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MoYak Stop #5 – Norfork Recap

The drought of 2022 continued as 59 anglers ventured south of the border to Norfork and for some, this drought included a lack of quality bites to go along with another blast furnace of temps pushing 100 at takeout.

The dog days of summer continued as our FPA (fish-per-angler) was 3.97 and only 46% of the field submitted a limit of bass.

Micah Funderburgh takes Big Bass honors with his 21″ largemouth

After the dust settled, Eli Powers from Arkansas came away with the victory by over 3″.  Eli didn’t respond to the questionnaire we sent but if he does happen to follow up, I’ll add his responses below. Here are your top ten for the 2022 MoYak Stop #5 Norfork Lake presented by Everhart’s Outdoors.

  1. Eli Powers 86.25″
  2. Chris Gilbert 82.5″
  3. Tommy Probst 76.25″
  4. Micah Funderburgh 75.25″ + Big Bass
  5. Jeremy Truitt 74″
  6. Lance Burris 73.75″
  7. Joe Hayes 73.75″
  8. John Evans 73.25″
  9. Josh Keatts 73″
  10. Mike Dent 73″

Team Winners

  1. Team Bonafide (Lance Burris & Mike Keafer) 146.5″

Let’s see how FOUR OF the top five figured it out;

What was your strategy going into the day.

Chris – I planned on catching 90 inches on a big swimbait before 9pm, and my Plan B was more of an emergency plan if I couldn’t get a bite on the Big Swimbait. Plan B was to throw a jig.

Tommy – Just trying to catch a limit since I haven’t done that in the last couple of tournaments.

Micah – Catch quantity and hope that a few quality fish popped up in the back of a river arm.

Jeremy – My only strategy was to grind it out and throw different lures until I found some type of bite. I am not a power fisherman so I tend to slow down and throw creature baits.

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

Chris – Yes I got 3 hours of prefish in the afternoon three days before the tournament. I mean sort of but not really, I would’ve done the same thing if I hadn’t prefished. In prefish I caught a 14  incher on a jig, then threw the big swimbait to locate fish, which I did.

Tommy – Was not able to prefish but did stop and look around at the ramps of a couple of spots that I had picked out.

Micah – Yes, prefished the main lake and the back of a creek arm the day before and decided to not fish the main lake because I’m not as comfortable with it and it didn’t produce as well in prefishing.

Jeremy – I don’t get a chance to really pre-fish any tournaments due to work and kids. So, this one was not any different.

Had you ever fished Norfork before this?

Chris – Not really, the only experience I had before the tournament was that three hours of prefish three days before, and honestly that was just more of almost exploring rather than fishing.

Tommy – No

Micah – No

Jeremy – This was my first time Norfork. It was a great-looking lake and to me, it fished similar to Bull Shoals Lake.

What was the general tackle you used?

Chris – I used one brown and blue jig with the same okeechobee craw on the back all tournament, and caught one on the big swimbait

Tommy – Texas rigged plastics

Micah – Spinning rods with slow finesse presentations. Ned rig, shakey head, drop shot.

Jeremy – My day started with throwing a white quad buzzbait for the first hour or so. I caught a nice 15-inch bass within the first few casts. I missed a few blow-ups and then it shut off. From there I slowed down and started throwing a jig and soft creature baits. I never got a hit on the jig (which is my go-to bait).

How far did you have to travel to find your fish – General area of the lake you chose?

Chris – Started at the ramp and went left, but I ended up catching my last fish a couple miles away from the ramp.

Tommy – I stayed within a half mile of the ramp, Upper end. It looked like areas that I would fish around here

Micah – About a 10 min peddle in a creek arm.

Jeremy – I put in at Cranfield and went up East Pigeon Creek. I don’t know how far I went on the water but I didn’t go up the creek too far.

What depth range were you looking for (what was your water temp/clarity)?

Chris – I was fishing, at most, 4ft usually less, but if I wasn’t sitting in 15ft I wasn’t getting bit. I could see around 12ft most places, my water was mid to high 70’s

Tommy – I fished everything in the area. My 2 biggest fish were caught early and shallow; everything else was in about 10′ of water. Water temp was around 76 in the morning and warmed up to around 81 before I got off the lake. The water looked a little green around the ramp but cleared up towards the river.

Micah – The water temp moved a lot throughout the day.  I want to say it was 86°-89° and I was fishing 4-8ft of water with 2-3ft of visibility.

Jeremy – Most of my fish were caught in the 2–10-foot water depth. Later in the day I started fishing a little deeper 15-25-foot depth. I caught my 18.25″ bass in about 20-foot of water. I keep it simple and don’t really pay attention to water temp or clarity. I just try to fish the water I’m in.

How did you stay cool out there?

Chris – I didn’t stay cool, heat wise of menatlly wise. Lost my 5th fish twice and that really got to me, because they were back-to-back casts, but the skill of keeping a cool head probably comes with age I imagine.

Tommy – Had a lot of drinks in the cooler and I dunked my feet a few times to help stay cool. I got off the lake around noon because I was going to try and change spots but decided it wasn’t worth the effort after driving over to the other spot. Ended up just going to Wendys for lunch.

Micah – People stayed cool out there? There must be a secret I don’t know about.

Jeremy – I kept hydrated and I tried to find shade when I could. I was tempted to stop and take a dip but I couldn’t make myself stop.

Anything else special about the day? Big Bass Story?

Chris – The fifth fish, I caught it by casting behind 3 bushes sticking out of the water, and about 4 seconds after it bit I was panicking on how I was going to get this 3lber in, and it just made a probably 2ft jump over the bushes, it was pretty cool.

Tommy – Happy with the way it turned out but if I had it to do over I probably would have launched somewhere else or tried running up the river right after I made my first pass along the bank where I caught my big bass. 5 or so others launched at the same ramp and pretty much everyone headed up the river as soon as they could take off. I just made a quick circle of the area to try and see what was around and made my first cast along the rip rap of the boat ramp. I got desperate around 1030 or so and started to head up the river but gave up once it got to about 5′ of water. I’m sure there were probably some good holes further up but Lance Burris and others had already picked them apart so I figured it would be a waste of time.

Micah – I gave up my spot to some teens on a bass boat that hadn’t caught anything yet. I was catching a lot of small bass and decided to move off that school to have a chance at something bigger. 2 min later I landed the Big Bass of the day at 21″. Filmed this and the rest of the day on a GoPro, just posted the video on my new channel. https://youtu.be/UtfrSlVe1KQ

Jeremy -Nothing really special at all. I decided to leave my house at 12:30am and got to the ramp around 2:45am. Then I took a truck nap at the ramp. One of these days I will get a chance to pre-fish and stay the night somewhere closer to the lake. My 18.25″ bass was caught on a Trench Hawg. I had to boat flip it because when I grabbed my net it got stuck in my 360 light. Luckily, I didn’t lose it.

See any wildlife worth mentioning?

Chris – No

Tommy – Had a beaver swim to within a couple feet of me without it clapping its tail. It just swam on by.

Micah – A couple eagles and lots of turtles and gar.

Jeremy – I saw a few deer but that was it.

Lose any bigguns?

Chris – No

Tommy – Only missed a couple of fish but don’t think they had any size to them

Micah – Lost a few fish in the 13″-15″ range but nothing big.

Jeremy – I didn’t lose any fish. I only caught 5 fish in total.

Derby Stats
Anglers 59
Fish caught – 234
Total limits – 27 (46%)
Margin of victory – 3.75″
Smallest Bass Award – Anthony Brown 8.25″
Air temp at launch – 78
Air temp at takeout – 97
Water temps reported – Mid 80’s

Trash Fish Winner – Steve Earls (His 2nd event in a row as the garbage man!)

