Want to win a Micro Power-Pole and Spike?
Register for our Lake Winnipesaukee event by July 14 for your chance!
EKF Approves the YakAttack LeaderBoard!
As of today, June 26, 2024, the new YakAttack LeaderBoard is approved for use in Elite Kayak Fishing events.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Jake Angulas Secures Number Four!
On May 4, the Dakota Lithium Elite Kayak Fishing Series presented by Black Hall Outfitters hit Great Sacandaga Lake in New York for the first event of the 2024 season.
This event marked an exciting change for EKF: the debut of EKF LIVE, a live-stream broadcast that brought a hyrbid of live commentary, pre-recorded angler spotlights and interviews, and more. EKF LIVE provided viewers with a “front-row seat” to all the angling action, allowing them to follow the highs and lows of the competition in real-time.
And what a thrilling battle it was!
This was a tournament within a tournament. With an abundance of smallmouth to be caught (no largemouth were submitted), the true challenge for the 56 anglers competing in this event was finding those “Sacandaga unicorns”—a bass over 17 inches long.
In a competition where every quarter inch mattered, the anglers managed to submit an impressive 512 bass (surpassed only by last year’s Cayuga Lake event, which had nearly double the anglers and 518 submissions), but only nine surpassed the elusive 17-inch mark. Jon Richardson hauled in the Fresh Baitz Big Bass of the day—an impressive 20.25-inch smallmouth. A unicorn, indeed!
As with any tournament, it had its twists and turns. Canada’s Antoine Desrocher-Gagnon’s caught the same bass twice, three hours apart on the same spot, which resulted in the latter being denied. This dropped him from fifth to sixth place, allowing Nick Audi to clinch the fifth-place slot. Both Desrocher-Gagnon and Audi finished with 85.75 inches, but Audi’s larger fish was the tiebreaker.
In fourth place was Christopher Nielsen with 86 inches, while Pennsylvania’s Dylan Miller made an impressive EKF debut, securing third place with 86.25 inches and being the only angler to land multiple fish over 17 inches—an 18 and an 18.25.
As the tournament neared its end, Benjamin Bornhost seemed poised for victory until a late surge by Jake Angulas catapulted him to the top spot by a mere three-quarters of an inch. Bornhost settled for second place with 87 inches, while Angulas claimed his fourth EKF victory with 87.75 inches.
Angulas’s winning strategy of cycling through seven different rods with seven different jerkbaits (read that again) proved effective in enticing quality smallmouth from Sacandaga’s rocky terrain.
With the excitement of Great Sacandaga Lake behind us, we now look forward to the next event at Pennsylvania’s Raystown Lake on June 22. Register here!
Updated Rules Addendum
As we head into tournament week and prepare for the first EKF event of the season, please take a look at our rules addendum, which has been updated for clarification.
Though KBF has recently put an end to their Trail Series, we will still mirror their Rules Standard as our main ruleset. This may change next year, but for this season, out of convenience for our anglers, KBF rules apply unless otherwise adjusted in our rules addendum.
Please read both thoroughly. If you have any questions, reply to the message in the Fishing Chaos app or shoot us an e-mail.
Thanks!
2024 Season Teaser
As many of you saw, we had some technical issues with last week’s livestream. We will re-address what we discussed then on our next livestream.
Until then, here is a quick teaser on some of the changes we have planned for 2024 and beyond…
Using the Fishing Chaos App
Understanding the Fishing Chaos app is essential to your success in our events. On the surface, it’s a simple app to use: take a photo, click SUBMIT CATCH, choose the photo from the photo album (unless you took the photo via the app’s camera feature), enter the length, and click SUBMIT. Once it reaches 100% and clears off your screen, then check the leaderboard to make sure your submission uploaded successfully. Simple.
However, there are some settings that must be correct on your phone to ensure a successful upload. Here are some helpful tips to make sure those settings are correct.
TEST YOUR APP SETTINGS
As of today, January 1, 2024, the current version of the Fishing Chaos app is 2.1.0. It is highly recommended that the app and your phone’s operating system is up to date.
To make sure your phone’s settings are correct for use with the app, please open the app and perform the following steps:
1. Click the “hamburger” (i.e. the three horizontal lines) at the top left.
2. Click on your name.
3. Scroll down and click Preferences.
4. Click Test App Settings.
Please note that, since a few iOS updates ago, the Test Camera button isn’t working. A fix is forthcoming.
From there you’ll be able to verify settings for your camera, photo library, and location are correct. If they are not correct, perform the following steps…
IPHONE SETTINGS
If you are fishing our events, or any event that uses the Fishing Chaos app, please make sure you’ve given the app the appropriate access to your photos and location.
