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 that cures all ills.
Shearon Harris
About that first-time champion….
Isaiah Stanley wasn’t planning to fish at Shearon Harris. It’s a two-hour drive from where he lives in Fairmount, N.C. But in the end he decided to support a family member who also fished the event. “I wanted to fish with my cousin Jamar, so he wouldn’t be out by himself.”
Stanley’s devotion to family was rewarded with a first-place finish. On a tough day that produced few bites, Stanley used the same technique that worked for him in the one CKA event he fished last season (at Mackintosh):
“I caught eight and lost two, and all but one was on a wacky rig. It was tipped with an Okechobee craw, blue on top, green on the bottom. All I did was let it soak. Then I would wait for my line to take off, and that was it.”
Stanley’s patience paid off – he caught the only limit of the day. Judging by his fish, he was probably catching males that were moving up near spawning eras to guard beds.
Some big females were caught, however. Michael Benjamin’s 20.75” bass won two hourlies and also the events big bass payout, for a grand total of $580.
Bobby Bowers, Josh McKenny, Will Lambert, Robert Randolph, Ryan Hayes and Stephen Bell all won hourly big bass payouts, too. And Stephen Bell told CKA directors that he lost what he believes to be a double-digit bass during the final hour.
Josh McKenney and Ryan Hayes took second and third places on the day, with McKenney besting third place by 1”, despite having one less bass (he had three to Hayes’ four fish).
It was one of those days that happens every so often – a weird bite and some wild finishes.
Younger and New Anglers Appear in Numbers
CKA (est. 2013) isn’t only the longest-running kayak fishing club in North Carolina, it is also the oldest in another sense: our core membership leaned, until recently, as heavily towards AARP as towards B.A.S.S.
In a welcome change, younger anglers have turned out to fish with CKA in recent years. And by younger, we don’t always mean by age – some are also new to the sport.
We appreciate them all. Take a look at the leaderboard from Saturday, and you will notice many newer names. In fact, 8 of the top 10 anglers only began fishing CKA events in the past year or two. And while Will Lambert has several more years of experience, he isn’t exactly an old-timer, either (with two AOY titles to his name since 2019, he is however an O.G.).
CKA has dedicated itself to rebuilding from the ground up in recent years, updating policies, changing its schedule and more in order to broaden the club’s appeal as older anglers age out and newer folks come in. That strategy is showing some progress, and we are thankful for every single angler who shows up to fish the tournaments.
Up Next
CKA event number three will be held at the reigning king of the Carolina lakes, mighty Mackintosh!
Register here for the event: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/SDJvkAKC8z3bocsb73Tv
Additional Info:
Follow Isaiah Stanley and his brother Sam at https://www.youtube.com/@FlippinKrickets
For complete Harris standings, see https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/f9snBl7mZYIkDtJmdP8t
CKA also thanks Four Seven Lures, Bingo Life, YakAttack and Dakota Lithium for event prizes.
If you have questions, reach out to CKA through our email address.
All content and photos © Carolina Kayak Anglers LLC, 2025.
First Published March 31, 2025
