Koz

I just saw that there will be no Hobie Bass Open Series in 2025. This is huge news as Hobie was the first to put together national events. I never fished one of those events, but I heard that attendance had dropped significantly. In their press release, Hobie did state this was not a factor. I think this drives a few more people to the Bassmaster events simply because of economics. Because of costs, many people who fished in both series had to pick and choose events.

No, this is how all bigger tournaments work. For example, when Fishers of Men wanted to hold a boat tournament here on Lake Oconee they wanted our Chamber to give them $20k. We ran the numbers and found out they would not bring near that value to our county (lodging, food and beverage, publicity, etc). We passed on that so they chose another venue. If I remember correctly, BASS looks for something like $100k - $200k to bring an Elite tournament to a lake. I have no idea if that has increased for 2025 since there are no more entry fees for Elites. But they have other requirements regarding hotel beds, weigh in venues, etc. I’m not sure what MLF requires from Chambers and Visitor Bureaus.

See one of my earlier posts. Entry fees are not enough to finance these events. Local Chambers / Visitor Bureaus get financing from local accommodations taxes and by charter they have to invest much of that in bringing more tourism to the market. There’s more including acquiring a venue for on site registration, awards, travel for BASS personnel, promotions and advertising, etc. And of course, I’m sure B.A.S.S. is trying to turn a bit of a profit.

They tried to schedule Clear Lake or another California fishery but they ran into headache after headache including environmental issues. It was mentioned that California was not friendly to these types of events.

Rumor has it there will be a Native No Limits tournament there, but it’s just a rumor. That schedule is supposed to be released by Christmas. Steve Owen’s indicated it was a lot of boat tournaments there next year.

Many states have their own Bass Nation Kayak series and the top finishers in those series qualify for the Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship. That’s the kayak version of the Bassmaster Classic. This year, Bassmaster averaged over 200 anglers at each kayak event. That’s incredible. They might do that in 2025 as well, but I think a lot of those will be new anglers as the events are so far apart. But I still think that BASS is using this to gauge popularity. I think by 2026 it’s up to 10 events and the championship will be televised. There are also rumblings of an Elite kayak series. It really stinks - for me - that I don’t have multiple tournaments near me. If I accept this new job offer I would be with a branded hotel group and that means I can stay in their hotel brands from $0 - $29 a night instead of $100 - $200 a night. That’s a huge annual savings. Anyway, all indications are that this series is really going to grow in the next 3 - 5 years. If anyone is interested in kayak tournament fishing without all of this ridiculous travel, check to see if your state has a Bass Nation Kayak Series. Entry fees are reasonable and you can fish them all or pick and choose events.

Chambers of Commerce actually allocate money to help finance these events. They get their money from local hospitality taxes and by charter are required to invest a percentage of those tax revenues back into tourism. I have served as a Chamber board member in multiple regions. Tournament registration fees simply cannot cover the costs of marketing the events, administrative fees and travel, etc.

I live right on a big lake and can launch in my backyard. I get plenty of opportunity for zen moments, especially if I take out my pedal drive instead of my Autopilot.

Steve Owen’s (Bassmaster TD) said there were already a number of tournaments there next year and the Chamber of Commerce / Visitor’s Bureau didn’t have the funding for more tournaments.

The schedule dropped tonight: January: Lake Havasu, AZ February: Kissimee Chain of Lakes, FL April: Dale Hollow, TN May: Lake Tenkiller, OK July: Lake Champlain, NY September: Toledo Bend, TX All great fisheries but the general consensus is that it's too spread out. Your top 3 finishes count towards AOY, but it will be tough for most to make even three tournaments with all of that travel. If I'm still living in GA (which is doubtful), both Dale Hollow and Kissimmee are 6 hours away. Tenkiller is 13 hours away, Champlain is 18 hours away, Toled0 Bend is 12 hours away, and Havasu might as well be on another planet (29 hours away). If I'm SC, Kissimmee is about the same but add two hours or more for the others. I'd like to fish Kissimmee, but I doubt that happens if I take a new job in January. It looks like I'll just be fishing Bass Nation events in SC and maybe GA next year. That's too bad, because I really was hoping to fish 3-4 Bassmaster events in 2025. The Bassmaster TD did say that in 2026 he expects much tighter groupings of events. I think they want to see if they can still get 220+ anglers at some of these western events and my guess is that of they do, they end up with an East Series and West Series within the next three years.

No, I love my kayak. But in real life I'm a problem solver. I have an engineering degree and my mind is always looking for ways to make things more efficient. That could be things like ease of use, saving time, saving money, etc. Just wait until you see the mods I'm working on for my kayak! In tournament kayak fishing, I have found that saving time is important. For example, in a bass boat you can run wide open throttle and cover a lot of water to get to your next fishing spot. But in a kayak tournament, many anglers head back to the ramp, load up their kayak, and then drive to another ramp. Every minute you save is another minute you could be fishing. That's the same reason why many boaters ditch their 75 HP motors for a 200 HP motor. This 100% I know there are some bass boat guys that don't get that, and there's nothing wrong with that. I can't really explain it, but it's a zen like feeling where brain clears of all of the noise and stress and I just connect with my surroundings.

Christmas is about the only time of year that I DON’T buy fishing or kayak gear.

