News

NAKA season finale. Watson wins national trails on Guntersville.

Several major kayak fishing tournaments took place over the weekend and a familiar name walked away with a nice payday.

North Alabama Kayak Anglers Classic and Anglers of the  Year

Nate Mayfield with his NAKA Classic check

Alabama’s largest club, the North Alabama Kayak Anglers, held their season finale NAKA Classic on Pickwick and Wilson lakes in the Shoals area of North Alabama.  Near 100 anglers competed on the NAKA Trail all season long for a chance to earn entry into this 5-fish black bass event.  23 anglers ended up qualifying for this event.

NAKA Angler of the Year, Jason Lack

Nate Mayfield walked away as the Classic champion while Jason Lack was crowned NAKA Angler of the Year (AOTY details).   Mayfield scored a 86.25″ inch 5-fish stringer edging out John Tayler by three inches.  Mayfield also had the biggest fish of the event, a 19″ largemouth bass.  Over $1100 in cash was handed out to the field along with over $1000 in prizes.  A recap of the event and details about sponsors of the NAKA Trail can be found here.

NAKA Youth Angler of the Year Riley Johnston with NAKA HKAIC Nate Mayfield

The NAKA Youth Angler of the Year was Riley Johnston.  His consistent top youth performances earned him the Youth AOTY prize, a 2017 Skipper fishing kayak from Jackson Kayak.  Details.

Watson wins two national trail stops

Randy Howell, pro B.A.S.S. angler, handing the check to Watson

The story of the weekend was how Brandon Watson won both the Kayak Bass Series and Kayak Bass Fishing events held on Lake Guntersville.  Since both events were hosted on the same eligible bodies of water, Watson was able to fish both events and coordinate weigh-in times for both.

Watson with his Kayak Bass Series check

Watson caught large stringers on fish on both days.  With a 97-inch 5-fish stringer he won the KBF Trail event by over 10″ and earned a $2,250 check.  His 81-inch Day 1 and 98.75-inch Day 2 during the KBS Classic gave him a 29″ win over the second place angler.  Incredible fishing against the sport’s top kayak anglers.

There are only a few fishing events on the calendar for the rest of the year.  Click here to get a look at what is to come.  And everyone is invited to come get introduced to kayak fishing at the first annual Alabama Kayak Fishing Classic in late October.  That event is hosted by the major kayak fishing clubs of Alabama and is billed to be a fun time for kayak anglers of all skill levels.

Events, News

Alabama Kayak Fishing Classic is October 21st!

Kayak fishing clubs, outfitters, and organizations from around the state of Alabama are coming together to put on a “end of the year” celebration and gathering in Wetumpka, Alabama on the banks of the Coosa River.

The event is open to the public.  There will be a public fishing division and a “qualifier” division where anglers who have fished in Alabama kayak fishing club trails this year have qualified.

REGISTER HERE:
http://coosakayakfishing.com/?p=1160

RULES: http://coosakayakfishing.com/?page_id=1164

ELIGIBLE WATER: The Coosa River from below Jordan Dam to the start of the Alabama River.

Measuring your fish:  A Hawg Trough measuring board is required to score your fish!

Camping:  Free camping at the Coosa Outdoor Center has been covered by the Coosa Riverkeepers.

For more details, please see our Alabama Kayak Fishing Classic event page on this website and see the Facebook event page.

News

Heroes on the Water Event 2, NAKA River Stop, ayou La Batre Kayak Classic, more

The North Alabama Kayak Anglers are hosting their “River Stop” fishing tournament this weekend.  Anglers can fish any small flowing body of water in North Alabama.  Creek and small rivers are the targeted eligible body of water for this event.  For a boundary map and rules for this event, check out the NAKA Facebook Event page for this event.  Oh, it is also a qualifier event for the River Bassin’ Tournament Trail.


North Alabama’s new Heroes on the Water chapter is already positively impacting the lives of service veterans and others.  The upstart club is hosting another event on August 5th at the Town Creek Fishing Center near the Guntersville State Park.  The last event saw near 40 people and dozens of kayaks from 8 or 9 different manufacturers.  This is a great time to relax and try out other people’s boats while supporting a good cause.  Details about the event can be found on the HOW NA Facebook page.

Courtesy: Bayou La Batre Kayak Classic

The annual Bayou La Batre Kayak Classic is on August 5.  This is a big laid back family-friendly event and all around good time.  Check out their website for pictures of past events and details about what is going on this year.

Here’s an outlook of other events happening with Alabama kayak fishing clubs in the coming weeks.

