Jan. 18, 2025

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. — While a blistering Arctic storm made its frigid march across much of the continent Saturday, temperatures remained mild in the Arizona desert on Day 1 of the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lake Havasu presented by Native Watercraft.

The catch was fairly tepid, too, with Paul Herber of Canyon Lake, Calif., being the hottest angler of the day with his five best bass measuring a total of 87 inches. That gave Herber a 3½-inch lead over the second-place angler heading into the second and final day of the tournament on this 19,800-acre reservoir on the Arizona/California border.

Of the 111 competing on Lake Havasu, 42 zeroed on Day 1 of the derby and only 11 anglers caught a five-bass limit. Temperatures hovered around 60 degrees all day, but once the desert sun got overhead, the Havasu smallmouth bite disappeared.

That might have helped Herber, who at 39 years of age, has more than 20 years’ experience fishing Havasu and knows the lake’s nuances. This was, however, the first time he’s ever fished from a kayak, though he made it look relatively easy on Saturday.

“A lot of my friends fish kayak and they’ve been encouraging me to do it,” Herber said. “So, I rented one and was just out here giving it my all. Things worked out today.”

Herber, who owns a swimming pool repair company, targeted Havasu’s smallmouth bass early, throwing a series of Neko and Ned rigs, drop shots and the like. He had a limit within a couple hours of takeoff but went more than four hours before catching his biggest bass of the day — a 19-inch largemouth that helped him climb atop the leaderboard at Havasu. He said the big bass came on a swimbait.

“The smallmouth were biting, but that stopped when the sun came out,” he said. “So, then I chased a largemouth bite for hours before I finally got one about 2 p.m. I was very fortunate to already have a limit because it was not easy getting that last bite.”

With the lead in hand, and home-water knowledge in his corner, Herber said he’ll approach Day 2 in much the same way, hoping for similar results.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “The smallmouth around here are notorious for being there one day and gone the next. But if I can get a couple in the boat early, that’ll be a good start. Then I focus on getting a big one to bite. Hopefully it works out like it did today.

Drew Gregory, the Kent, Ohio, resident who won last year’s Bassmaster Kayak Championship in Oklahoma, is in second place after Day 1 on Havasu with a five-fish limit measuring 83½ inches.

The remainder of the Top 5 halfway through the tournament include third, California’s Chris Cabral, 82½ inches; fourth, Nebraska’s Adam DeWitt, 82¼ inches; and fifth, Utah’s Caymen Rasmussen, 82 inches.

Cabral caught the big bass of the day — a 21.75-inch toad that helped him into third place.

The kayak event on Havasu is the first Bassmaster event of the 2025 season and one of six regular-season kayak tournaments on tap for the year. Other kayak showdowns are scheduled Feb. 1-2 on the Kissimmee (Fla.) Chain of Lakes; April 26-27 on Dale Hollow Reservoir in Tennessee; May 31-June 1 on Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma; July 26-27 on Lake Champlain in New York; and Sept. 27-28 at Toledo Bend on the Texas/Louisiana border.

The 2025 Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship scored by TourneyX is scheduled March 19-20 on Texas’ Lake Fork, immediately preceding the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour on Lake Ray Roberts near Fort Worth, Texas. Top anglers from the 2025 season compete in that tournament, while this year’s best from the kayak series are vying for spots in the 2026 championship.

The second and final day of the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lake Havasu presented by Native Watercraft will begin Sunday with a take-off at 7:30 a.m. MT. The derby is headquartered at Lake Havasu State Park, but competitors can launch anywhere on the lake. Lines come out of the water at 3:30 p.m. and awards will be presented to top anglers at approximately 6 p.m.

That ceremony will take place live on Bassmaster.com and fishing fans also can follow the catch throughout the day via the online leaderboard found there.

The Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft is scored by TourneyX.

Full results from the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Lake Havasu presented by Native Watercraft are scored by TourneyX and can be found here.

Go Lake Havasu is sponsoring this week’s activities.

2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Title Sponsor: Newport

2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Presenting Sponsor: Native Watercraft
2025 Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year Sponsor: Dakota Lithium

 

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.