Whitley wins Classic, AOY & ROY Updates

Hank
Whitley wins Classic, AOY & ROY Updates

The third edition of the Carolina Classic marked another milestone for North Carolina’s home-based fishing clubs: since 2023, each of the three founding clubs has hosted the event one time. The event has become a staple of our busy state-wide community and the 2025 edition, hosted perfectly by Foothills Kayak Anglers (with an assist from Waterways of Old Fort N.C.) added a memorable chapter in the event’s story. What will 2025 bring for the Carolina Classic? We shall see! The Carolina Classic also imparted some definition to the respective CKA…

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Lambert hits century mark, Carolina Classic next

Hank
Lambert hits century mark, Carolina Classic next

It’s been a strange spring as cold weather and an unpredictable spawn kept anglers on their heels. We hoped Mackintosh would cure our springtime blues. It did, producing limits across the top 10 on a beautiful day with a great turnout. May is setting up to be a great month. With the Kayak Adventure Series at nearby Buggs Island, the Carolina Classic and the CKA 20 for $25 series in full bloom, it feels like springtime fishing has finally arrived! Lake Mackintosh We all know Mack is a good bass…

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Stanley Wins Harris, Youth Movement Continues

Hank
Stanley Wins Harris, Youth Movement Continues

It was a long, cold winter by Carolina standards, and the delayed appearance of a strong springtime bite continues to perplex kayak anglers. Combined with constant winds on tournament weekends, this has been the sort of early season that tests everyone’s bass fishing skills. But sometimes that’s a good thing. In the first place, we have a wide-open Angler of the Year race. In the second place, the young season has already produced a first-time event champion. And finally, Mackintosh is next on the schedule. It’s the kind of lake…

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CKA Recap: Tsiolkas Wins Windy Season Opener at Tillery

Hank
CKA Recap: Tsiolkas Wins Windy Season Opener at Tillery

Tsiolkas Wins, Approaches All Time Record When CKA directors set up the 2025 schedule, we listened to angler suggestions and feedback. And we decided to open the year at Lake Tillery, the southernmost fishery on the Yadkin Chain in North Carolina, and one of the southernmost lakes in our rotation. It was the first time Tillery hosted a CKA season opener, and with two visits to the Yadkin Chain (CKA will fish Tuckertown in June), it made for a nice trip. With the scenic Uwharrie Mountains framing the fishery, anglers…

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CKA 2025 Season Preview

Hank
CKA 2025 Season Preview

CKA enters its twelfth season with the wind at its back. Attendance was steady last year, tournaments produced big bags and CKA payouts topped $35,000. Will Lambert had a historic season, too, winning his second Angler of the Year title in five years, the 20 for 24 Series and the Battle on the Border. The only title he didn’t take was the Tournament of Champions (which Ryan Hayes won). In 2023, it seemed Bryan Tsiolkas could not be stopped. Will Lambert had the same aura of invincibility in 2024. Who…

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