sense to throw it. After 30-40 casts I connected with a 17-incher. This made it easier to stick with. A few casts later I hooked a 20.25-incher. From then on I mostly targeted the middle 1/3 of coves and had success.
Josh – Going into Pumpback I only had two other appearances and they didn’t turn out very well. (Dec 2020 29” and Jun 2020 65”). My plan was to fish a different area than the last time, which had been the same areas and to throw what I know and like for this time of year. That plan failed miserably. The first two hours I didn’t catch a fish. Hooked into three, but they all spit the hook. Feeling discouraged I decided to have a little fun and troll for a striper, since I was crossing the main lake to another area. It worked. I hooked into a nice hybrid and he took me for a ride. First striper/hybrid in a kayak. So I was excited…now back to the bass. I finally landed my first bass at 8:45. It took until 12:59 to get a limit. It was a decent limit of 78.00″. It wasn’t a top 10, but I was happy! Ten minutes later I caught my PB Smallie on a crankbait and jumped to 83.75”. Now I felt it was a top 10 limit and started to develop a pattern so I started grinding and found two more culls.
Kyle – My plan was to throw a fluke early and often and the go back over the areas where I caught some with a shaky head or a jig as the water started falling. But best I could tell, the water never really started falling that much and I was able to get bit on the fluke all day. I tried other stuff plenty but couldn’t get bit on anything else.
Justin – My plan was pretty simple. Get away from everyone and head to the backs and work out from there. The execution was a bit more complex. I was betting the farm I’d get a good topwater bite but I wasn’t sure what might trigger the best reaction, so I tied on a multitude of topwater baits. With all the different rods laying out I remember thinking, “Good grief. I haven’t made a cast yet and it already looks like I’m lost.” For the afternoon I was going to try to gauge the mood of the fish and attempt to figure it out from there.
Key baits you caught them on and anything noteworthy?
Ryan – The weightless fluke as mentioned. I picked up some ultra cheap Walmart flukes and later went and bought a few more packs! I fished them pretty slow and most strikes came on the fluke sinking down about two feet. In the afternoon I think the fish pulled off and I should have fished it further out a bit more.
Josh – I found that fishing deep points with a Crankbait and steep windblown banks with a weightless wacky senko was the pattern for me.
Kyle – As I said the fluke was the only bait I caught fish on but I did notice that around 9:00 my bite kinda died. Around 11:00 I was just kinda watching my fluke as I was fishing it out deeper and slower and got bit. Then I tried the slower deeper retrieve again and got bit again. From then on I caught plenty by switching up my retrieve by fishing it further out and letting it fall deeper.
Justin – Once I got to my starting area I worked through every single topwater bait to no avail until lastly I picked up a homemade buzzbait. I immediately caught 2 including one that was 19.25”. I kept it in my hand the rest of the morning which gave me a limit by 8:30 a.m. while also pulling in another over 19”. As fate often dictates I lost the buzzbait and tied on another one of the same color that was store bought. Either the fish liked my homemade one a lot better or this bite was waning. The only interest this buzzbait was generating were total misses (I’ve since made more buzzbaits including backups). At this point I tried working a jerkbait off points. No dice. Then I tried throwing a 3XD crankbait and I caught one that didn’t cull. This fish clued me into thinking they may not be actively chasing anymore because he barely caught the rear treble hook. So, I tied on a green pumpkin stick bait and culled twice giving me my daily total.
Most annoying trash fish at Pumpback, hybrids, drum, or catfish?
Ryan – I caught one hybrid and I did think it was a tank Smallie for a minute. I don’t really find them annoying all that much. Those suckers fight and I enjoy that despite the moment when you realize it won’t help…
Josh – Luckily no trash fish were accidentally caught. I was a bit nervous that my Smallie was a drum at first by the way it acted.
Kyle – I have actually never caught a trash fish on Pumpback. I’m not sorry about that.
