Monthly archives: March, 2020

YakAttack Partnership

March 24, 2020 0 Comment

Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ is very excited to be partnering with YakAttack for our upcoming season!

YakAttack makes some of the best kayak fishing gear and accessories in the industry, so we’re more than happy to have them on board.

Winners at all of our events this year will receive a YakAttack prize pack!

Please support those who support us and the sport by liking/subscribing to their various social media channels.

Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

One of our other sponsors, Go Bananas Outdoors, is a local YakAttack retailer, so if you’re ever in need of some new gear, be sure to check them out as well!

Big Changes for Kayak Bass Fishing

March 17, 2020 0 Comment

Been some shakeup over in KBF Land the last week or so. If you haven’t watched any of the videos or aren’t in the Members Only Facebook group, here’s a list of the more significant changes that affect us…

KBF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

They held on for as long as possible, but the KBF National Championship has been postponed. Tentatively, they’re looking at the first week in November. Nothing concrete yet, but that’s what they said.

Obviously this will mean that some of us who had qualified and planned to fish it will no longer be able to, but maybe it will open the door to some others who couldn’t fish it this month but can in November.

Disappointing, though, for sure.

PARTNER/CHALLENGE/TRAIL SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS

Originally, the Partner Championship and Challenge Series Championship were to take place concurrently on October 17–18 on Caddo Lake, followed by the Trail Championship the next weekend on Kentucky Lake.

Not ideal for someone who may have qualified for and wanted to fish all three.

Well, now everything is combined. Again. Like last year. There is a Youth Series Championship somewhere in the mix there, but I don’t know much about it and it doesn’t really apply to any of us in this group. But that’s also been combined with it.

Assuming they wanted as much time between these events and the National Championship (if the November dates stand), these combined championships will take place on Caddo Lake, October 17–18.

PRO SERIES

The Pro Series has been dissolved into the Trail Series. All previously scheduled Pro Series events are now Trail Events.

This includes the Pro Open that was scheduled for May 2 on Hopatcong Lake in NJ. It is now a Trail Event for the northeast region. Great for us. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all that fun stuff, this one is in jeopardy of being postponed. More on that below…

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Regional Championships are no more. I have yet to wrap my head around this one. These events are now rebranded as SuperTrail events and you do not have to qualify to fish them.

I have no idea if this means there will no longer be a Regional Champion or Regional Angler of the Year or what, but I feel like some of the shine has been scrubbed off of this one. There’s something to be said about earning your way to a championship and winning it. Now anyone can fish it. Just gotta be a KBF member.

This SuperTrail will be worth points and a half in the Angler of the Year race. So going into the Trail Championship, if you’re gunning for overall Angler of the Year or the TEN, your best three Trail events and SuperTrail event points will count.

POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL EVENT POSTPONEMENTS

In addition to the National Championship postponement, KBF has tentatively postponed all live events in the next 60 days. That puts our brand new Hopatcong Lake Trail event inside the bubble. If things change for the better out there and all these quarantines and travel/social gathering restrictions are lifted, then the show will go on, nothing changes. But as of right now, the May 2 event is slated to be rescheduled. Bummer.

If things get worse…well, now you’re talking about the Lake George event as well, which is just outside that 60-day window.

STATE CHALLENGE SERIES

A bit of good news among all this: the KBF State Challenges are still going to happen as scheduled. The Massachusetts state challenge starts on April 1, and registration is open on TourneyX now, so go on and sign up. You’ll still need to adhere to any local restrictions imposed by the state or whatever, but you should be able to compete.

Lord Hoover did say that, if your state does not reach five or more anglers, it will not be combined with another state and there will be no challenge. They simply do not have the time to do that at the moment. So make sure your state gets at least five anglers. Massachusetts won’t have this problem, of course.

Anyway, can’t say I’m happy about all of this, but it’s all out of my control. When things change, and I’m sure they will, I’ll let you know…

Ken Wood Joins the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team

March 13, 2020 0 Comment

Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ founder, Ken Wood, has joined the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team. Here is his statement…

• • •

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Life is a journey, not a destination.”

My interpretation of this quote has always been a simple one, but Louis L’Amour probably said it best: “Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen.”

Where you start doesn’t determine where you finish. It’s everything in between that gets you there and matters most, and I’ve always been one to embrace and focus on the many adventures within the long journey to my final destination, whatever that may be.

On this day four years ago, I traveled down to Delaware Paddlesports on my way to the first-ever Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship on Kentucky Lake. That short detour started my journey with Jackson Kayak, with the purchase of a brand new Big Rig.

I’ve been with Jackson ever since, from that first Big Rig to the Coosa FD and now the Big Rig HD/FD. As an angler, there isn’t another kayak I’d rather be in.

At the 2018 National Championship, I found myself knocking on death’s door in the frigid waters of Lake Barkley, having flipped my Coosa FD.

In the process of trying to flip the kayak back over, I bent and broke the lower unit of the Flex Drive.

Upon hearing of this, Jackson Kayak and their team stepped up and had a new lower unit for me the following day. I was rattled and not much interested in fishing, but I was back on the water facing my newfound fear. Words can’t explain how important that was.

My loyalty doesn’t come easy, but Jackson has it, for many reasons.

And so I am excited to announce that I’ve accepted a position on the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team, alongside Joshua Evans, Matt Ball, Henry Veggian, Russell Johnson, Richard Wohlwend-Penny, Josh Stewart, Dwayne Taff, Jamie Broad, and so many more, giants of the kayak bass fishing community.

