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2023 Championships Bring Another Kayak Bass Fishing First

With a bumpy year of ups and downs Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) pushed through the season with a positive outlook during trying times. This didn’t stop a lot of anglers who wanted to reach that goal in the KBF Trail and Challenge series of making Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year which were both sponsored by Rogue Gear for 2023. Of course it goes without saying that the top event in kayak bass competition is still making The Ten and anglers across the country from New England to California put in the time and effort to make it happen.

KBF Trail Series and Challenge Series Championships

This year the championships were held in Huntsville, Alabama at Lake Guntersville and Lake Wheeler. Lake Guntersville was the host location for the 2020 Championships which was also the first year all 3 major events were combined during the Covid pandemic. Visit Huntsville and Visit North Alabama welcomed the anglers across the country for this multi-day event.

KBF returned to original format of separating the National Championships from the Trail and Challenge Championships. The move was welcomed by many, and also allows a solid reset for the event and origination as a whole. Taking the one angler to win them all option off the table, this provides more opportunity for anglers to chase a big title and check.

Coming into this event Rachel Uribe had the top spot and many in the community were pulling for her to be the first woman to take the KBF Angler of the Year title. Kristine Fischer amongst them finishing her speech for the KBF Sportsman of the Year award told Rachel in front of a field of eager anglers that she was pulling for her to win the title.

Both events had some names jump to the top that folks recognize and some new having great days on the water. The format of 2 days once again creeps in and we saw a shift in many of the anglers unable to repeat a day 1 performance and some taking the clues from day 1 and unlocking the secret on day 2.

The day 1 top 10 consisted of many top names in the sport including Mike Elea and Jody Queen. Many of those anglers were unable to stick in a top 10 performance on day 2 opening up the opportunities for other top anglers such as Eric Jackson and Jaxton Orr, including some that you may not have heard about.

The top 10 when all had flushed out showed that the well known hammers in the sport would fill most of the field out with a surprising twist in the top spot. The angler in contention for both Rookie of the Year as well as Angler of the Year Wyatt Hammond from Fayetteville, North Carolina had stole the show with a solid 184.5 inch 2 day total putting himself on top as the first ever to take home both titles in the history of KBF. It was a close race between Hammond and Garrett Wade with a small 1.25 inch difference between the two, and over 10 inch gap between first and tenth place.

Hammond kept a solid consistency at the event punching the grass on the main lake after finding out in practice that the fish he was originally hunting for with a previous scouting trip were not there. Sticking to the new pattern he was able to pull out solid limits both days in a consistent manner putting him the top spot with a solid championship finish to cap off a great 2023 season. 

2023 KBF Trail Series Championship Top 10

1	Wyatt Hammond	184.5 in.
2	Garrett Wade	183.25 in.
3	Rus Snyders	182.5 in.
4	Josh Stewart	180.5 in.
5	Eric Jackson	180 in.
6	Kristine Fischer	179.25 in.
7	Mike Elsea	176 in.
8	Jody Queen	175.75 in.
9	Justin Largen	174.5 in.
10	Jaxton Orr	174.25 in.

The Challenge Series Championship saw a similar path of ups and downs for anglers trying to win and secure the spot in The Ten. However with a solid 2 days of consistent quality limits, Garrett Wade took the day with a 3 inch gap between himself and Josh Stewart, and near 15 inch gap ahead of tenth place. 

Wade's pattern was shallow off the main lake in contrast to Hammond. The Mini-Max Chatterbait was the most consistent bite that held up for both days helping land some quality bass around docks and shallow grass. 

2023 KBF Challenge Series Top 10

1	Garrett Wade	183.25 in.
2	Josh Stewart	180.5 in.
3	Eric Jackson	180 in.
4	Kristine Fischer	179.25 in.
5	Mike Elsea	176 in.
6	Jody Queen	175.75 in.
7	Brian Shotts	172 in.
8	Ryan Nye	171.75 in.
9	Antoine Hayes	169 in.
10	Chris Mitchell	168.75 in.

The 2023 KBF The Ten

1	Wyatt Hammond	3,174 pts
2	Ryan Nye	3,105 pts
3	Jake Angulas	3,090 pts
3	Justin Largen	3,090 pts
5	Mike Elsea	3,054 pts
6	Casey Reed	3,051 pts
7	Glenn Landstrom	3,024 pts
8	Rus Snyders	2,982 pts
9	Eric Nelson	2,973 pts
10	Alex Miller	2,967 pts