Justin – The most annoying fish is, without doubt, a hybrid. They fool me into thinking I’ve got a black bass on. Then the disappointment is real once I get them to the yak.
What’s your PB bass, where did you catch it and on what lure?
Ryan – I have 2 22.75”. One on Lake Atkins and one on the asterisk lake, Swepco. Both caught on a Carolina rig. My personal best Smallie is 19.5” with a jig on Beaver Lake. I want to break into that 20” Smallie club really bad.
Josh – I have a hard time with PB. I haven’t weighed many and my longest is like 20.75”. But I think my PB by weight was around a six pounder caught on a private pond with a chatterbait. Last year. Still searching for that 20” and up in a tourney. My longest, a 20.75″ came during practice on Lake Ouachita for the State Championship. Cranking a squarebill right up against the bank.
Kyle – My PB is shrouded in controversy, lol. I caught a 24.25”on a jig on Lake Fork back during the original Tournament of Champions but it was a “mouth open” tourney. However, I do have a pic of that fish touching 25” but for some reason I submitted it at 24.25” with the mouth slightly open. This cost me big bass and a power pole. The only other fish I’ve ever caught that could rival it was an 8-13 I caught behind my house on Swepco and I only got the weight…not the length. So I’m gonna stick with 24.25” since that was what was accepted in that event for length and 8-13 for weight.
Justin – My PB was caught at Lake Windsor in Bella Vista. It was a spring day with muddy water. I was throwing a fire-tiger jerkbait in 4’ of water. She came out, choked it and jumped. A guy who was watching from his docks starts screaming, “That’s a 10 pounder! That’s a 10 pounder!”. Once I got her in we weighed it on the guys dock. Sadly it wasn’t 10 pounds but it was a beauty of an 8 pounder.
AOY Race Update
Well, well, the AOY race is taking shape, sorta. Honestly it is a mess and we can’t tell much right now. We have some really good anglers that have a zero which they will drop later on. We have some really good anglers with a low score they will drop later on. We have some who have some medium scores who will struggle to stay in the race. As of today, the Top 25 looks like this. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THE CLASSIC. Keep grinding, tons of people are still in contention to qualify. Word on the street is this year is going to be next level in regard to trophies and swag bags for the Top 25!
As of today, the Top 25 looks like this:
Right now looking at the board, lots of anglers can compete for AOY but it appears that Dwain, Devon, Michael and Roy are in the best spots. Brewer is a dark horse to watch with two 98s.
Heavy Hitters Update
Heavy Hitters is also looking like an interesting race. Kyle Long is maintaining his lead but Devon and Terrill did good things on Pumpback to improve their position.
This time of the season it is important to look at DROPS instead of biggest fish. Who can improve things the most with big fish in the last three events?
Don’t sleep on Paskiewicz or Zengerle. They could steal it at the end.
It’s about one month out from the season opener for Natural State Kayak Anglers in NW Arkansas. The schedule-makers this year put together an interesting run of tournaments which should provide something for everyone – whether you are just having fun or are trying to win.
What can we expect from the coming schedule? What are anglers saying? Going into the season who is in the top 25 angler list for NWA? Read on and find out!
2021 Schedule Breakdown
This will be my sixth season fishing events in NWA and I think this is the best and most diverse schedule yet. The board did some surveying of anglers after last year and took their feedback to craft this gauntlet of events that will be fun, but will also ensure the Angler Of the Year will have earned it!
NWA Road Runner – March 13
Don’t miss out on the Road Runner.
Road Runners are always a wildcard, this time of year finding the right spot within the 50-mile radius may mean more than how good an angler is at catching fish. With the freezing weather in February it will be interesting to see where things stand on tournament day. Historically the first event gets some big totals, someone will catch ’em but it could be tough for a lot of folks. Don’t over think this one, go somewhere you feel most confident and see what happens. Last year this was won on Oklahoma water, will it happen again? Shout out to Shogun for sponsoring this event!
