In previous seasons, we had the summer doldrums: the late season grind that ended in September’s Gate City Classic. This year, with a newly extended schedule, the old grind becomes a summer stretch.
The 2026 CKA season enters that summer stretch this month with events scheduled for Hyco (June 27), Burlington (July 25) and Gaston (August 29). Unlike the previous twelve seasons, we will continue fishing deep into the fall bite this year with events scheduled through late October.
Combined with increased attendance and a new format that limits the impact of Forward Facing Sonar, the new schedule means anglers face more variables. Seasonal bites will change, summer anglers will have more of a chance to shine, and everyone gets more time to scout water. As a result, the AOY and ROY races remain wide open.
And we will begin a CKA Wildcat Series in mid-June……….
Sayers Wins Carolina Classic on the Yadkin Chain
Speaking of Angler of the Year candidates, Jonathan Sayers threw his hat in the ring at the previous CKA event, where we fished on the Yadkin Chain, hosted by Stanley County.
As he told it, he started fishing from a kayak in 2024 after spending the previous fifteen plus years fishing in boat tournaments. Working his way up through the KBF Monthly Challenges in 2025, he built experience and rigged his kayak to his liking. the hard work and patience paid off on the Yadkin Chain, where CKA held its third event of the season in early May. Sayers explained his pre-fishing:
“I rigged up a wacky worm and chucked it out in about twenty-five feet of water. About fifteen feet down, my line just got tight. I got him in, and he measured about 18”….I went off to the side and started cranking across the point. It was a 3XD, a perch color. I caught a couple then and then I said ‘I’m done.’ I just took off.”
Sayers knew better than to burn the spot he had found, and it resulted in victory on tournament day. When CKA asked him if he would fish the rest of the season, his reply was “I ain’t gonna miss a tournament.”
Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year
Sayers has fished two events this season and currently ranks 21st in the AOY standings. By winning the Yadkin Chain event, he has already punched his ticket for the Tournament of Champions. But to compete for AOY and ROY, his work is cut out.
At the moment, a formidable angler has the lead in the Angler of the Year Points Race. Bryan Tsiolkas is a three-time AOY champ and holds second place all-time in the wins column. But despite it all, his lead is only two points after three events. That means the door is wide open.
Currently, the top three are separated by a mere six points. Additionally, Will Lambert, Sammy Wilson and Jonathan Sayers each have tallied wins this season, meaning they have an ace in the hole should Tsiolkas not win first place in the coming months. And because lowest scores are dropped anything can still happen with five events to go.
The same can be said for the CKA Rookie of the Year race, but with this caveat: with five events remaining, an as yet unknown angler could sign up, go on a tear over four events and take the crown from any of the current qualified competitors.
Wildcat Series
With wide open races for AOY and ROY, a good shootout every month in the online series and a TOC that is setting up to be an epic, what more could anglers want?
A Wildcat Series, that’s what.
When our friends at Central Carolina Kayak Fishing [CCKF] concluded a successful five year run, anglers mentioned they enjoyed the occasional wildcat events that CCKF held. CKA directors listened. And as a tribute to the good work that Mitch Lassiter did in running CCKF, we decided to continue the tradition.
Three Wildcat events will be held in 2026, all on Jordan Lake (in June, July and August). They will be single ramp launches and a different ramp will be used each time. The events will run from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday evenings and Forward Facing Sonar will NOT be permitted. If there is sustained interest we will hold a championship round in the fall.
Get your bug spray, retrieve some cash from the ATM and follow the CKA social media for more details to come.
And don’t forget the CKA Series resumes June 27 at Hyco!
Additional Info
For complete standings from CKA at the Yadkin Chain presented by Stanly County, go to: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/wwpFQAHFByRbv5fcAikd
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 June 4, 2026.