Results — 2022 Norfork

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Eli Powers86.251392.25
Christopher Gilbert82.52383.50
Tommy Probst76.253372.25
Micah Funderburgh75.254369.25
Jeremy Truitt745360.00
Lance Burris73.756355.75
Joe Hayes73.757351.75
John Evans73.258347.25
Josh Keatts739343.00
Mike Dent7310339.00
Mike Keafer72.7511335.75
Trevor Motzkus7212332.00
Michael Smith71.7513328.75
Justin Wright69.2514323.25
Sam Young6816317.00
Lance Irwin67.517314.50
Cole Armer67.518312.50
Scott Kroger67.2519310.25
Tyy Ward6720308.00
Michael Sandlin66.2521305.25
Christopher Robbs6522302.00
Dorman Hughey6523300.00
Richie McMichael63.2524296.25
Nathan Head6325294.00
Dave Neal59.2526288.25
Ryan Reed55.7527282.75
Kerry Evans5228277.00
Troy Enke50.2529273.25
Jerry Cornelius50.2530271.25
Stony Floyd46.2532263.25
Stacy Jordan43.7533258.75
Johnathan Dominguez41.534254.50
Jason Shifflett39.7535250.75
Jason Payne39.2536248.25
Darian Beedle39.2537246.25
Mike Tichenor36.2538241.25
Anthony Brown33.2539236.25
Brayden Cravens25.7540226.75
Steve Earls25.2541224.25
Brandon Locke24.542221.50
Levi Cline2443219.00
Christopher Moyher14.7545205.75
Cody Huffman14.2546203.25
James Curtis13.7547200.75
Danny Johnson11.7550192.75
Zachary Armstrong051179.00
Eric Easter053175.00
Trevor Fanning054173.00
Shannon Jernigan055171.00
Sarah Johnson056169.00
Patrick Troutman058165.00
James Wilson059163.00

Results — 2022 Norfork Team

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Team Bonafide146.51447.50
Shake & Bake143.752439.75
The Chatter Boys126.253417.25
Burrito Banditos113.54399.50
BassAckwards91.255372.25
Dink Whisperers826359.00
Eco Fanatics777350.00
Slappin Da Bass73.758342.75
Wet Hookers63.759328.75

Fosnow’s Freak breaks the tie on Stockton

If you thought stop #3 on Truman was hot, yikes!  78 at launch, water temps in the mid 80’s and an air temp over 100 degrees at awards had all 80 of us and the most of the bass a little stunned.

Another grinder derby was the dock talk as many anglers who prefished were finding numbers but not much quality.  Those who found both were very quiet about it. The dog days lived up to their name as our FPA (fish-per-angler) was 3.25 and only 39% of the 80-person field (a new Stockton kayak tournament record!) submitted a limit of bass.

In the end, we had a tie for first broken by Jared Fosnow’s absolute Stockton Lake Freak, a 22″ largemouth he said hit a spook early Saturday morning.  Here are your top ten for the 2022 MoYak Stop #4 Stockton Lake presented by Everhart’s Outdoors and hosted by The Bait Shop.

  1. Jared Fosnow 83″
  2. Troy Enke 83″
  3. Chris Robbs 79.5″
  4. Chad Davison 79.25″
  5. Micah Funderburgh 78.75″
  6. Scott Kroger 78.25″
  7. Lance Burris 77″
  8. Tyy Ward 76.25″
  9. Zach Woolverton 75″
  10. Chris Moyher 73.25″

Team Winners

  1. COMO Crushers (Chris Robbs & Chad Davison) 158.75″
  2. Burrito Banditos (Richie McMichael & Troy Enke) 154″

Let’s see how the top five figured it out;

What was your strategy going into the day.

Jared – The plan was to throw topwater until daylight then to make laps up and down a series of bluff points and small cuts in the bluff working a jig and shakey head. With hopes of being in the right places at the right times to get in on the schooling fish busting shad like practice.

Troy – The forecast that I saw said clouds most of the day.  I tied on several topwater lures and just went fishing.

Chris – My strategy was to stay in the creek channels near deeper water, I figured between the heat and the water dropping they would want to be near deeper water. I also wanted to cover water quickly in the morning while the fish were shallower and more active because I had a feeling that once the sun was up and the heat turned on, the bite was going to slow down. Part two of the plan was to when the bite slowed, so would I, then start picking apart the areas similar to where I was getting bites or go back to areas where I got bit.

Chad – It seemed like the bass were feeding up on baitfish, and I felt like the early topwater bite would be critical.  I had 4 rods rigged up with various topwater baits.

Micah – Fish shallow flats and secondary points early targeting bass feeding on shallow baitfish and then I didn’t really have a plan after that.

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

Jared – My first time bass fishing Stockton was last weekend. I got about 6 hours of prefishing in but on a totally different arm of the lake. But it really helped me narrow down the baits that were working and structure that was holding fish. It was probably one of the best days of fishing I’ve ever had. Mid morning I found some above average size fish schooling up and busting shad in the middle of two large pockets/small coves. There would be 3-5 fish completely out of the water at one time busting shad. It was a unreal bite that lasted for just over an hour before the wind shut it down. One thing I found was that dragging the Shakey Head worm and football jig instead of shaking or hopping them was really key to getting bites. The smallies I caught wanted it almost sitting still.

Troy – No

Chris – I was able to pre-fish. I got down to the lake later Thursday evening and got in the water for just an hour or two just to try and get a feel for it. Went to another area early Friday morning to do some recon and found a pattern early in the morning and then just covered a lot of water the rest of the morning to find similar areas where I had found bites and to rule out as much water as possible. What I think was the biggest help was actually ruling out as much water as I did within the area, which helped me stay focused on the areas where I got bites come tournament day.

Chad – I did prefish on Friday, and I had a really bad practice only catching one bass and losing a few.   The topwater bite was the only thing I had success with.

Micah – Since it was my first tournament I made it a point to get a good day of prefishing in earlier that week. I pretty much did exactly what I did when I prefished because it worked.

What was your best finish before this one?

Jared – This was my first bass tournament on Stockton. 20 years ago I did take the win over some buddies on a weekend camping/walleye trip 🙂

Troy – 6th in 2020

Chris – Stockton has probably been my best lake since I started fishing MoYak in 2020. I believe in 2020 I had like a 20th place finish there and then last year I also cashed a check with a 4th place finish.

Chad – I had a 2nd place finish last year – tied for 1st but lost the tiebreaker.

Micah – First tournament

What was the general tackle you used to win?

Jared

  • Heddon Super Spook in Chrome/Pink with the saltwater hooks replaced with Gamakatsu TGW trebles.
  • 3/8 oz CrockO-Gator Head Knocker buzzbait with the factory old school Black skirt and Gold blade.
  • Zoom Magnum Finesse worm in Green Pumpkin on a 1/4 oz Crock-O-Gator Shaker Football Head. I dyed the last 3/4” of the tail with Chart Spike-It and also lathered it in Garlic Smelly Jelly.
  • Dobyns Spotted Bass Special jig in PB&J living rubber with a Strike King Rage Craw trailer in Green Pumpkin Purple Swirl.
  • Rainy Day Jigs hand tied Grey bucktail/hackle jig for casting to suspended fish using LiveScope.  All thrown on Ark Invoker Pro and Ark Essence rods with Daiwa Tatula reels spooled with Seaguar Invizx fluorocarbon.

Troy – 1/2 oz white buzzbait with a gold blade, 3/8 oz Misfit hand-tied jig with beaver trailer, Whopper Plopper (Bone), 1/2 oz Jackhammer black and blue with a rage menace trailer

Chris – Got on them early with a buzz bait. Spent the rest of the day dragging a jig and a worm looking for upgrades.

Chad – All of my fish except one was on a topwater popper wrapped in Crankwraps Spotted Tail Shiner.  The other was on a fluke when the fish missed the popper.

Micah – 7ft spinning rods with top waters and then mostly deep cranks and drops shot later in the day.

Anything else special about the day? Big Bass Story?

Jared – A couple things.

The First would be making the last-minute decision Friday evening to fish it or not because of the forecasted temps. On Thursday afternoon the AC quit for the third time on my truck. Which was a tough choice knowing I had already made the hard decision to scrap my practice location and fish brand new water I had never seen. Deciding to not let the heat get me down and then having that area pay off after the hours I put into researching it was pretty special.

Next would is getting to see/talk to all the guys and gals at the awards. It just never seems to be enough time to see and talk to everyone. Getting to meet new people and catching up with friends we don’t get to see much is the part I have always enjoyed the most over the years while traveling all over the country for crappie and bass events.

The coolest part of the whole day but also a little bit disappointing. I was about 10 minutes into the morning and maybe 50 yards from the ramp. I was throwing topwater just off the bushes along the bank when I heard some fish blow up behind me. When I turned the kayak around I saw what looked like a stump sticking out of the water with the moonlight shining on it. It later turned out in the daylight to be a 15’-20’ tree that had washed up in the shallow water. I picked up the Spook and made a cast to the right of it and then to the left. Just as it made it past the “stump” it got slurped under and it got me wrapped up in the tree. I see-sawed it back and forth a few times and it came right up and out of the water. Not much of a fight really until it hit the net. A little disappointing because it would have been cool to see it happen in the daylight but probably a good thing I didn’t see how big it was which could have led me to do something different than what I did.