For the 2025 season, Native Watercraft / Newport takes over the title sponsorship. I guess I’ll need some new decals for my kayak. Also, the schedule is supposed to drop today. The TD gave us a hint the other day stating there would be an event “out west” that was not California. My guess is Arizona. There’s no way I’m making that trek. I’m hoping for events in SC, GA, FL, and AL that will be manageable trips for me. They also added an event this season. As always, your best three events count towards AOY. Stay tuned for the schedule drop.

It seems that everyone on BR wants me to buy a pickup truck and a boat🤣🤣 And that’s another thing I have to consider. My Bronco Sport is less than 2 years old and has a towing capacity of only 2,200 pounds. So if I buy a boat, I also need a new vehicle. So that’s between $60k and $150k. I’m right side up on my Bronco, but that’s a lot of debt at this stage of my life.

I just turned 60 last month, and while I’m in good health now and still have a bit of strength, I know that can all go downhill rather quickly. If and when that does happen, I don’t want to have to give up fishing if and when my physical abilities deteriorate.

We got him as a rescue 12 years ago and we think he’s 14 or 15 years old. He’s missing most of his teeth, has a narrow windpipe, and a leaky heart valve that’s getting worse. He still runs and plays, but every now and then he has some bad days. Hopefully he has a few more years left in him.

I have one of those. He’s a good boy.

When I get back to the ramp I beach my kayak, back the trailer into the water, move my kayak next to the trailer, clip the winch cable to the bow, push the kayak out behind the trailer into, pull the kayak to the bunks, and winch it in. It sounds complicated, but it goes quickly. I’m in the water a bit, so I wear muck boots when the water is cold and wear my Skechers slip ons when the water is warm. When I unload I push it off the trailer and beach it or use a dock rope and tie it up to the dock while I park my truck. Again, quick and easy. But lately I’ve seen videos of anglers that when they get back to the ramp they spot lock the kayak, back their trailer into the water, then remotely back their Autopilot onto the trailer. I never even thought about spot locking my kayak while grabbing my truck let alone remotely backing it onto the trailer. Have any of you tried that? Right now, my bunks are fairly close together so the grooves in the hull rest on the bunks. So if I tried to back it on like that the motor would hit the bunks. I’d probably have to widen and raise the bunks for this to work on my Malone trailer. To even see if this would work I’d have to adjust the bunks and fit the kayak on dry land so zi would have to remove batteries and equipment to lighten the load. Anyway, has anyone here loaded their AP backwards on their trailer?

Length matters. Said the tournament kayak angler.

See one of my other posts. He was on a podcast last week and discussed how he knew where to fish.

That’s a lot of moving in one year! I’m fortunate that my relocation package includes packing and moving everything. They will pack everything and put in storage until I find a place to live. I’m hesitant to have them move my kayak, so maybe I’ll tow it and rent a storage unit until I find a house.

I went with the Uncle Nearest 1856. My palate is not refined enough to describe it, but I enjoy it more than the Knob Creek 9. In fact, it's smooth enough that you could get into trouble if you're not careful.

Well, I'm entertaining a new job in Charleston, SC and that would wipe out my vacation time. But where I'm looking at living I will be only 40 minutes away from Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie, better known as Santee Cooper Lakes. I heard there's some pretty good bass fishing there 😀 But he had fished there before and saw a video of someone pre-fishing and catching them and he knew exactly where that was. He was a Texas angler and familiar with the lake. He did say he caught 40+ fish on the day, although a lot of them were under the limit. Again, when you consider less than 300 fish caught with 173 anglers out there, it was brutal fishing. At lea$t you made $omething happen out there! Bass master has said they will not consider it because of the safety issue. If they did, Steve Owens (TD) said the would have to inspect every kayak to make sure it was seaworthy. They don't have the time and resources to do that. He also stated he doesn't want to take on that safety responsibility.

We’re good, buddy. It’s a healthy discussion. It stinks going into events blind, but with my job ai don’t have another choice. I do have 6 weeks of vacation saved up, but it looks like I’m going to quit my job by January and take a job in a different state.

Yes, not being able to pre fish for 4 or 5 days on a new lake is an absolute handicap. But I do have a job and have responsibilities. As a hotel GM, it’s not like there’s another person to fill my slot when I’m not there. That being said, I do tournaments for the fun and the experience. I don’t fish nearly as much as most of the other anglers and I’m OK with that. I do take the time to study charts and maps, look at Google Earth, and in some cases I can find info on patterns and locations for past BPT and Elite events. DNR websites and fishing guide websites also usually provide information. As someone who power fishes, I’m usually on the move, sometimes to me detrimental. I have been working at staying put in prime locations, but I find it hard to sit in one place and wait for one good bite an hour. I only fished 4 tournaments this year, but next year I plan to fish the full Bass Nation GA or SC tour depending upon where I’m living. The Bassmaster schedule drops next week and depending upon where they are I may fish one or more. Sure, it would be nice to win, but with 200+ anglers at each event the odds are against everyone. Right now I’m in it to learn and have fun and meet some people. Tournament fishing in a kayak is not as easy as it looks. Even the BPT and Elite guys have commented on kayak tournaments being harder keying on the fact that it’s harder to cover water. My gut feeling now is I will buy the XTR next year after I see how others are rigging them and seeing their lists of pros and cons. I’ll probably keep the AP as well, at least for a while.