MLF Beaver Lake – April 10
Very excited to take on an MLF event where everyone is on same water – Beaver Lake. The Dead Sea is no longer dead in recent years, it should be rocking in April and over a zillion bass may be caught on this day. For those who don’t know, an MLF event means you catch as many keepers as possible, not just your best five. Just keep catching and submitting fish. It’s going to be fascinating to see if shallow largemouth or deeper smallmouth will be the key to this one. (Don’t forget those feisty spotted bass!) Size doesn’t matter as much in this one, everybody has a chance if they can generate enough bites. This is the one event this year that there will be a 11″ minimum. Thanks Wasabi of Fayetteville for sponsoring this one!
Table Rock Lake – May 8
This is a new one, an event on Table Rock Lake, considered a much better fishery than Beaver. Anglers will be able to choose from the Beavertown area all the way down covering a good portion of Table Rock. Having an ‘away’ tournament like this should really help even the playing field and as someone who loves to fish new places, I’m really looking forward to this one. Table Rock is known for a great fish population, there should be LOTS of limits turned in. Custom Tees and Graphics is sponsoring this one, thank you!
Beaver Lake South – May 22
Back to Beaver for this late-may slugfest. Bass should be in spawn or post-spawn mode all over the lake so there will be plenty of fish caught. This section of the lake is the most diverse, with skinny water fishing in the War Eagle or White River areas all the way down to the deeper and usually clearer water of Horseshoe to Beaver Shores. In this event you should literally be able to catch bass with almost any technique you prefer. Thank you to Ozark Kayak for their support of this event!
Don’t touch the tail this year, body groping only. That red Ketch board looks hot!
Pumpback – June 5
If you have never caught a smallmouth, especially a giant smallmouth, this is the tournament to enter. Pumpback is a really interesting place and holds a lot of fish and some BIG smallies. Don’t sleep on the largemouth though, there are some real tanks in this lake. It was really cool, yet bizarre, to have this lake drop several feet in a couple of hours during the tournament last year. We may see some Oklahoma Kayak Anglers entering this one, it should be a lot of fun! Ginger Rice and Noodle Bar is the presenting sponsor of this one.
North Beaver Lake – June 26
Ah, my jet-ski and wakeboat friends…we meet again. Beaver Lake will be party central by late June and the fishing is going to start to get tougher. This time we’re up North in the big water. Unlike the South end, there are almost unlimited places to put in and fish, giving everyone plenty of room and options. Smallmouth may be a factor down by the dam, or you might chase bigger largemouth in Prairie Creek. Turn in a limit and you’ve had a good day. A big kicker will be needed though to be in the money.
Nice jet-ski bro. Thanks for showing it to me fifty times.
River Road Runner – July 17
A River Road Runner is back on the schedule for the first time since 2017, and immediately controversy began. What’s a river? What’s not a river? Is this drainage pipe a river? That’s not a river, it’s a lake! And so is that one! To clean up the debates, boundaries have been set for sections of the White River between Twin Bridges to Blue Springs, White River from Beaver Dam to the Beaver Bridge, Elk River from Pineville to Mt Shira, and the Illinois from some random place I can’t identify on the map to Siloam Springs. July is a great time for a river event, glad to see it back on the schedule.
Beaver Lake – August 14
Beaver Lake in August is the crucible that tests an angler’s patience, spins some out, and can break your confidence in two. And I LOVE it! Going on the Dead Sea in the dog days of summer and catching a limit is a rewarding achievement. And our friends the jet-skiers and wake boarders? Yes, they will be there as well. Will anglers find their winning bag dirt-deep in the rivers, or in the cooler blue waters near the dam? This one will be key for those on the edge of making the NSKA Classic 25 angler field.
