Tas Moua Wins on Eastman Lake
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:55 pm
On Sunday 12/16/18, Brigham Vang and crew held the final event of the 2018 Central Valley Kayak Fishing (CVKF) tournament circuit. The word on the street was the bite had been really tough and it was going to be a challenge to boat a four-fish limit. Even with the tough conditions and not so favorable weather forecasts, a full field of 50 anglers came out for the final event.
Forecasts earlier in the week were calling for rain but mother nature put it on hold for another day and the weather ending up being mild with overcast most of the day and some light to moderate winds. The morning was cold with lows in the 40s but quickly warmed up into the mid to high 60s. Water temperature was 54 to 47 degrees with approximately 2 to 4 feet of visibility. There was a noticeable algae bloom in some areas that looked to be dissipating.
Anglers were primarily fishing offshore rock piles and humps with the drop shot. Most were concentrated in the southern end of the lake. The reported tough fishing conditions were realized when only 15 of the 50 anglers were able to boat a limit.
Ultimately, Tas Moua of Fresno landed on top with an impressive 72.5-inch limit anchored by a 21-inch big fish. Tas reported that he had found some fish on offshore humps during pre-fish that were biting the jig. On game day, he found the fish had moved and would not eat the jig. He quickly adjusted and moved out a little deeper (35 to 40 feet). Tas reported that his Lowrance Elite-5 Ti and the Navionics app were two crucial tools that helped him locate the winning fish. Once he located them, he picked up the drop shot and caught 2 fish. They were not the size he was looking for, so he began drop shotting a 5” green pumpkin Senko and was able to get the big ones to bite. His ability to read the conditions and make the necessary adjustments led to this victory (first kayak tournament win).
Big fish of the tournament was a 23.5-inch largemouth caught by Garrett Cain. Garrett reported that he was drop shotting an oxblood Roboworm in 25 feet on a rock pile.
Here’s your top ten:
1. Tas Moua – 72.5 inches
2. Dang Xiong – 67.25 inches
3. KongThao – 65 inches
4. Chava Moua – 64 inches
5. Michael Lavoie – 62.5 inches
6. Steven Gonzales – 61 inches
7. Felipe Maciel – 61 inches
8. Shadow Vangyi – 60 inches
9. Joshua Martinez – 59.25 inches
10. Kong Yang – 58.75 inches
For this last event of the season, the CVKF crew decided to hold a canned food drive for the Fresno Rescue Mission. The anglers supported this cause in a big way and ultimately donated a pallet full of food to those in need. The CVKF crew puts on a great tournament circuit and supports their community, well done!