Tsiolkas Wins 2023 Opener on Lake Norman

Summary

Carolina Kayak Anglers’ 10^th anniversary season kicked off with great weather and an even better turnout for the season’s inaugural event on Lake Norman presented by Sunshine Realty and Powered by Dakota Lithium Batteries. And with the return of mandatory check-ins after a multi-year break, the sense of community was strong as anglers socialized and applauded the winners in the lot of Carolina Fishing Tackle in Mooresville, N.C.

With 56 paid anglers, CKA paid out five spots overall. Enhanced sponsor prizes, combined with the lack of a fee for Fishing Chaos, make it so that CKA will pay out more at events than in any previous season. Additionally, the sponsor prize giveaways also contribute added value for anglers, who received a variety of items and gift cards during yesterday’s awards ceremony.

Most important: the fishing. CKA timed the 2023 schedule to coincide with optimal fishing periods on some of the state’s biggest and best bass fisheries. And while Norman has a stingy reputation, CKA anglers were unfazed. We caught impressive limits from the lake, and nearly two-thirds of the field (35 of 56) landed a limit of scoreable bass. Here is how some of the top anglers did their work…..

Patterns

Bryan Tsiolkas is the reigning 2022 CKA Angler of the Year, presented by Get Outdoors. A long-time CKA competitor, Tsiolkas saw all the hard work pay off last season when he began to place more consistently and win events.

His winning ways continued into early 2023 when his 91.25” limit took the overall spot earning him $1,275. How did he manage to average over 18” per fish on a lake renowned for its smaller bags? Tsiolkas told CKA:

“I actually missed some bigger bites, and the bite slowed down around lunch. I caught most of my fish early, using a Keitech swimbait and a shaky head rigged with a Zoom trick worm.”

Second place angler Nick Williams confirmed Tsiolkas’ observation about the early bite. Williams had a different pattern, however. He said:

“I caught some fish schooling on a flat, before 8 a.m. I landed mine on a jerk bait and a custom crankbait.”

Fourth place angler and long time CKA hammer Mitchel Rhodes also caught his fish early:

“I caught ‘em on a shaky head and a jig with a Zoom ultra vibe speed craw. My fish were on points, in about 9 feet of water. Most of my bites came between 7:30-10:30 in the morning.”

Lessons Learned

CKA has always told anglers that a mistake is an opportunity to learn something. We all make errors, and when we do it’s important to have them explained so anglers won’t repeat them.

Two anglers were penalized for rules infractions of various kinds. None were disqualified.

First, an angler lost his points for arriving late to the awards. In the updated CKA rules, disqualification and loss of prizes is not the result of that infraction. A penalty is nonetheless assessed.

Second, an angler correctly used the challenge function on Fishing Chaos to indicate that an angler’s hand placement on submitted catches violated a rule. Directors reviewed the angler submissions and they were denied.

Review Tournament Rules here: https://www.carolinakayakanglers.com/?page_id=38

Additional Info

Up next: Shearon Harris on March 25^th (there won’t be any spotted bass caught there!).

Click here for complete CKA10, Tournament 1 standings from Norman.