On 11/3/18 the So Cal Kayak Anglers gathered to award the Angler of the Year title and to determine which lake they would be fishing the next day for their annual Tournament of Champions. After 8 regular season events, Steve Buechner was awarded the 2018 Angler of the Year title. It did not come as a surprise since he had accumulated an impressive 4 wins out of 8 tournaments.
The following day, 10 anglers took to the scenic San Vincente Reservoir (located 25 miles northeast of San Diego) to see who would ultimately be crowned the 2018 TOC Champion. Once again, it was Steve Buechner who took home the win. Steve has been dominating the So Cal kayak scene all season with his fine-tuned finesse techniques.
The weather was mild with temps in the high 70s to low 80s with light winds. The water temperature was 68 degrees with great clarity. He started out the day with his weapon of choice (5” Yamamoto green pumpkin Senko) along the shoreline brush. He picked up a few early and then had to move out to deeper water to stay on the fish. Sitting in 25 feet, he started picking them off with a drop shot. He was fishing a 4.5” Roboworm in Margarita Mutilator on 8lb. fluorocarbon line. Steve finished the day with a 5 fish limit of 77.25 inches with a 16-inch big fish. Big fish of the tournament went to Chris Kimbro with a 17.75-inch largemouth.
Buechner has been on quite a roll this season. In addition to his success on the So Cal Kayak Angler circuit, he was also recently crowned the KBF Big Bass Brawl Western Region Champion for landing a 23.5-inch San Diego River largemouth. For his efforts, he will be taking home a new Bonafide kayak. Steve has had great success in 2018 and is looking forward to the 2019 season.
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