Category: Tournament News

Sponsor Announcement: Torege

March 2, 2022 0 Comment

We are very happy to announce that we have partnered with Torege for the upcoming season!

Torege makes high-quality sunglasses in a variety of styles for a variety of different scenarios, from biking to skiing to fishing and more. And we all know how important sunglasses are on a bright, sunny day on the water.

Torege has graciously provided a pair of their Theseus series sunglasses to give away at every event! That includes our regular-season live events and championship, Thursday Night Throwdowns, Monthly Online Challenges, and Catch ‘Em All Brawls. MAKB members will also receive 25% off all online orders. Amazing!

So elevate your performance with Torege this season!

Please support those who support us by giving them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Sponsor Announcement: Yakrods

February 25, 2022 0 Comment

Yakrods may be relatively new to the game, but they’ve made a big impact in a short period of time. And we’re thrilled to announce we have partnered with them for the 2022 season!

Yakrods has a growing line of high-end fishing rods made specifically for kayak anglers by kayak anglers, which is all backed by a lifetime warranty! Anchored by a strong pro team comprised of some of the best anglers in the business—local hammer Derek Brundle, Jimmy McClurkan, Ivan Cruz, and the 2022 KBF the TEN champion Cody Henley—you can expect nothing but great things to come from Yakrods.

Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ members will receive a 10% discount on all online orders, and Yakrods will be donating one of their signature rods for our championship event!

Please support those who support us by giving them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Sponsor Announcement: Neverlost Gear

February 24, 2022 0 Comment

We are thrilled to announce that we have partnered with Neverlost Gear for this season!

Whether you’re new to the kayak world or a seasoned veteran, the day will come when one minute you’re holding your rod or phone, and the next minute it’s sinking to the bottom of the lake. There are YouTubers making millions through views on videos where they recover all these items that people lose while out on the water.

Some of them have unfortunately flipped a fully rigged kayak and lost thousands of dollars’ worth of gear in an instant. And that’s where Neverlost Gear comes in. From rod tethers to paddle leashes, drag and tow ropes to phone savers, Neverlost Gear has what you need!

And they have generously donated some of these to giveaway at our events, as well as offered all members a 10% discount on all online orders.

Please support those who support us by giving them a like and follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Sponsor Announcement: Three Belles Outfitters

February 23, 2022 0 Comment

Kayak fishing in the Northeast has grown exponentially in recent years, due in no small part to great companies like Three Belles Outfitters, whose motto is “Life is better on the water.” As one of the biggest kayak dealers in the nation, we are very grateful that they never forget the “little guys.”

For our 2022 season, Three Belles Outfitters will be offering Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ members additional savings on in-store and online purchases, as well as providing an outstanding prize pack for our championship event, sweetening the pot for what should already be an amazing event.

Whether you need kayak accessories, rigging, or you’re in the market for a new kayak, Three Belles Outfitters has you covered. They also run one of the biggest saltwater tournaments in the region, the Trifecta Challenge, and will be stepping into the kayak bass fishing tournament ring this year, running a small Connecticut trail of their own.

Life is better on the water, and Three Belles Outfitters understands it better than most.

Please support those who support us by giving them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Sponsor Announcement: Rocky Ledge Tackle

February 22, 2022 0 Comment

We very excited to announce that Rocky Ledge Tackle will continue to sponsor Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ through the 2022 season!

Based in New Hampshire, Owner Jim Migliozzi makes some of the best baits around. You can expect nothing but quality from Rocky Ledge Tackle: bass fishing staples like spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jigs, to some of the most unique baits in the game, which is what really sets them apart.

Be sure to check out the Bladed Swim Jig, Swimbait Jig, CAT5 Wakebait, Vibra-Bug Finesse Spinnerbait, and one the sweetest spinnerbaits you’ll ever fish, the Swimming Spinnerbait.

Winners of our no-limit Catch ‘Em All Brawl events this season will receive a Rocky Ledge Tackle prize pack, and all Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ members will receive a 20% discount on all online orders.

Please support those who support us by giving them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Sponsor Announcement: Old Glory Outdoors

February 21, 2022 0 Comment

We a very happy to announce that Old Glory Outdoors will once again be sponsoring Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’!

Veteran owned and operated, Old Glory Outdoors is located in East Brookfield, MA, and has an extensive lineup of rods and reels, as well as a wide variety of artificial baits and tackle, from 6th Sense to X Zone Lures to Z Man and much more. Old Glory Outdoors also has your live bait needs covered.

Owner Joe Brown is an avid outdoorsman, and it shows. Drop in and see for yourself!

At every regular season event this season, the angler who hauls in the tournament lunker—the Old Glory Outdoors Big Bass—will receive a $20 gift card. Old Glory Outdoors will also be providing an extensive prize pack for our championship, and all members will receive a 20% discount on all in-store and online orders!

