Newton Lake – April 10, 2022

The 2022 Southern Illinois Kayak Club season officially kicked off at Newton Lake, and what a start it was! A huge thank-you goes out to all our members who were able to attend the first tournament of the year and brave the conditions with us.

Anglers were challenged with cold, windy weather, forcing everyone to grind hard and cover plenty of water throughout the day. Despite the tough conditions, the field rose to the occasion and put together some impressive totals. Great job to everyone who made it out and stuck it out on the water.

Rece Schneider claimed the first victory of the 2022 season, posting 89.75 inches of bass and getting the perfect start in his defense of the Angler of the Year title. Outstanding performance, Rece!

Finishing in 2nd place, Darren Hemker brought in 87.25 inches, once again proving that it’s never a bad plan to throw a wacky rig. His consistency early in the season set the tone for another strong year.

Rounding out the top three, Dalton Williams landed 85.50 inches, finding success by targeting quality fish on a chatterbait. Another solid showing in challenging conditions.

We’d also like to congratulate Larry Horne, who won the raffle grand prize, heading home with an autographed hat from Ott DeFoe and Mark Daniels Jr.

Thank you again to everyone who joined us at Newton Lake. It was great to reconnect with familiar faces and welcome new members into the club. We can’t wait to see everyone at our next stop on Sangchris Lake!

A huge thank-you also goes out to our 2022 sponsors—we truly could not host these events without your support. A special shoutout to JayDiz Fishing & Tackle Co. for going above and beyond to provide awesome prizes for our opening event.

Sponsors:
JayDiz Fishing & Tackle Co. · Kayak Bass Fishing · Paddle N’ Fin Podcast · Venom Lures · Freaky Frank’s Custom Tackle · Amped Outdoors LLC · NeverLost Gear · YakAttack · Spittin’ Image Jigs