HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Aug. 10, 2019) – Kayak angler Clint Henderson of Rome, Georgia, caught, photographed and released a two-day total of 157¾ inches from Lake Ouachita to best the 72-angler field and win the inaugural FLW/KBF Kayak Cup tournament at Lake Ouachita Saturday. For his win, Henderson earned the top prize of $15,000. Henderson almost didn’t fish the event – he said he’s “in the negative on PTO balance” at work – and Navionics study on his phone was about as much early scouting as he could do.
“We found the spot on the map that had the stuff we like to fish back home, contour- and cover-wise,” said Henderson. “We got on the water there, and I got to looking at my map. I saw this spot that, when I first pulled up on it, that MEGA Imaging just lit up. I was telling myself there was no way that was all bass.”
He was wrong. Henderson had found a massive school of bass that hung around the same area all week. After catching some in practice, he decided to leave the school undisturbed.
“I caught three good fish in practice easy, quick. I was like, ‘We need to go. We need to get out of here. It’s special here.’”
What Henderson had found was a section of the lake with a main-channel ledge in 12 to 18 feet of water. For whatever reason, that particular ledge was a favorite summering spot for some big Ouachita largemouths.
“I caught them all dragging a junebug creature bait,” Henderson went on to say. “I had some fish on other lures on day one, but today was different. I was just dragging that thing, dragging it slow. You could feel that thing coming through the school of fish, popping the line.”
The top 10 kayak anglers on Lake Hamilton finished:
1st: Clint Henderson, Rome, Ga., 157.75 inches
2nd: Dwain Batey, Siloam Springs, Ark., 155 inches
3rd: Garrett Morgan, Conway, Ark.., 154 inches
4th: A.J. McWhorter, Lexington, Ky., 152.5 inches
5th: Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 151.5 inches
6th: Dustin Murguia, Forest Park, Ill., 148.25 inches
7th: Henry Veggian, Durham, N.C., 147.25 inches
8th: Drew Gregory, Wingate, N.C., 146.75 inches
9th: Matt Ball, Little Hocking, Ohio, 139.5 inches
10th: Josh Stewart, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 137.25 inches