End of Season Classic
The 25 anglers who finish highest in the AOY will get to compete in this end of year, two day Championship event. Making the Classic is an achievement in itself and culminates a successful season. This season the Classic is going to be amazing! One day on the wild waters of Lake Fort Smith (a.k.a. – Snake Fort Smith) and one day up by the Missouri line around Holiday Island. If you win this one, you’ve done something! We are also hearing there may be more rewards in store for Classic anglers this season…
Wild and mysterious Lake Fort Smith is back this year for the Classic!
We asked veteran NSKA NWA anglers Billy Bowden, Kyle Long, and Tim Hotchkin to join me in sharing some thoughts on the season and advice for new tournament anglers:
What event are you looking forward to the most and why?
Billy – I am for sure looking forward to our Table Rock event due to the fact that I’ve never fished there. From what I have heard, Table Rock fishes much better than Beaver but also sets up a lot like Beaver which is what everyone in our group is used to.
Tim – This one is a tough one for me. I am looking forward to both the MLF Event on Beaver and then the Pumpback Event in Oklahoma the most. The MLF Event on Beaver because I love the format and I think it will create some excitement. The Pumpback event because its just a unique lake and has the potential of catching some trophy sized Smallmouth like John Wofford caught last year.
Kyle – Usually I’m always looking forward to the first event because I’m so anxious to get going, but this year I think I’ve thought more about the MLF than any other event. Where can I go on Beaver and catch 40 fish? Also Pumpback again just because…tank smallies.
Jason – The River Road Runner, because it is going to be the most unpredictable one due to the different options. The flowing rivers of the Elk and Illinois versus the lesser current sections of the White River offer good contrasts. No matter where I wind up, it will be water I’m not as familiar with, which is always fun to explore somewhere new.
Best advice for someone new to tournaments?
Billy – Best advice for new anglers…Make sure your fish is legal before submitting it to TourneyX and make sure the place you plan on launching from is public and accessible according to the rules. Navionics and Google maps sometimes run right into people’s back yards so watch for that.
Tim – Take your time reviewing the rules and if you have questions reach out to someone for clarification. Also, while on the water take your time and not get into a rush while taking pictures. Make sure and ask plenty of questions, everyone was new at one point. Also don’t get upset if you get a fish DQ’d or a deduction. It has happened to all of us when we are learning how to submit correct photos. Anyone that is new is welcome to reach out to me directly if they have questions. If I don’t know the answer I can probably help point them in the right direction.
Tim in the hot tub in Gentry.
Kyle – Best advice is watch some tournament videos (Shameless plug: Kyle Long Fishing) and just familiarize yourself with everything that doesn’t have to do with actually the catching of the fish. Fishing is fishing. Kayak fishing is just fishing but from a kayak. Learning the rules, how to measure a fish, how to photo, TourneyX…that’s the part that every newcomer needs to get familiar with and practice. Also have a good organization system that fits what you do and what you like.
Jason – If you are new to tournaments overall or kayak tournaments, most importantly just go have a good time. Tournaments make you better, but they are supposed to be fun. You don’t have to win to meet personal goals. Don’t get frustrated if you lose a fish off the board or mess up a photo submission. We’ve ALL done it and it’s a part of the sport. Finally, ask questions of others – kayak anglers are friendly and willing to help out!
Do you have a personal goal for the season?
Billy – Personal goal for this season is to win an event. I feel I’ve been so close for a while now. Just looking forward to getting it done!
Tim – Just to fish all of the NSKA NWA Events. The last couple of years have been really difficult for me to fish and now that things are somewhat settling down I am really looking forward to fishing with everyone more. My stretch goal is to do well enough to finish in the Top 10 for AOY, but I know that will be incredibly difficult with the quality of anglers we have in this club.
Kyle – I’d love to break PB’s, love to win ’em all, love to make a ton of money…but I guess if I had to narrow it down, my goal is this…at the end of each tournament, I wanna feel like I have a chance to place/win with what I have in my bag regardless of what anyone else has. If I don’t then I don’t but I wanna know my bag has a legit shot when 3:00 hits. If someone else wins then hats off for beating me…but you had to earn it.
