COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
After hosting last year’s Bassmaster Kayak Series National Championship, Lake Tenkiller will welcome anglers from across the country for the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, a tournament that will likely be determined by post-spawn and early summer patterns.
“You’ll see good limits come from the dam all the way up the river,” 2024 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series National Championship scored by TourneyX qualifier Jimmy Thomas said. “There won’t be (one) spot that is just better than another.”
Tournament days are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Competitors will launch from any approved public launch on the lake in this catchmeasure- release-style event, and the top finishers will claim a spot in the 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series National Championship, presented by Native Watercraft, which takes place in conjunction with the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic, presented by Under Armour, in Knoxville, Tenn.
While often overshadowed by Grand Lake in eastern Oklahoma, Lake Tenkiller features a strong population of smallmouth and largemouth bass. The Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series visited this fishery for the first time back in 2019, where Australian pro Carl Jocumsen won the latesummer event with a four-day total weighing 54 pounds, 15 ounces.
The early summer event will provide the opportunity for several different patterns to develop, and Thomas believes much of the lake will hold quality bass.
“We will definitely be post-spawn,” the Tahlequah native said. “A lot of the bigger fish have moved out to some of our ledges. An early topwater bite is really good that time of year. Personally, I’d start the morning off with a buzzbait or a spook and then switch over to a big worm around brushpiles.”
A productive smallmouth bite could be going on up the river, but Thomas said it could get crowded, limiting how well one individual angler could do.
“There will be some good largemouth up there, too,” he said. “Whoever wins will have a mixed bag, for sure. There’s an abundance of baitfish and crawfish in the river.”
Rock structure and cover is available throughout much of the lake. Chunk rock and transition banks around bluffs are prominent, as well as docks and brushpiles.
“They will suspend under the shade of the docks,” Thomas said. “All of our docks seemed to be over deeper water, which helps in the summer as well.”
Big worms, jigs, crankbaits and topwater baits will be popular selections, as well as big spoons and swimbaits.
In the early spring, the lake was about four feet lower than full pool, according to Thomas. If the water rises enough to flood some of the cover on the banks, there is potential for an even better bite.
“It could make fishing really nice if the water would come up and get in the buckbrush and murky it up,” he said. “Tenkiller is clear. I consider it part of the Ozark foothill lakes. Those are hard to fish for a lot of people who don’t fish there regularly.”
