Jeremiah Kindy of Benton returned to prominence on Feb. 17 by winning the Bassmaster Central Open bass tournament on Lake Ouachita.
Kindy won the event convincingly, weighing in 15 bass over the three days that totaled 52 pounds, 3 ounces. That's a daily average of 17.43 pounds. Matt Baker of Glenwood finished second with 46-13.
Notably, Kindy caught his fish using traditional tactics. He pounded shallow staging areas while the rest of the field used forward-facing sonar to fish offshore structure in deep water.
"Old school stuff still can work and still does work," said Kindy, who uses LiveScope sonar as a specialty tool.
Kindy, once one of the rising stars on the FLW Tour, disappeared from national fishing prominence about 15 years ago. He was sponsored by Land O' Lakes with a guaranteed salary at the height of his career, but he said he retreated to concentrate on raising his child.
"I never stopped fishing," Kindy said. "I just fished stuff around here close to home. I don't have to do all that travel, and when it's over, I sleep in my own bed."
Kindy's priorities don't surprise anybody who knows him. Professional fishing is littered with broken marriages and relationships. He was unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve the results he expected. The circumstances were right for him to claim a $40,000 win on his first Bassmaster event since an Open appearance in 2002, also on Lake Ouachita
"I guess what convinced me to enter was it being here, on Lake Ouachita," Kindy said. "It's my home lake, and I felt like I had a good chance to do well here. This is definitely the most important tournament I've ever won. It means the world. Just being able to compete and have so many family and friends here.
"Even if I wouldn't have won, it would have been awesome. But to get this win is freaking amazing. For three days, I was the best angler on this lake. That's pretty important."
Since he began fishing tournaments as a teenager, Kindy has earned a reputation as one of the best anglers in the Diamond Lakes region. This tournament pitted Kinday against nearly 200 top-tier rivals, many of which occupy the position that Kindy occupied in the early 2000s. They are now the young and the hungry, but they are also more proficient with technology than any that came before. Their mastery of forward facing sonar tactics has redefined the game of fishing
Sensing he couldn't beat them at their game, Kindy said he had to fish a different game. He targeted early prespawn staging areas on the main lake where big bass historically visit earlier than other parts of the lake. Most of his bites came up the lake in dirtier water on isolated banks.
"I caught more than half of my fish up the lake," Kindy said. "It was just key spots that I know they pull up on first."
When wind kicked up in the mid-mornings, Kindy fished hydrilla in clearer water down the lake. The deep edge of the grass was 25 feet deep, but Kindy said most of the bass were between the bank and 14 feet. Black rocks were also important. The warmth they generate attracts fish when water is cold, and that trait was active during the tournament.
With the afternoon temperature at 65 degrees, Kindy finished the first day in fourth place with 19-7. Cloud cover arrived on the second day, and the third day brought freezing temperatures. It is hard for anglers to adjust to radical weather swings, but Kindy's weights of 16-5 and 16-7 were precisely consistent. He took the lead at the end of the second round and did not relinquish it.
Kindy relied on three baits, including a Norman Deep Little N crankbait in a chili bowl pattern, a 3/4-ounce Toledo gold-colored Booyah One Knocker and a 3/4-ounce Duo Realis lipless crankbait.
Kindy said he intends to fish the two remaining Open tournaments this year, making him eligible for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic at Fort Worth.