Carolina Kayak Anglers extended its seasonal schedule to allow for more time between tournaments in 2026, making it possible for anglers to pre-fish more, rest between events and also enjoy more nearby tournaments. We’ve had good feedback about it from several members of the club and the attendance numbers reinforce the trend: CKA attendance is up by 28 anglers over six events when compared to 2025. Thank you for getting out and fishing hard with CKA!
Let’s take a look at recent results, and look ahead at a great fall schedule, the points races and more.
Lambert sets new club record, Rogerson takes his first win
Will Lambert reached double digits in the victory column in impressive fashion at the 2026 Burlington Brawl, the fifth CKA event of the season. He scouted available lakes hard prior to the tournament, posting big numbers in the CKA 20 for 26 online series, and then put up big numbers on tournament day. An absolute killer at breaking down patterns, lambert should write a textbook at this point that reviews the tremendous run he has been on in recent years, in CKA competition and beyond. Lambert ended by posting a new club record: a limit of 110”. At 22” per fish, those are Texas/Florida numbers, and confirmation of the amazing fisheries we enjoy in the Carolina Piedmont.
In the season’s sixth event, Wilton Rogerson won at Gaston Lake. Rogerson has fished in CKA events for a half decade, but is not a regular attendee. However, those who fish the Kayak Bass Fishing Challenge Series will know him well, and he is a regular at the annual Battle on the Border at Kerr Lake. Rogerson defended his home turf at Gaston by putting up a big limit of 90.75”, besting Garriett Chavis’ strong showing in second place by a comfortable margin of 6”. This was only the second time that CKA visited Gaston for a regular season event, but the great turnout helped keep up the club’s overall attendance (our numbers have not dipped below 36 anglers this summer, whereas last summer they did so twice).
Looking Ahead: Battle on the Border, Falls Lake and the Gate City Classic
Much will be decided in the coming months, but this year we take an early detour to Buggs Island for the annual rivalry event between Virginia and North Carolina sponsored by Vance County Tourism. Currently, Virginia leads the series 4-2, but Carolina anglers have fished well of late in the watershed. Let’s keep fishing hard and get closer to evening the series! Registration is open, so click here and get ready!
The CKA points race will resume at Falls Lake, sponsored by Hobie Eyewear, on September 26th. With one quarter of the season left to fish, the AOY points standings remain competitive. Clay Lanier finds himself in the lead, with perennial contender Bryan Tsiolkas on his heels. Tad Whitley, Leland Stiff and Diego Contreras round out the top five (with Contreras currently in the lead for ROY honors, too). However, Will Lambert has only fished four events (and won two of them), so he has yet to complete his maximum number of tournaments for the season. Will he make a run at the AOY title? With two non-FFS events remaining, will Lanier and Tsiolkas battle it out, or will one of the other contenders (like Sammy Wilson or Brooks Lanier) finish strong and take the crown?
The event at Falls will be followed by the Gate City Classic and Tournament of Champions on October 24th-25th, hosted by Visit Greensboro, NC. Anglers still have time to book rooms and qualify for that the Tournament of Champions, which will be held on the same weekend as a single day event.
Here are the links again for upcoming events!
Battle on the Border: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/l8rvdVecAfSBo5ip7DVa
Falls Lake: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/PjIaRZ3IYILNhJSa1H2c
Gate City Classic: https://app.fishingchaos.com/tournament/PNIDHqAlCF2c7pVT2ud5
Additional Info
CKA thanks Four Seven Lures and Hobie Eyewear for event prizes.
For complete standings from The Burlington Brawl and Lake Gaston, visit the CKA Hall of Champions page, here.
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 September 3, 2026.
