I can usually make it to Lake Tenkiller from my home in Colgate, Okla., in about 2 1/2 hours. Not only is that a nice break from the much longer trips that all of our other Elite events require, it also allows me more time at home with my family.
Saturday was my travel day, but I was able to attend my 10-year-old daughter’s regional gymnastics meet in Oklahoma City before I left. It turned out to be a long day, with her event starting at 1 p.m. and lasting several hours, but these are the meaningful moments you don’t want to miss.
Normally, I’d have to leave on a Thursday or a Friday, but getting those extra days at home lets me sleep in with the kids and then leave for the tournament on a more relaxed schedule. This year has been so tough with the driving schedule, I really appreciate having an Elite event relatively close to home.
I’m staying with Elite rookie Blake Capps during practice, and then I have a house rented close to the ramp, in case my family can come during the tournament. They’ll probably come over on Friday and hopefully, they’ll be staying for Saturday and Sunday.
I’m expecting Tenkiller to be right about normal pool or maybe a touch higher. During the Kayak Series tournament there two weeks prior, all the rains before the event had the lake about 7 feet above normal. The Army Corps of Engineers brought it down to about normal level for this time of year.
Before I left home, I checked the water level, and it was already down to a foot above normal. I don’t know how much the recent rainfall was, but this is a long, narrow lake, so they can move water though the system pretty quickly.
Personally, I wish Tenkiller was going to be 3 feet high for our event. That would have been a really cool tournament, because it would have put the fish in the bushes.
On the other hand, if the water keeps coming down, it’s going to really help the event. Any type of current is good, especially in Oklahoma. But if they stop pulling water, that will hurt us more than help us.
When I’ve been there and they were pulling water, the fishing was extremely good. If it turns and goes the other way and the water starts coming up, that can make it tough by spreading them out.
If that water keeps pulling, it’s going to tighten them up and put them where they’re supposed to be. It will be a really good tournament.
The last time the Elites fished Tenkiller in 2019, I finished 30th. That tournament was in September, but honestly, June and September in Oklahoma can be very similar. You can have fish in 6 inches of water out to 30 feet of water.
Back in 2019, I knew I had already made the Classic. I tried to win it by doing some off-the-wall stuff. I was locked into one thing, and I had the bites to do extremely well. It would have been the right thing if I had put the fish in the boat.
When we were there in 2019, forward-facing sonar was not really a thing yet. That’s going to change some things this time, but I think this tournament could or will be won fishing.
Ultimately, I think it’s going to come down to timing and a little bit of luck. With it being a smaller venue, you want to get a good boat draw the first day so you’ll be able to fish a spot early, compared to being boat two or three and then the order flips the next day.
Finding something off-the-wall will be hard at this one because the lake can fish small. Every bluff wall can have a fish on it, but that can be narrowed really quick when you put 100 guys on a 13,000-acre lake.
