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.

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.

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.

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.

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!