Warsaw, Missouri – June 21, 2025

Scorching heat and relentless wind greeted 80 anglers at Truman Lake for Stop #4 of the MoYak Elite Series, where rising water levels and muddy backwaters added an extra layer of difficulty. With practice proving tough across the board, many knew they’d be grinding for every bite on tournament day.

Oshey Armstrong rose to the challenge, winning his first MoYak event with 84.75″, just one inch ahead of Chad Davison. Armstrong also landed the event’s Big Bass at 19″, earning a well-deserved $1,500 payday.

Despite challenging conditions, 50 anglers managed full limits, and 30 broke the 70″ mark — no small feat on a stingy lake that saw just 371 fish entered for a 4.64 fish-per-angler average. Notably, there were no entries in the Twenty+ Club, a rare occurrence for a MoYak event.

“The high water and heat threw us a curveball, but our anglers adapted. Truman made you work for every inch today,” said MoYak Director Joshua Boothe.

Top Ten Finishers:

• Oshey Armstrong – 84.75″
• Chad Davison – 83.75″
• Jason Shifflett – 80.25″
• Steve Van Tassel – 79.75″
• Chris Gilbert – 79.5″
• Robert Swearngin – 79″
• Richy Laughery – 78″
• Richie McMichael – 77.25″
• Blake Weilant – 75.5″
• Joe Nafziger – 75.5″

Team Series Update:
On the team side, “Everhart’s A-Team” pulled off a big win with 96.75″ combined from each angler’s three best fish, edging out “Something to Prove” by 3 inches and earning $360.

AOY Standings Shift
With consistent finishes from McMichael, Swearngin, and Shifflett — and now a win from Armstrong — the Angler of the Year race continues to tighten. Armstrong’s jump up the board sneaks him firmly in AOY contention and a coveted spot in the Taney 20. Click here to see the latest standings.

Next stop: Stockton Lake in July, where the water is already 7 feet high and anglers are hoping for some redemption after a brutal day on Truman.

Here are your top ten for the 2025 MoYak Stop #4 Truman presented by Eco Fishing Shop.

Oshey Armstrong – 84.75″
Chad Davison – 83.75″
Jason Shifflett – 80.25″
Steve Van Tassel – 79.75″
Chris Gilbert – 85.5″
Robert Swearngin – 79″
Richy Laughery – 78″
Richie McMichael – 77.25″
Blake Weilant – 75.5″
Joe Nafziger – 75.5″

Let’s take a closer look at the top five finishers and hear how they solved the puzzle in their own words:

What was your strategy going into the day?

• Oshey: I planned on fishing shallow flipping bushes and if that didn’t work out I was gonna fish offshore.
• Chad: Start with topwater to take advantage of the morning bite, then pitch plastics around bushes the rest of the day.
• Jason: To do better then Chad, lol.
• Steve: I always start out asking myself, “What would Chad do?” Then I go from there and wing it. We had about a dozen kayaks launch at the same location. My strategy was to wait until they took off, see where they went, and go a different direction. I decided to fish the wind all day.
• Robert: I planned on fishing only a couple of spots, looking for deeper, less pressured fish.

Were you able to prefish, and did you find anything that helped you on game day?

• Oshey: I was not able to pre-fish.
• Chad: Yes, I found an area that I felt like I could catch a decent limit in. Then I checked another area for a backup. I caught fish in both areas. I dialed in the bush bite and got confidence in the baits and color that was getting bites.
• Jason: Not really, I got up there around 1pm with the Ol’lady and kids n we got out there playing and swimming, I may a few cast and caught one on a swim jig.
• Steve: I pre-fished the weekend prior and didn’t do well; the water was dirty everywhere I went.
• Robert: Everything I heard was that fish were in the bushes the week before. I was able to get on the water on Friday. I spent about 10 minutes flipping when I saw the water was 80 degrees and decided to go offshore. I fished several places without a bite, then would hit an area that was loaded. I decided to stick to only 3 spots based on what I learned Friday.

What was your best finish at TRUMAN before this?

• Oshey: Not good.
• Chad: My first Mo-Yak win was at Truman during my first season in 2021. Truman Lake has been very good to me with quite a few checks.
• Jason: 2nd at the Classic
• Steve: 14th place
• Robert: 4th in Moyak in 2023 and had a 4th Place finish in KAMO in 2024.

What was the general tackle you used on game day?

• Oshey: Falcon Cara 7’ all around for Texas rig. With a 6” senko. And I used a 6th sense movement rod 7’3” mod action for my bladed jig.
• Chad: Crock-O-Gator Head Knocker, H2 Baits Punch Hawg, H2 Baits Zip Worm, Soft Jerk Bait
• Jason: Spinner bait in the morning and a jackhammer and 1/2oz swim jig the rest of the day
• Steve: Spinnerbait- bluegill.
• Robert: 6XD Crankbait and a homemade 3/4 jig.

How far did you travel to find your fish? General areas?

