Kayak Tournament Season Kick-Off

The 2019 kayak fishing tournament season is under way, and this blog is your place to keep up with all the happenings. We’ll be bringing this blog to you monthly, updating you on what’s happened across the local club trails and keeping you in the loop on upcoming events as anglers try to qualify for— and win—the 2019 Georgia Kayak Bass State Championship. The planning is still underway for the 2019 Championship, so I don’t have a lot of the details to share just yet. Hopefully I’ll be able to fill you in next month on all the particulars.

We have four clubs competing again this year—Chattahoochee Kayak Anglers (CKA), East Central Georgia Kayak Anglers (ECGKA), Peach State Kayak Anglers (PSKA) and Reel Krazy Kayak Tournament Fishing (RKKTF). All but Reel Krazy kicked off their seasons in February. First up was PSKA on Feb. 2 on Lake Seminole.

Charles Shelnutt with a 21.5-inch Seminole largemouth caught in the PSKA tournament.

Bad weather seems to love PSKA season openers, and this year was no different. Cold rain fell early in the week leading up to the event, and then rain that wasn’t forecast fell Friday night into Saturday morning. Seminole was muddy and dropped 2 degrees from Friday to Saturday, and it showed in the standings. Of the 34 anglers entered, only three managed to turn in five-fish stringers. The winning angler was Will Clements, of Watkinsville, for his 75.25-inch stringer. Big bass honors went to Charles Shelnutt, of Loganville, with a 21.5-inch largemouth.

The next club to kick off their season was ECGKA, and weather was a factor for them, as well. A cold front hit the day before their season opener on Lake Hartwell on Feb. 9. While over half of the field of 36 anglers managed to catch fish, only seven found five fish to complete their stringers. Congratulations go out to winner, Tony Yang, for his 84.25-inch stringer. Tournament newcomer Joshua Little took second place and big bass, which was a 22.5-inch toad.

David Scott with a 22.25-inch largemouth that weighed more than 8 pounds. He caught it during the Feb 16 CKA event.

The final club starting their season in February was CKA, and it wouldn’t be fair if they had good conditions right? Their event on Feb. 16 was plagued by the rain that fell across central and north Georgia for most of the month. Their eligible water was from the West Point Dam to the Lake Oliver Dam, and the river was up and muddy. Despite these tough conditions, David Scott managed to pull out the win with an 89.75-inch stringer, anchored by a 22.25-inch largemouth that weighed more than 8 pounds. David also took big-bass honors for the event.

Upcoming Tournament Schedule
March 2: Lake Sinclair, ECGKA
March 9: Rocky Mountain PFA, PSKA & RKKTF co-event
March 16: Eufala (Riverbend to Walter F. George), CKA

Check back in late March for the March recap and updates on some great events coming in April.