Please support those who support us by giving them a like and follow on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

And the 2021 Eastern Division Angler of the Year is…

February 18, 2022 0 Comment

Winning the Angler of the Year title is about consistency. It’s a slow burn. Winning obviously doesn’t hurt, but performing on a high level over the course of the season is what brings home the Angler of the Year trophy. A single misstep, as we saw in the Western Division, is often the death knell on an angler’s chances of taking home that title.

The Eastern Division Angler of the Year race was anyone’s game through the first three events. Ken Wood sat at the top after two events, but Mike Morcone, Valber Santos, and Bruce Levy were nipping at his heels. Mike won the second event of the season, while Valber won the third.

After a poor showing at that third event, Ken dropped from the top and Mike and Bruce Levy took the top two spots, respectively.

Our hybrid Angler of the Year format was designed to keep the race competitive all season long. An angler “running away with it” isn’t easy under this format, which is based on an anglers top twenty-five biggest bass over the course of the season, plus bonus points for top-five finishes (five for first, four for second, and so forth).

In years past, the Angler of the Year’s total points were the result of a number of quality bass, but with only one or two of them being over twenty inches. It’s not easy catching giants during tournaments, especially when sharing the water—which is usually a small body of water around here—with two dozen other anglers.

But sometimes an angler stumbles upon something special…

At our Nashua River event, Bruce Levy did just that, dropping the hammer on not only one giant, but five of them! Four of those bass were twenty inches or longer, with his smallest going 19.25 inches. His total that day was a massive 102.5 inches, which planted him firmly atop the Angler of the Year standings, casting a big shadow over the rest of the field!

The historical stats don’t exist to back this up, but it’s highly likely that this is the biggest limit ever caught during a single-day kayak bass fishing tournament in the state, if not all of New England. At a minimum, it is the biggest limit caught during a Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ event, and without a doubt will remain there on top for a very long time.

While a few anglers still had opportunities to dethrone Bruce during the remaining events, this single performance made that very difficult. He followed it up with just two additional second-place finishes over six events, but he also added a number of quality fish to his yearly total, including one more over twenty inches, ultimately bringing his points total to 463.75.

So without further ado, your 2021 Eastern Division Angler of the Year…


Bruce Levy, 2021 Eastern Division Angler of the Year

Congrats on an EPIC season, one unlikely to be duplicated any time soon!

And the 2021 Western Division Angler of the Year is…

February 17, 2022 0 Comment

Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ has grown to be the biggest, most successful kayak bass fishing series in Massachusetts, if not all of New England. Much of our success in 2021 was owed to Jigs and Bigs co-host Shawn Dominik and Nelson da Costa, both of whom stepped up to run our new Western Division.

Fittingly, these two anglers battled it out all season over on the western side of the state.

With just seven events in their inaugural season, becoming the first-ever Western Division Angler of the Year wasn’t easy. There was little margin for error. With our hybrid Angler of the Year format—your biggest twenty fish over the course of the season, bonus points for top-five finishes—a single misstep could have put either of them out of contention.

Shawn Dominik made his plans known right out the gate, at the first event of the season, by taking home the victory with a solid 84 inches, nearly seven inches over second place. Nelson wasn’t far behind in fourth place.

Two events later, Nelson took the top spot.

Over the course of the season, Shawn notched two victories, one second-place finish, and two thirds. While Nelson only won a single event, he scored two seconds, a third, and two fourth-place finishes.

Our Angler of the Year format rewards performance, but it also rewards the quality of fish an angler catches during the season. The bigger, the better!

Out of the seven regular-season Western Division events, Shawn caught the biggest bass in two events, while Nelson caught lunker in three. Each angler had accumulated twenty bonus points for top-five finishes. They were neck and neck all season long, and everything came down to the wire at our championship event. But while Shawn held an eight-and-a-half point lead in the standings, Nelson’s smallest six bass on the season were 14-inchers…and he’d done very well pre-fishing.

Within the first hour, Shawn put up his first bass. It wasn’t big enough to add to his Angler of the Year total, but it was one fish to Nelson’s zero. It would remain that way for the next four hours, when Shawn began adding to his total. At the end of it all, nothing would change for Nelson, who suffered that dreaded misstep, giving Shawn a well-deserved fifth place for the championship and firmly secured his place atop the Western Division Angler of the Year standings!


Shawn Dominik, 2021 Western Division Angler of the Year

Congratulations on a great season! There can never be another inaugural Western Division Angler of the Year champion!

The 2022 Knockout Series: New England

January 17, 2022 0 Comment

The Knockout Series is expanding!

Started in 2016, this bracketed, one-on-one tournament series has been a success each season. For the 2022 season, however, we have decided to allow anglers from all New England states to compete in the series.

As such, some old rules needed to be changed, while new rules needed to be implemented.

The complete updated rules can be found here. If you intend to compete this season, please read them thoroughly, even if you’ve competed in previous years, as much has changed.