Troy – I went up a creek and found a channel swing with a pocket of deep water and a bunch of brush.  I threw the buzzbait near the brush and began the retrieve and a bass blew up on it but didn’t get it.  I was about 10 feet from the brush and my trolling motor was taking me right into it, I threw in again and brought it close, the fish smashed it again and now I had a problem. I had to fight the fish and get the Xi3 remote in my other hand and turn on spot lock before I hit the tree. About that time the fish lunged and the reel malfunctioned and I had an immediate backlash…. CRAP.  I then had to reel through the backlash and try to net the fish.  It was a clown car sh*t show.  Danny Johnson was right around the corner from me.  I’m sure he heard me having a come-apart.

Chris – One good thing about the extra early start was getting to see the entire sunrise, it was a beautiful morning sky. Also got to spend some time talking and goofing off with the other guys at the boat launch which is always fun.

Chad – I was really impressed with my team partner, Chris Robbs.  He located the area that was holding fish for us which led to both of us cashing a check and getting the team win. My big bass was the last bass I caught of the day.  It was 18″ and I caught it at 7:04am.  I couldn’t get anything going after that.

Micah – No

See any wildlife worth mentioning?

Jared – Other than the 1742 deer I dodged on my 1 1/2 hour drive down to the lake. I did get to see a water snake eating a small frog along a bluff.

TroyA wild Croc

Chris – No

Chad – No

Micah – I saw a family of otters during my prefish and the momma otter tried to chase down my top water.

Lose any bigguns?

Jared – Just one in the 15 1/2”-16” range on the Spook when trying to reach the net to the wrong side of the boat to land it.

Troy – I lost 3 on topwater but I don’t think they would’ve helped-at least that’s what I’m telling myself, lol.

Chris – No

Chad – I caught 6 and lost 1 – seemed like a good one, but no idea how big it was.

Micah – My first fish of the day hit about 4 feet from the yak and, as I was fumbling around for the net he came off… She wasn’t massive but definitely would have helped my cause. Learned to put my net in a better spot.

How far did you have to travel to find your fish, what depth range did you target and are you willing to share the general area of the lake you chose? What was your water temp/clarity?

Jared – I covered about a 3/4 mile stretch of bluffs and went back to some key points and cuts several times throughout the day. Not 100% sure but I believe it was the Big Sac arm. Kind of mid-lake.

On the bluff points and cuts, the key was 8’ to 12’. That seemed to be where the drop-off was into deeper water. They were holding on top of the drop early and then suspended just over the edge of the drop-off later in the day.

The schooling fish were mostly in 25+ feet of water and I caught several right out in the main lake channel in 45+ feet of water. I would motor to where I saw them busting and then used the LiveScope to stay on the bigger schools of shad that had bass under them. I would wait for the bass to start breaking them up and push them to the surface.

I would call it pretty clear and over a foot of visibility but I’m used to fishing in the mud at Truman. Not sure on temp. I am replacing my 9” Garmin with a new Humminbird but ran out of time to get it installed before this event and I don’t have a temp sensor on the 1222 LiveScope unit.

Troy – I launched in the Son’s creek area south of Ruark and went upstream about a mile then worked my way back to the ramp and tried to fish anything that looked juicy.  We had about 6 inches of visibility and a ton of bait.  Around 10 am I began fishing the rip-rap and landed 3 upgrades in five casts on the buzzbait.  Then I fished about 2 miles toward main lake hitting cuts and coves and trying to get as many casts as I could.  Spot lock helped me in the wind and I was able to get one upgrade on the jig by picking a main lake pocket full of laydowns apart with it.  I think I traveled around 5 miles total.

Chris – It was about a 30 minute drive from where me and my teammate Chad stayed. I chose to fish a creek arm off of the main lake and just started covering as much water as possible from close to where I launched. Super shallow up against the bank in the morning then anywhere between 8-16 feet the rest of the day.
Water Temp: 83-86 degrees
Clarity: 2-3 feet visibility

Chad – I didn’t go far from the ramp.  Upper end of the lake. Topwater – pretty shallow.   Water was mid-80s and less than 2′ of visibility

Micah – About a 10 min peddle to my starting spot, fished a smaller finger in the upper lake portion. I caught almost all my fish in 1-3 ft of water early and then failed to locate/catch them after that.

Did the weather affect your bite?

Jared – It affected where I ended up fishing. I was on much better quality fish last Saturday while prefishing the Mutton Creek area. But with the predicted winds out of the Southwest I knew the other area would probably be unfishable. So I spent several hours each night studying maps and google earth at the end of the week trying to find something that would setup the same as what I found last weekend.

Troy – I was hoping for more clouds and was very thankful when they covered up the sun.  My Hobie’s air conditioner has never worked.  The wind was fishable where I was and I can’t say enough good things about spot lock.  I’m very happy with that purchase so far.  It’s not going to beat Burris in a drag race but sometimes the tortoise wins.  Let’s just hope I don’t get too comfortable standing up while cruising along at 3 mph and end up turtling the whole yak.

Chris – The hot sun getting up in that clear sky definitely slowed things down for me, but I was still able to catch fish throughout the day.

Chad – Early morning was key – once the sun was high, it got tough.  I thought the wind would help, but didn’t help me.

Micah – The heat and wind definitely didn’t help.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?

Jared – I try to fish everyone I can but between work and chasing my youngest daughter around a couple states for traveling volleyball and soccer it makes it tough. I do have several weeks of vacation left I need to start using so maybe Pomme, Bull Shoals and for sure the state championship on Table Rock.

Troy – Norfork will depend on the weather.  I should be able to make the rest if my elbow doesn’t fail me again.

Chris – That is the plan. My goal is to crack that top 10 in AOY and I am currently hovering just outside of it and need to get rid of 1 or maybe 2 scores that I currently have to get that done with all these great anglers we have!

Chad – Definitely

Micah – I plan on being at Norfolk and Pomme but my schedule won’t line up for the other events.

Derby Stats
Anglers 80
Fish caught – 260
Total limits – 31 (39%)
Margin of victory – 0″
Smallest Bass Award – Nathan Head 3.5″
Air temp at launch – 78
Air temp at takeout – 101
Water temps reported – Mid 80’s

Trash Fish Winner – Steve Earls

Results — 2022 Stockton

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Jared Fosnow831394.00
Troy Enke832386.00
Christopher Robbs79.53377.50
Chad Davison79.254372.25
Micah Funderburgh78.755366.75
Scott Kroger78.256362.25
Lance Burris777357.00
Tyy Ward76.258352.25
Christopher Moyher73.2510341.25
Cody Huffman73.2511338.25
Broc Van Tassell7312335.00
Zachary Armstrong71.513330.50
Richie McMichael71.514327.50
Levi Cline69.7515322.75
Stony Floyd69.516320.50
Mike Dent69.2517318.25
Steve Van Tassell68.2518315.25
Michael Sandlin67.519312.50
Mike Keafer66.7520309.75
Jeremy Truitt66.2521307.25
Darian Beedle64.522303.50
Josh Keatts62.7523299.75
Jake Bollinger62.2524297.25
Lance Irwin61.7525294.75
Nathan Head6126292.00
Brandon Heimericks59.527288.50
Eric Easter59.528286.50
Trevor Motzkus59.2529284.25
Dorman Hughey57.530280.50
Frankie Miller5631277.00
Kerry Evans55.7532274.75
Jason Shifflett54.533271.50
Steve Earls53.534268.50
Brandon Locke5336264.00
Jerry Cornelius51.2537260.25
Joe Mersky47.538254.50
Tommy Probst44.539249.50
Michael Smith4440247.00
Stacy Jordan41.7541242.75
Lawrence Dent41.542240.50
Dave Neal40.2543237.25
Jacob Johnson39.7544234.75
Ryan Reed39.545232.50
Michael Cornelius38.7546229.75
Sam Young2948216.00
Chad Fleer28.549213.50
Danny Johnson27.7550210.75
Erik Fischer27.2551208.25
Trevor Fanning2452203.00
Tyler Myers23.7553200.75
Joe Walters22.554197.50
Joe Hayes21.7555194.75
Donald Schwartz19.556190.50
Anthony Brown1857187.00
Frankie Dailey1658183.00
Jacob High13.2559178.25
Jason Payne1360176.00
Jake Pruett1261173.00
Mike Tichenor11.2562170.25
Jordan Albers064155.00
Angela Carman065153.00
Christopher Cramsey066151.00
James Curtis067149.00
Zo Gingerich068147.00
Ryan Groeller069145.00
Jay Harman070143.00
Kyle Harvey071141.00
Shannon Jernigan073137.00
Preston Maples074135.00
Billy Schlobohm075133.00
James Shoemaker076131.00
Stephen Sisk077129.00
Mark Springer078127.00
Patrick Troutman079125.00
James Wilson080123.00

