Tag: New York Kayak Bass Fishing

Nick Audi Does It Again!

May 9, 2023 2 Comments

The Dakota Lithium Elite Kayak Fishing Series presented by Three Belles Outfitters kicked off its third season this past Saturday on famed Cayuga Lake, one of eleven finger lakes in upstate New York.

A record-breaking 109 anglers turned out for this one, hoping to take home the coveted Elite Kayak Fishing trophy!

Given Cayuga’s reputation to churn out monster bass this time of year, all 109 anglers were undoubtedly anticipating an absolute slugfest. And for many, that’s exactly what it was!

Compared to events in previous years—2017, with Kayak Bass Fishing, and Elite Kayak Fishing in 2021, in particular—this year was a much tougher event, despite the top 15 anglers cracking 90 inches. Colder weather this season meant very little grass/weed growth and colder water temps, which had the bass hunkering down a little deeper than normal.

Anglers who found that offshore structure holding those big pre-spawn bass were rewarded. And of course the famous community holes that always attract the bass—and even more anglers—produced countless giants. The amount of 5- to 7-pound bass caught pre-fishing and during the tournament was staggering. A number of 8-pounders were caught as well, adding to the already long list of anglers breaking their personal best bass records (some more than once).

To say they’re built different in Cayuga Lake is an understatement. It’s football season all year long out there!

The flipside of this story is that a lot of anglers struggled to find those quality bites, or bites at all. Yes, the lake produced an obscene amount of monster bass, but only roughly half the field caught limits, leaving many scratching their heads.

With 109 anglers, we paid out ten spots and nearly $14,000! The top three anglers also earned a Fresh Baitz prize pack!

Anglers submitted an epic 518 bass to the National Trade Services Live Leaderboard, 42 of which were over 19 inches, with 18 of them surpassing the 20-inch mark. Sitting atop the Three Belles Outfitters Big Bass Leaderboard was a 21.50-inch behemoth hauled in by New York’s Brandon Brylinsky.

Again, football season all season.

In tenth place, the last of the money spots, was Stephen Sisto, who put 91.50 inches of Cayuga largemouth on the board. Just ahead of him was Rey Morales with 92.25, followed by 2021 Angler of the Year, Jake Angulas, and Dan Hargrave, both of whom put up 92.50 inches, with Dan’s 20-incher breaking the tie.

Serious Angler Podcast host, Bailey Eigbrett, got away from the northern crowd and headed a bit farther south, deep-cranking his way into sixth place with 94 inches, while Benjamin Bornhorst squeaked past him with a solid 94.25.

With 96 inches, Maine’s Shawn Marston secured fourth place, and Ryan Matylewicz, no stranger to the top of the leaderboard, settled into third on the backs of five bass totaling 96.75 inches.

A last-second—literally last second—19.25-incher pushed big-bass leader Brandon Brylinsky into second place for a big payday.

     

Brandon’s 98.75 was close, but ultimately not enough to dethrone our 2022 Champion and Angler of the Year, Nick Audi, whose 99.25 bested the other 108 anglers. Nick worked subtle, isolated offshore structure with a Z-Man Jackhammer, which had him at the top of the leaderboard for most of the day.

This is Nick’s third win with Elite Kayak Fishing, tying Jake Angulas for the most wins and putting him atop the Elite Kayak Fishing career earnings throne. Nick also took home the winner-takes-all Double Down sidepot, adding to his overall earnings—which totaled nearly $5,000!

Thank you to all the anglers who supported this event. We have come a long way in a short period of time, and our success depends heavily on your support. We salute you!

And to Dakota Lithium Batteries, Three Belles Outfitters, and National Trade Services, without whom we could not do this: THANK YOU!

To Bending Branches, Crosskix, Catch Co., Fresh Baitz, Harpoon Brewery, Hobie Eyewear, Lunkerhunt, Rogue Gear Co., and YakAttack, we thank you for the support!

Please support these amazing companies whenever you can!

Special thanks to Justin Hausner and New York Kayak Bass Fishing for their support and willingness to work with us.

New York Kayak Bass Fishing hosted their own club event, with 93 anglers competing. There was some double-dipping between groups, but it’s safe to say 150 kayak anglers, if not more, were out there on this day. All went as smooth as could be expected, and that is a testament to Justin and the New York Kayak Bass Fishing anglers. Thanks again!

Check out the full results here.

Up next is Lake Champlain on June 3. We’ll see you there!

The Weather Looks Great for Oneida

June 21, 2022 0 Comment

Oneida week is here, and we’re excited for another great event!

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the weather, it’s setting up to be a fantastic day out there. Warm, partly sunny, and favorable winds—south/southwest to start, then shifting to a south wind, 5 to 10 mph.

Obviously this will likely change some between now and Saturday, but as of right now it’s setting up to be a great day on the water!

Register on Fishing Chaos here.

For those looking to double dip, New York Kayak Bass Fishing is also hosting an event at the same time. They’re a local trail and we’ll be supporting them as they are supporting us. Anglers do not need to be a NYKBF member to fish their event (though the entry fee for non-members is $50 instead of $40 for members).

