SIKC Tournament #2 Recap – Crab Orchard
SIKC Tournament #2 at Crab Orchard is in the books, and this one turned out to be tougher than many anglers expected.
Going into the event, there was reason to believe Crab Orchard could kick out some big totals. Instead, the lake surprised much of the field, with many of the better bass still holding far back in spawning pockets. That made putting together a strong five-fish limit much more difficult than expected and forced anglers to adjust on the fly throughout the day.
A little wind and light, sporadic rain in the morning added another layer to the challenge, but a few anglers were still able to separate themselves from the field.
Wade Hobaugh earned the win with 80.75 inches, edging out Dalton Williams by just a half inch. Dalton finished 2nd with 80.25 inches, and Kevin Cox claimed 3rd with 79.50 inches in an extremely tight race near the top. Darren Hemker finished 4th with 77.75 inches, while Wil Abbott rounded out the top five with 76.25 inches.
Top 5 Results
Wade Hobaugh – 80.75"
Dalton Williams – 80.25"
Kevin Cox – 79.50"
Darren Hemker – 77.75"
Wil Abbott – 76.25"
The lake’s tougher-than-expected spawning pattern showed in the overall results. Out of 32 anglers, only 8 were able to bring in a full 5-fish limit, a strong reminder that even when conditions look promising on paper, tournament day can tell a very different story.
The Big Bass of the event went to Nikki Holman with a strong 20.75-inch fish.
Current AOY and ROY standings have now been updated on the SIKC website:
https://www.sikcfishing.org/2026-season
A huge thank you goes out to all of our anglers, supporters, and sponsors who help make these events possible. We also want to recognize our sponsors for their continued support of SIKC:
RAILBLAZA, Thrasher Sports Apparel, Midwest Kayak Company, Ketch Products Inc., Spittin Image Jigs, Kayak Bass Connection, Kistler, Missile Baits, Freaky Franks, and Big Bass Chris Designs.
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