Summer 2026
®
D
amian Thao is one of the most decorated
kayak fishermen in the world. Yes, in the
world!Thao has competed against anglers in Italy, Mexico, and throughout the United States.
He has competed in the Bassmaster Kayak National Championship three times and has made the top-five in each event with his best finish in 2023 for an impressive second-place at Lake Chickamauga, Tenn.
While fishing the 2025 FIPS-ED World Kayak Fishing Championship on Lake Chapala in Mexico with Team USA, Thao helped capture the Gold Medal.
At the 2024 Pan American Kayak Fishing Championship on Bolsena Lake in Italy, Thao won the individual Gold Medal. And these are just a few of his World Kayak Fishing Championship accomplishments that he has earned in the last few years.
Thao has 26 first place wins with 111 top-10 finishes in 173 events. I have had the opportunity to fish with Thao, and I have to say, he is the best fisherman that I have met in my career.
Thao can adjust to the ever-changing fishing conditions throughout competition, which is one of the biggest reasons for his success.
Since we are talking about records, Thao caught the largest bass in California that has reached a scale in many years. Thao not only caught a fish weighing over 18 pounds, but he also set a lake record with that same fish.
Thao has a YouTube channel called “Damian Thao.” If you have not started following Thao, you may want to.
But before that listen up as we had the opportunity to sit down with Thao to discuss how to catch fish during the summer months. We talked about specific lures and where to locate bass. He gives us his approach to finding fish and what he uses to catch those fish. If you want to catch bass like Damian Thao this is what you need to know.
WB: On a highland reservoir with clear water, where one can see as deep at 20-feet, where do you first start to search for summertime bass?
THAO: I would start scanning out deep around main lake points. I am looking for bait fish and fish activity. I
page
19