The Oregon Kayak Bass Fishing (OKBF) club has released its 2024 schedule, signifying the official start of the new season. The tournament season will include rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that will be sure to test the skills and abilities of each competitor, to catch fish on different bodies of water consistently.
Dorena Lake Season Kickoff april 13
The season will begin on Dorena Lake for the annual season kickoff event. The season kickoff is a fun event that pairs an inexperienced tournament angler with a veteran of the sport, the team scores are combined and the team with the most inches at the end of the tournament wins.
Dorena Lake is no stranger to hosting OKBF tournaments, this will be the fifth tournament held at this location, it is the second time a Season Kickoff is hosted on Lake Dorena. Located in Cottage Grove, just south of Eugene Oregon, lies the 1800-acre lake. Dorena is a popular bass lake with a healthy population of smallmouth and largemouth bass. The bass can be found in the deep drop-offs, ledges, shallow flats, or in many other structures throughout the lake. Dorena during the spring is going to be an event you do not want to miss.
May 4, 2018
24 competitors registered for the Dorena Lake tournament, and 119 bass were submitted. More largemouth than smallmouth was caught during this event, one bass over 20” was caught and it was the biggest bass of the tournament, a 20.75” largemouth bass, caught by Benjamin Schaller. Daniel Brown won the tournament with 84”, followed by Eric Perry in second with 81.50”, and in third place was William Anderson with 75.00”. The top 7 anglers caught over 70”.
June 29, 2019
15 competitors registered for the event but only 9 had submitted fish to the tourneyX leaderboard. 30 fish were caught during the event, 2019 AOY Matthew Burdick caught the largest bass that day with a 19.50” largemouth. Matthew Burdick and Kegan Pankratz would finish the event tied at 70.25”, Matt’s 19.50” largemouth would give him the advantage and win the tie breaker, Kegan finished in second place. Third place would go to Josh Grimes with 51.00”.
May 8, 2021
40 anglers registered for the event, and 116 fish were caught during this tournament. Largemouth, smallmouth, and even a few spotted bass were caught on this day. Richard Childs would catch the biggest bass with a 19.75” largemouth and would go on to win the tournament with a 90.50” total, Washington angler Tyler Hicks would finish the event in 2nd place with 83.75”, and in third place was William Eschliman with 83.75”. A lot of fish were caught, 13 anglers had caught their 5 fish limits.
April 16, 2022
This was a team event; a newcomer and a veteran competitor were paired up. The biggest fish caught that day was a 19.75” largemouth caught by Brandon Hua. Josh Grimes Team won the event with a combined total of 69.25”. Cody Allison’s team would finish in second place with 37.50” and Matthew Burdick’s team finished third with 33.75.
May 13, 2023
46 anglers registered for the tournament, and 60 fish were caught. The smallmouth bite was dominant during this event, only one largemouth bass was caught by the Top3 finishers during the tournament. The biggest bass was a 20.25” spotted bass, caught by Matthew Walker, according to the toruneyX leaderboard. The 2023 AOY Cody Allison would win the event with 84.00”, in second place, by just an inch, was Jacob Hudgens with 83.00”, and in third place was Mario Romero with 82.25”.
Prediction
It’s interesting to see Dorena Lake go from largemouth dominating the tourneyX leaderboard in 2018, to being dominated by smallmouth in 2021 and 2023. The Season Kickoff Open will be another strong smallmouth tournament, a team with 80” will win the event and the largest fish will be a 20” largemouth. April has proven to be a productive time to catch numbers and size on Dorena Lake.
Event #1
Siltcoos Lake May 11
Siltcoos Lake is in Dune City just south of Florence, on the Oregon coast. A shallow lake with vegetation, four freshwater tributaries, and shoal areas, this 3100-acre lake is lined with largemouth bass. Siltcoos has hosted two other OKBF tournaments, in 2018 and 2021.
Sept 7, 2018
14 Competitors registered for the event and 28 fish were caught, the bite was tough on this day, and only one competitor caught a 5-fish limit. Dave Bishop caught the big fish, a 17.75” largemouth, and would finish in second place, followed by Matthew Masters with 57.00”. Matthew Burdick won the event with a 5 fish limit and a total of 74.50”. All 25 fish on the leaderboard were largemouth bass.
August 28, 2021
The largemouth bite would dominate this event, all 39 fish on the tourneyX leaderboard are largemouth bass. Matthew Walker caught the biggest fish with a 19.00” largemouth. The Top4 competitors caught a 5 fish limit, but it was Marvin Forte who won the day with a 76.25” total, Gage Loveall finished second with 74”, followed by Robert Hammond in third place with a total of 59.00”.
Predictions
The early season event will be more productive than the past events held in the summer. More competitors will catch limits, and it will take 80” to win the event. The largest fish will be a largemouth bass at 20”. The spawn/post-spawn bite is going to create havoc for the judges during this event, they will be busy.
Event #2
Lake Wallula Jun 15
This is going to be a special event for the KFNW, all three clubs, IKBF, OKBF, and the WKBF will be competing on Lake Wallula, and it will be the same day, time, and place as the No Limit Big Bass Power Hour presented by Native Watercraft. It’s going to be wild. Competitors will be able to register for both events and compete in both events at the same time. This is the day you don’t want to miss, lots of opportunities to win prizes, money, and trophies. For more information about the No Limit Big Bass Power Hour click here.
Lake Wallula is in the Tri-City area in Southeast Washington, it is part of the Columbia River. This body of water is home to giant Smallmouth and Largemouth and can be found on a variety of cover and structure that the lake has to offer.
May 14, 2022
The first time that all three clubs competed on Lake Wallula was in 2022 and it was a fish-catching frenzy. 92 Competitors registered for the event and 376 fish were submitted, what an exhausting day to be a tournament judge. The Biggest Bass was a 20.25” largemouth caught by Brandon Hua (OKBF), that size of fish would put you near the top for a Big Bass Power Hour win. Dan Zimmerscied (IKBF) finished in First place with 93.00”, followed by Brandon Hua (OKBF) in second with 91.75”, and in third with 89.50” Jordan Dugger (WKBF). 2024 is going to be another great turnout with more competition.
Predictions
This will be the largest amount of kayak bass fishing competitors on one body of water that the Pacific Northwest has ever seen, it’s going to be huge. Over 500 bass will be submitted, the largest will be a 22.00” largemouth and the winner will catch a 95.00” total. As the event gets closer there will be more information to cover, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify.
Big Bass No Limit Power Hour Registration: https://tourneyx.com/leaderboard/standings/no-limit-big-bass-power-hour-by-native-watercraft-columbia-river-wa
Event #3
Prineville Reservoir July 27
Prineville Reservoir is in the Central Oregon town of Prineville. The reservoir is home to largemouth and smallmouth bass, large sizes and numbers can be caught on this 3,000-acre body of water. Water levels and water clarity change throughout the year. Boulders, shelves, and rocky ledges can be found in most areas of the reservoir and have been known to hold giant smallmouth bass. A previous event has taken place at this location in 2020.
August 8, 2020
15 of the 17 competitors registered for this event caught limits, in total 116 fish were caught that day. 79% of the bass on the tourneyX leaderboard are smallmouth bass, the biggest bass of the tournament was an 18.50” largemouth caught by Eric Sherril. Kegan Pankratz won the event with a total of 72.25”, Marvin Forte would finish in second place, with 72.00”, only a .25” behind the leader. Robert Hammond finished third with a total of 70.50”. This was a closely contested event.
Predictions.
This body of water produces a lot of action even during the scorching summer months, I predict another busy day for the judges. It will take 80” to win it, and the biggest bass will be a 19” largemouth. This will be a fun event.
Event #4
Lower Umpqua River August 24
The lower Umpqua River is on the Oregon coast in the town of Reedsport. The river is known for smallmouth bass fishing. This will be the first time that the OKBF has held a tournament on this river and more information will be posted as the event gets closer.
Event #5
Willamette River, Newberg Oregon, September 21
The Willamette River will host the final tournament of the 2024 season. The river is no stranger to OKBF anglers, and this will be the 6th tournament fished on the river, however, it is only the second time that an event on this section of the river has taken place. Newberg is in Western Oregon. This section of the Willamette River has a good mix of largemouth and smallmouth bass and can be found in many different areas of the river. A late summer fishing opportunity on the Willamette River is not something you are going to want to miss.
October 12, 2019, Rogers Landing, Newberg OR
9 competitors registered for the event and 54 fish were caught, the Top7 anglers had caught limits but struggled to find the bigger fish. David Melendez won the Big Bass pot with a 16.75” largemouth. Kegan Pankratz won the event with a total of 69.25”, Marvin Forte finished second with 68.00”, and Cody Allison finished third with 63.75”. Each angler was a kicker-sized bass away from winning the event.
Prediction.
It is going to be another shootout and the angler that finds the bigger bite earlier in the day will win the event. 75” will be enough to place in the top 3 and the big bass will be a 17.25” largemouth.
Conclusion.
The 2024 season will bring new bodies of water, competitors, and new challenges, it is going to be a fun competitive season. As the events get closer, I will write more about the events, the competition, and change predictions.
OKBF Information: https://kayakfishingnorthwest.com/
KFNW tourneyX page: https://www.tourneyx.com/app/tournaments/s/kfnw
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