Weekend Results: CRK, CRK AOTY, TVKA, YakTribe, KBF

There were four kayak fishing events in Alabama on May 6th, 2017. Let’s break them down:

  1.  44 anglers attended the Coosa Riverkeeper’s Coosa Canoe & Kayak Fishing Tournament (CCKFT) on Lake Neely Henry making it the largest kayak fishing event in Alabama this past weekend.  A new “Angler of the Year” was crowned and the second longest bass in CCKFT tournament history was caught.
    Robbey Stanford, CCKFT Neely Henry 2017 winner. Photo: Coosa Riverkeepers

    Robbey Stanford won the Neely Henry stage with a big 57.5-inch three-fish stringer.  His large stringer was anchored by a 20.5-inch spotted bass and takes home $500 for his effort.  Brian Wilkes finished second with a very respectable 56-inch stringer.

    Calloway’s giant fish. Photo: Coosa Riverkeepers/Calloway

    A 23-inch long largemouth bass was caught by Brandon Calloway making it the second longest fish in CCKFT history.  Unfortunately, Calloway could not cull the 13.5” fish on his stringer and he finished in 5th place 4-inches behind the winner Stanford.

    Top 5 – CCKFT Neely Henry 2017:
    1) Robbey Stanford – 57.5
    2) Brian Wilkes – 56
    3) Coley McGowan – 55.75
    4) Lance Coley – 54
    5) Brandon Calloway – 53.5

    Nine anglers had stringers longer than 50-inches.  For complete results, see this Facebook post.

    Lance Coley, 2017 CCKFT Angler of the Year. Photo: Coosa Riverkeepers

    On the year, Lance Coley’s consistent presence atop the season’s leaderboard landed him the 2017 Big Will’s Angler of the Year award for the CCKFT series.  Coley scored a 159.75” cumulative stringer on the year and won a 2017 Jackson Kayak Coosa for his outstanding fishing this season.  Last year’s CCKFT Angler of the Year, Jared Atwell finished 2nd in this year’s AOTY race and was 11.5” inches out of first place.

    Jack Freeman, CCKFT Best Youth. Photo: Coosa Riverkeepers

    The Best Youth Angler in the CCKFT series this year was Jack Freeman, a very respectable angler no matter what his age is.  The Best Female Angler this season was Kristen Woods.

    Kristen Woods, CCKFT Best Female AOTY. Photo: Coosa Riverkeeper

    For more information about this year’s best anglers and the AOTY race, see this post.

    Due to their terrific performance on the year, ten CCKFT anglers have qualified for the “Championship Division” of the Alabama Classic, an end-of-the-year kayak fishing celebration hosted by the bass fishing clubs of Alabama.  CCKFT will be sending the following anglers to the “Championship Division” of the Alabama Classic:

    CCKFT Qualifiers for the Championship Division of the Alabama Classic. Photo: Coosa Riverkeepers

    Lance Coley – AOTY
    Jared Atwell – 2nd Overall
    David Meeks – 3rd Overall
    Patrick Smith – 4th Overall
    Josh Tidwell – 5th Overall
    Jack Freeman – Best Youth
    Kristen Woods – Best Lady
    Barry Walker – Lay Lake Best Bass
    Lanny Watkins – Logan Martin Best Bass
    Brandon Calloway – Neely Henry Best Bass

    These anglers have earned a shot of the title of “State Champ”.  Others not qualifying for the “Championship Division” are welcome to enter into the “Open Division” and to try to win prizes there as well.  See the CCKFT website for more information.

  2. 41 anglers attended the Kayak Bass Fishing stop on Lake Jordan this past weekend. Georgia’s Mitchell White scored an 87-inch 5-fish stringer and won $2,000.  Alabama’s top finisher was Jake Garner with an 82” 4th place finish.  Twenty total Alabama anglers participated in the event.
    Results from the KBF event can be found here.

    The KBF Lake Jordan Top 5 were:
    1) Mitchell White – 87
    2) Ron Champion – 85.25
    3) Joshua Stewart – 84.5
    4) Jake Garner – 82
    5) Stewart Venable – 78.5

    Check our Alabama Kayak Fishing Events page for a look at KBF and other tournament events in Alabama this year.

  3. The Tennessee Valley Kayak Anglers held their fifth event of the year, this time in Alabama on Upper Lake Guntersville from the BB Comber Bridge to Stevenson. 26 anglers battled tough fishing conditions and struggled to put together a three fish stringer.  However, Robert Barnett managed to trick a 21” largemouth into biting earning him the longest fish of the event.
    Tennessee Valley Kayak Anglers Lake Guntersville. Photo: TVKA

    Seth Lassitter won the tournament with a 49.75” 3-fish stringer.  The top 5 finishers were:

    1. Seth Lassitter – 49.75
    2. Couth – 47.00
    3. Ryan Lambert – 43.00
    4. Jake Davenport – 42.50
    5. Steve Owens – 40.50

    Those aren’t typical Guntersville numbers.

    Full results from the TVKA event can be found here.

  4. Ambassador Club, the YakTribe, held an impromptu gathering in Gulf Shores over the weekend.  A dozen like-minded kayakers showed up to fish together and socialize along the bays of Gulf Shores.
    YakTribe members in Gulf Shores, AL. Photo credit: YakTribe
    Gulf Shores yakkin. Photo: Xavier Raymond

    If you are looking for a lifestyle club, check them out at yaktribe.com.