Rules

Carolina Kayak Anglers Rules Standard

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Carolina Kayak Anglers (CKA) follow the Kayak Bass Fishing Rules Standard with some slight modifications listed below that are specific to all CKA events unless otherwise noted on the individual event page on Fishing Chaos.

Membership and Participation

All CKA event participation is open to the public, Membership not required.

Membership in CKA includes:

• 10% Discount from Get Outdoors Pedal and Paddle
• Angler of the Year Points
• Rookie of the Year Points (see Rookie of the Year eligibility)
• Tournament of Champions Qualification (See TOC eligibility)

Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) Membership is not required but it is encouraged so top 25% of anglers can accept KBF National Championship Qualifications. 

Rookie of the Year Eligibility

Anglers who have fished no more than 1 event in the history of CKA are eligible to fish for the Rookie of the Year title. Anglers must be CKA members in good standing, accruing points through the year at multiple events. 

The Rookie of the Year is determined by total points from the best 3 regular season events plus the Gate City Classic. Ties will be broken by best finish, then second best finish and so on.

Angler of the Year Eligibility

All CKA members in good standing are eligible to fish for the Angler of the Year title accruing points through the year at multiple events. 

The Angler of the Year is determined by total points from the best 5 regular season events plus the Gate City Classic. Ties will be broken by best finish, then second best finish and so on.

Tournament of Champions Eligibility

Automatic qualifiers: Previous seasons Tournament of Champions winner, Current Season Rookie of the Year

All regular season and Gate City Classic champions are automatically eligible to fish the Tournament of Champions. If the angler is not a member at the time of the win, the angler can pay the CKA membership fee plus penalty ($100 total) prior to the end of the Gate City Classic awards ceremony to be valid to participate in the event. 

Anglers will only accrue points after the membership sign up. Signing up after the event will not reward points for that event towards the anglers total for Angler or Rookie awards.

All CKA members are eligible to qualify for the Tournament of Champions by finishing in the top 20% of the club. Spots in the top 20% that are held by current year event champions, Rookie of the Year and previous Tournament of Champions winner will role down. 

Refunds

Anglers have the ability to get a refund up until the the Event ID Code is released, typically the night before at 8:00 PM. Refund will be minus any transaction and / or administration fees. 

Minimum Fish Length

Minimum fish length: 10 inches

Prefishing and Competition Periods

Prefishing will end at 4:00 PM the day before the event. Anglers must be OFF THE WATER at this time. There are no off limits periods for CKA events.

Competition period is from lines in time until lines out. All tournament rules must be followed during the competition period whether in the act of fishing or not. 

Tournament of Champions location will be off limits from time of draw until lines in on tournament day.

PFD Exception

The only exception is the clothing exception when the angler can stop moving and fishing, lines out of the water and proceed to remove PFD in order to remove or add clothing for comfort. The angler can only proceed when the PFD is put back on and fastened properly. (Full rule as stated in KBF Rules)

Inflatable PFDs are allowed, this however excludes the belt style inflatable which is not allowed. We also do not recommend anglers use manual only inflatable PFDs although they are permissible in 2023. Please consider automatic versions and please maintain and test your PFDs as recommended by the manufacturer. 

Check In and Check Out 

Anglers are required to Check-In (In the Water) using the App at their launch area and to Check Out (Off the Water) when back on land. 

If the angler is changing ramp locations during an event, they need to Check Out when back to the original launch, and Check In again before leaving the next launch area. 

Check In at the event Headquarters will be mandatory for 2023. Anglers must sign in at the HQ location in order to receive points. You do not have to stay for the awards, although you must be present for awards.

Emergencies will be considered on an individual basis and voted on by all CKA directors.

Communications During Competition

Communication with anglers verbally is allowed for anglers sharing the same water, and conversation are not restricted in this scenario. All electronic communications as stated in the KBF standard (6-C) are in effect.

Measuring Boards

Acceptable measuring boards for all KBF competitions are the aluminum Ketch Products Measuring Board, the Ketch Karbonate (plastic) and the Ketch X. (As stated in KBF Rules)

Event Disputes and Questions

Questions regarding rules or reporting of the infraction of rules should be sent privately to the event’s listed Tournament Director or to other CKA Tournament Directors if necessary. 

It is encouraged to do video releases in order to provide evidence of a fish that may seem to be unhealthy or otherwise questionable in order to protect your catch being denied by the judge.

Public Comments

CKA reserves the right to disqualify or ban any angler from participating in future events if the angler uses any public platform(s) to denigrate the CKA organization, the Kayak Bass Fishing organization, any of either organizations directors/employees or fellow anglers.

CKA works hard to provide events for your enjoyment and our participation is completely voluntary, as is your participation. If CKA is not all you want it to be, by all means feel free to volunteer and/or help make it better with positive engagement.

Angler Responsibility

It is an angler’s responsibility to become familiar with and follow the rules as stated above and in the KBF updates. CKA judges and directors must enforce rules fairly. Anyone can make a mistake and if you make one and are penalized, the ruling isn’t personal. We want anglers to have fun, catch fish and compete. Conversely, you are welcome to make a reasonable challenge to a ruling; even when challenges are not successful, CKA makes a point of listening to anglers and modifying rules after a review at the end of each season. CKA will not however modify a rule within the course of a season.

KBF publishes rules addenda for individual events such as Trail Series and Challenge Series tournaments. An angler fishing in a KBF event that is co-hosted by CKA is expected to read and understand the additional rules. 

If you have questions, email a director and ask. Our tournament directors contribute to KBF’s discussions of national rules standards, and your point might make a helpful difference in wording of a rule or a complete rule change.

For a full listing and explanation of all current KBF rules, please click here: 

KBF Rules Standard