The Kayak Bass Fishing Champ Won $73,000
Mike Elsea, of Mooresville, Indiana, took home the $50,000 grand prize and $23,000 in additional prize money for winning the Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) National Championship held March 28-30 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The KBF National Championship is a catch-photo-release tournament which takes place over three days. On the first two days, competitors electronically submit their 10 longest fish, which are then certified by a team of judges. The top 100 anglers fished on the final day for the $50,000 grand prize.
Elsea’s winning 15-fish total measured 288.75 inches, besting the second-place finisher, Drew Gregory, of Wingate, N.C., by 16 inches. Greg Blanchard of Seneca Falls, N.Y., placed third.
“This is the largest kayak fishing event of its kind with the richest payout. We have 461 anglers from 43 states competing for the title of National Champion,” said tournament organizer Chad Hoover. “This is the first time we’ve used multiple bodies of water. There are more backwaters and places that are inaccessible by power boats than anywhere we’ve ever had the national championship.”
Fishing League Worldwide (FLW), recently announced a partnership with KBF to hold two kayak bass fishing tournaments in 2019 in conjunction with FLW tour events, a move which will bring even higher visibility to the sport.