Tag: Snow Pond Center for the Arts

Matthew Zapala Targets Big Smallies for a Big Win at Great Pond

This past Saturday, the final regular-season Elite Kayak Fishing event of the year unfolded against the backdrop of Messalonskee Lake and Great Pond in Maine’s Belgrades Region. With a total of 64 anglers, from as far away as Pennsylvania and Canada, the stakes were high as many of them aimed to secure a coveted spot in the two-day championship event set to take place on Lake George in October.

Snow Pond Center for the Arts once again played host for this event. Situated along the eastern shore of Messalonskee Lake, in perfect view of the sunset (or an evening thunderstorm in the distance, as many saw Thursday night), Snow Pond offers a unique tournament experience for the anglers and their families who choose to stay on campus.

Leading up to the event, the weather was consistent: sunny, hot, with light winds, if any at all. The forecast for Saturday called for a cool morning with cloudy conditions all day, something many anglers, especially those who struggled during practice, were hoping would change their fortune. But as the day dawned and anglers made their way to their starting spots, there wasn’t a cloud in sight.

Under bright blue skies, the strategy adopted by many was to utilize their electronics to pinpoint smallmouth bass congregating around schools of baitfish. What set the top contenders apart was their reliance on the controversial forward-facing sonar technology, which proved to be the linchpin of their success. With the bass constantly on the move chasing schools, this gave those anglers the unique ability to spot fish in real-time, a significant advantage over those relying on traditional 2D sonar and sidescan.

In the end, it was New York’s Matthew Zapala who clinched the top spot, boasting an impressive 95.75 inches of Great Pond smallmouth. No stranger to either Great Pond or Messalonskee Lake (Matt finished third in the KBF Super Trail event there in 2020), he focused on offshore smallmouth, targeting the bigger fish with precision, which ultimately proved to be the winning strategy, producing not only the biggest limit but the biggest bass of the tournament: a 20.25 smallmouth!

Defying the odds once again, Ken Wood targeted largemouth bass as he did at our St. Lawrence River event last month, where he placed second. Ken fished the Belgrade Stream area on the southern end of Messalonskee Lake, power-fishing his way to another second-place finish with 94.50 inches.

The competition for the top spots was fierce, with three other anglers—Ryan Matylewicz, Benjamin Bornhorst, and Nick Audi—also boasting 94.50 inches. Tie-breakers are determined by the anglers biggest bass, which lead to Ryan securing third place, Benjamin taking fourth, and Nick rounding out the top five.

     

Jake Angulas secured the final paying spot with a respectable 93.75 inches, while Stephen Hedges (92.25), Mike Morcone (91.75), John Ferreira (91.50), and Anthony Campbell (91.25) completed the top ten.

Congratulations to all!

With the championship on the horizon, the stage is set for another thrilling showdown on Lake George in October, where the best of the best will vie for the titles of EKF Champion and Angler of the Year.


With 64 anglers, we paid out six spots for nearly $8,000 in cash and more in giveaways! A total of 411 bass were submitted to the National Trade Services Live Leaderboard.


As always, thank you to our elite sponsors, Dakota Lithium Batteries, Three Belles Outfitters, and National Trade Services, without whom we could not run these events.

Please support them whenever you can, as well as our other amazing sponsors: Bending Branches, Crosskix, Catch Co., Fresh Baitz, Harpoon Brewery, Hobie Eyewear, Lunkerhunt, Rogue Gear Co., and YakAttack!

And a big shout-out once again to Snow Pond Center for the Arts for having us back. Thank you!

Our championship event on Lake George is up next! This two-day event will not only determine our 2023 Champion but also our Angler of the Year!


Nick Audi Makes a Statement on Messalonskee

On May 21, the 2022 Elite Kayak Fishing season kicked off with a return to the angler-favorite Messalonskee Lake in Maine. A world-class bass fishery, Messalonskee is home to monster largemouth, but the smallmouth rule here, and they did not disappoint this weekend.

Once again, Snow Pond Center for the Arts hosted the event, offering their campus to the majority of the 84 anglers who fished the event (our biggest turnout yet).

Leading up to the tournament, anglers battled windy conditions and saw bass making the transition to shallow waters to spawn. Saturday morning, anglers crisscrossed the lake, often fishing in closer quarters than they would have liked, eager to jump to the top of the leaderboard. Throughout the day, anglers were consistently submitting entries, looking to gain an edge over the competition who were often vying for the same spawning bass.

At the end of the event, 473 scorable bass were submitted for judging by Reel Tournament Management, with eight anglers amassing over 90 inches for their best five bass, making it very tight at the top.

