May 10 | American Lake, WA
Focus on Fun
The Season Kickoff Open promises to be a blast. Come on out to fish and meet other kayak anglers (experienced and newbie alike are welcome).
Kayak Bass Fishing Tournament
This bass fishing tournament is focused on fun and teamwork. If you’ve been thinking about getting involved in competitive kayak fishing, the Season Kickoff Open is a great place to start. We will randomly pair one less-experienced tournament angler with one more-experienced tournament angler, to compete as a two-person team for the tournament. We will be fishing for largemouth bass and/or smallmouth bass. We score fish by length, using the smartphone app TourneyX Pro. We practice CPR (catch, photo, release) to tabulate our scores. A certified bump board must be used: YakAttack Leaderboard, Ketch Karbonate, Ketch X Aluminum Board, and Original Ketch Board are the ONLY boards that will be accepted. There’s a six fish limit per team (three fish limit per angler). Catches between you and your teammate are combined to tabulate your team score. This means that you and your teammate need to catch three fish for the best chance of winning. We also have an optional Big Bass Buy-In side pot, in which the competitor who catches the largest bass of the day gets the pot (minus PayPal fees).
Nearly 100% payout to the top three teams (minus PayPal and TourneyX fees), which is split 50/50 between teammates.
Tournament Schedule
Friday – May 9, 2025
- No Prefishing Restrictions
- 10:00 PM – Identifier Code Released
Saturday – May 10, 2025
- 5:40 AM – Sunrise
- 6:30 AM – Pre-Event Briefing and Team Assignments | WDFW American Lake Boat Launch
Anglers MUST check-in by this time. Failure to check-in on-time will result in disqualification. We recommend all anglers unload their gear before check-in. Kayaks and gear may be stored on the bank, or near the launch. Be sure to leave room for other people to use the ramp. - 7:30 AM – Launch (Shotgun Start) | All Competitors
- 7:30 AM – Lines In
- 1:30:00 PM – Lines Out
- 2:30:00 PM – Upload Deadline / Off the Water
Cell Service on Water: Good
Cellular service may not be available on the water. It is the competitor’s responsibility to find service and upload their fish before the deadline. - 3:00 PM – Awards Ceremony and Gear Drawing | WDFW American Lake Boat Launch
Competitors MUST be present at Awards ceremony location by this time. Competitors who are not present by this time will be disqualified.
Location Details
Eligible Water Boundaries
- Main water body
- Connected creeks, rivers, sloughs and tributaries accessible via kayak from the main body of water are in-bounds (conditions permitting for safety and accessibility)
- Disconnected sloughs and ponds are out-of-bounds
- Portaging is not permitted
- Only public waters are allowed
Pre-Event Briefing Location, Designated Launch Location, and Awards Location
- WDFW American Lake Boat Launch (improved)
- 16 Co Hwy 7/01, Lakewood, WA 98498
- https://maps.app.goo.gl/mn1f9j4ubfUAmNGv8
Special Rules
- This is an open tournament, no KFNW membership is required.
- No AOY points will be recorded.
- This is a team tournament. Angler may NOT compete alone. The Tournament Director will assign teammates at random, pairing more-experienced tournament anglers with less experienced tournament anglers. Anglers will fish as a team, and scores will be calculated on the best team score (two longest fish per angler, four fish total). If one of the two teammates does not catch two fish, culled fish from the other teammate can not be counted.
- There will be a shotgun start for this tournament, so all competitors may launch at the same time.
- Teammates are expected to fish near each other. We also expect experienced anglers to offer assistance to their less-experienced teammates.
- For these Season Kickoff Team events ONLY, we waive some assistance-related rules. You can assist your teammate, or other anglers, by holding on to their kayak, and reaching in to their kayak to help them take their submission photos.
Safety Notes
- An overhead 360° light is required in low light conditions. A high-visibility flag, vest-type PFD, and sound signaling device (whistle) are required on the water at all times. Failure to utilize any of this safety equipment may result in disqualification.
Tournament Director
- Jim Davis
- Email: washington@kayakfishingnorthwest.com
- Phone: (541) 561-1447