After months of rumors within the kayak fishing community, the moment so many have been waiting for is finally here. It seems everyone wants a piece of the action when it comes to kayak bass fishing.
Late last year, we saw the announcement of the Hobie Bass Open Series and KBF announcing a Pro Tour, as well as a joint effort with FLW to Host the FLW KBK Open, allowing anglers to qualify for the inaugural KBF FLW Cup. Now B.A.S.S. Is getting in the mix for the 2020 season, with the launch of their very own trail, the inaugural Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. National Kayak Series, powered by TourneyX and presented by Abu Garcia.
“The inaugural tournament will be held in conjunction with the 50th edition of the Bassmaster Classic on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City, Ala., on March 5. Classic competition kicks-off on nearby Lake Guntersville the next morning.
Other events will be held on Lake Fork in Lake Fork Marina, Texas (March 14), Chickamauga Lake in Dayton, Tenn. (May 23), the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis. (Aug. 15) and Clear Lake in Lakeport, Calif. (Aug. 29)”
by bassmaster.com
In the initial announcement from Bassmaster, there were few details regarding how the events would be running or managed. However, it did state entries would be capped at 150 anglers, with entry fees being set at $250 and each event would pay out 30 spots. In addition, B.A.S.S. also stated they would be using the traditional kayak fishing format of Catch - photo -release. Photo submission will be managed through TourneyX and a live leaderboard will be visible up until the last hour of each event.
Possibly one of the most exciting parts of the announcement is that The B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series Championship will be held in conjunction with the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, putting kayak anglers on arguably the largest stage in competitive bass fishing.
Directly after the announcement, I went to our staff pages to get the initial thought from our anglers. Kayak angler and TRC blog contributor, Brad Oswalt, stated “Great schedule. Small and simple, but bucket list fisheries, great for kayaks. More info needed on rules, payout breakdowns, payments, etc. Paying out to 30 places every event is a big change from the normal in kayak tournaments. Using TourneyX was a smart move. I’m very intrigued And will try to make a couple.”
TRC National Pro Staff Manager, Eddie Endicott stated “I’m all in for anything that promotes the sport of bass fishing.”
TRC staffer, Grant Dole, weighed in saying “I love this new series - from the schedule to the way it will be ran in conjunction to the classic, is awesome. It really is a game changer. I think you will see a few guys actually start making a living from fishing tournaments out of a kayak”
TRCcovers KBF PRO - Alan Reed
"Having options is always good for the anglers, but more importantly having B.A.S.S in kayak fishing shows the legitimacy of the sport."
Without a doubt, both within our staff and publicly, the response to the recent announcement from Bassmaster seems to be overwhelmingly positive. With few details being released at this time, there is still some unanswered question and of course speculation going on, but overall, it appears B.A.S.S. got it right with this one.
Check out the full article released by Bassmaster by clicking the link below
https://www.bassmaster.com/news/bass-announces-new-national-tournament-series-kayak-anglers
We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this and it’s impact on the sport of bass fishing as a whole?
Sam Jones
A Kayak Angler and Social Media & Marketing Manager here at TRCcovers.
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