If you have an iPhone, go to Settings > Fishing Chaos > Photos, and make sure All Photos is checked off.
Also go under Settings > Privacy > Location Services, then scroll down to Fishing Chaos and make sure that is set to While Using the App. Also make sure Precise Location is on.
To see this in real time, watch the video below (it’s old but still valid)…
ANDROID SETTINGS
If you’re using an Android phone, follow the steps in this document.
Please note that these settings may vary depending on what Android phone you are running, but they should be similar.
It is imperative that you verify these settings before an event, as your phone will sometimes reset your location and permission settings, especially after an operating system update. It is your responsibility to ensure that these settings are accurate. Not doing so could result in your fish being denied.
If you have any questions, please reach out. Thanks!
Article updated on January 1, 2024.
In the Hunt: Lake George (S2 E6)
Check out season two, episode six, of In the Hunt! The final episode of 2023!
Please like and subscribe! We’ll see you in 2024…
2024 Schedule Reveal and Livestream Discussion
We are excited to visit some new locations in 2024!
If you want a more in-depth look into the 2024 season, check out our livestream below…
Ryan Matylewicz Wins Angler of the Year After Epic 2023 Season
Consistency is one of the defining characteristics of any Angler of the Year. To earn the title, one must be consistent not for one event, not for two, but for an entire season.
This year, Ryan Matylewicz had one of those seasons.
The 2023 EKF season took us to some of the Northeast’s most premier fisheries, and Cayuga lake is arguably at the top of that list. Known for its world-class fishing and trophy bass, Cayuga Lake churned out fifteen limits over 90 inches, and many more close to it, at our first event of the year. Ryan’s limit of 96.75 inches, however impressive, was only good enough for third place—the first of four top-three finishes in 2023.
Following Cayuga Lake, EKF stopped at the famed Lake Champlain where challenging weather presented difficult fishing conditions. Ryan’s ability to adapt allowed him to net a limit of 97.75 and a second-place finish.
The third event of the season took EKF anglers to the St. Lawrence River, known to many as Smallmouth Disneyland. With many anglers fishing the river for the first time, the competition was wide open for those who located quality fish. Ryan’s 92.75 inches of fierce river smallmouth was enough to secure his first-ever EKF victory!
The final regular-season event of the year took anglers to scenic Messalonskee Lake and Great Pond. With both bodies of water known for their impressive smallmouth bass population, it presented anglers with a difficult decision on tournament day. Ryan decided that Great Pond would provide him the best opportunity for success, a decision that would pay off, landing him once again in third place with a limit of 94.5 inches.
With four strong finishes, Ryan was well-positioned in the Angler of the Year standings heading into the championship event on Lake George.
October brought shorter days and dropping temperatures after a period of record-breaking highs in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. Anglers had to come up with multiple strategies to provide them with the best chance to take home the championship trophy.
After day one, Ryan found himself sitting in sixth place and well-positioned in his pursuit of Angler of the Tear.
The second day of the championship saw anglers resorting to their backup plans and making on-the-fly adjustments. While Ryan remained consistent between both days, other anglers stumbled on day two. This opened the door for a fifth-place championship finish and the well-earned title of 2023 EKF Angler of the Year!
Congratulations on a steller season!
The Road to the 2023 Championship
Five events, 336 combined anglers, nearly 2,000 fish submitted, over $40,000 in payouts, one event remaining!
It all goes down on Lake George, October 14–15, where we will crown a new Champion and Angler of the Year!
Please join us in congratulating the following anglers for qualifying for our championship…
Ryan Matylewicz
Nick Audi
Jake Angulas
Rey Morales
John Ferreira
Ken Wood
Matthew Conant
Kevin Amaral
Donald Davis
Nelson da Costa
Those Top 10 anglers earned a free entry into our championship!
Adam Rourke
Ari Stonehill
Benjamin Bornhorst
Brandon Brylinsky
Brian Baulsir
Bruce Levy
Chris Pendergast
Christopher LaCourse
Daryl Martin
David Otero
Domenic Eno
Francis Matylewicz
Gary Ward
Gerard Elias
Ivan Diaz
Jeremiah Savely
Jonathan Richardson
Joseph D’Addeo
Joseph Horgos
Justin Rednour
Matthew Lee
Matthew Zapala
Mike Morcone
Nate Chagnon
Pat Veomett
Ray Figueroa
Russell Beeson
Sarah Pendergast
Scott Rhodes
Shawn Marston
Shelby Morgan
Simon Morgan
Stephen Hedges
Stephen Mazza
Stephen Smith
Tammy Sanchez
Todd Brothers
Todd Dyer
Torrence Davis
William Muir
Congratulations once again!
If you qualified, registration is open now on Fishing Chaos. We’ll see you next month!
