Rules

Carolina Kayak Anglers Rules Standard

Most recent update: 1.2.2025

Carolina Kayak Anglers (CKA) rules follow the models set by major kayak tournament fishing organizations. Generally speaking, CKA follows the Kayak Bass Fishing Rules Standard with some slight modifications listed below that are specific to all CKA events (unless otherwise noted on the individual event page on Fishing Chaos).

Membership and Participation

All CKA event participation is open to the public. Membership is not required.

Membership in CKA includes:

• 10% Discount from Get Outdoors Pedal and Paddle
• Angler of the Year Points
• Rookie of the Year Points (see Rookie of the Year eligibility)
• Tournament of Champions Qualification (See TOC eligibility)

Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) Membership is not required but it is encouraged so the top 25% of anglers can accept KBF National Championship Qualifications provided by CKA. 

Rookie of the Year Eligibility

Anglers who have fished no more than 1 event in the history of CKA are eligible to fish for the Rookie of the Year title. Anglers must be CKA members in good standing, accruing points through the year at multiple events. 

The Rookie of the Year is determined by total points from the best 3 regular season events plus the Gate City Classic. Ties will be broken by best finish, then second best finish and so on.

Angler of the Year Eligibility

All CKA members in good standing are eligible to fish for the Angler of the Year title accruing points through the year at multiple events. 

The Angler of the Year is determined by total points from the best 5 regular season events plus the Gate City Classic. Ties will be broken by best finish, then second best finish and so on.

Tournament of Champions Eligibility

Automatic qualifiers: The winner of the previous year’s Tournament of Champions and also the current season’s Rookie of the Year receive automatic bids.

All regular season tournament winners and the Gate City Classic champion are automatically eligible to fish the Tournament of Champions.

All CKA members are eligible to qualify for the Tournament of Champions by finishing in the top 20% of the club but they must fish a minimum of five events (ROY is excluded). Spots in the top 20% that are held by current year event champions, Rookie of the Year and previous Tournament of Champions winner will roll down until reaching all anglers who fished a minimum of five events are exhausted. 

If an angler is not a member at the time of their first place finish at a regular season event, the angler can pay the CKA membership fee plus penalty ($100 total) prior to the end of the Gate City Classic awards ceremony to be valid to participate in the TOC. 

Anglers will only accrue points after membership sign up. Signing up after the event will NOT award points for that event towards the anglers total for Angler or Rookie awards.

Refunds

Anglers have the ability to request a refund up until the the Event ID Code is released, typically at 8:00 p.m. on the night before the tournament. Refund will subtract any transaction and / or administration fees. 

360° Lights

All anglers must display a white light that is visible 360 degrees between sunset and sunrise to ensure safety during tournament hours.

Exception: Kerr Lake, Lake Wylie (see post on vessel lighting laws), where additional lighting is required for motor-powered vessels.

Minimum Fish Length

Minimum fish length: 10 inches for all events except for the Tournament of Champions (if a fish is less than 10″ after having a penalty assessed, it is denied). Tournament of Champions has a 12″ minimum length.

Hand Placement

The fish’s eye may not be blocked and no part of the hand may be placed under the gill plate. Additionally, the hand or fingers may not excessively obstruct visibility of the tail. Note also that forearm placement may be a factor; a forearm cannot cover the fish’s tail, mouth or eye.

Prefishing and Competition Periods

Prefishing will end at sundown or lake closure (whichever is first) on the Sunday prior to a Saturday event. Anglers must be OFF THE WATER at this time and must stay off the water from Monday through Friday. This rule applies also to the Tournament of Champions, as noted below.

Additionally, fish may not be submitted to the online series from tournament waters during the off-limits period. A CKA angler who is found to be or have been fishing on the tournament water for any reason will be disqualified from the event. Additional infractions may result in a permanent ban.

Note: there may be an exception to the no pre-fishing rule. In the case of a joint event such as the Carolina Classic, the no pre-fishing rule may not be a factor, depending on the host club’s own rules. Please ask if it is unclear.

For CKA regular season events, the no pre-fishing rule will apply. It will not apply to Winter Series tournaments.

Competition period is from lines in until lines out. All tournament rules must be followed during the competition period whether in the act of fishing or not. 

Tournament of Champions location will be off limits from time of draw until lines in on tournament day.

PFD Exception

The only exception to this rule is the clothing exception; in such cases, the angler can stop moving and fishing, take their line out of the water and proceed to remove PFD in order to remove or add clothing for comfort. The angler can only proceed when the PFD is put back on and fastened properly.

Inflatable PFDs are allowed; this however excludes the belt style inflatable which is NOT allowed. We also do not recommend anglers use manual only inflatable PFDs although they are permissible. Please consider automatic versions and please maintain and test your PFDs as recommended by the manufacturer. 

