MUSKOGEE, Okla. (Aug. 11, 2025) – Boater Kyle Kitts of Joplin, Missouri, caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament on the Arkansas River. The tournament was the fourth event of the season for the BFL Okie Division. Kitts earned $4,009 for his victory. Kitts did all of his damage with a 5/8-ounce chartreuse-and-white spinnerbait fitted with Indiana and Colorado blades, targeting wood in the dirtier water.
“I was just fishing laydowns, stumps, and wood targets,” Kitts said. “The stuff I practiced last week muddied up, so I went to where I had the most confidence and just locked that big blade in my hand all day.”
Although he covered a lot of water, Kitts said nearly all of his fish came from just two key areas.
“I fished more than that, but really only caught them out of those two spots,” he said. “I probably caught eight to 10 fish all day, and the bigger ones all came on that spinnerbait.”
Kitts’ day wasn’t without adversity – his trolling motor broke down around noon, forcing him to end his day early.
“I wasn’t confident at all coming in,” he admitted. “I figured some guys would be locking down and bringing back some bigger weights, and I thought I only had around 16 pounds. I really felt like I was one or two bites short.”
Instead, the weight was enough to secure the win and add another trophy to his resume – his third career BFL victory.
“It feels great to get the win, especially here, because I don’t normally do well on the Arkansas River,” Kitts said. “The key was just committing to that spinnerbait and not putting it down.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Kyle Kitts, Joplin, Mo., five bass, 17-8, $4,009
2nd: Nick Kincaid, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 16-8, $2,005
3rd: Ronnie Allen, Chouteau, Okla., five bass, 16-6, $1,336
4th: Kevin Slate, Eufaula, Okla., five bass, 16-5, $935
5th: William Gaddis, Afton, Okla., five bass, 15-4, $802
6th: Jeff Clark, Van Buren, Ark., five bass, 14-11, $735
7th: Wyatt Ryan, Ada, Okla., five bass, 14-7, $668
8th: Mick Fenn, Grove, Okla., five bass, 13-11, $601
9th: Dillon Roberts, Oologah, Okla., five bass, 13-9, $535
10th: Lane Stephens Owasso, Okla., five bass, 12-13, $445
10th: Devin Freeman, Coweta, Okla., five bass, 12-13, $445
Dakotah Edwards of Talala, Oklahoma, caught a bass that weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $550. James West of Spiro, Oklahoma, and Steven Logan of Hugo, Oklahoma, both brought three bass to the scale totaling 8 pounds, 6 ounces, to tie for the win in the co-angler division Saturday. The duo split the first and second place payouts, each earning $1,504 for their share of the victory.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: James West, Spiro, Okla., three bass, 8-6, $1,504
1st: Steven Logan, Hugo, Okla., three bass, 8-6, $1,504
3rd: Markus Mills, Norman, Okla., three bass, 8-4, $668
4th: Mason Eudy, Muskogee, Okla., three bass, 8-2, $468
5th: Bryan Schuster, Oklahoma City, Okla., three bass, 7-14, $401
6th: Mark Johnson, Weleetka, Okla., three bass, 7-12, $351
6th: Ryan Doel, Springfield, Mo., three bass, 7-12, $351
8th: Fred Fielder, Afton, Okla., three bass, 7-11, $284
8th: Robert Shedrick, Blanchard, Okla., three bass, 7-11, $284
10th: Berton Pritchett, Gentry, Ark., three bass, 7-10, $234
Porky Roberts of Morris, Oklahoma, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $275, catching a bass that weighed in at 4 pounds, 14 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
After four events, Nick Kincaid of Brookeland, Texas, still leads the Fishing Clash Okie Division Angler of the Year (AOY) race with 985 points, while James West of Spiro, Oklahoma, leads the Fishing Clash Okie Division Co-Angler of the Year race with 958 points.
The next event for BFL Okie Division anglers will the two-day Super Tournament Presented by Suzuki Marine, held Sept. 6-7, at Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma.
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