Registration for the 2022 season will go live on Fishing Chaos on February 1, with Round 1 starting on April 1.

If you have any questions, let us know.

2022 Tournament Updates and Changes

January 17, 2022 0 Comment

As we enter our seventh season, we have some new opportunities on the horizon, as well as some changes to existing things, which you’ll want to read about below…

SUNDAY EVENTS

Due to the speed at which this sport continues to grow, especially up here in the Northeast, opportunities that just a few years ago were out of reach for many are now well within grasp. As such, we decided to include a handful of Sunday events to de-conflict with some of the other trails that anglers may want to fish this season.

We have three Sunday events lined up, all in the Eastern Division. Those dates are June 5 at Agawam Mill Pond, June 19 at Whitehall Reservoir, and July 24 on the Nashua River. So mark your calendars and don’t show up on Saturday.

Like always, registration for these events will go live at 7 PM the Sunday before. And the pre-fishing deadline will be extended by one day for Sunday events.

DOUBLE DOWN

We’ve added a Double Down option to every Eastern Division event this season. This is an optional winner-takes-all sidepot (less credit card processing fees), which doubles the cost of the entry fee ($50). When registering for an event, you’ll be able to purchase the Double Down ticket. At the end of the event, the angler with the biggest limit who also doubled down wins it all.

TIE-BREAKERS

The options for tie-breakers in kayak fishing are limited. Practical ones, anyway. You can go by the next biggest fish or by the first fish caught. Most people think the former is the fairest, while some think it’s the latter.

Fishing Chaos, our tournament management software, does not account for the next biggest bass when determining lunker. It will do this to determine the overall winner for an event, but not lunker. Instead, it defaults to the first fish caught.

At the end of our championship event last year, Fishing Chaos listed one angler as the winner of the lunker pool, which was a significant amount of money. Unfortunately, he wasn’t aware that the app was limited, and therefore thought he’d won. Two other anglers, however, had caught a bass the same size. Out of those three anglers, the one who caught his big fish last actually won, due to his having the next biggest fish.

We know the angler who thought he’d won was disappointed, as were we because of it.

So over the winter we discussed this and came up with a compromise. Going forward, if there is a tie for lunker, we will determine the winner by the actual length of the fish. If one fish’s tail just touches the 18-inch mark, for instance, while the other comes closer to the 18.25-inch mark, we will award the lunker prize to the angler with the longest bass based on where it lands on the measuring board, not by the last quarter-inch line it touches/crosses.

If we are unable to definitively determine the biggest bass this way, we will go to the next biggest and repeat the process, if necessary, until we determine a winner.

NEW ANGLER OF THE YEAR FORMAT

The first year we did Angler of the Year, it was a points-based format and it didn’t work. Three-quarters of the way through the season, it was clear that the wrong angler was going to win. So we spent some time talking with other directors around the country and we came up with a hybrid format, one that gave points based on the quality of fish caught (top 25 of the season) and where an angler finished in the standings (bonus points for the top 5 anglers).

That format worked well, but we are changing it again this season.

One mistake we think we made that first year was not having any drop-events. So in 2022, the Eastern Division will have three drop-events and the Western Division will have two. For those unfamiliar, drop-events are your worst events of the season. If you fish all ten Eastern Division events, for example, your best seven will determine your Angler of the Year ranking. Your worst three showings will be excluded.

In addition, we will be adopting a simple points-based format, the same format that KBF and EKF uses. For a more detailed breakdown, check out the Angler of the Year page here.

One of Fishing Chaos’s many great features includes a live Angler of the Year leaderboard, which changes as the standings change during a tournament. With this new format, we will be able to utilize this built-in feature, which means everything will update in real time. No more waiting for the manual update, which was very time-consuming.

MONTHLY ONLINE CHALLENGE SERIES

The Monthly Online Challenge Series will begin in April. Anglers will once again be required to choose the week they want to fish when registering. We understand this is a gamble to some extent, not knowing what the conditions will be when signing up if, for instance, you choose Week 4, but…that’s part of the challenge.

By only being able to fish a week, this levels the playing field to some extent, giving all anglers a better chance at winning.

THE CATCH ‘EM ALL BRAWLS

We will continue to do the Catch ‘Em All Brawls. These are our no-limit online events, where anglers can fish a lake of their choosing and catch as many bass over 12 inches as they can! Like last year, you can expect Spring, Summer, and Fall Brawls this season.

THURSDAY NIGHT THROWDOWNS

The Thursday Night Throwdowns will continue this season. Once again limited to the Eastern Division. We don’t have a date on when these will start, but since they do extend into the evening a bit—5 to 9 PM—we will determine the start of the season based on the weather, when the days are longer and the evenings start to warm.

And that’s all we have for now. Expect more updates in the days to come, including new sponsor announcements, rules updates, and an update on the Knockout Series, which is getting an overhaul.

If you have any questions, let us know!