  1. July 22 – NAKA River Stop
  2. July 27 – CRKA I-759 (5pm)
  3. August – NAKABIGBASS, Demo Day, and NAKAFUNFISH
  4. August 5 – MBKFA Black Ops
  5. August 5 – Bayou La Batre Kayak Classic Fishing Tournament
  6. August 5 – Heroes on the Water North Alabama, Town Creek, Guntersville, AL
  7. August 12 – SKA Wheeler Lake
  8. August 12 – CKA Tallapoosa River, Wadley, AL
  9. August 17 – CRKA Canoe Creek County Ramp (5pm)

For a list of all kayak fishing events in Alabama, check out our kayak fishing events listings page.

Also, folks are starting to get excited for the October 21st  Alabama Kayak Fishing Classic.  Anyone and everyone is invited.

Events, News, Results

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.

Events, News, Results

Results: Coosa River Kayak Anglers Throwdown May 3rd

22 anglers showed up to fish the Wednesday night tournament held by the Coosa River Kayak Anglers.  Fred Minyard took first place with a 32-inch two fish stringer.

Wednesday evening anglers. Photo: Robby Cook

The Coosa River Kayak Anglers seem to have great turnouts during their evening quick events with their attendance rivaling many weekend tournaments.   In fact, most of the CRKA events will be evening tournaments held during the weekday.

Full results from last night’s event can be found here.  This event factors into the CRKA Angler of the Year race.  Here are the latest standings according to CRKA.


Here’s a lot of the CRKA schedule for the rest of the year:

It isn’t too late to get involved with CRKA or the other clubs in Alabama.  We’re tracking dozens of other kayak fishing events to take place in Alabama.

 

News

Heroes on the Water – North Alabama headed to Guntersville June 3rd

Alabama now has three Heroes on the Water (HOW) chapters to help military veterans get out on the water.  The North Alabama chapter of HOW is holding their first event of 2017 on June 3rd at Lake Guntersville.   The Facebook event page is here.

You can help out by guiding a vet, loaning gear, or giving your time or money.

Details about this event will be announced on their Facebook page at a later date.

Events, News

Statewide Alabama Kayak Fishing Events – May 6

There will be plenty of kayak fishing action in Alabama this weekend as several clubs are hosting tournament events.

New to our calendar is a YakTribe meetup in Orange Beach.  YakTribe is a group of laid back kayak anglers, kind of like some of the clubs in our state.  They are looking to hold a meetup with other kayak anglers this weekend in Orange Beach.  Info.  Details on their Instagram.

The Coosa Canoe and Kayak Fishing Tournament event is one of the longest running and most consistent tournament series in Alabama.  Its laid back style makes it approachable for anyone in the family.  They even have a flyfishing division.  Their final regular season stop is this weekend on the Neely Henry System and this event is designed to promote a great cause.  Details.

The Tennessee Valley Kayak Anglers roll into north Alabama and will be fishing on upper Guntersville.  TVKA is a regional club and they fish most of their events in the middle Tennessee area.   This tournament will be based out of Stevenson, AL.  Details.

The Chattahoochee Kayak Anglers are another out-of-state club hosting an event in extreme eastern Alabama near Valley, AL and West Point, GA.  CKA will be fishing the Chattahoochee River were on one side of the river you are in Alabama and the other you are in Georgia.  Details.

Kayak Bass Fishing, a national competitive bass fishing trail, will hold an event on the Coosa River.  Details.

You can find other events happening this year in Alabama on our events tracking page.

This weekend:

  1. May 6 – CCKFT/ICKA Neely Henry Lake
  2. May 6 – TVKA Guntersville (BB Comer Bridge – US 117 Bridge)
  3. May 6 – CKA Chattahoochee River, West Point, GA
  4. May 6 – YakTribe Meetup, Jeff Friend Trail Kayak Launch, Orange Beach, AL 9AM
  5. May  6 – KBF Trail Coosa River, Wetumpka, AL
News, Tournament

Video throwback: Gadsden Area Anglers Evening Tournament

Video

“Throwdowns” are slang for a quick kayak tournament.  They are usually extremely laid back and low stakes.  They are usually planned a week or two before the actual day of the event by a club member just looking to get together with some friends to fish.  Someone will pop into a forum as say “Hey, anyone want to have a throwdown next week at Ditto Landing?”

It is a good way to fish along side someone on some new water.  Rarely do more than 20 anglers fish these events but $100 or $200 can be won depending on the location and attendance.


Here’s video a look back to April 24th, 2015 when Corey Galloway took home some money after fishing a Throwdown with anglers in Gadsden.