Results — 2022 Stockton Team

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
CoMo Crushers158.751460.75
Burrito Banditos1542451.00
Dink Whisperers151.53443.50
Team Bonafide143.754430.75
Wet Hookers124.255406.25
BassAckwards120.256398.25
The Chatter Boys116.507390.50
Shake & Bake106.258376.25
Double D’s999365.00
Western MO Sticks98.2510360.25
Crankin & Spankin9011349.00
Slappin Da Bass81.2512337.25
Bourbon and Bass7413327.00
RoosterCat72.514322.50
Hookset Ninjas69.2515316.25
The Midwest Sticks63.516308.50
Bassless Chaps27.2718268.27
Reel Amateurs019239.00

Early Summer Sizzler on Truman

The third stop of the 2022 MoYak Lake Series was a scorcher! Sixty degrees at launch and a forecast of mid 90’s greeted 89 MoYak anglers at this early June event on Truman Lake.

With the lake flooded 11 feet and a quiet practice for many, this one was set up to be a grind. The numbers bore this out as we had an FPA (fish-per-angler) of 3.72 and 46% of the field submitting a limit of bass. By comparison, at our2021 June Truman event 82 anglers were fortunate to put 4.02 (FPA) on the leaderboard with, again, 46% of the field fielding a limit. It’s the start of a troubling trend for Truman in June if you look back to 2020 where we had 58% of the 78 yaks with limits, Jim Harding breaking 100″ and an FPA of 4.97.

Not only did we have to deal with the elements and a fish population in transition, but connectivity issues plagued most of the field all day. Several anglers reported their inability to get fish submitted—even though their phones showed bars of 5G service!

The top of the field found a way to overcome these obstacles—with yours truly coming out on top. Here are your top ten for the 2022 MoYak Stop #3 Truman Lake presented by Everhart’s Outdoors and hosted by Bucksaw Marina.

  1. Troy Enke 87″
  2. Lance Irwin 82″
  3. Trevor Motzkus 81″
  4. Chad Davison 80.5″
  5. Johnathan Dominguez 79.75″
  6. Jeremy Truitt 79″
  7. Chris Robbs 78″
  8. Frankie Dailey 77.5″
  9. Joe Hayes 77.5″
  10. Cole Armer 77.25″

Team Winners

  1. Burrito Banditos (Richie McMichael & Troy Enke) 162.5″
  2. COMO Crushers (Chris Robbs & Chad Davison) 161.25″
  3. Shake & Bake ( Lance Irwin & Tommy Probst) 150″
Three 20’s were caught with Broc VanTassel coming away with Big Bass Honors for his 21.5″ largemouth.

Let’s see how the top five figured it out;

What was your strategy going into the day.

Troy – Truman has always been a mystery to me so this time I just decided to enjoy the fact that we were not dodging lightning bolts and hailstones and instead just go fish.

Lance – Fishing shallow in a small area for less bits but bigger fish

Trevor – My main strategy going in was to ride out the topwater bite; throwing a buzz bait and popper, until it quit, and then junk fish after that. The top water bite didn’t pan out, so I picked up my flipping stick and went to work.

Chad – Start off early with Head Knocker buzzbait on flooded grassy areas – my topwater bite from practice wasn’t there. Caught 2 on a fluke.

Johnathan – I really had no strategy. Just came with an open mind set and was going to fish as hard as I could.

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

Troy – I usually fish the Pomme arm but with the lake up so high and lots of muddy water, I decided to try spots nearer the dam area.  I only had a few hours to practice, with most of that visiting ramps and checking water clarity.

Lance – I pre-fished the weekend before the tourney. I was able to find fish but was unsure how much the water would drop before the tournament. My pre-fishing did help my confidence but didn’t help me to replicate the same bite.

Trevor – I was not able to pre-fish due to work, but I did come up the night before and look at boat ramps, along with attempting to find cell service opportunities for a few hours. Where I chose to put in, I knew it would be more of my style of fishing, and I ran with it.

Chad – Absolutely – found an area that was holding some better fish – caught 2 in practice and left so I didn’t know what it’s full potential would be.

Johnathan – I fished Truman 2 weeks prior to the event. Other than that there wasn’t much prefishing.

What was your best finish before this one?

Troy – I’ve never had a top twenty here before this. 24th out of 79 in 2020 was my previous best.

Lance – 7th in 2020

Trevor – I had never fished Truman in my life before Saturday morning. This was only my third MO-Yak live tournament.

Chad – 1st in 2021

Johnathan – Before this event there has been no best events. It’s been more like catch one fish and go home with your tail between your legs. Truman is a different animal.

What was the general tackle you used to win?

Troy – Funkbuster buzzbait (white) with gold blade, Jackhammers 1/2oz white with white trailer and 3/8oz green pumpkin with blue swirl rage menace trailer

Lance – Megabass top water and Blaukat jig

Trevor – I flipped numerous baits but the only things I could get a bite on was the trusty Brush Hog and Pit Boss. Most catches were on heavy braid and a big tungsten weight. I did catch a pair on a big worm and a flipping jig.

Chad – All of best 5 fish caught flipping a Crock-O-Gator Muskrat in GP/Blue Swirl

Johnathan – I started early with a Buzbait and was able to get a couple bites. Quickly switched over to a bladed jig. My best bite came flipping a secondary point with a MOtion Fishing HawgIlla.

Anything else special about the day? Big Bass Story?

Troy – Special? Can’t beat the outcome. Nothing better than being able to share a win with family over the phone on the drive home. My biggest bass came at the very back of a creek in about a foot of water under a rootwad of an inside channel swing. She crushed the chatterbait soon as it hit the water.

Lance – My big bass was DQ. I took three 1 second videos instead of photos. This is a good reminder for everyone to check your photos before you release your fish. Other than that, I fished clean.

Trevor – I was fortunate enough to have my wife along on the trip, and it was great to do well after I got her up at 4 AM. I know the day was hectic for everyone as far as service and submitting fish, but my plan to get off the water early and find service worked in the end. I was able to fish fairly clean, only losing one keeper
and a spinnerbait. Not really any big bass, but I did catch a 22’’ walleye flipping bushes.

Chad – I feel like current flow had changed. My area dirtied up overnight, bite changed, and more trash in the water. I think they may have slowed or stopped flow temporarily and backwashed into my area.

Lost my 2nd biggest fish – was in the boat and then it wasn’t. Funny video of it on my FB/IG pages

See any wildlife worth mentioning?

Troy – I was visited by a 4lb drum at around 2 pm on the end of my chatterbait as I drug it past a laydown. My heart can’t take that kind of crap. #Gooooooooo

Lance – No

Trevor – I saw more carp than I had ever seen in my life.

Chad – Nope

Johnathan – No

Lose any bigguns?

Troy – I lost one at the boat that would have probably given me 90+

Lance – Just the DQ

Trevor – Just one small one, possibly 12”. I was very fortunate.

Chad – Yes, see above

Johnathan – No

How far did you have to travel to find your fish, what depth range did you target and are you willing to share the general area of the lake you chose?

Troy – Dam area. Tried to fish shaded cover in 4 feet or less. My spot was about a half mile from the ramp.

Lance – I caught all my fish within 300 yards of where I launched in 1-5 ft.

Trevor – I fished the southern end of the lake, most of my fish were within a mile or so from my ramp. But I covered almost 7.5 miles. I wasn’t too worried about depth; I was more worried about finding bushes that were submerged up by the bank, or any bush/brush that had the top out of the water. Most of my fish all came off of bushes that had a few leaves out of the water, or I could visibly see the top just underneath the surface. With the water clarity I was dealing with, I had to have dropped it right on some of them.

Chad – Lower lake, dam area in 3-6′

Johnathan – Grand River arm. Typically fishing the creek I was in is like playing plinko with kayak but since the water was so high I was able to save some time crossing a peninsula. Early I was just staying in an area where I was seeing fish bust. I was in about 11ft of water fishing a shallow area with flooded brush.