Jason – Really want to improve in a couple of type of events. I always stink early in the year, so want to do better in the pre-spawn timeframe. The MLF-style events have been disasters for me with a total of eight fish in two tournaments. Really am hoping to improve upon that one in particular!
Pre-Season NSKA NWA Top 25 Anglers
This list means nothing and is done just for fun! It really means nothing once it is lines in for the first tournament – the fish will do the talking then. Until then, thought it would be fun (and controversial) to list out a pre-season Top 25 for NSKA NWA.
This is NOT the Angler of the Year ranking and will not be a recurring list. Every year new anglers jump in and win events and do very well. For this list I took the 2020 regular season finish, Classic finish and State Tournament finish averages. Then I did a bit of nudging up and down in a few places to get the list right. It’s not perfect.
But as of today…this is the list.
Rank
Angler
1
Dwain Batey
2
Justin Brewer
3
Ryan Paskiewicz
4
Cole Sikes
5
Roy Roberts
6
Jason Kincy
7
Kyle Long
8
Tyler Zengerle
9
Chris Needham
10
Jeriamy Vann
11
Devon Esry
12
Michael Burgess
13
James Shumate
14
Jason Coleman
15
Justin Phillips
16
Jeff Malott
17
Andrew Newsom
18
Billy Bowden
19
Josh Howard
20
Craig Wood
21
Danny Dutton
22
Jon Swann
23
Chad Warford
24
Wayne Johnson
25
Jason Cowell
Not on the list? Don’t worry, it’s not a real list and doesn’t matter when the first tournament starts! There are some anglers who didn’t fish much last year such as Tim Hotchkin, Bo Sarratt, Brandon Prince and Taylor Frizzell that easily could be in this list with a full season.
John and Hope Wofford are not on the list because they will be competing in NSKA Central this year (we’re going to miss you!). A few anglers such as Chris Needham, Andrew Newsom and Jason Coleman got bumped up because they couldn’t fish either the Classic or State but deserved to be ranked higher. Finally I just moved a few around based on gut feel.
Dwain deserves to be number one based on winning the State Championship, but honestly take the top five and you can put them in any order!
GLHF
It’s almost go-time! If you are a new kayak angler or an old-school yakker, hope to see you on the water and have some fun fishing with you this year. Tournaments aren’t everything, let’s get out and do some fun fishing as well! Good Luck, Have Fun!
What is an iconic number in kayak fishing that gets everyone’s attention? It doesn’t matter where you go, what the event is or who is fishing – catching a “Twenty” immediately is recognized as an accomplishment. It’s a clear bar of what’s seen as a “big” fish. Even more so in a live tournament setting when the pressure is on. There are times you are out on the water in a tournament and run into someone who says they heard so and so has a twenty.
It’s big news.
Cole Sikes caught this 23.50″ giant in 2017. Source: TourneyX
Catching a big bass as a kicker in a tournament to finish out your limit usually will put you in contention to place in the money – especially in NW Arkansas where giants can be elusive. (except for Swepco!) With half of the season or more on Beaver Lake, it can be particularly difficult to catch these big fish.
So how often are 20s caught in NSKA NWA tournament competition? Who catches them? What does catching a “20” means to your chances to win?
Let’s find out.
Just How Rare is a 20+ in Competition?
Honestly when I started doing some of this research along with Kyle Long, we thought it was maybe more rare than it really was. However, as I look at the data, it actually is VERY rare in the overall big picture. During the past three tournament seasons (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) there have been 8,012 keepers submitted in NSKA NWA events – yet only 72 20+ bass submitted. Out of these 8,012 keepers, here is how it breaks down year by year as a percentage:
Total Fish
# 20+
Percentage
2020
2,721
19
0.70%
2019
2,128
11
0.52%
2018
1,635
17
1.04%
2017
1,528
25
1.64%
8,012
72
0.90%
This is pretty clear…there is less than a 1% chance that any of the bass an angler submits in live competition will be twenty inches or longer. But don’t despair or give up, it can happen for any angler and lightning can strike at any time!