• Oshey: Launched from Sterrett Creek Marina and probably didn’t go more than 5 miles away.
• Chad: Did not travel very far from the ramp. I was fishing in the lower end of the lake.
• Jason: My kayak broke while we were out playing on Friday, so I used the Ol’lady’s yak in back of the cove, fish seemed scattered, so I was getting them here and there from the creek on out.
• Steve: I traveled about 200 yards on the Pomme arm. Caught all mine before 0900. Same 100-yard stretch.
• Robert: I traveled less than 2 miles at the furthest point from the ramp. I stayed in Little Tebo all day.

Did the weather/high water affect your water or choice of water? If so, how did you adjust?

• Oshey: The wind played a big part, for a while the wind had me crippled and couldn’t move anywhere and than I found a area that was blocking the main lake wind and helped me.
• Chad: Not really. I fished in an area I have had success in the past. I liked the water color with about 12″+ of visibility.
• Jason: The high water kept me outta the river feeds, so I picked a cove close to dam, been working for me this year so far.
• Steve: Looked for better water clarity, weather kept me from crossing the lake.
• Robert: Yes! I was much more comfortable with the heat for several days leading up to the tournament. I think it pushed a lot of fish out of the bushes. However, with the high water, I couldn’t fish my usual offshore spots on Truman, so I was looking for places that would normally have 2-5 feet of water on them.

Did you lose any fish or have a story about your biggest catch?

• Oshey: I did lose a few fish today both felt decent but didn’t see how big exactly. And when I caught my biggest fish I believed I just caught my 5th or just culled a 15” so when I caught my kicker I didn’t even think it was a bass at first until I saw her jump out of the water and that’s when I had to lock but yeah landing the fish is one thing. I knew I had to make sure my photos were perfect because I knew that was an important fish.
• Chad: My big one hit on top early, but I missed it. I came back and pitched the soft jerkbait in there and I caught it (I assume it was the same fish).
• Jason: I lost two that cost me first, being in the narrow old town yak vs my Hobie I had a 18 1/4 flop off my board as I was trying to get a pic n later in the day I easily had big bass on n lost it when it jumped right close to the yak… Chad showed up seconds later and said, “You still got an hour, keep pushing.”
• Steve: Didn’t lose anything that would have helped.
• Robert: I lost 2 on tournament day which cost me. One was probably 17″, which would have moved me up a few spots, and then another that was easily 20+ that I’m sure cost me the tournament.

See any wildlife worth mentioning?

• Oshey: On the drive there I saw a bunch of Deer, and I saw two Red foxes thought that was pretty cool.
• Chad: Lots of carp and big gar.
• Jason: A couple bald eagles.
• Steve: Nothing crazy this time around.
• Robert: I think the wildlife was hiding from the heat/wind. Nothing to report other than an exhausted box turtle I found in the middle of the lake. He rode in my yak for over an hour before getting dropped off on its new island home.

Tell us about your kayak and electronics setup.

• Oshey: I have a Hobie Outback 2023 model, just pedals and I run a Lawrence Elite 7
• Chad: Old Town Autopilot 136. I am going into my 5th year fishing in this kayak, and it is the one I started in Mo-Yak with. I have a 10″ Humminbird Helix with MegaLive. I left the MegaLive in the truck for this one.
• Jason: Fished the Oldtown 136, no electronics aside from the motor.
• Steve: I have a classic Ascend 128T with a TM and make-shift buoys (training wheels) for each side of my kayak. Sporting a Helix 7 on it.
• Robert: Nothing fancy, NuCanoe Unlimited with a MotorGuide Xi3, and a fairly basic 7″ Garmin with Side/Down Imaging.

Do you have any sponsor or personal shout-outs?

• Oshey: I do not have any sponsors.
• Chad: Old Town Fishing – Crock O Gator – Dungarees Clothing – Everharts Outdoors – H2 Bait Design – Max It Out LEDs – Cashion Rods – Council Bluff Crankbaits – CMX Lures USA
• Jason: I would like to give my shout out to Jason Anderson with ARC Services, he plays a huge part of me being able to do this… He was rushed to the hospital on Friday and is currently fighting for his life. My prayers go out for him and his family, and I’m taking care of the work and home front until you come home, brother!
• Steve: I try to thank the Lord Jesus for the fish I catch, big or small… generally on the smaller side, but thankful either way.
• Robert: As always, Ellis Battery in Ozark has taken great care of me. I run a 70 AH Continental lithium battery from them. Even with the wind pounding all day, I never had to switch to my backup!

Derby Stats

• Anglers: 80
• Fish caught: 371 (FPA – 4.64)
• Total limits: 50 (63%)
• Margin of victory: 1″
• Twenty+ Club: None!
• Trash Pot: Chris Woehl – 24″ Cat ($150)
• Smallest Bass Award: Kyle Savner – 8.5″
• Air temp at launch: 72°F
• Air temp at takeout: 95°F