2020 was a chaotic but busy year for the sport of kayak fishing, as one crisis after another forced anglers, tournament directors and trails to innovate, adapt and evolve. In the end, CKA anglers were widely represented ambassadors of the sport on the regional and national stages, overcoming both competition and crisis. As in previous years, CKA anglers reminded the world that North Carolina remains a hotbed for elite kayak bass fishing talent. And for the first time, CKA anglers had the KBF Mid-Atlantic Region bringing large Trail events closer to home.
This page recognizes their hard work and celebrates their achievements. Before proceeding, CKA staff thanks everyone who represented North Carolina in these events. It was a great year for CKA anglers on the national competition circuit and it was fun to follow events and see the results.
KBF events are sorted into 3 categories below: KBF Trail tournaments, KBF Challenges and the KBF National Championship.
- KBF Trail Events & Trail Series Championship
Where the National Championship (see section 3 below) is currently the largest kayak fishing tournament event in the world, KBF Trail events are large regional events where anglers must travel, compete on large lakes and earn AOY points.
CKA anglers represented North Carolina at a high level in 2020 Trail events in the Mid Atlantic region and beyond. Three of our anglers won 1st place titles, other anglers placed in the money and several friends who regularly fish CKA also performed at a high level (particularly, Jody Queen). Additionally, Adam Petrone, an angler who started tournament fishing in CKA, won the Southwest KBF Trail AOY title. This section lists the most notable results of the season.
The best KBF Trail finishes by CKA anglers were as follows:
Eric Nelson Mid-Atlantic Region Angler of the Year
Marcus Smith, 1st Place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, Santee Cooper
Eric Nelson, 1st Place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, High Rock
Cory Dreyer, 1st Place KBF Southeast Trail, Lanier
Arlie Minton, 2nd place KBF Southeast Trail, Loudon
Charles Crews, 3rd place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, High Rock
Jacob Miles, 4th Place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, High Rock
Dontrell Sullivan, 5th Place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, Potomac River
Christopher Decker, 7th place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, High Rock
Jamie Denison, 8th place KBF Mid Atlantic Trail, Santee Cooper
Additionally, the KBF Trail Series Championship was held alongside the KBF National Championship at Guntersville Lake this year. In it, Cory Dreyer led the field after day 1, and finished 2nd overall.
Honorable mention to Adam Petrone, who fished with CKA in 2019 prior to moving to the South-Central region, where he won the Trail RAOY title in 2020.
- KBF Challenges & Challenge Series Championship
Kayak Bass Fishing holds two categories of “Challenge” events every season. First, there are the popular KBF Monthly Challenges, which are organized by state. Second, there are the “Special Challenges” that generally run Friday – Sunday and are regional events. These are divided into Night Fishing Events (“One Night Stands”) and Special Challenges that mark important calendar dates like Father’s Day, etc.
KBF held roughly 15 Special Challenges in 2019, and the best finishes by CKA anglers were as follows:
o Matt Dunn 1st place | o (Freedom to Fish Challenge) |
o Arlie Minton 1st Place | o (Mother’s Day Challenge) |
o Arlie Minton 2nd Place | o (July One Night Stand) |
In the other category, the North Carolina Monthly Challenges, CKA anglers earned the following notable finishes:
Matt Dunn: 2020 North Carolina State Challenge Points Champion
Matt Dunn, 1st Place (March, June, July)
Eric Nelson, 1st place (April, May)
Arlie Minton, 1st place (August)
Henry Veggian, 2nd place (July, September)
Charles Crew 2nd Place (April)
Will Hayes 2nd place (March)
Finally, several CKA anglers competed in the Challenge Series Championship at Guntersville Lake on Oct.7th and 8th, 2020. The top 3 finishers in a field of 228 anglers were:
Jereme Olshefski 28th place
Brain Falbe 77th place
Henry Veggian 83rd place
William Queen 92nd place
- The 2020 KBF National Championship
The 2020 KBF National Championship was a 3 day event with a cut after day 2. It was held on Lake Guntersville (AL). CKA sent more than one dozen anglers to fish the tournament and several represented the club well in a field of 281 anglers. Two anglers made the day 3 cut while a few others missed it only by a few inches. Here are the top 5 CKA finishes in the final event standings:
Cory Dreyer 10th Place
Ryan Freeman 46th place
Brian Falbe 110th place
Henry Veggian 118th place
William Queen 132nd place
[ Note: KBF Tournament standings are searchable and archived at https://tourneyx.com/app/category/(kbf)-kayak-bass-fishing/archive?page_num=8
text and photos © CKA 2020