When the dust settled, Pennsylvania’s Nick Audi was crowned the champion with 93.25 inches, followed by Domenic Eno with 93 inches, and Ryan Matylewicz rounding out the top three with 92.75 inches.

The remaining of the top ten went as follows: Robert Bifsha (91.75), Jake Angulas (91.25), Ken Wood (90.50), Derek Brundle (90.50), Jacob Stem (90.25), Steve Hedges (88.75), and Dave Renfro (87.75).

The Bixpy Big Bass was awarded to Peter Lambeau, who submitted a 19.75-inch largemouth. For this, Pete received a Bixpy J-2 Outboard Kit and $500!

Thank you to all who came out and supported the event!

The next EKF event takes anglers back to New York, to Oneida Lake, on June 25. We hope to see you there!


Messalonskee Week Has Arrived!

Messalonskee week is here!

The first Elite Kayak Fishing event of 2022 is coming up this Saturday on beautiful Messalonskee Lake. We’ve been here before, both with EKF last year and KBF in years past, and this lake is always on fire. Expect big numbers for this one!

If you want to throw down with best anglers in the Northeast, register .

All the cabins are booked at Snow Pond, our host location for this event, but there are still plenty of rooms left in the dorm and lodge. Give Christa Johnson a call at 207-465-9648, ext. 203, to book.

And if you want to eat with us at Snow Pond, you can order your meals—Friday night BBQ, Saturday night pasta bar, and breakfast baskets—at this location.

Hope to see you there!


Barn Burner in Belgrade

The Belgrade lakes region of Maine, known for its plentiful bass population, saw an influx of kayak anglers this past weekend, as 65 anglers and many of their family descended upon Lake Messalonskee and Long Pond for the second Elite Kayak Fishing event of the season. Brought to you by Three Belles Outfitters and Bixpy, both anglers and fish were fired up for this event!

Most anglers rented cabins or rooms at Snow Pond Center for the Arts, tournament headquarters on the shores of Messalonskee, and word on campus was that pre-fishing went well for most.

Once the anglers hit the water Saturday morning, as big fish kept hitting the leaderboard, it was clear that this one would be a barn burner.

At the end of the day, 427 scorable bass were submitted. Out of 65 anglers, 63 of them caught fish, with 49 putting up a five-fish limit. Nearly a quarter of the 427 fish caught were 18 inches or longer.

The Bixpy Big Bass of the event was caught by Justin Lacasse, measuring 21.25 inches, tying Adam Rourke in the race to win a Bixpy motor at the end of the season.

Not surprising, the top ten anglers found themselves scraping for upgrades in a tight race for the payout spots. Third and fourth place found themselves in a tie, which came down to a third-largest fish tie-breaker; and fifth and sixth were also decided by a tie-breaking fish.

The event was won by New Hampshire’s Jake Angulas, who measured 95.25 inches of bass—four largemouth and one smallmouth. Rounding out the top ten was Mark Donio in second (92.50), John Ferreira in third (92.25), Mike Morcone in fourth (92.25), Jonathan Richardson in fifth (91.75), Ken Wood in sixth (91.75), Brady Ouellette in seventh (91.25), Simon Morgan in eighth (90.5), Shawn Marston in ninth (90.25), and Sean Dwyer in tenth (90.00).


The winner, Jake Angulas

Elite Kayak Fishing would like to thank Mike Guarino and Snow Pond Center for the Arts for their unsurpassed hospitality while hosting this event and the anglers.

Special thanks to our title sponsors, Three Belles Outfitters and Bixpy, as well as Dakota Lithium, Jackson Kayak’s Orion Coolers, and Savur Outdoors for their incredible support.

And thanks to everyone who made the trip, whether you were fishing the event or just visiting!

We’re heading to northern Pennsylvania for the next Elite Kayak Fishing, which will take place on Lake Wallenpaupack on July 17. Registration is open now on Fishing Chaos! Sign up here.


Friday Night BBQ and State Weed Inspection

It’s still early, but as of right now the weather leading up to and on the day of our Lake Messalonskee/Long Pond event is looking great!

Forty anglers are already registered! If you’d like to take part in this event as well, register here.

If you’ve already registered or intend to, don’t forget the Friday Night BBQ and state weed inspection.

Maine law requires all kayaks to be inspected, so head on over to Snow Pond and eat some great food at a great price ($12.96 per person) while your kayak is inspected. You can sign up for the BBQ here.

Cash bar will also be available!

Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend.