GRAFORD, Texas — Michael Cates set the record for the biggest winning total ever caught in a Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series scored by TourneyX event at Possum Kingdom Lake last year with a two-day mark of 210.25 inches.
The Kayak Series will make another trip to central Texas this April, and Cates believes his record will likely fall.
“There is more water for everyone to do their thing,” the Texas angler said. “You won’t have to fish deep and catch them. They will be on the bank all the way out to 10 or 12 feet of water.
“It will be dynamite. It is a great lake. It has a population that is unbelievable. It will be a knockdown, drag-out (fight).”
Tournament days are scheduled for April 13-14. Competitors will be able to launch from any of the approved public launches posted on Bassmaster.com and can begin fishing at 6:45 a.m. CT. Lines-out will be at 2:45 p.m. each day. Bass will be measured in inches, and the angler with the highest two-day total will earn the top prize.
Since hosting the 2021 National Championship, an event won by Mark Pendergraf with an incredible 209.25 inches, Possum Kingdom has been a favorite stop for anglers competing in the Kayak Series. Big bass are prominent in this Brazos River impoundment located west of Fort Worth.
The two previous events were in the summer. This time, anglers will have a whole new set of conditions to decipher.
The bass in Possum Kingdom tend to spawn later than on other Texas reservoirs, Cates said, which means there is a good possibility that plenty of bass will either be locked on bed or making their way to the spawning grounds.
“They go a little bit later over there than the rest of our lakes,” Cates explained. “I don’t know why but they do. So, I think there will be some bed fishing and, in the first part of April, you can throw a glidebait around the docks too. That’s the best lake I know to do that on.”
The key will be the water level. Cates would prefer the water to remain high so the bass can spawn around shallow bushes and wood cover. Blind bed fishing will likely occur in the upper sections of the lake where the water is dirtier.
“All of the various bushes will be in the water,” Cates said. “There are strands of reeds that go miles in length in certain areas. When you get to the backs of the creeks, there is the random wood and a few stumps.”
If the water drops, docks and big flats will hold the most bass this time of year. The lower end of the lake tends to be clearer, and anglers will be able to locate spawning largemouth in as deep as 9 and 10 feet of water.
“The size of the flat seems to dictate how many bass there are,” Cates said. “It will be kind of random in the spring, but someone will catch them good. And it could be bed fishing too. You only need 10 bass.”
For spawning bass, Cates believes a stickbait like a Yamamoto Senko will be a productive bait, as well as a variety of creature baits. If the wind blows, a glidebait could factor into the decision.
The tournament is being hosted by the Possum Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.
