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Local, National, and Jackpots: What should we expect

Raise your hand if you have placed in the top 4 or 5 in a local trail event and didn't get into the money. You just had a great day on a lake several hours away and when you pull up to the gas station for the ride home, moths fly out of your pocket book. Hell maybe you did get in the prize cut, you caught 90+ inches and finished 4th and got a discount code certificate. This scenario plays out all across the country in every kayak trail big and small. The frustration can mount and anglers can lose sight of why you started competitive kayak fishing to begin with. I personally started with this statement: "I want to become a better fisherman." However, anglers driving and competing all across the state and sometimes country to get a chance of medium to big payouts for 1st place. Now with the advent of the Hobie Bass Open Series, B.A.S.S Nation Kayak Series, and of course Kayak Bass Fishing events, the question is what should we expect from local, national, and jackpots in the sport of kayak fishing.

With out a doubt most anglers first competitive experience comes from a weekday kayak jackpot. Jackpots are almost exclusively held within a 30 min drive from a large population center and most of the time have 15 anglers or fewer. Anglers compete for roughly 2.5 hours trying to catch a 3 fish limit or score the biggest bass. The expectation is built into the name "jackpot", everybody understands that the person who gets 1st place wins all the money and occasionally a raffle prize or two is handed out. There are no banners, trophies, or good eats, all the anglers gather around the ramp to watch 1st place get a wad of 10 and 20 dollar bills, then hurries on home before dinner gets cold. The goal of a jackpot is to provide kayak anglers a chance to meet other anglers in the area and for new anglers to get a taste of competition fishing. 

Attendance for state and local trails are better than ever. Over the last 10 years kayak fishing has erupted to over 34.8K active anglers on tourneyx with 133 registered clubs. The allure of local trails is to compete against anglers from your state on familiar waters and to win money or prizes to sustain a fishing habit. Local trails also provide some pomp and circumstance by paying for and providing sponsorship banners, trophies, door prizes, social media posts and sponsorship opportunities along with a cash prize for the Angler of the Year. These perks create a decent amount of overhead that needs to be met. Trails have to balance the cost of a tournament season while keeping payouts up. At minimum a kayak tournament trail could pay the fee for the lake tournament application and have a 95% -99% payout to anglers. The question is what should we expect from a local club or trail? Jeff Malott founder and former president of Natural State Kayak Anglers and founder of Kayak Bass Nation has definitely experienced the rise of local kayak fishing. Speaking about local trails Malott had this to say: "Simple, low cost to enter, payout 10% of the field, prizes if you can get them from sponsors, the main thing is do not over complicate things."

Are you a professional kayak angler? If not, who is? This is a compelling question for many kayak anglers all across the country. A lot of us grew up reading Bassmaster magazine and watching The Bassmasters and applying those mega lake techniques in our grandpas farm pond out back. Now fast forward to 2019, with several healthy "professional", trails available how will these trails develop the opportunities for anglers to fish professionally out of that little plastic thing. Hobie BOS, KBF, and now BASS Nation are providing a chance for anglers to do just that. However, what should the entry fees be, and what should be the outcome for an angler that consistently makes the pay cut? Can that angler make a living out of these tournaments? "Too many events try and front load the payouts to make the tourney look good", added Malott. "Regional and national events need to pay deeper on the field, 20% if possible." " Whats the value in driving 8 hours to win $200 for 10th?".

All of these questions can only be answered by the anglers, anglers who go out and fish their local trails, support the weekly jackpot, and strive to compete on the national scene. This is a good problem to have, anglers deciding whether to devote time and money towards a local event or a national event or both. In conclusion Malott hit a home run with his final quote. "Its all about return on investment when traveling to an event, all levels need to be transparent with finances and do not over promise then under deliver on an event." 


- Avery Metcalf  

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