Kayak Bass Fishing Trail Series Tournament Santee Cooper

[Ring King]

The lake is definitely fishing tough but if you can find "A" fish then you've likely found a pile of them. This past Saturday, 23rd of February, we had our first Kayak Bass Fishing Trail Series Tournament on Santee Cooper. One Hundred and twenty-two kayakers from around the country converged on South Carolina for the first South East Region Trail Stop. This was an open launch format event where we could put in at any public launch on either lake. The field was fairly well spread out with kayakers launching everywhere from Packs on the Upper Lake to Thornley Forest on the Lower Lake.

Regardless of where folks chose to launch we all found the fishing to be equally difficult. Surface water temps ranged from 52 to almost 70 depending on whether you were in the main lake or back in the black water ponds. Most areas reported that clarity was lacking as the rain had made a muddy mess of anything near the main lake body. However, fish were caught, and the quality was pretty good. Plenty of fish over five pounds were caught and two weighed in at just under the 10 pound mark.

In the kayak world we actually go by inches instead of pounds for our tournaments since most kayaks couldn’t support a livewell capable of keeping five fish alive for a full tourney day while still staying stable. In the end, Eric Cormack of West Virginia put up a five fish limit for 94.25” and took home $2300 for the Trail Series win. Second Place went to 14 YEAR OLD Dylan Fuqua from Illinois who managed to catch five fish for a total of 94”. He took home $1200 for the Trail Series win and was the highest placing angler in the Pro Division that earned him an extra $2250! Rus Snyders from Tennessee rounded out the top three with 91.75” and earned $850 plus an additional $150 for taking Big Bass honors during hour number three of the event.

From talking to various anglers at the awards ceremony we had fish caught both shallow and deep. There were several topwater fish that fell to toads, hollow body frogs,and buzzbaits despite the overall cold water temps. Most other anglers reported catching fish on deep diving cranks, lipless cranks, A-Rigs, Senkos, and swimbaits.

Here are the rest of the standings: https://www.kayakbassfishing.com/wp-...3-Feb-2019.pdf

[LrgMouthCatcha]

Curious as to what was up with all the DQ's?

[Ring King]

If guys don’t come to the awards ceremony to check in after the event then they get a DQ. It’s done in the name of safety so that we can make sure everyone makes it off the water safely. My wife, the tourney director, was up until 10pm that night making phone calls to Anglers that didn’t check in to ensure everyone made it home. The DQ also doesn’t allow them to accrue their AOTY points. Not sure why so many people continue to not show up for check in after the events.

[BWQK]

If guys don’t come to the awards ceremony to check in after the event then they get a DQ. It’s done in the name of safety so that we can make sure everyone makes it off the water safely. My wife, the tourney director, was up until 10pm that night making phone calls to Anglers that didn’t check in to ensure everyone made it home. The DQ also doesn’t allow them to accrue their AOTY points. Not sure why so many people continue to not show up for check in after the events.

Do y'all allow a Text check in with 0 fish?

[Ring King]

Yes sir. There’s even an option to “check out” on the app we use to host our tournaments.

[Chuck D]

Maybe you could find a path to making a post fishing checkin a requirement at tournament entry time?

[Ring King]

It's in our rules and is announced at a live captain's meeting the evening before the tourney starts. There's also a virtual captain's meeting that can be viewed at anytime on the website as well as on Facebook.