Finally got a win. It’s been 20 years since I won a tournament. Last time I won it was a Future Pro Tour Event in 2004! This one means a lot. It’s hard to win a kayak tournament, especially when it’s against 98 of some of the best kayak anglers in the west. No doubt in my mind that some of the best kayak anglers in the west are fishing Yak-A-Bass. Practiced on Friday and wasn’t super confident on what I found. Caught plenty of fish but nothing over 16.5 inches.
Found a pair of fish on a spawning bed estimated around 18-20 inches long each. Went there first thing in the morning. It was a 40minute run powered by my Newport Vessel NK-300, moving at 6.2-6.4 mph. It was a long run. When I got there, the fish were gone. I proceeded to fish some spots I marked in practice. These were mostly spots out side of spawning areas (flats) or leading into spawning coves, (inside points to halfway back into the coves). I was throwing a YUM 4” Sonar Minnow on a 1/16-1/8oz. Ball head. Majority of my fish were long gone. They all moved out. I didn’t have my limit till 11am. After fishing all my spots in practice, it was “Freestyle Fishing” time. I started to fish rocky points and caught a few fish as I worked my way back to the Flemming Meadows launch ramp. I wasn’t getting any up grades. I headed to an old area I fished in the past that had a road bed going through the middle of the cove. I tossed out a wacky rig 5” Senko. My line immediately took off. I caught a 17.75” spotted bass. I fished that area for another hour and caught a 19” spotted bass on the Sonar Minnow that helped put me on top by .25 of an inch.
What a day on the water. One I will never forget. I would like to thank all who made this happen. My wife for putting up with this addiction that keeps me away from family sometimes. My kids, family and friends for the support. Today would have been my dad’s 70th birthday. This one is for you pops!