The third annual edition of the Battle on the Border was held on Kerr lake on October 23, 2021. 53 anglers from Virginia, North Carolina and other states signed up to compete for prizes, qualifying opportunities and, most importantly, to bring the 1st place trophy to their home state!
Competitors were greet by a chilly morning with water temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60’s, and also a lake that was two feet below full pool. Bass – the target species – were active, but tough to persuade. Additionally, Kerr Lake’s fishery always produces surprising by-catches (in 2020, an angler landed a walleye), and this year anglers caught striped bass and catfish as they tried to grind out limits.
Limits were hard to come by, but anglers managed to find them. About one-third of the field (15) landed a limit of scoreable fish and more than two-thirds of the field posted at least one (39). What was rare were big fish, with most limits averaging fewer than 14″ per fish.
Anglers convened after the event at the Community Building at Henderson Point to exchange stories and hear the results. When the final numbers were tallied, the 1st place trophy went to Virginia angler Jason Hensley, who had a total of 79.5″ – nearly a 16″ limit per fish – on a challenging day.Hensley described his winning pattern as follows:
Primary bait was a 3/8 under spin with a 3.8 Keitech. I also caught fish on a Rico and Chatterbait. I was in the very back of a creek arm which was loaded with bait and fish. Luckily the wind was blowing into the area keeping the bite consistent all day.
Rounding out the top 5 were:
2. Bruce Deel (VA)
3. Micah Marbra (VA)
4. Paul Roberts (NC)
5. Ryan Freeman (NC)
Paul Roberts also won the Big Bass pot with his 19.5″ bass.
In total, the top 5 took home nearly $3,000 in cash prizes. Additionally, anglers took home 24 Yeti tumblers, 4 Yak Attack gift certificates and KBF gear. Five anglers also qualified for the 2022 KBF National Championship at Kentucky Lake!
The 2021 Battle on the Border was made possible with the generous support of the Vance County Tourism Authority. Additionally CKA, CCKF and Bass Cast Kayak Series donated additional awards, as did Kayak Bass Fishing.