I don’t know where this road leads, and I don’t want to. Never do. I just want to be present and available for whatever adventure comes next. This is just one of them.

Photo courtesy of Scott Beutjer.

A Few Things About This Year’s Season…

March 10, 2020 0 Comment

A few things about this year’s season…

RULES

First and foremost, read the rules. We are partnered with Kayak Bass Fishing, therefore we have adopted their Competition Rules Standards, which you can find here.

Whether you’re new to kayak fishing or have fished with us before, please read the rules and make sure you understand everything. If you have questions, please ask.

While we follow the bulk of those rules, we do have an addendum to them, some minor deviations that are specific to Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’. Please read them as well…

MEMBERSHIP

MAKB does not require a membership to fish our events. However, if you wish to qualify for Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) or B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series events through our trail, you must be a member of that respective organization.

For instance, if you wish to qualify for the KBF National Championship, you must be a KBF member (Ambassador level excluded) prior to the start of our event.

The same applies to the Massachusetts B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series Championship.

No retroactive qualifications!

Purchase your KBF membership here.

B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series membership info forthcoming…

APPROVED MEASURING BOARD

Everyone needs to have one, and only an approved measuring board will be allowed. No exceptions!

Check out this document for additional links to purchase, as well as some pros and cons on each.

*Please note that due to the recent FlexGate controversy, the major kayak fishing organizations—KBF, Hobie B.O.S., and B.A.S.S. Nation—will be changing their rules regarding approved measuring boards, if they haven’t already done so.

The Ketch Board will become the new industry standard (a new composite board is coming in June, priced at $29.99). While we’re not yet sure if we’ll implement any changes for 2020, it is in your best interest to purchase a Ketch Board if you plan to fish any events hosted by these other organizations.

IDENTIFIER HOLDERS

One of the most important items we need in kayak tournament fishing is our event identifier.

The universal identifier holder is the TourneyTag. This is a simple strap-and-pouch design, but it works with all boards on the market.

You can purchase it here.

If you go with the Ketch Board (highly recommended), consider picking up Jim Strunk’s Flip-It Tourney ID Holder. Designed for the Ketch Board, this simple yet ingenious product is a must have. His current stock (sitting at 47 right now) will be it for a while, as his season is about to start as well, so grab one while you can.

You can purchase it here.

TOURNEYX WEB APP

While there are a handful of phone and web apps out there, the Big 3—KBF, B.A.S.S. Nation, and Hobie—use TourneyX. MAKB does as well, so you must have a TourneyX angler account.

Register here.

Please use your real name, and if you also have a KBF membership or plan to purchase one, please use the same e-mail address for both.

These accounts are free, unless you wish to pay for the “pro” account ($30 annually), which gives you access to additional stats and features.

When you create your account, or if you already have one, consider affiliating yourself with Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ (MAKB) through TourneyX’s Clubs feature.

TOURNEYX PHONE APP

You will also need on your phone the TourneyX PRO app (you can download it from the app store on your phone) or a link to the website.

We use TourneyX for uploading and judging submissions, and either will work for uploading fish. I would suggest having both just in case there are any issues with one or the other.

Please note that on your phone you will also need to have location services turned on and allow TourneyX access to your phone’s location. If you upload fish without this, your fish will be denied (if you’re even allowed to upload them).

TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION

You will not be able to sign up for any event until 7 PM the Sunday before each tournament. Once it goes live on TourneyX, a link will be posted on the Facebook group page.

This is the fairest way to do it, as we max out each event. Quickly. If you miss out, we will create an alternates list.

We are considering running secondary events on the same day, depending on how many alternates we have. We’re still exploring this idea…

If you have any questions, let us know.

Announcing the Massachusetts B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series

March 9, 2020 0 Comment

With his second place finish at the very first B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series tournament on Logan Martin Lake last week, our buddy Mark Edwards got to experience something many of us never thought possible or only dreamed about: walking across the Bassmaster Classic stage and holding a trophy high!

Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ is proud to announce that we are now an official B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series club, offering anglers their shot at bass fishing glory and a chance to stand on the 2021 Bassmaster Classic stage like so many legends have in the past.

For the 2020 season, all ten of our regular-season events will be qualifying events for the Massachusetts B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series State Championship, which will take place on October 10 at Lake Nippenicket. The top three finishers in each event will qualify!

In addition, the top fifteen anglers in our 2020 Angler of the Year race will also qualify.

To be eligible, you must meet all of the requirements listed on the registration page linked below before the start of any qualifying event.

Potentially forty-five anglers will qualify, though that is unlikely, as there will be no roll-downs and no doubt some overlap there in the top fifteen overall and the top three finishers at events throughout the season.

For instance, if this applied to our 2019 season, excluding the spots earned by previous qualifiers, only 21 anglers would have qualified to fish the championship.

Of those who do qualify for the state championship, the top five finishers at that event will have earned their chance to fish the B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series National Championship—which will coincide with the Bassmaster Classic—in 2021!

Who wants to stand upon that stage like a legend?

Follow this link for more details (or click the B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series link from the menu at the top of this page). The link to register is at the bottom of that page.

The Massachusetts B.A.S.S. Nation awards banquet is this coming Saturday. Your state dues covers entry into this event. Would be great to see some of you there!

If you have any questions, just ask.

(And sorry this took so long to post and there’s not much time between now and the banquet. I was waiting on them for something, and they were waiting on me for something. Little confusion there, so I’m sorry about that.)