Georgia Kayak Tournament Anglers Deal With High, Muddy Waters

The kayak tournament season has been underway for the past six weeks. Most all the clubs have had two events, so let’s get you all caught up on what’s been happening this season.

Jan. 26, Hard Labor Creek Reservoir: Peach State Kayak Anglers (PSKA) held the first event of the kayak tournament season at Hard Labor Creek Reservoir. It was a cold day with strong winds, but Rok Ly got on them good, putting up 82.75 inches. Charles Shelnutt came in second with 62.25 inches, followed by Jason Smith with 54.75 inches. Big bass went to Clay Ragsdale with 19.5 inches.

Feb. 8, Lake Eufaula: Chattahoochee Kayak Anglers (CKA) held their season kick off on Lake Eufaula. The lake was up from all the rain, and conditions were tough. Heath Daniel took the win with 64.75 inches and big fish at 22.75 inches. Ruben Pedro finished second with 39.75 inches, and Gauge Daniel rounded out the top three with 35.25 inches.

Pao Yee Thao won the Feb. 8 event at Hard Labor Reservoir.

Feb. 8, Hard Labor Creek Reservoir: Classic City Kayak Anglers (CCKA) and East Central Georgia Kayak Anglers (ECGKA) kicked off their seasons with a co-event at Hard Labor Creek Reservoir. It was a great turnout of 49 anglers, with most anglers finding fish. It was Pao Yee Thao’s 84-inch stringer that took the win, followed by Benjamine Vang and Juan Carlos Chacon, both with 75.25 inches. The tie-breaker went to Benjamine for having the largest bass. Big bass for the day was a 21.5-inch largemouth caught by Rok Ly.

Feb. 22, Lake Chatuge: The Georgia Kayak Fishing League (GAKFL) started off their season way up on the North Carolina border on Lake Chatuge. Jason Byers put up 88 inches to take the win. Jason Moore came in second with 86 inches and took big bass at 20.25 inches. Coleman Fowler finished third with 49.75 inches.

Feb. 22, Lake Seminole: PSKA held their second-annual Lake Seminole event. For the second year, a cold front rolled in and made fishing tough. Landon Anderson scored the win with 64 inches. Sok Keo took second with 58.5 inches. First-time kayak tournament angler Randall Langston took third with 42.75 inches on just two fish, 21.5 inches and 21.25 inches! Will Clements was the big-bass winner with a big old 23-inch Lake Seminole largemouth.

Feb. 29, Rocky Mountain PFA: Reel Krazy Kayak Tournament Fishing (RKKTF)  was the last of the clubs to start their season, opening on Rocky Mountain PFA. As always, the fishing at Rocky was tough, and it showed in the results. Zack Turner won his second event at Rocky in as many years with 69.75 inches. Jason Hopper (36 inches) and Aaron Wilson (34.75 inches) finished second and third, respectively. Josh Little and Chris Padgett shared the big-bass honors with a pair of 23-inch toads.

March 7, West Point: Originally scheduled for the Chattahoochee River, CKA had to move this event to West Point Lake due to the high, unsafe river conditions. The lake was up and muddy and the bite was tough, with only a few anglers even scoring fish. Dale Brown (75.5 inches), Bradley Henderson (53 inches) and Mitchell Smallwood (33.5 inches) went 1-2-3. Bradley also took big fish with 19.25 inches.

March 14, Lake Lanier: CCKA, ECGKA, GAKFL, and PSKA came together for the second-annual Lake Lanier multi-club event, and 75 anglers entered. With the heavy rains all spring, the lake was up and being drawn down. Despite these conditions, anglers got on the spots, with almost half the field turning in a full stringer. It was Daniel Smith’s 87-inch stringer that took first. Jon Hummel finished second with 86 inches, followed by Rok Ly in third with 85.75 inches. Big bass for the day went to Joseph Gayton for his 22.5-inch largemouth.

Check back soon, where I’ll get into all the great things happening on a national level.

The top-four GAKFL anglers from their Chatuge tournament (from left): Jason Moore (2nd), Jason Byers (1st), Coleman Fowler (3rd) and Lance Beck (4th).