Did the weather affect your bite?

Troy – It forced me to the shade and luckily the bass were there too. I caught fish steadily—about every 20-30 min—throughout the day with my last ~3″ upgrade coming in the last 5 minutes.

Lance – I would say yes. Bluebird sky had me fishing a jig for the last four hours of the day. I would normally not do that. I caught three upgrades with the jig.

Trevor – I believe so, I had a decent limit by 7:30 and then the heat turned up. I went almost 3 hours after that without any bites. I caught my last fish around 1:15. I only managed 8 Bass, a walleye and a white bass, the heat definitely affected the bite.

Chad – As sun got higher bite got tougher.

Johnathan – Yes, once the sun came out the bite slowed down alot. Later in the afternoon the wind picked up and that seemed to help the afternoon bite.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?

Troy – Only if Josh delivers perfect weather and feeds us properly. We’ve suffered long enough. 😛

Lance – Absolutely

Trevor – I currently plan on fishing all Monthly and live MoYak tournaments the rest of the year.

Chad – 100%

Johnathan – I am hoping to make all the events this year!

Derby Stats
Anglers 89
Fish caught – 331
Total limits – 41 (46%)
Margin of victory – 5″
Smallest Bass Award – Zachary Armstrong 8.5″
Air temp at launch – 60
Air temp at takeout – 93
Water temps reported – Mid 80’s

Trash Fish Winner – Jake Johnson

Results — Truman Lake

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Troy Enke871396.00
Lance Irwin822386.00
Trevor Motzkus813380.00
Chad Davison80.54374.50
Johnathan Dominguez79.755368.75
Jeremy Truitt796364.00
Christopher Robbs787359.00
Frankie Dailey77.58354.50
Joe Hayes77.59350.50
Cole Armer77.2510346.25
Joe Walters76.7511342.75
Kerry Evans75.7513335.75
Richie McMichael75.514332.50
Cody Huffman75.2515329.25
Broc Van Tassell7516330.00
Jake Pruett7517325.00
Preston Maples74.7519320.75
Brandon Heimericks73.2520317.25
Tyy Ward71.7522311.75
Danny Johnson7123309.00
Joe Mersky70.7524306.75
Jason Shifflett70.525304.50
Eric Easter6927299.00
Levi Cline68.7528296.75
Tommy Probst6829294.00
Michael Cornelius6830292.00
Erik Fischer6731289.00
Garrett Reid66.2532286.25
Steve Earls6633284.00
Ryan Reed65.2534281.25
Kyle Savner65.2535279.25
Sam Young6536277.00
Zachary Armstrong63.7537273.75
Michael Sandlin63.538271.50
Dave Neal63.539269.50
Stony Floyd6240266.00
Darian Beedle60.541262.50
Nathan Head6042260.00
Scott Kroger59.2543257.25
Jay Harman5644252.00
Jacob Johnson54.2545248.25
James Iken52.546244.50
Ryan Groeller50.2548238.25
Michael Smith48.549234.50
Christopher Moyher4850232.00
Jerry Cornelius44.551226.50
Anthony Brown39.7552219.75
Robert Bruewer38.2553216.25
Lance Burris37.7554213.75
Josh Keatts35.555209.50
Shannon Jernigan33.2556205.25
Frankie Miller3257202.00
Adam Witte2958197.00
Mason Brock28.559194.50
James Wilson27.7560191.75
James Curtis27.561189.50
Brandon Locke27.2562187.25
Donald Schwartz25.564181.50
Matt Yates24.2565178.25
Stacy Jordan19.7566171.75
Jacob High1567165.00
Ryan Mackey14.7568162.75
Christopher Cramsey14.569160.50
Mike Tichenor13.2570157.25
Chad Hartman12.7571154.75
Jason Payne1272152.00
William Atchison073138.00
Jake Bollinger074136.00
Anthony Byers075134.00
Angela Carman076132.00
Clifton Crib077130.00
Mike Dent078128.00
Dorman Hughey079126.00
Mike Keafer080124.00
Andrew Leotaud081122.00
Aaron Noble082120.00
Nicholas Robinson084116.00
Phil Schaefer085114.00
Billy Schlobohm086112.00
James Shoemaker087110.00
Jennings Sirmon088108.00
Brett Walker089106.00

Results — 2022 Truman Team

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Burrito Banditos162.51465.50
CoMo Crushers161.252459.25
Shake & Bake1503443.00
The Midwest Sticks148.254436.25
Slappin Da Bass146.55429.50
Wet Hookers1396418.00
Honorable Mention1397414.00
Double D’s138.58409.50
BassAckwards136.259403.25
The Chatter Boys135.2510398.25
Hookset Ninjas127.7511387.75
Bassless Chaps117.2512374.25
Motor Promoters113.2513367.25
Crankin & Spankin112.514363.50
Dink Whisperers107.2515355.25
Eco Fanatics94.7516340.75
Anchor Management 294.7517338.75
Western MO Sticks51.7518293.75
Bourbon and Bass48.7519288.75
Wiggle Wart Warriors40.2520278.25
Team Bonafide37.7521273.75
Reel Amateurs022234.00

Cornelius Crushes them on LOZ

Stop #2 of the 2022 MoYak Lake Series started off with several thousand BANGS!   Our second event of the season was not to be outdone by the 45mph winds at our earlier event on Table Rock.  Lightning, hail, gusty winds and rain in every direction was the order of the day on LOZ… but, hey, we didn’t have much boat traffic.  Your top three were

Michael Cornelius (93.5″)
Scott Kroger (91″)
Josh Keatts (90.5″ + Big Bass)

Let’s see how they figured it out;

What was your strategy going into the day.

Michael – I had a good feeling that with the stage of spawn and the beautiful weather that we were supposed to have, topwater was going to be it for the day. I prepped 4 rods with buzzbaits, 2 wake baits, a wacky rig, and 1 crankbait rod.

Scott – I had 3 patterns worked out and good to go but the weather wasn’t having it, so the night before I just decided to abandon all and just beat the bank in an area where I knew fish should be.

Josh – Fish fast and try to cover water in order to find the areas I thought would be holding fish.

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

Michael – I chose not to prefish this year and it seemed to help. The area I fished in I have been to in the past, so I had a good idea of what was there.

Scott – I was able to prefish one day just over a week prior but the water was chocolate milk with so much debris it wasn’t even worth doing.

Josh – Yes, I prefished my tournament spot and found a decent pattern using a KVD 1.5 on rock banks with wood. I’ve never fished boat docks before and decided not to make this tournament my testing grounds.

What was your best finish before this one?

Michael –  This is my best finish at LOZ and all time! This is my first win in a kayak tournament. My finish last year on LOZ was 30 something I think.

Scott – Last year I was able to finish 13th out of the 104 anglers.

Josh – I had never been on LOZ before, so I looked for water that is similar to what I’ve fished in the past on other lakes.

What was the general tackle you used to win?

Michael – Black Booyah clacker buzz bait

Scott – Since the weather was so bad I knew the topwater bite was going to be on fire so went with a good bait to call the good ones up and cover lots of water.  As soon as the rain stopped the buzzbait bite died so I picked up another favorite that covers tons of water…. Flatside OG .  After covering the same areas with the flatside i had to switch it up again went to the far back of a cove where the water was glass smooth and chucked a 5.5” walking bait, made about 5-6 walks and the whole cove exploded! Not really but the 20.25” got it!  After that, the bite just shut off and had to swallow some pride and pick up the sissy stick. 5” yum dinger!! Got another upgrade. Ended up catching at least 30-40 bass throughout the day.

Josh – Every fish was caught on a Sexy shad KVD 1.5

Anything else special about the day? Big Bass Story?

Michael – The nastier the weather got the better the bite. Both 20”+ came when I probably should have been under shelter and not tree canopies!
The big bass 20.5 inch fish came on Buzz bait. She completely ate it. Blade and all!  It was in the first major storm I came out to the point of the pocket to start working back in and threw up over some trees and she smacked it. Got it in the boat had to keep her in the net while I try to get situated to take a picture the rain came down even harder, got her submitted and finished on. Made it down The bank another 50 to 75 yards while catching in 18”,  17” caught the 20 1/4. All my big fish came on the Booyah buzz bait.

Scott – Yeah I like fishing in the bad weather but not quite that bad though any day out on the water is a special day, always something to learn. 20.25” isn’t quite into the big bass range but when she inhaled the walking bait it looked like a 5 gallon bucket sucked it down!