On the Water/Off the Water

For safety, anglers are asked to use Fishing Chaos to indicate when they are “In the Water” at their launch area and to click the “Off the Water” button when they return. If you change ramp locations during an event, we ask that you they Check “On the Water” again before leaving the next launch area. In this way, CKA directors can help, too, in case of an emergency.

Post-Tournament Check In 

Check-In at the event headquarters is mandatory after the tournament for all anglers who wish to retain their points. Anglers must sign in at the HQ location in order to receive points. You do not have to stay for the awards ( you can sign in and leave), although you must be present to receive prizes (we do not ship trophies).

An angler who checks in up to 10 minutes late will receive a 20 point penalty. After 10 minutes, all points are lost for the event. Late anglers will still receive trophies/payouts.

Emergencies will be considered on an individual basis and voted on by all CKA directors. Directors ask that an angler provide advance notice if they know beforehand whether they must leave a tournament early for a prior engagement. One such exemption will be granted to an angler each season.

Communications During Competition

Verbal communication with anglers is allowed for anglers sharing the same water, and conversations are not restricted in this scenario. Electronic communications are however not permitted between anglers on the water, as stated in the KBF standard (6-C).

Big Bass Competition

CKA registration automatically includes a big bass registration for the biggest bass caught overall (hourly big bass competition, when available, is a separate fee).

For big bass, CKA diverges from the KBF rules in deciding tie-breakers (see “scoring” in KBF Rules): our big bass tie-breaker is earliest submission time (not time caught/photographed). For example, if two 20″ bass are caught during an event, the fish that is uploaded first wins big bass.

Priority of submission time applies also to hourly big bass competitions.

Measuring Boards

Acceptable measuring boards for all KBF competitions are the aluminum Ketch Products Measuring Board, the Ketch Karbonate (plastic) and the Ketch X (as stated in KBF Rules), as well as the YakAttack Leaderboard.

Event Disputes and Questions

CKA encourages anglers to ask questions in order to clarify rules and prevent errors and disputes. CKA uses a two-part process for disputes and appeals. This is to guarantee the integrity of the process, protect the anglers and directors involved and provide transparency to all participants.

• Disputes

To file a dispute, a Competitor must notify CKA within 24 hours of the conclusion of official competition time (“lines out”) by sending a message (with evidence attached, or description of that evidence) to the official CKA email account: nckayakanglers@gmail.com. Competitor must send the message from their email account that is linked to his CKA membership. Thereafter, all official communication will be made via email only (text messages, social media messages or other communication will not be accepted). That communication must remain confidential throughout the process in order to protect the integrity of the review.

A dispute may be filed only by a Competitor. It may regard questions regarding rules, reporting of the infraction of rules or dispute of a result.

The Competitor will be notified that the official communication has been received. At that time, the Tournament Director will review the dispute and decide upon one of the following

1. to deny the dispute, with written explanation for the denial or
2. to conduct an official review of the dispute and consult with other CKA Directors, judges and/or CKA members who did not compete in the event.

The Event Director will proceed in a timely manner, with the understanding that the review is pro bono and that other commitments may delay the review.

Upon completion of the review, the Tournament Director will provide written communication (via email) of the result.

• Appeals

A competitor may appeal a ruling. In such case, CKA will forward all relevant materials to a new Committee consisting of a CKA director, a second person (who is either a director of another kayak fishing club or a kayak angler from outside the state of North Carolina) and a third party from a nationally regarded kayak fishing entity. They will review, vote and return a decision on the appeal within seven days of their receipt of materials. The Committee’s decision shall be considered final.

Note: CKA strongly encourages anglers to record their tournaments on video or at the very least to record a live video release of each fish submitted, and to retain those videos should any dispute arise. Video documentation of live release provides evidence of a live fish that may seem to be unhealthy or otherwise questionable, and protects your catch from being denied by the judge or disputed by a competitor.

Public Comments

CKA reserves the right to disqualify, suspend or ban any angler from participating in future events if the angler uses any public platform(s) to denigrate the CKA organization, the Kayak Bass Fishing organization, any of either organizations directors/employees or fellow anglers.

CKA works hard to provide events for your enjoyment and our participation is completely voluntary, as is your participation. If CKA is not all you want it to be, by all means feel free to volunteer and/or help make it better with positive engagement.

Angler Responsibility

It is an angler’s responsibility to become familiar with and follow the rules as stated above and in the KBF updates. CKA judges and directors must enforce rules fairly. Anyone can make a mistake and if you make one and are penalized, the ruling isn’t personal. We want anglers to have fun, catch fish and compete. Conversely, you are welcome to make a reasonable challenge to a ruling; even when challenges are not successful, CKA makes a point of listening to anglers and modifying rules after a review at the end of each season. CKA will not however modify a rule within the course of a season.

If you need clarification after reading the rules, contact a CKA director and ask for an official explanation. Our tournament directors contribute to KBF’s discussions of national rules standards, and your point might make a helpful difference in wording of a rule or a complete rule change.

For a full listing and explanation of all current KBF rules, please click here: 

KBF Rules Standard