One thing of note, though: they use TourneyX. So you’ll need an account with TourneyX if you wish to compete. You can register for their event here.

We’ll see you out there!

Big Limits at the First-Ever Elite Kayak Fishing Event

May 13, 2021 0 Comment

Elite Kayak Fishing, brought to you by Three Belles Outfitters and Bixpy, kicked off its inaugural event this past weekend as 75 anglers traveled to compete on the world-class bass factory Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York.

True to her reputation, Cayuga Lake produced!

The event kicked off Saturday morning, in cold, rainy conditions. Throughout the day, anglers submitted 286 catches, with the largest, caught by Adam Rourke, measuring in at 21.25 inches! The competition remained close right up until the end of the fishing window. The top ten anglers were only separated by 5.25 inches. Things were even closer between the top two competitors—Three Belles Outfitters team members Joe D’Addeo and Jason Gardner—with both finishing within a quarter inch of each other.

Anglers from across New England and as far south as New Jersey and Pennsylvania found success targeting fat, pre-spawn bass with vibrating jigs and other reaction baits. With some fishing shallow and others in deeper water, competitors were also faced with navigating bass boats from another event being held that day.

Ultimately, with 95.25 inches and having not pre-fished, Joe D’Addeo was able to edge out Jason Gardner and take home the victory in the first-ever Elite Kayak Fishing event. The top ten was rounded out by Mike Elrick (93.00), Josh Smith (92.75), Ryan Melia (92.50), Nick Audi (91.75), Jake Coucoulues (91.00), Adam Rourke (90.50), and Rob Sinker (90.00) and Tricia Angelini (90.00), with Rob hauling in the big-fish tie-breaker.


Jason Gardner and Joe D’Addeo

This event proved what kayak bass anglers from this region have been saying for years now: the Northeast is primed, ready, and deserving of its own regional trail!

Elite Kayak Fishing wants to thank Justin Hausner and New York Kayak Bass Fishing for their assistance in making this first event such a success. To Ketch, for the amazing trophy—thank you! And to the sponsors—Three Belles Outfitters, Bixpy, Dakota Lithium, Jackson Kayak’s Orion Coolers, and Savur Outdoors—for helping make this vision a reality. But most important, respect and gratitude to the anglers, without whom this trail does not exist.

The next Elite Kayak Fishing event will be held on June 5th on Messalonskee Lake and Long Pond in Maine. Registration is open now on Fishing Chaos!

Kayak Anglers Announce New Northeast Tournament Series

January 3, 2020 0 Comment

KAYAK ANGLERS ANNOUNCE NEW NORTHEAST TOURNAMENT SERIES

What started as a simple idea for a one-off tournament has evolved into Elite Kayak Fishing, a full-blown tournament series for kayak anglers in the Northeast, with five events scheduled for their inaugural season, including a championship on the mighty Lake Champlain.

Founded by Jason Gardner, Ken Wood, and Adam Rourke, with the assistance of Matt Charette, Elite Kayak Fishing is a kayak fishing organization aimed at creating more opportunities for anglers to compete at a higher level without having to travel thousands of miles to do so.

For years, some of the best anglers in the country, performing on the biggest stages that kayak fishing has to offer, have come from the Northeast. “When KBF decided to scale back and drop their regional trail series, we created EKF to fill that gap,” said Ken Wood, when asked why there was a need for another tournament series. “We want to offer the highest level of competition in this region because many of the anglers are already competing on that level, only now they can do it much closer to home.”

Jason Gardner added, “Without a way to compete regionally, we feared this level of competition in the Northeast could go stagnant.”

Leveraging the various fishing groups and dedicated kayak fishing ambassadors throughout the region and country, Elite Kayak Fishing represents a collaborative effort to expand the sport of kayak fishing in a region that has less support than any other in the country.

“It was important to us that we work with other directors and kayak fishing groups in the region,” Adam Rourke said. “Not only is their knowledge and input invaluable to our success, that success will hopefully have a positive effect on their groups and more importantly their anglers.”

Indeed, for this inaugural season, Elite Kayak Fishing has partnered with five of the biggest tournament groups in the region: New York Kayak Bass Fishing, Maine Yak Anglers, Central Jersey Kayak Bass Fishing Club, New Hampshire Kayak Fishing, and Adirondack Kayak Bass Fishing.

“The goal is to work with new groups each season.” Jason Gardner pauses, then adds, “And possibly one day expand into other regions. Time will tell. But for now the focus remains on the Northeast.”

Elite Kayak Fishing has also partnered with Kayak Bass Fishing, as the first-ever Partner Trail Series, and will provide anglers with opportunities to qualify for the annual Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship.

In addition, Anglers will also be given the chance to qualify for the All-American Kayak Classic.

The culture of Elite Kayak Fishing is simple: expand the sport of kayak bass fishing and have fun doing it.

For more information, visit them online. For media and sponsorship inquires, please contact Matt Charette at matt@elitekayakfishing.com

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