 

Josh Keatts LOZ 2022 Big Bass 21.75"Josh – While sitting in the truck waiting for the storm to pass I saw we would have about 30 min of a break between storms so I decided to head out and try to get to a row of docks before it got bad again.  On the way to those docks there was a small indent in the bluff wall that I decided to make a few cast (It looked like I had some time before the next storm cell got to me) caught a 13 and 2 cast later I caught the 21.75. I was trying to get my scale out to get a weight on her and the lightning started and it was close. My scale was stuck in my crate and as I was messing with it a strike of lightning hit the bluff on the other side of the lake and I decided it was time to go!!!  I took a quick release video and booked it for the docks, my big water pdl can cover some water!

See any wildlife worth mentioning?

Michael – Just the big girls in the water!

Scott – Actually nothing more than the occasional water snake.

Josh – More snakes than I care to talk about!

Lose any bigguns?

Michael – Luckily fished clean and didn’t have the issue this tournament

Scott – Had lots of short strikes on the buzzbait and had 10-12 hooked up but still lost them even with a trailer hook ….. no idea the sizes though.

Josh – Around 1 pm I lost an upgrade to my 16… probably 17-18inches.  100% my fault, my treble hooks were dull and I didn’t check them.  May have cost me 2nd place.

How far did you have to travel to find your fish, what depth range did you target and are you willing to share the general area of the lake you chose?

Michael – I covered about a mile back-and-forth from the ramp out hitting the natural banks with laydowns on them. I did not fish any dock or catwalks this go around. All my fish came from 4 to 6 feet which seemed to be the old shoreline before the water came up.

Scott – I launched at PB2 and only had to go to the edge of the cove where the no-wake zone ends. With the weather being how it was I knew I didn’t need to waste any time deeper than 3-6’

Josh – The creek I was expecting to fish was about 1.5-2 miles from my launch.  I owe my success for the day to the storm.  Since I caught a couple of fish in that small area near the dock I decided to fish it again once I saw a break in the storm.  On the way back I caught 2 that were each 17.25 and an 18.25. I caught 87.5 inches in a stretch no more than 200 yards.  The crank bait had to be digging in order to get any action, as long as there was wood under 6ft depth I cast at it.

Did the weather affect your bite?

Michael – The harder it rained and flashed the better the bite got. Once the rain stopped my bite slowed down tremendously.

Scott – Absolutely, when it was raining they were hammering the buzzbait, when it stopped raining I couldn’t buy a bite on it!

Josh – Once the storms passed the big bite slowed but I caught more fish than I can count.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?

Michael – I will be at the remaining MoYak tournaments looking for redemption at Truman as I finish 10th there last year.

Scott – Absolutely. I’m planning on all the live events “On the Lakes” looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Josh – Absolutely!

Derby Stats
Anglers 86
Fish caught – 505
Total limits – 64 (74%)
Margin of victory – 2.5″
Smallest Bass Award – Daniel Schaedel 9.5″
Air temp at launch – 58
Air temp at takeout – 65
Water temps reported – Upper 60’s

Results — 2022 Lake of the Ozarks

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Michael Cornelius93.51402.50
Scott Kroger912395.00
Josh Keatts90.53392.50
Johnathan Dominguez894383.00
Garrett Reid88.755377.75
Joe Mersky88.56373.50
Joe Hayes877368.00
Jeremy Truitt878364.00
Frankie Dailey86.59359.50
Tommy Probst84.7510353.75
Lance Irwin84.2511350.25
Broc Van Tassell8412347.00
Mike Dent8413344.00
Christopher Moyher83.7514340.75
Kyle Savner83.7515337.75
Alexander Jackson83.516335.50
Jacob High83.517333.50
Mason Brock83.2518331.25
Troy Enke8319329.00
Danny Johnson82.7520326.75
Frankie Miller82.7521324.75
Richie McMichael82.7522322.75
James Wilson8223320.00
James Iken8224318.00
Isaac Comer8225316.00
Dorman Hughey81.526313.50
Aaron Noble8028308.00
Lance Burris79.529305.50
Dave Neal79.2530303.25
James Curtis79.2531301.25
Jacob Johnson78.532298.50
Trevor Motzkus7833296.00
Phil Schaefer7834294.00
Lawrence Dent7835292.00
Chad Davison77.7536289.75
Mark Springer77.537287.50
Preston Maples77.2538285.25
Cole Armer76.539282.50
Michael Sandlin75.7540279.75
Matt Yates74.541276.50
Adam Witte7442274.00
Sam Young73.543271.50
Eric Easter73.544269.50
Steve Van Tassell73.2545267.25
Kristofer Moody73.2546265.25
Mike Tichenor7347263.00
Christopher Robbs72.549258.50
Brian Hillman72.550256.50
Nathan Head7251254.00
Jake Pruett70.2552250.25
Brandon Heimericks70.2553248.25
Steve Sisson70.2554246.25
Kerry Evans69.2555243.25
Joe Walters68.7556240.75
Josh Keithley68.557238.50
Ryan Reed68.558236.50
David Pilgrim67.7559233.75
Teresa Kuranda64.560228.50
Anthony Brown64.561226.50
Anthony Byers64.2562224.25
Daniel Schaedel6063218.00
Darian Beedle53.2564209.25
Christopher Cramsey38.7565192.75
Sarah Johnson38.2566190.25
Hunter Harvey2767177.00
Zo Gingerich2768175.00
Robert Bruewer1669162.00
Stephen Sisk13.570157.50
Zachary Armstrong072140.00
Jake Bollinger073138.00
Levi Cline074136.00
Chad Hartman075134.00
Shannon Jernigan076132.00
Heather Leotaud077130.00
Andrew Leotaud078128.00
Jason Payne080124.00
Travis Randall081122.00
Chad Rogers082120.00
Billy Schlobohm083118.00
Jason Shifflett084116.00
Michael Smith085114.00
Tyy Ward087110.00

Results — 2022 Lake of the Ozarks Team

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
The Midwest Sticks1751477.00
Dink Whisperers174.752471.75
Shake & Bake1693461.00
Anchor Management 2167.754454.75
Burrito Banditos165.755447.75
Bourbon and Bass163.56441.50
Slappin Da Bass160.57434.50
Honorable Mention157.258427.25
Team Bonafide1529418.00
CoMo Crushers150.2510412.25
Soggy Bottom Boys140.511399.50
Double D’s138.7512394.75
RoosterCat13313386.00
BassAckwards122.514372.50
Eco Fanatics10015347.00
Motor Promoters86.2516331.25
The Chatter Boys79.2517322.25
Team RippaLip018241.00
Wet Hookers019239.00
Pomme de Terre

Mercy! What a finish for Mersky on Pomme

Wildfires out west provided a hazy start to the morning for Stop #7 on the Mo-Yak Fishing Tournament Series.  After the smoke cleared, Joe Mersky came out on top after tying Justin Coon with 84.25″!  Let’s see how he did it…

What was your strategy going into the day.
I had planned to go out first thing with a topwater arsenal. Just in case I would bring my chatterbait for shallow and mid-range, and a Texas rig for the deeper fish. I actually didn’t stick to my topwater plan as I wasn’t feeling it, I think I threw a bluegill swimbait 3 times. After that I committed to the chatterbait and Texas rig.

Were you able to prefish and did you find anything that helped you on game day?
I didn’t get any time on Pomme before the tournament. I had done a bit of research on topography maps, also reading that the bass were moving to the holes.

What was your best finish before this one?
Stockton, I had placed 6th.

What was the general tackle you used to win?
I fished a 1/2oz sprayed grass Jackhammer with a candy grass d bomb trailer primarily. When the bite would slow I threw a 1/4oz Texas rig with a 10″ green pumpkin curly tail.

Anything else special about the day?
Within the first hour, I landed my biggest bass. I had thrown my jackhammer in 2 feet of water onto some rocks. I was slowly working it as a jig and once I started to retrieve the lure, right next to my boat the fish blew up, luckily I had my drag set. I was able to tire her out and land it.  I ended up losing about 3 to 4 more big ones, due to the Texas rig and the bite being weird with it. But when it worked, it produced 14 to 16 inchers.

How far did you have to travel to find your fish?
I really only traveled about 2 miles, I just stayed where I was because the boats weren’t bad at all, and there were only a few of us there.

What depth range were you looking for?
I was shooting for very shallow to 3 feet in the early morning. Once 10 am came around I switched to 3 to 8 foot and 10-15 foot.

