Kayak Bass Fishing Tournament
Anglers braved the hot sun to get out on the water for the fifth round of the Fish it Forward Kayak Fishing Series last Saturday afternoon and evening.
Colcord, Okla., resident James Haeberle said this was his second time coming out to fish in a Bella Vista tournament, though he tried Lake Rayburn this time around.
“They put it together real good,” he said. “You never see anyone not have a good time whether they do good or not.”
Tournament director Jason Adams explained that kayak fishing works differently from a standard bass tournament.
Anglers catch their fish and take a photo of them on a wet measuring board, which is submitted to the tournament’s app with a timestamp and GPS location tag for scoring. An entrant’s final score is the total length of their five best submitted fish.
Entrants also have a unique alphanumeric identifier generated by the tournament software, he said, which must be in the photo to provide additional verification that the fish in the photo was caught by the angler in question during this particular tournament.
Adams initially predicted the top scores would be near 70 total inches and the largest fish would be in the neighborhood of 20 inches long.
The results came in and the winning total was 71.25 inches and the longest fish came in at 21 inches.
It’s also worth noting, he said, that this tournament is a qualifier event for the April 2020 Kayak Bass Fishing nationals.
“A lot of these anglers are coming from all over trying to get qualified,” he said.
The next tournament is scheduled for Aug. 24, from 3 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Adams explained the event benefits Fish it Forward, a nonprofit organization in which he is involved and which acquires and refurbishes fishing supplies to give out to children in need.
The organization partners with other nonprofit organizations, church groups and scouting troops to distribute its fishing equipment and, in addition to donations, it could use more recipients.
Anyone interested in working with the organization can email Adams at jadams32@me.com.
The youngest person fishing in last weekend’s tournament was Bella Vista resident Joseph Horne, 12.
“Me and my dad, we really love fishing,” he said.
His father is pro bass fisherman Harvey Horne, he explained, but he got a bit tired of standard boat fishing and decided to take a break and try out a kayak, which he took to quickly.
“I can go pretty fast,” he said. “I love it.”
He’s been to fishing tournaments before, he said, but this was his first time in a kayak tournament.
“I think I’ll do pretty good, hopefully,” he said.
Haeberle said he was pleased with his own fourth-place showing — not too shabby for a second time out on the lakes and a rough day to boot.
“It was really tough fishing, everyone really struggled,” he said.
The sun beating down on the water’s surface drove fish to the cooler, deeper waters where they’re harder to find, he explained.
There was also a long trip and the tournament itself isn’t finished until well after midnight, he said, and he didn’t make it to bed until about 3 a.m.
But despite the long, tough day, Haeberle said he enjoyed himself.
“I had a good time,” he said.