Bass Nation Kayak Tournament Recap with Pro-Angler, Amy Brown-Orange Lake Produces Giants
When I heard that Orange Lake would be the location for our championship, I thought, “Well, so much for moving on to the national event.” Orange Lake, the water hole of giants, had never been particularly kind to me. You’d always see people catching monsters—fish anywhere from 10 to 12 pounds—but on my eight or so trips there, I was lucky to find a couple of 1- to 2-pounders per day. All of that changed, though, at the end of October during the Florida BASS Nation Kayak Series State Championship.
Normally, I don’t have much time for pre-fishing before tournaments. But with the stakes so high, I decided to make three trips to Orange Lake to see if I could finally get a feel for the place. Yet by the end of those trips, I was starting to think the lake still had it out for me.
Then came tournament week. I went in with a great mindset, feeling confident I could do well. And things started off strong—I had two fish in the boat within the first 15 minutes. They weren’t huge, but it was a good start. But that momentum didn’t last. Hours went by without another bite. I started second-guessing everything and feeling a little defeated. Then, as I was slowly reeling in a worm, I felt like I had snagged a log—just dead weight, no fight. But I was wrong! That “log” turned out to be an Orange Lake lunker, measuring 25 inches and weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces (my teammates swore my scale was broken and said it had to be 10 pounds!). My adrenaline was through the roof, and I was shaking like crazy. That catch turned out to be a personal best in both length and weight, and it put me right back in contention.
Within the next hour to hour and a half, I had my five-fish limit and was sitting in the top four. It was time to find some upgrades. I’d been working the same general area all day, managing to land a few small upgrades, but I needed bigger fish. With about an hour left, I decided to make a move. Within five minutes, I found a 2.75” upgrade. I was shaking again. With only 30 minutes left to fish, I kept casting and hoping for a miracle. Soon after, I got another bite that felt like it could be a big one. Nope! It was a pickerel. That’s when I noticed a message on my phone from the tournament director—my last catch had been denied. I opened the TourneyX app and saw that the denial was because my identifier card wasn’t legible due to sun glare. I’d never had this happen before, and my heart sank. That pretty much ended my chances of qualifying for the national championship at the Bassmaster Classic.
The championship was a true roller coaster of emotions. I’d had a phenomenal day on the water, set two personal bests, fished within earshot of my best friend, and finished sixth out of 42 anglers—just two spots shy of qualifying for one of the biggest kayak tournaments out there. I learned a lot that day. First, having a supportive friend by your side is invaluable. I tend to be hard on myself, and after that denied catch, I really needed someone to talk me off the ledge. Second, patience and calmness have to override everything else. Sure, skill matters, but sometimes fishing is as much about luck as anything else. I’m working hard to stay present, enjoy the moment, and appreciate the beauty around me. Lastly, good equipment makes a big difference. Navigating those grassy areas was easy with my Hobie PA 360, and the Torqeedo 1103 motor got me across the water quickly. My St. Croix rods and Shimano reels held up like a champ, no worries about breakage or failure. As for the bait—worms did all the magic that day.
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