The Bass Master Classic of Kayak Bass Fishing Tournaments
What is the KFNW Kayak Bass Classic-
The Kayak Fishing North West (KFNW) Kayak Bass Classic, is an invitation-only tournament, and only the anglers who have qualified due to their success throughout the KFNW regular season events were invited to enter. The KFNW is made up of three divisions the WKFB(Washington), OKBF(Oregon), and the IKBF(Idaho), competitors from each division have found their way onto the Day 1 Roster.
Introduction-
The upper Willamette River was the battleground chosen for the event, with 28 miles of river to fish, the 22 anglers would have a plethora of cover, points, brush piles, and river structure, filling their depth finder screens with waypoints. Smallmouth Bass was the predicted target, the Willamette is home to giant bronze backs. The bite was hot as to be expected, the bass were in that fall-time feeding mood. The weather was mild, the wind was calm, and the rain was holding off, Day 1 was looking fishy.
Day 1
The competitors begin to launch their kayaks as the sun just starts to peak over the treetops of the large pines surrounding the river, the dew begins to turn to steam as the anglers wait for the 7:00 am lines in, to begin the day.
The submission started coming in early, signifying the bite was hotter than once predicted, by 10 am seven anglers had reported a 5 fish limit. Mason Meredith (OKBF), had 86.5 inches in the early part of the day, giving him an early lead.
Dan Walker (WAKBF) was just a few inches behind first with 77 inches. The morning was starting off great for these two competitors.
On the afternoon of day 1 the bite was still going strong. Dan Walker submitted a 20in Smallmouth and with that catch he took the lead with 87.5in, moving Mason down to Second place. With plenty of time left to fish, Day 1 was still up for grabs, it was a battle. Last year’s Classic winner, Andrew Larson had made his way up to third place after catching a 19.5 in Smallmouth, with a total of 86.25in. The bite throughout the day was steady, and results would continue to change.
Day 1 results.
The results of day 1 were impressive, a large quantity of fish was caught, and a battle for the top 5 spots would continue into day 2. Results of day 1.
- Mason Meredith (OKBF) would hold on to his early lead with 89.00in
- Andrew Larson (WKBF) would finish strong with a total of 88.25in
- Dan Walker (WKBF) was in third place with 87.50in and caught the biggest fish of the day with a 20in Smallmouth.
With only 9.5in separating the top 5, the Championship was still up for grabs.
Day 2- Championship Day
The sound of kayaks slapping the top of the water could be heard around Willamette Valley as the competitors unloaded their kayaks into the water, they were set to begin their second day of the Championship. The anglers anticipated a wetter day but knew that the angling patterns that were successful the day prior, were still in play. Today was Championship Sunday and everything was still on the line.
The morning of day 2 had begun, the bite was not as hot, a bit more overcast or the precipitation that had started that morning may have been what turned the bite off. Nonetheless, fish were still being caught and moves were being made.
The pressure was on, the baits were moving, and it was still anyone’s game. 7 anglers had caught a limit by 10 a.m. Andrew Larson (WKBF) was in first place with 74.75 in. Andrew has experience winning tournaments, he has won 10 tournaments, and finished in the top 10, 36 times, throughout his time with the WKBF. Kyle Zemke (IKBF) would start his morning off in 2nd place, followed by Last year’s OKBF Rookie of the Year Brandon Hua (OKBF) with 73.5in. With only a few hours left, the pressure was on.
It all comes down to this, the last few hours for the Championship. It’s still anyone’s tournament to win, the total inches will be added from yesterday, and today, someone will come out as the winner.
The afternoon results didn’t disappoint, Brandon Hua (OKBF) caught a Giant stud of a Smallmouth, 20.5 inches. Matt Walker (OKBF), Brandon Hua (OKBF), and Mason Meredith (OKBF) were in a back-and-forth battle all afternoon.
They finished in the Top 3, only separated by 2.5in. Was it enough for any of them to win the Championship, time would tell.
The Championship is decided by the total number of inches from Day 1 and Day 2 combined.
Championship Results
- 5th place with 159”. Dan Walker (WKBF)
- 4th place with 166”. Andrew Larson (WKBF)
- 3rd place with 168”. Brandon Hua (OKBF) $250 Won
- 2nd place with 172.25”. Matthew Walker (WKBF) $750 Won
Champion
Mason Meredith 174” is the 2023 KFNW Kayak Bass Classic Champion.
$3000 Won.
Biggest Bass
Brandon Hua- 20.50 Smallmouth. $500 Won.
Conclusion-
This was an exciting tournament to watch on the TourneyX live tracker, the competition was stiff, and the battle for the lead was to be expected from the top bass anglers in the northwest. Congratulations to the winners, the participants, and KFNW for a great season.
If anyone is interested in participating in the next season check out the website –https://kayakfishingnorthwest.com/
Follow KFNW on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/kayakfishingnorthwest/