One of the very few 20+ Smallies. Caught by Jon Wofford on Pumpback. Source: TourneyX.
NSKA NWA Hammers
Overall, only 38 anglers are responsible for catching the 72 20+ bass in live NSKA NWA competition. Of this group, only a handful of anglers have more than one 20+ over the past three years. Cole Sikes leads the way with the highlight of three 20+ largemouth caught on one day at Lincoln Lake. He’s followed by Rance Richardson who caught FIVE 20+ largemouth that same day at Lincoln. Wow! Overall there were nine 20+ caught that day on Lincoln lake.
Here’s a list of the anglers who caught a 20+ in live NSKA NWA competition since 2017. (Note – There are anglers who have a 20+ in previous years, before the current NSKA was formed)
Angler
# 20+
Cole Sikes
8
Rance Richardson
7
Jason Kincy
5
Dwain Batey
4
John Wofford
3
Justin Brewer
3
Kyle Long
3
Justin Phillips
3
John Evans
3
Bo Sarratt
2
Jose Rodriguez
2
Rob Barnica
2
Craig Wood
2
Sam McClish
1
Jason Coleman
1
Wayne Johnson
1
Avery Metcalf
1
Ryan Paskiewicz
1
Chris Needham
1
Michael Burgess
1
Clay Johnson
1
Billy Bowden
1
Andrew Newsom
1
Toua Khang
1
Josh Goforth
1
Brayden Richardson
1
Bill Campbell
1
Danny Dutton
1
Baron Meek
1
Ethan Dhuyvetter
1
William Jones
1
Celo Delgado
1
Declan McDonald
1
Nathan Henthorn
1
Jerry Cornelius
1
Cody Milton
1
Jason Cossey
1
Tyler Zengerle
1
72
The largest concentration of big bass caught in live events is no doubt from Lincoln Lake, followed by next level lakes of Elmdale, Pumpback and Siloam City Lake. Beaver Lake produces some, but they are few and far between.
The Biggest and Baddest Bass
So enough about numbers, what about size? Here are the largest bass caught in live NSKA NWA competition since 2017:
Length
Angler
Year
23.5
Cole Sikes
2017
22.75
Jason Coleman
2020
22.5
Kyle Long, Craig Wood, Sam McClish, Sikes
2019, 2019, 2020, 2017
22.25
Nathan Henthorn
2017
22
Justin Brewer, Rance Richardson, Jason Kincy
2018, 2019, 2020
Jason Coleman’s 22.75” was an absolute monster and probably more like 23.75” or 23.5″ because he had a 1” penalty on his photo submission! Wow!
The largest official NSKA NWA bass caught in live competition is the 23.50” tank caught by Cole Sikes in 2017 at Lake Elmdale, I suspect on a jig. Ha!
Jason Coleman’s beast which should have measured more than 23″ but that mouth is a bit open… Source: TourneyX
It’s Go Time!
In 2021 get out there, have fun and fish! Any cast could net you a 20+ tank! You don’t have to only throw certain baits to catch them either, almost any technique can do it at the right place and right time. I’ve caught 20+ bass on crankbaits, topwater, chatterbaits, jigs, spoons, and soft plastics. Keep fishing and be optimistic that you can catch ‘em!
Heavy Hitters Coming Back for 2021!
If this is getting you excited about catching big bass, watch for information coming soon on the return of the NSKA NWA Heavy Hitters competition for the upcoming season. This is a live tournament cumulative big bass competition that gives you something to aim for in every tournament. There will be a $10 entry and the pot goes to the winner at the end of the season. Details coming soon.
