Every CKA season is its own chapter but each one is also its own book. We traveled hard, made new memories and caught a lot of big Carolina bass.
Let’s take a look at how the 2025 season concluded, and also look ahead….
The Gate City Classic
Greensboro area lakes host the Gate City Classic tournament that closes every CKA season, and this year those lakes produced some big fish and some even bigger surprises.
After trailing several anglers in the Angler of the Year race at mid-season, perennial hammer Bryan Tsiolkas stormed back to win his third angler of the year title in the past five seasons. He did it by winning the Gate City Classic’s points-and-a-half format on his way to a come from behind victory. The win was his eight overall in CKA competition dating back to 2014, but it came during a season that was harder than most. In Bryan’s words:
“This year has been full of highs and lows, not just in my tournament season but in my personal life as well. Coming into the year, I wasn’t too focused on winning Angler of the Year since I had already accomplished that goal. I started the season with a win on Tillery, then headed to Harris and completely bombed that event and a couple others. But with how the schedule lined up, I knew I could finish strong in five of the events.
At mid-season, my grandfather, who was my biggest fan, passed away. That loss threw a wrench in my mental game and made everything a little heavier.
Running for points isn’t for the faint of heart. You must stay consistent. The trend is clear: you need at least one win to stay in contention, especially when you’re fishing against the top kayak anglers in the state.
Heading into the Gate City Classic, I honestly didn’t think I had a real shot. But I knew I needed a big bag. I’d been practicing at High Point City lake in the weeks leading up to the event but it just never came together. So I decided to go in blind at Randleman. I knew that if the bigs were home, I could smash them. And that’s exactly what happened.
A wise man once told me, ‘it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon…’
Rest in peace, Poppa. This one was for you.”
Tsiolkas’ win added a new wrinkle in Tsiolkas’ friendly rivalry with Will Lambert, too. Lambert appeared to have a third straight AOY crown in his hands only to have Tsiolkas take it away on the final day of competition. Between them, they have shattered club records and won six out of seven AOY titles since 2019. Lambert vs. Tsiolkas has become like P.C. Hawj vs. Rick Rowland once upon a time, when those two anglers battled it out every season between 2015-2018.
About their battles, Tsiolkas said:
“Over the past few years, Will and I have traded shots. We’re both extremely competitive and have a strong mutual respect. We do fish similar [techniques} at certain times of the year, hints why we find the same area that are producing giants. There have been a few tournaments where we shared water and pulled for each other, but at the end of the day, we both want to win.”
For the record, Tsiolkas won the title at Randleman Reservoir, posting more than 100” from a lake that has played second fiddle to Mackintosh in recent years.
Tsiolkas was not the only angler to deliver a surprise win at the Gate City Classic. Ryan Hayes won the Big Bass prize sponsored by Broken Twig Landing Nets when he bagged a 23” tank during the final hour of competition.
Rookie of the Year was also wrapped up by Justin Avery, who also had a mid-season surge to take the title from early points leader Tad Whitley. Whitley would have some measure of revenge on the final day of CKA competition in 2025……
On winning ROY, Avery told CKA:
“Coming from Florida, I was hesitant to enter tournament fishing in a state I was unfamiliar with. I took the leap regardless, and my first year with CKA was nothing that I thought it would be. As far as fishing goes, this was the most challenging yet rewarding thing I’ve done so far. I stuck true to my roots as a shallow angler and learned to move and make time-sensitive decisions on the water in a tournament setting. It paid off in a huge way with a ROY title for 2025 and multiple top five finishes. I look forward to continuing kayak fishing, and strongly encourage any anglers that are on the fence about trying it to take the leap.”
2025 Tournament of Champions
Tuckertown was the lake drawn to host the 2025 CKA Tournament of Champions, marking CKA’s fifth visit to the lake for a stand-alone event. A two-day tournament with no entry fee, the event guaranteed payouts for the top 10 finishers. Tuckertown has a reputation for delivering big fish, but with this being the club’s first visit during the autumn bite, it was anyone’s guess as to what would happen.
Enter Hank.
“I was excited to fish the lake in the fall, because I felt my favorite area was an ideal spot for the late season. On day one, that hunch proved to be true, as I fished clean all day and ended the day in first place overall, and a six-inch lead heading into day two (just like last season at Jordan Lake).
Day Two. And like last season at Jordan, I could not land a limit. With hungry, capable anglers in every kayak, I knew it would end badly for me.
Nearly every angler took advantage of my lapse, as the day two standings saw a handful of anglers vault into the lead.”
Alex Sterling held it late in the day, only to be passed by Brian Falbe and Will Lambert. In the end, it was ROY runner-up Tad Whitley who emerged victorious. After his victory was announced, Whitley cracked a joke for the ages. Referring to the calculation error that initially proclaimed him ROY, Whitley asked “Are you sure?”
The sure thing was that Whitley won the Tournament of Champions, capping a season with a win. After also winning the Carolina Classic at Lake James, Whitley started his CKA journey with two wins, some strong earnings and a kayak full of memories. He won the Tournament of Champions, in his words:
“Day one was all topwater. Every fish I caught was on a Strike King Sexy Dawg. I had a pretty uphill battle to try and catch the day one leader on the second day. I ended up finding a good early bite Sunday and caught my biggest bass for the tournament on a Four Seven Lures trick worm in a bubblegum color. That bite pretty abruptly ended around 9:30 am and I had to go back to the Sexy Dawg to overtake Will (Lambert, who finished in second place).”
Looking Ahead
The Battle on the Border is the end-of-year celebration of kayak fishing in Virginia and North Carolina. The state’s clubs collaborate on the event, and this year it will expand to two days. the single-day tournament on Saturday will crown a new champion. With Virginia leading 3-2, it’s a chance for North Carolina anglers to tie up the all-time standings. It’s also a chance for a Virginia angler to extend their lead, or an angler from elsewhere to swoop in and steal the crown.
The 2025 edition will see a new competition added. Sunday is dedicated to a Big Bass event, with hourly prizes.
After the Battle on the Border, CKA will announce its 2026 schedule, the CKA Winter Series and more.
To register for the Battle on the Border, go to: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/MTYnZ3Vc40Jqx68KCIDk
Additional Info
For complete Gate City Classic standings, see https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/cxfepovatWNsT5xIWQSb
For complete ToC standings, see https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/QmLl4jXU8JIIBFv7Hava
CKA thanks Four Seven Lures, YakAttack, Hobie Eyewear, The Rod Shop and Dakota Lithium Batteries, Broken Twig Landing Nets, ketch Products Inc, and Carolina Waters.
If you have questions, reach out to CKA through our email address.
All content and photos © Carolina Kayak Anglers LLC, 2025.
First Published October 13, 2025.
