NCRWC Biologist Seth Mycko didn’t predict big bags from Belews for the CKA opener. While showing a graph of an NC Wildlife electro shock survey of the lake, he noted the vast majority of fish were in the 14”-16” range. “Alabama Bass have colonized 90% of the lake,” he said, and he said it grimly.
When 2025 CKA Angler of the Year Brian Tsiolkas came on the show, he said the lake contained Largemouth Bass and that those fish would be the difference.
Mycko and Tsiolkas were both right.
The majority of fish caught in this past Saturday’s CKA season opener were Alabama Bass, an invasive species. But the anglers who had bigger Largemouth as anchor fish, or a stringer of them, fared best on the leaderboard.
Matt Mullins posted the first limit of the day. Averaging around 15” per bass, he set the early tone. Soon thereafter, Sammy Wilson started posting fish – and he kept going. His first limit measured in the upper 80’s, and he hit 90” even at noon, courtesy of two fish in the 19” class and a few culls. With three hours left, the question was only if it would hold, or if another angler would make the jump ahead.
Brandon Baine held second place during that time. His 21” Largemouth held first place on the Big Bass leaderboard, which also had a 20” bass on it, too. Wilson’s 19.75” held the third spot overall. In the meantime, Wilson had won two spots in the Big Bass hourly event, Baine’s 21” held one hour; Alex Sterling had one too. Eric Nelson won the fifth hour with his 20”. Overall, Belews Lake was over-performing in terms of the quality of fish it produced.
As the day warmed, more than half of the more than 250 bass submitted for judging were landed, photographed and released. But the overall size began to dwindle, and smaller fish won the hourly big bass (for more about that event, see below).
Two Baits, Three Victories
As the CKA season opener ended on Belews Lake, Sammy Wilson’s score of 90” held on for the victory. Sammy told CKA at the awards:
“I had a limit by about 7:40 a.m.. I caught them all on topwater. I switched to a small Texas rigged craw, working stump flats. I was barely moving it and the bass would hit it. Those were my culls.”
Sammy’s focus on two primary, effective lures lead to his winning both the main event plus two of the hourly big bass pots, for a total payday of $1,025.
Additionally, it was Sammy’s third victory in CKA competition. He first won at Tuckertown in 2019, on his way to the CKA Rookie of the Year title. In early 2020, he won a “Wild Card” event where anglers picked a lake to fish. Since, then, he had been quiet, until this past Saturday. Sammy Wilson is now qualified for the 2026 Tournament of Champions, hosted by Visit Greensboro, and he joins rare company in the CKA Hall of Champions as a three -time multi-event champion.
CKA Hourly Big Bass
The CKA Big bass hourly prize paid out $104 per hour at Saturday’s event. Seven different anglers won at least one hourly. They were
- Sammy Wilson (Hours 1 and 2)
- Brandon Baine (Hour 3)
- Alex Sterling (Hour 4)
- Eric Nelson (Hour 5)
- Leland Stiff (Hour 6)
- Kari Jump (Hour 7)
- Jeremy Vaughn (Hour 8)
Brandon Baine’s 21” Largemouth won the Big Bass side pot, too. Conversely, Kari Jump’s 16.75” was the shortest bass to win an hourly. It just goes to show that every cast counts. Additionally, we applaud Kari Jump for being the first woman to cash a check during a CKA event.
Up Next
CKA will resume its 2026 season on Saturday, April 18 on Jordan Lake. That will be a NON-FFS event! To register, click here.
Additional Info
To watch the CKA Live post-event broadcast featuring Sammy Wilson, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dstM0700FQ
For Complete Standings from Belews Lake, go to: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/3vxHnujNFjmwkG3vtyCz
CKA thanks Four Seven Lures and Hobie Eyewear for event prizes.
If you have questions, reach out to CKA through our email address.
All content and photos © Carolina Kayak Anglers LLC, 2026. The author did not use Artificial Intelligence to compose this article.
First Published March 20, 2026.
