How to organize a kayak bass tournament?

So, I just moved to California in June.  I was very active in kayak tournaments back in Florida and fished both fresh and saltwater.  I was really looking forward to moving out here to NorCal and found a local bass club that allowed kayaks to fish.  They were a belly boat club here in Sonoma County that also allowed kick boats and kayaks.  So I built a livewell that conformed to the clubs rules and proceeded to enter there next tournament.  It was a night tournament on Lake Sonoma, a lake I had only fished one time before the event.  Upon arriving at the ramp and paying my entry fee I answered many questions about my 2012 Hobie Pro Angler 14.  Almost none of them had ever seen a Hobie mirage drive kayak before.  The general consensus was that it was a nice craft but that their kick boats were much more versatile.  I was the only kayak at the event but they had previously had kayakers fish with them.

I won the event.

So I was active on their forum posting reports and speaking of my anticipation of the next event being held this weekend at Lake Berryessa.  Tonight someone posted up a thread titled "Be Advised" which spoke of the clubs first rule.......


1.  All (club name removed) tournament fishing must be conducted from an inflatable float tube or kickboat (pontoon style) and kayaks. Tournament Anglers may not fish outside of their boats for any reason. Anglers must be floating in their boats while fishing. Anglers may not accept assistance from boats or other anglers to move about the body of water. Only fins and oars may power float tubes, kickboats and kayaks. The use of motors and sails is prohibited. Violation of this rule will result in Tournament disqualification.

They never actually named me so I inquired as to what the topic was about.  I had a feeling it was referring to me.  After emailing the club director I was informed that I was being disallowed to compete in their events due to the speed and distance the Mirage Drive provided me.  Apparently they don't really want kayaks competing as any kayak would have a speed and distance advantage over a kick boat.

So now I'm trying to find out what it would take to organize my own kayak bass fishing tournaments here in the Somoma County area as well as get a feel for how many folks would be interested.

Very interesting post, RK.  I'm not sure of the legalities involved with a freshwater tourney, but there are stipulations about the use of live bait I believe...  Other than that, become active on this forum, promote your event (or start with a hookup/fish and chill...etc.), and build it up from there. 

Good luck and have fun.   

Since it is fresh water it is a bit of a pain in the butt to organize a tourney on the up and up.

If it is more than a MBF/Turkey shoot, then you will need a permit (annual most likely) from CADFW.  You may also need an event permit from the agency/concession at the lake (this varies by location).  Many of the agencies require that you have event insurance. 

Send me a PM if you have any questions on the permitting.

Just in case you'd be interested in attending any of the currently planned events, in addition to starting your own, here's a link to the next freshwater event although there may be more info on the Pac Outfitters website. You missed at least five freshwater events which were held earlier this year but I think there's some more FreshKats events coming up in the fall so check the calendar or this forum for those if you want.



http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=41719.0

I thought I read before that bass tourneys need to be C&R and a live well needs to be used in CA for that. That is if it is to be a total weight tourney. Not too many of us have live wells for the kayak. I guess a catch photo release would work though.

I guess a catch photo release would work though.

I thought Bass Tournies were done by wieght, not size? If so, photos wouldn't work...

I guess a catch photo release would work
I thought Bass Tournies were done by wieght, not size? If so, photos wouldn't work...

I guess it depends how it is set up. The organizer can do as he pleases.

Here's the local Bass N Tubes livewell requirements:

6. All vessels must have a livewell - no stringers or metal fish baskets allowed.
Minimum livewell requirements are:
b. - A 350 GPH minimum bilge pump is to be used for refreshing out of water livewells with fresh lake water.
c. - Out of water livewells must use an aerator.
d. - Livewells must be constructed from a minimum 10 gallon container

From here: http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/tourney%20rules.html

What a bunch of winy pansies. Post the clubs name so we can make fun of them. 

What a bunch of winy pansies. Post the clubs name so we can make fun of them. 

http://www.scbbbc.com/

That being said, it's their club and their rules.  So it is what it is.

-Allen

but even there own rules language doesn't necessarily disqualify him. It days fins or oars, no motors or sails.

It is their club and their rules.  I'm just trying to figure out how to keep myself in bass tournaments while the Coast Guard has me stationed here.  I'd love to compete in the FreshKATS events.  Unfortunately the next one will be while I'm at a Youth hunting camp with my son.

I've got a livewell rigged up per the clubs regulations.  However, back on the East Coast almost all kayak events are catch, photo, release events and it seems to work fairly well.  It's not always the best format since a 19" bass has such a wide range of weights, but it is what it is.  Even the 2013 KayakBassFishing.com Open and Invitational were done in a CPR format.  I think the format would work especially for smaller events (50 anglers or less).

What kind of participation do the FreshKATS events get?  How many anglers on average show up?

I've got a few connections that might work out for sponsorships from national companies and I'm sure some of the local businesses could be persuaded to join in.

Also, what venues would lend themselves to the most participation from the freshwater anglers here?  I've only been here for about 2 months and I know the drive times from Petaluma to the "local" reservoirs is kind of ridiculus compared to what I'm used to back East.  I've fished Lake Sonoma, Lake Berryessa, and Clear Lake so far.  Still need to get down to the Delta to fish.  Would a Series on those reservoirs garner enough participation to make things worth the effort?  Would it be better to maybe just pick to lakes?

I guess I'm going to be needing a lot of research and information to get this going.  I would just hate to put in all the time, money, blood, sweat, and tears to have 3 kayaks show up at a tournament.  It seems to me that the majority of folks on NCKA are saltwater fisherman rather than freshwater fisherman.  Am I wrong in that?

but even there own rules language doesn't necessarily disqualify him. It days fins or oars, no motors or sails.

It's a belly boat club.  Fins have an entirely different meaning in that context.

Give 'em a break!

-Allen

Wow...I just read the aforementioned post. And I feel for you, Ring King. It seems like that club is discriminating against you (jealousy's a bitch). The argument of a kayak having an advantage over a kickboat is baseless. I bet none of those guys ever paddled a kayak; much less pedaled one. So their assertions are meaningless. They should just ban kayaks from competing altogether.

You presented your case very eloquently and kept your cool. If they don't want to allow kayaks or Hobies, then so be it--that's their right. But they would be ignoring a large sector of potential anglers/competitors/members...kinda like the ostrich with its head in the sand.

There is a LOT of knowledge here on NCKA and we have a number of tournaments. Most of them are not black bass-specific but they are certainly a major component of most freshwater events. Welcome to the site and please make yourself at home. 

If you're considering organizing an event of your own, I'd suggest you review the calendar and the Tournaments section--to avoid any potential conflicts w/pre-established events. Then pick a date & location. At first, I'd set it up as a MBF (Money Between Friends) as opposed to an officially-sanctioned licensed & insured DFW-approved fishing tournament. Just to sort of gauge interest. But I think a black-bass specific tourney would be successful. The C&R logistics are the main obstacle IMO because most guys are not going to build a 10-15gal livewell (and honestly, it's kinda dangerous to carry that much water in the tankwell). So perhaps it would have to be a tourney based on length rather than weight. Just because it'd be easier to document our fish--and far less traumatic for the fish. 

I totatlly agree with the format issue Sin Coast!  The tourneys I am used to fishing are CPR and it seemed to work great.  I would definitely be interested in a few friendly competition get togethers to gauge interest first.  I'll check out the calendar and then maybe start a pole to determine a location.

It's really disappointing that the other club didn't work out.  They seemed to be a great group of guys that were all local to my county.  I thought it was perfect!  Guess it wasn't quite so perfect afterall!