As the crazy 2020 calendar keeps rolling along with the ‘Rona and all of its side effects causing chaos in the kayak tournament circuits. The latest disruption this past weekend was not pandemic, murder hornets or ‘Karen’ driven – it was the Bella Vista Bass Club scheduling a boat tourney on Lake Fort Smith on the same date, causing NSKA to make a move to the deep water of Oklahoma on Pumpback.
Pumpback Lake (or Chimney Rock Lake) is an interesting and confusing place. According to an old article in the Tulsa World, it uses more electricity to pump the water uphill into the lake than is generated when the water is released back into Lake Hudson. I guess it’s a profit deal that they do when there’s peak demand and can charge more for the electricity. Which explains the unpredictable timing of when water goes up and down. But I digress…
Preparing for a “shotgun” start on Pumpback. Photo: kayakfishingfocus.com
NSKA Pumpback Tournament Results
For a lake that not a ton of NWA anglers had fished very often and a very tough, hot day, a lot of good fish were caught. This is a testament to the fish population and angler skill. The numbers reflected a strong showing by the lake with 91% of anglers turning in at least one fish and a respectable 51% posting a five fish limit.
When the lake was announced my immediate thought was that all of the Okies were going to get paid with NSKA making the trek over into their territory. This was flat wrong – in fact – the top 13 finishers were from Arkansas even though there were at least a dozen Oklahomans in the field.
First place was won by John Wofford with a whopping 93” on the day including TWO Smallmouth over 20” contributing to his total. Dwain Batey was second with 89.5” and Justin Brewer third with 85.25”.
John Wofford’s 21″ Smallmouth that won Big Bass. Photo: TourneyX
John also won Big Bass with his 21” bruiser Smallmouth and Justin Phillips took second Big Bass with a 20.75” Largemouth caught late in the day.
The top 10 were as follows:
John Wofford – 93”
Dwain Batey – 89.5”
Justin Brewer – 85.25”
Cole Sikes – 83.25”
Kyle Long – 83.25”
Michael Burgess – 82.50”
Jason Coleman – 82.25”
Billy Bowden – 82”
Roy Roberts – 81.25”
Danny Dutton – 81”
Angler Profile – John Wofford
John Wofford dominated the day on Pumpback with his first-place finish and Big Bass. This is another good day in a recent string of good performances by John (we’ll forget the bracket challenge…) in competition with a second place finish in King of the String and first place on Pumpback. In this tourney recap I thought we’d focus a bit on getting to know John and how he’s been catching them.
John with his giant Smallmouth on Pumpback. Photo: John Wofford
First of all, what happened on Pumpback!? How’d you catch those monster Smallmouth?
Pumpback was literally a magical day. I had only fished the lake one time and only caught 3-4 fish so my expectations were not high at all and I was just concerned about getting a limit.
First thing in the morning I noticed a Shad spawn happening so I automatically began throwing shad-like baits. Right off the bat I missed a MONSTER Smallie bigger than my 21” because I was using a rod that was too light for what I was doing. Shortly after losing the first big one I noticed on my graph I was coming up on a ledge at the end of a flat/point. My first cast into there I caught my 19.5” Smallmouth. Between losing the first Smallie and catching the 19.5” one I realized I had stumbled upon my patterns for the day. I fished out that whole cove losing more and more fish and one Largemouth that would’ve went 18-19” at least.
I was almost spinning out in my head after losing the Largemouth but I took a second to compose myself and changed gears. Started throwing my fluke on a MH power rod and only lost maybe 1-2 fish the rest of the day. After fishing the back of my first cove I had a few people come in on me so I decided to leave and make some runs to areas that my graph looked similar to where I hooked up with the big fish – and man did that pay off. I believe it was on my second cast in the second spot that I hooked into the 21” and the fight was on! I swore I had a Drum or a Striper on because it took forever for her to come up but once she did I about had a heart attack as I did everything in my power to get her in the net. Once I got her in a wave of emotion came over me and I had a feeling that today just might be my day. Thankfully, Ryan Paskiewicz was nearby and I hollered at him to come get a picture because I not only just broke my Smallmouth PB but I broke my kayak bass PB with a 21” Smallie!
