Anyone up for the challenge?
Carolina Kayak Anglers (CKA) hosted Tournament #4 at Hyco Lake this past weekend. While the turnout was a little smaller than usual, 37 anglers still showed up ready to compete.
The morning couldn’t have started much better. Overcast skies, a light breeze, and temperatures in the low 70s made for ideal fishing conditions. As the leaderboard slowly started filling up throughout the day, it was obvious the fish were biting and getting bigger.
I started just a quarter mile from the boat ramp, confident the bass would be holding shallow. That decision paid off quickly. Within the first 30 minutes, I landed a solid 19.50 inch largemouth. Not long after, I hooked into an absolute tank a 21.50 inch largemouth weighing nearly 6.5 pounds! At that point, I felt like I had a legitimate shot at a Top 10 finish, but I still needed three more fish to complete my five-fish limit.
A few hours later, I finally landed my third fish at 16.25 inches. With just two more to go, the pressure was definitely on. My pattern was working, so I never hesitated to keep throwing a weightless Texas-rigged June Bug Yum Senko. This time of year, you’ll notice schools of active bait flies, so I focused on fishing around them. That strategy paid off, and I caught five more bass, allowing me to cull and complete my limit.
For the final hour of the tournament, I found myself sitting in the Top 5, hoping to replace one of my smaller fish with a kicker. Unfortunately, it never happened, but that’s tournament fishing.
In the end, I finished 8th overall out of 37 anglers while fishing completely blind no forwardfacing sonar or graphs and that’s something I’m proud of. It was one of my best live tournament performances to date and another reminder that confidence in your pattern can go a long way.
If you’ve ever thought about trying kayak tournament fishing, I highly encourage you to give it a shot. It’s a unique format because we don’t keep fish in livewells. Instead, every catch is measured on a certified measuring board, photographed through the tournament app, and immediately released back into the water.
See you at the next one!