Did the weather affect your bite?
Traveling first thing in glass calm water made getting set up very easy. Once the wind had picked up, I was ready to come back, it was blowing in the direction I needed to go. The wind definitely helped with the chatterbait bite.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?
Unfortunately due to some very recent issues, ill only be fishing the remainder of September online, KBF national, and the AAKS. With hopes of coming back soon.

Are there things that MoYak can do better?
I think everybody running Moyak is doing a great job. This is a very fun competitive club to be a part of. The only thing I would ask, and I am grateful for the past 2 tournaments, is that we stay as far from the rain as possible! Thanks for having me!

Derby Stats
Anglers 77
Fish caught – 404
Total limits – 50
Margin of victory – 0″
Smallest Bass Award – Trevor Fanning 4.75″
Air temp at launch – 71
Air temp at takeout – 89
Water temps reported
Up river – mid 70’s
Main lake – 80’s

Results — Pomme de Terre

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Joe Mersky84.251394.25
Justin Coon84.252386.25
Jason Shifflett83.753380.75
Chad Davison804372.00
Dorman Hughey77.255364.25
Danny Johnson76.756359.75
Jason Yiznitsky73.57352.50
Lance Burris73.58348.50
Alexander Jackson739344.00
Troy Enke72.2510339.25
Johnathan Dominguez71.511335.50
Broc Van Tassell71.512332.50
Mike Dent70.2513328.25
Steve Earls70.2514325.25
Christopher Moyher7015322.00
Brian Hillman69.516319.50
Jared Fosnow68.517316.50
Evan Washburn68.2518314.25
Jared Geary6820310.00
Tommy Probst67.7521307.75
Christopher Robbs67.2522305.25
Scott Kroger66.7523302.75
Jerry Cornelius66.7524300.75
Lance Irwin66.525298.50
Sam Young6626296.00
Eric Easter6627294.00
Patrick Campbell65.7528291.75
Michael Sandlin65.7529289.75
Ryan Reed6530287.00
Richie McMichael64.7531284.75
Michael Cornelius6433280.00
Frankie Dailey63.534277.50
Isaac Comer63.2535275.25
Jacob Johnson63.2536273.25
John Evans63.2537271.25
Trevor Fanning6240264.00
Tyy Ward6242260.00
Mike Keafer61.7543257.75
Stacy Jordan61.2544255.25
Joe Hayes60.7545252.75
Joe Walters60.546250.50
Jake Pruett57.7547245.75
Bill Dipman5648242.00
Larry Lee55.7549239.75
Jay Harman53.2550235.25
Dave Neal51.2551231.25
Jeff Mellencamp49.552227.50
Jacob Ruggles49.2553225.25
Patrick Troutman47.7554221.75
Darian Beedle44.2555216.25
Chris Siebenmorgen43.7556213.75
Shannon Jernigan41.558207.50
Zachary Armstrong4159205.00
Mike Tichenor3860200.00
Matt Bryant3861198.00
Zachary Reynolds34.7563190.75
Steve Bryant30.2564184.25
Kerry Evans26.2565178.25
Donald Schwartz24.566174.50
James Perrin24.2567172.25
Kyle Savner23.2568169.25
Levi Cline22.2569166.25
Anthony Jordan13.7570155.75
Wesley Cody9.2571149.25
Chris Woehl872146.00
Cole Armer073136.00
Mason Brock074134.00
Jim Harding075132.00
Justin Wright077128.00

Results — Pomme de Terre Team Trail

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
The Furious Drum Snatchers141.751443.75
Team Bonafide135.253427.25
The Bream Team133.54420.50
PB & Jigs132.255414.25
Crankin & Spankin130.756408.75
Slappin Da Bass126.757400.75
Honorable Mention1238393.00
The Bass Bandidos114.259380.25
The Chatter Boys113.2510375.25
Wishbone Raiders10611368.00
Tackle Junkies97.7512353.75
BassAckwards70.513323.50

Tiebreaker goes to McClain!

In a nailbiter on a beautiful Ozarks day, Morgan McClain wins on Stockton at stop #5 of the Mo-Yak Fishing Series presented by Everharts Outdoors. With this win, McClain is in the hunt for Angler of the Year and will be one to watch as we wrap up at Truman this fall.

What was your strategy going into the day?
Going into the day, I didn’t have much of a strategy. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wasn’t going to fish deep. I decided to focus on steep banks since that is one place I can always find fish any time of year.

Were you able to prefish and did you find anything that helped you on game day?
Prefishing was actually helpful because I was able to rule out deep fishing and I had some misses on the buzzbait early both days so I made a minor adjustment to it and it helped me get close to a limit early on tournament day.

What was your best finish on Stockton before this one?
I had fished one tournament on Stockton before and I ended up 13th out of about 60. It was the first kayak tournament I fished.

What was the general tackle you used to win?
I used a buzzbait and glidebait early and a finesse jig later to get a few crucial upgrades.

Anything else special about the day?
I caught my big bass in a pretty unusual way. I had a fish miss my buzzbait right by a big boulder, so I cast my glidebait past the boulder and then burned it back and the fish hit it right by the boulder. It turned out to be 18.5″ and was the tiebreaker fish for me. The only notable wildlife I encountered was the insane amount of mayflies when I launched. Thankfully, I did not lose and big fish, my only miss was a fish on the jig that I set the hook on and missed.

How far did you have to travel to find your fish?
I didn’t have to travel far to start catching fish, probably 1/4 of a mile at most.

What depth range were you looking for?
I caught my buzzbait/glidebait fish right on the bank early and I expected them to move out later in the day. However, the fish I caught later on the jig were right on the bank next to fallen timber.

Did the weather affect your bite?
The weather definitely affected my bite because the topwater bite died as soon as the sun came up and the fish transitioned to fallen timber.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?
I will unfortunately not be able to fish Pomme, but I am looking forward to the championship and AAKC.

Are there things that MoYak can do better?
As for MOYAK, I think that Mr. Boothe, Mr. Enke, and everyone else that helps them out do an excellent job. My only request would have been a winter series, but that was recently announced to be coming this winter!

Derby Stats
Anglers 68
Fish caught – 260
Total limits – 28/68
Margin of victory – 0″
Smallest Bass Award – Jacob Ruggles 4″
Air temp at launch – 71
Air temp at takeout – 86

Results — Stockton Lake

TeamInchesBig BassPlacePoints
Morgan McClain81.751388.75
Chad Davison81.752383.75
Justin Coon81.253381.25
Dorman Hughey78.754370.75
Christopher Robbs77.755364.75
Joe Mersky77.756360.75
Tommy Probst76.757355.75
Jacob Osborne73.58348.50
Jeff Mellencamp739344.00
Christopher Moyher7210339.00
Lance Irwin71.7511335.75
Stacy Jordan71.512332.50
Tyy Ward70.513328.50
Jim Harding6914324.00
Cole Armer68.2515320.25
Richie McMichael68.2516318.25
Zachary Reynolds67.517315.50
Joe Hayes67.518313.50
Zachary Armstrong67.2519311.25
Jacob Johnson66.520308.50
Jerry Cornelius66.2521306.25
Broc Van Tassell65.2522303.25
Jason Shifflett64.7523300.75
Dave Neal63.7524297.75
Jared Geary62.7525294.75
Josh Martin62.526292.50
Eric Easter5927287.00
Scott Kroger58.7528284.75
Shannon Jernigan5629280.00
Larry Lee5430276.00
Patrick Campbell5331273.00
Ryan Reed51.532269.50
Donald Schwartz50.5033266.50
Trevor Fanning49.534263.50
Jerry Miller-Davis4735259.00
Troy Enke46.2536256.25
Michael Cornelius44.537252.50
Joe Walters39.7538245.75
Mike Tichenor3939243.00
Johnathan Dominguez3440236.00
Jake Pruett33.7541233.75
Jay Harman33.2542231.25
Mike Dent32.2543228.25
Sam Young30.2544224.25
James Curtis26.545218.50
Alexander Jackson26.2546216.25
Jeremy Truitt25.547213.50
Mike Keafer24.549208.50
Wesley Cody2450206.00
Joe Rippe23.551203.50
Chad Hartman22.7552200.75
Lance Burris20.7554194.75
Jacob Ruggles17.555189.50
Michael Sandlin1756187.00
Chris Siebenmorgen16.557184.50
Kerry Evans16.2558182.25
Isaac Comer12.7559176.75
Mel Ashe060162.00
Darian Beedle061160.00
Diana Dobbs063156.00
David Dow064154.00
Brandon Prince065152.00
Bob Sturgeon066150.00
Keaton Voeghtly067148.00
DJ Williams068146.00

Main lake bite proves successful for Davison

Torrential downpours brought up to seven inches of rain to parts of the lake during the days leading up to and including gameday on Truman. The wind and rain only helped Chad Davison hold on for a mid-summer win on the Mo-Yak Fishing Series presented by Everharts Outdoors. Here’s how he solved the puzzle…

What was your strategy going into the day.
My plan was to start with topwater. I had a good topwater bite on a whopper plopper early. After the rain ended, I caught a lot of fish on wind-blown 45 deg rock banks with a squarebill.

