A Preview of the 2024 Carolina Classic

CKA Tournament 3

Falls Lake

May 4^th, 2024

Presented by On the Water Innovations

For the third event of the 2024 season powered by Dakota Lithium Batteries, CKA returns to Falls Lake for the first time in more than two years. Currently, our club has an amazing early season points race brewing for Angler of the Year. Additionally, we have been lucky so far with weather forecasts for our events – CKA has hit on all the best weekends of the season to date (and based on current models, Falls Lake may be another beautiful day). Finally, CKA has settled beautifully into a more limited geographic range as the more localized events on the schedule eliminate travel time and continue the community’s growth.

And speaking of community, this year CKA is the co-host of the second edition of the Carolina Classic. We have added a unique leaderboard for the event on Fishing Chaos plus a $50 Big Bass hourly prize presented by On the Water Innovations and Basstrail.com. With a great forecast, custom trophies and more on the line, Falls Lake is setting up for another memorable edition of the Carolina Class next week.

For details about the 2024 edition, read on!

The 2024 Carolina Classic: What It Is and How it Works

The Carolina Classic is a joint event organized to celebrate the kayak anglers and trails based in our state. It was started in 2023 when three clubs (CKA, FKA and CCKF) collaborated to hold an event on Lake Hickory. The successful event produced feedback that motivated the clubs to continue growing the tournament (we have special news coming soon regarding the 2025 version of the event, by the way…..)

This year’s edition will repeat last year’s format. One club (CCKF) will be the primary host, while a second club (CKA) will assist as co-host. Both clubs will hold events on the same water, making it essentially a joint event with separate leaderboards. However, there will also be a separate leaderboard for the Carolina Classic only. And Foothills Kayak Anglers will also host a leaderboard! (We promise that next year’s event will have a more streamlined format!)

Additional items include:

Only anglers who compete on BOTH the CKA and CCKF leaderboards are eligible to be considered for the Carolina Classic trophy
The separate tournaments are points events for their respective clubs
CKA anglers will win custom Ketch trophies for the CKA leaderboard, while Carolina Classic anglers who place will receive customized event checks
Anglers are not required to be club members to compete in the Carolina Classic; however, to retain points you must be a club member prior to the event.
Membership in both clubs is not necessary to win the event. For example, a CCKF member can fish both leaderboards without being a CKA member (and vice versa) and win the Carolina Classic.
There will be a separate Carolina Classic leaderboard on Fishing Chaos (this will also be the points event for the Basstrail NCKAR rankings)!
Finally, there will be special prizes courtesy of On The Water Innovations for the Carolina Classic (for more, read below!)

Payouts, Big Bass Hourly Prizes and more

CKA will pay out 100% of entry fees to the Classic and has ordered custom trophies for the event. CCKF has also decided not to hold back certain fees in order to augment payouts for the event. In addition, the clubs will have the usual sponsor giveaways. Expect big payouts on May 4th!

Also, On the Water Innovations and Basstrail.com have co-sponsored a $50 Big bass bonus for every hour. That means the biggest bass caught every hour on the CKA leaderboard wins $50 (ties are broken by earliest submission). Additionally, CCKF has added an extra $100 to the pot for Biggest Bass!

On the Water Innovations has generously provided the following prizes, too. They are available to anglers in the Carolina Classic!

1st place: Yakima Rod Box

2nd place: $300 OTWI Gift Card

3rd Place: $200 OTWI Gift Card

About the Lake

Falls Lake is a 12,410 acre reservoir located in Raleigh/Durham North Carolina. Please be sure to follow parking regulations at the launches, as this popular lake is closely monitored by NC Wildlife officers. To learn lake rules and find other information, visit the Falls Lake State Recreation Area site at: http://www.ncparks.gov/falls-lake-state-recreation-area

Getting Ready

Make an account: CKA uses the Fishing Chaos app for Catch-Photo-Release tournaments. Accounts are free, and angler’s save on fees with a membership.
Practice and pre-fish: We encourage new anglers to practice using the app. To that end, if you are practicing or pre-fishing for the Falls event, you can submit fish from eligible water to CKA’s 20 for 24 online tournament.
Renew your CKA membership and fishing license. If you want to save tournament points to compete for Rookie or Angler of the Year, become a CKA member. If you are a member, Fishing Chaos will inform you when it is time to renew!

Registration

Register: Click here to register for CKA Falls Lake.
To register with CCKF and be included in the Carolina Classic, sign up on TourneyX

Additional Info

A co-host in 2023, Foothills Kayak Anglers is the third club on the Carolina Classic organizing committee. This year’s Classic will be a points event for FKA. Follow them on Facebook!

Central Carolina Kayak Fishing tournament rules apply for this event. Be sure to follow the club’s Facebook page, read the event rules and follow CCKF on Facebook for updates.

All CKA Tournaments are 2024 KBF National Championship Qualifying Events, but you must be a KBF member prior to the CKA event. To become a KBF member, click here: https://www.kayakbassfishing.com/join/

Anglers must be present at the post-tournament check-in to retain points and collect CKA prizes.

Please be sure to obtain a valid N.C. license. CKA asks for proof of a valid license for anglers who win prizes.

Follow CKA on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram!

Click here for the full CKA schedule, tournament info, rules and more.

Click here for info on CKA’s 2024 season.

(This post was updated on April 30, 2024 to reflect changes)