After getting my pictures we let her go and I thanked Ryan and we went our separate ways. I tried to calm my nerves for a moment before getting back to fishing and it wasn’t two casts after the 21” I hooked into the 20.25” on a ledge 20 yards down the cove. This one I was sure was a drum but to my surprise it was the hardest fighting smallmouth I’ve ever caught. It took longer to get this one in the boat than any bass I’ve ever caught. That last big bite came at about 9:15 and from then on it was a dink fest. I moved to the north side of the lake and found some shaded areas with deeper pockets adjacent to them and managed to cull some 14’s with a 15.5” and a 16.75” around noon but other than that the bite slowed down and what I was catching were all smaller than 15.5”. I had an amazing time fishing Pumpback and it is a heck of a fishery!
You seem to have really taken a step forward in tournament finishes this year, what’s been the biggest change or contributor to that?
I lost my Grandpa at the beginning of the season this year and I decided that I was going to dedicate this year to him. Also, I have really been working on myself to stay out of my head to not put too much pressure on myself and just fish. I ask the good Lord before every tournament to keep everyone safe for the day and to allow me to fish clean and give me the knowledge to fish to the best of my abilities.
I know you fish a lot with your wife, Hope, can you talk a bit about that and how that’s helped your fishing and/or relationship?
Haha! Oh man…kayak tournament fishing with my wife has been fun and a strain at the same time. I love taking her out with me and seeing her learn new techniques and catching fish on bodies of water she used to zero on. I’m probably a little hard on her at times but that’s because I want her to do the best she can do and she has really surprised me this year and has learned a lot each time we fish a tournament. I do worry about her sometimes though when we are on the water if there’s a lot of boats around with the weather starts to turn a little, I’ll make my way around the corner or where I can see her and she’s just out there fishing away not letting any of it bother her. I really do love the fact that she has that competitive drive like I do and we are always competing against one another in the tournaments as much as we are the rest of the field and I think that has made both of us better anglers.
John with a Beaver Lake Largemouth Bass. Photo: John Wofford
What’s the biggest thing you’ve improved on this year from a fishing standpoint?
My biggest improvement this year has just been getting back to my strengths and not trying to go out and fish other techniques that are other people’s strengths. And I am always studying bass fishing every single day, it’s almost as if that is all I think about anymore. Anytime I talk with someone, read an article or watch a YouTube video I soak up every bit of information I can and then I try to apply that to my style of fishing. And most importantly I have been able to stay out of my head for the most part this season and just went out and fished the conditions that were dealt to me instead of getting upset the conditions aren’t the exact same they were when I pre-fished.
What’s the best advice you can give an angler who is struggling halfway through a tournament? Take what you’ve done earlier and try to learn from it, make your changes and go catch some fish…but most importantly, never give up. I didn’t cull out my smaller fish until right at noon, but if I would’ve given up before that Dwain and I would’ve tied for first instead of winning.
Heavy Hitters Update
More big fish are in the books after Pumpback. I’m still lucky enough to be in the lead (75.5) followed by Michael Burgess (71.75), but there are some strong moves being made, especially by John Wofford (69.5) with his two 20+ and Cole Sikes (70.5) and Justin Phillips (71) who have 20+ inch fish on the board. It’s still anyone’s crown to win.
NSKA Angler of the Year Update
Things are starting to take shape and contenders are emerging for AOY for NSKA. After four events the contenders and pretenders are starting to separate. There is a long way to go and some big events coming up but so far it looks like Roy Roberts, Dwain Batey, Justin Brewer, Jason Coleman and Michael Burgess are best positioned. Cole Sikes is still within striking distance but has no more room for error.
Here are the top 25 anglers if the Classic were held today. Green indicates a “good” points total, yellow “fair” and pink “poor” and needs replaced by a better score.