News, Results, Tournament

Tournament Results – April 8th, 2017

There were four kayak fishing events in Alabama this past weekend held by host clubs: the Coosa Canoe & Kayak Fishing Tournament, Shoals Kayak Anglers, the Kayak Bass Series, and the Mobile Bay Kayak Fishing Association.  Also, the Kayak Bass Fishing series finally released their results from their Open and National Championship events held last weekend. The recaps and event links are below.

Coosa Canoe & Kayak Fishing Tournament Lake Logan Martin – The CCKFT held its second event of the year—this time on Lake Logan Martin and its tributaries.  Torrential rains earlier in the week and weather conditions were a major factor on this tournament.  Despite that, Lance Coley won this event with a respectable 52.75-inch three-fish stringer out of 31 anglers.

Lance Coley with his winnings. Photo: CCKFT

Results from the weekend via CKKFT:

Best Angler: Lance Coley | 52.75″
Best Bass: Lanny Watkins | 19″
Best Young Angler: Ethan Floyd | 50.25″

2nd Overall: Brandon Calloway | 51.75″
3rd Overall: Ethan Floyd | 50.25″
4th Overall: Shaye Taylor | 47.5″

Full results can be found here.

After two events, the Top 5 in the CCKFT Angler of the Year Race:
Lance Coley – 105.75 inches
Jared Atwell – 99
David Meeks – 90.75
Lanny Watkins – 88.25
Patrick Smith – 87

The last CCKFT regular season event of the year will be May 6th on the Neely Henry system.  It will be your last shot to qualify for the Championship Division in the Alabama Kayak Fishing Classic  through the CCKFT club.

Shoals Kayak Anglers – The SKA club held their second event of the year on Lake Wilson in the Tennessee River chain. North Alabama angler Tony Dean bested a dozen other anglers and took the top spot with a 74.25-inch stringer anchored by the 19.75-inch biggest bass of the tournament.  Dean won $260.  Richard Woodruff was second with 72.25-inches and won $100.

SKA Lake Wilson Top 5:
1st place- Tony Dean with 74.25 inches
2nd place- Richard Woodruff with 72.75 inches
3rd place- Will Green with 71.25 inches
4th place- Chris Bracken with 69.50 inches
5th place- Blake Hamm with 67.25 inches

Full results and a recap can be found here.

Kayak Bass Series Lake Eufaula – North Alabama angler Jon Lessmann won first place and $1400 out of a field of 17 anglers.  To our knowledge, this was the first kayak fishing event held on Lake Eufaula.  Alabama angler Stacey Martin was in 2nd place with 80-inches on his five fish stringer.  Results can be found here.  Congrats Jon.

Lessmann with his winnings. Photo: KBS

Mobile Bay Kayak Fishing Association – MBKFA had an event at Heron Bay.  The heaviest fish went to Will Holberg with a 25 3/4″, 5.86 lb. redfish.

MBKFA Anglers with a nice haul. Photo: osguitar1 on MBKFA.com

Full results can be found here.

MBKFA’s 11th Annual Bagwell Spring Tournament is coming up on May 20th.  Details can be found here.

The 2017 MBKFA AOTY Race standings can be found here.


Kayak Bass Fishing – after much delay, KBF has finally released the results of their KBF Open and KBF National Championships held on Kentucky Lake on March 31 and April 1.

KBF Competitors awaiting results: Photo: KBF

KBF National Championship Leaderboard (359 anglers)
Alabama KBF NC Finishers (two day 5-fish per/day stringers) were:

#15 – Tim Perkins 175.25
#22 – Brandon Watson 172.25
#66 – Shane Young 159.50
#101 – JR Young 150.25
#165 – Lanny Watkins 134.25
#182 – Greg Riddle 126.50
#258 – Todd McBride  86.50
#290 – David Kittrell  66
#331 – Justin Tadlock  31
#340 – Bryan Tadlock 18
#347 – Jon Lessmann  12
#351 – Tammi Collins  0

KBF Open Leaderboard (326 anglers)
Alabama KBF Open Finishers (two day 5-fish per/day stringers) were:

#13 – Tim Perkins 175.25
#127 – Lanny Watkins 134.25
#142 – Greg Riddle 126.50
#168 – Chris Odem 111.25
#203 – David Earnest 87.50
#209 – Todd McBride 85.50
#216 – Jon Lessmann 81.50
#270 – David Kittrell  66
#280 – Justin Tadlock  31
#309 – Tammi Collins 0

Congrats to all the Alabama anglers that qualified for the National Championship.

You can track events happening in Alabama with our Alabama Kayak Fishing Events tracker page.

A hub of resources for kayak anglers in Alabama.