Were you able to prefish and did you find anything that helped you on game day?
Yes, I prefished one area on Thurs and didn’t catch much. I tried a different area on Fri, and found some biting fish. It definitely helped for game day having an area that I felt had fish and some confidence baits.

What was your best finish on Truman before this one?
I have won some bass boat events on Truman before…mostly bass club events.

What was the general tackle you used to win?
Mainly a whopper plopper, a bluegill Crank Wraps 2.5 squarebill, and a mag trick worm on an Omega Mag Shaky Head.

Anything else special about the day?
Awesome to get my first kayak event win.

Big bass story?
My big bass came on the mag trick worm pitched to a big tree on a main lake point. After I hooked it, it jumped several feet out of the water and made my heart stop!

Lose any bigguns?
Lost one early on topwater right at the net that would have helped but ended up not needing it

How far did you have to travel to find your fish?
Within a couple miles of launch

What depth range were you looking for?
Fish were in 5’ or less

Did the weather affect your bite?
Definitely rain and wind were key to my bites.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?
100%, YES!

Are there things that MoYak can do better?
I have been really impressed with MOYak. Just keep doing what you are doing…it is obviously working!

 
Derby Stats
Anglers 82
Fish caught – 330
Total limits – 38/82
Margin of victory – 1.25″
Smallest Bass Award – Troy Enke 8″
Air temp at launch – 71
Air temp at takeout – 91

Yaktive Duty stays close to home for Team win on the river

The very first team event of the Mo-Yak River Trail Series presented by FeelFree Kayaks kicked off Saturday, May 15, 2021. Jeremy Mitchell and Jason Yiznitsky continued their success on the team side of things by sticking close to home in the Waynesville/Lebanon area. Here’s their story…

What was your strategy going into the day?
Jeremy: “My strategy was to fish as close to home as humanly possible. I’ve traveled way too much this year and any chance to fish close to home is a rare gift. I knew the majority of people would be on the bigger water so I wanted to have a stretch of smaller water all to myself.”
Jason: “Fish a 12-mile section of the river and focus on deeper water next to rock.”

Were you able to prefish and did you find anything that helped you on game day?
Jeremy: “I did not prefish, I have a good amount of experience on the rivers and creeks in this area so Jason and I decided to hit a section of river that we both have some great history with. He fished the next stretch upriver from me and picked me up with my van at the end of the day.”
Jason: “I scouted the section I planned to fish throughout the week. I just had to really keep an eye on the gauges to make sure I could run it safely. There are some tough sections that can easily lead to falling in the drink.”

Care to share the river you fished?
“Pulaski County has some great rivers and creeks. They are all just as productive for fish as they are for their scenic qualities. But as far as naming them, I think we’ll let everyone do some research on Google.”

What were the water conditions?
“Slightly above average. Pushing very well with a little bit of extra green stain. 3-4 foot visibility. 60° water temp”

What was the general tackle you used to win?
Jeremy: “Trophy Bass company jig with a Tackle HD craw and a Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil (Spook clone).”
Jason: “1/2 oz BOSS flipping jig, Tackle HD 3/8 oz Worldwide Buzzbait.”

Anything else special about the day?
Jason: “Any chance to be on the river is special. I got my start as a kid fishing rivers out West. The Ozarks have some of the best rivers in the country.”

Lose any bigguns?
Jason: “Lost a good one when I made a cast in current. I had a bad hookset as I was out of position.”

Did the weather affect your bite?
Jeremy: “I think river and creek fish get more aggressive when the weather isn’t the best. That’s probably the biggest reason why I was able to find a topwater bite all day long.”
Jason: “I think it helped. Kept all the loud floaters and fair weather jet boaters home.”

Are there things that MoYak can do better?
Jeremy: “Get more people excited for rivers! Kayaks and skinny water go together like lamb and tuna fish.”
Jason: “I’m proud of this club, everything has been run exceptionally well. I have nothing but positive things to say about MoYak. I am also glad Jim Harding won. I’m happy he’s recovering well. Great job man.”

Derby Stats

Teams 8
Fish caught – 92
Total limits – 12/17
Margin of victory – 3.5″

Win on the river just what the Dr. ordered for Harding

The very first Mo-Yak River Trail Series sponsored by Everhart’s Outdoors kicked off Saturday, May 15, 2021. Anglers had a full 12 hours and were allowed to fish any moving water between Hwy 65 and 63 in central Missouri. Nearly 30 individual anglers and eight teams accepted the challenge and had a great day of paddling adventure. In this first-of-its-kind event, for Mo-Yak, one of its’ earliest members triumphed over great personal adversity to take the win. Just weeks off major surgery and probably against his doctors’ wishes, Jim Harding bested Jeremy Mitchell by a mere quarter of an inch on this rainy Saturday on “River X”. Here’s his story…

For the river series, I fished a river that I would like to keep secret. It is full of quality size Largemouth for the size of the river, just a special place. I didn’t do any pre-fishing, I just knew the spot I was going to has produced in the past and I was going for broke.

I didn’t start fishing until about 10:00 because of the heavy rain in the area. I concentrated on about a mile-long pool of water. I caught all my fish flipping a Yum Dinger in June Bug color on a Titan tungsten 1/16th Oz worm weight and a 3/0 Falcon EWG hook. I was flipping sawdust and log debris piles that had piled up from recent high water. The piles were loose enough that you could cast on top of them and your lure would sink underneath them that’s when the fish would hit. I was using a medium-heavy bait caster with 15 lb test so I could get the fish out of heavy cover.

A couple of fish gave me a run for my money when they hung up in the bushes and I had to go use my hands to get them out. It was a nice day on the river and I had it all to myself except for a bobcat and some wild turkeys.

I only had five bites all day and landed all five. The fish were active in the morning during the light rain but as soon as the rain quit the bite shut off completely. All my fish were in one to three feet of water

I think the river series is going to be fun for all who enter!

Derby Stats

Anglers 27
Fish caught – 141
Total limits – 18/27
Margin of victory – .25″
Smallest Bass Award – Cooper Rodman 7″

Dent crushes the field at LOZ

Another one for the record books as Mo-Yak sees 102 kayak anglers take to the waters of Lake of the Ozarks for the 3rd stop on the Mo-Yak fishing series sponsored by Everhart’s Outdoors. Mike Dent came out on top in this one… Here’s his story…

What was your strategy going into the day?
My strategy going in was to target areas behind boat docks.

Were you able to prefish and did you find anything that helped you on game day?
I was actually not able to prefish at all I didn’t get down till about 6 pm fri night so I ate some dinner and got to bed.

What was your best finish on Lake of the Ozarks before this one?
My best finish at Loz was 3 in a bass tournament my best out of a kayak was my first time ever In a kayak last year I believe it was 40 something.

What was the general tackle you used to win?
I was throwing a senko all day and picked up my last two fish on a jig.

Anything else special about the day? Lose any bigguns?
I lost a really good fish barely had it hooked and it came loose.

Big bass story?
I skipped my senko behind a dock and it got hit on the fall I set the hook and knew right away it was a good one I was fishing 8 pound line so when she jumped I just prayed it wouldn’t catch the cable but everything was good and got her in clean .

How far did you have to travel to find your fish?
I caught all my within 5 min of the ramp

What depth range were you looking for?
1’-8’

Did the weather affect your bite?
No, the bite was really good until later in the morning when the sun broke so I moved to a secondary point and picked up two good bites.

Do you plan to fish the remaining MoYak schedule?
Yes, I plan to make all of the remaining tournaments this year.

Derby Stats

Anglers 102
Fish caught – 698 – Another new Missouri kayak club record!
Total limits – 83/102
Margin of victory – 4″
Smallest Bass Award – Jeremy Mitchell 8.5″
Air temp at launch – 54
Air temp at takeout – 77