A great poet once wrote that “April is the cruelest month.”
With the way Jordan Lake has been fishing since early March, you would have been right to expect CKA’s second tournament of the year to prove the poet wrong. Indeed, many predicted multiple 100” limits during the Captains Meeting for CKA at Jordan Lake presented by Carolina Waters, while others hesitated.
It turns out the pessimists were correct, but not entirely. Jordan delivered some big bites for anglers. When it was over, five fish of 21” or longer were submitted, including a 23” tank landed by Logan Turner.
From end to end, it was a tough event in which fishing pressure, boat traffic and a high-pressure system sitting over the area all played a role. The anglers who placed, won hourly bass prizes or earned AOY points had to grind through every bite in a hot sun that felt more like July than April. Despite a great turnout of 55 competitors, less than 100 bass were posted in all.
If April wasn’t cruel, then Jordan Lake certainly was.
Early Bites, Missed Bites and Big Bites
The morning started with a cold bite but one angler came out hot. Leland Stuff posted three good early fish, but he missed a few good ones as well while fishing a topwater bait. He held the early lead, however, until Michael Benjamin passed him with a limit of four fish. Benjamin held the lead until noon, when Stiff posted his fourth fish and moved back into first place. Stiff then posted his fifth fish and took a commanding lead.
The bite remained slow but consistent. That description summarizes the style of Will Lambert, too. As noon came and went, it became apparent that he was stacking a good limit. When he reached five fish, Lambert passed Stiff by a mere .25”. Benjamin, who had steadily worked to within striking distance, remained in third place overall. Brian Falbe and Diego Contreras rounded out the final money spots in the final standings, a good mix of veteran anglers and more recent faces to the club.
Michael Benjamin landed his fish primarily by fishing a jerk bait and a spinnerbait. Stiff, landed his using finesse tactics, including a green pumpkin mini Brush Hog and a Four Seven Lures Shaky Worm. Will Lambert land his five keepers using five different lures: a popper, a swim jig, a wacky worm, a swim bait and Texas-rigged plastic.
With his win, Will Lambert became the first angler in CKA history to reach double-digit victories in the club, and he now has earned a spot in the 2026 CKA Tournament of Champions.
Big Bass Hourly
The CKA Big Bass hourly produced for anglers yet again, as five anglers who were not in the money won hourly big bass prizes. Those anglers were Ronald Singletary, Drew Blair, Brandon Baine, Garriett Chavis and Logan Turner. Will Lambert and Leland Stiff rounded out the other spots (Lambert claimed two hourlies). Turner hauled in a 23” tank of a Jordan Lake Bigmouth to claim the overall Big Bass pot, too.
Payouts
In sum, the eight hourly spots paid out $1,040 in total, and five of those anglers did not cash checks elsewhere. Logan Turner won $550 for big bass, for a total of $680 for a single fish.
Additionally, the top five money spots in the tournament paid out a total of $1,990. Will Lambert won two hourlies, making his total haul $1180. In total, CKA paid out over $3,000 in prize money to ten unique competitors.
Judges’ Note
Event judging went more smoothly for this event, with anglers answering calls from the judge and problem solving when issues arose. Only two fish were denied tout court – one for an illegible ID code and the other for being positioned incorrectly on the board. CKA directors are grateful to all the anglers for their patience and good manners.
Next Up…
CKA will resume its 2026 season on Saturday, May 2 on the Yadkin Chain, hosted by Stanly County. To register, click here. Forward Facing Sonar will be allowed in that event.
Please note that anglers who plan to fish the N.C. B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Event must register by April 29, 2026.
Additional Info
For Complete Standings from CKA at Jordan Lake presented by Carolina Waters, go to: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/ieavRdQOR42SWE4wRYAH
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 April 19, 2026.
