By Nick Taylor/ Jan 7, 2024/ Two More Cast Media
Kayak bass anglers from 6 different states on the Left Coast, who qualify, meet up once a year in California for the West Coast Championship. On average a total of 100 competitors are registered for the two-day tournament that takes place in August. There isn’t a better place or time of year to challenge the best of the best from the West Coast kayak bass fishing community. Whether it’s your first season or you are a vet of the sport, you don’t want to miss this event.
How to Qualify.
There are two ways to qualify for the West Coast Championship, the first is to finish a qualifying event in the Top 25%: for example, if 40 people fish the tournament, you must place in the Top 10 to qualify.
The second is to finish three qualifying tournaments within the same club. There is no pressure to win or place within a certain position.
The clubs that host the eligible qualifying tournaments are referred to as Clubs of the Western Kayak Anglers Alliance, and they are:
California:
- American Bass Kayak Series (ABKS)
- Central Valley Kayak Fishing (CVKF)
- SoCal Kayak Anglers (SCKA)
- Yak-A-Bass Nor-Cal (YAB)
Arizona:
- AZ B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Anglers (AZBN)
- Kayak Anglers Association (KAA)
- Bass Junkyz
Utah:
- Kayak Fishing Utah (KFU)
Kayak Fishing Northwest (KFNW):
- Idaho (IKBF)
- Oregon (OKBF)
- Washington (WKBF)
Contact the club directly for more information.
Qualifying for the West Coast Championship will not come easy, the competition in each club is stacked with anglers with a proven track record of catching tournament-winning bass and the grit and endurance to keep showing up month after month. One of the top kayak personalities and long-time kayak tournament competitor, Greg Blanchard had this to say about the competition in the West Coast Championship:
“The West Coast Championship is huge, brings in a lot of folks from out of state, its extremely competitive. Maybe one of the most difficult tournaments of the year (Blanchard).”
G.Blanchard (YouTube) This is a Make or Break Weekend
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxZ5IB82mBAph7R7K1fQsff3UyVnuq7sQZ
With great competition comes great reward, the winner of the 2023 Westcoast Coast Championship, Pua Yang, took home $6,277, and a giant trophy to put on the wall. The Top 8 competitors took home checks that weekend, and Big Bass paid out $2,428 to Morgan Swisher for catching a 22.50” largemouth on the California Delta. That is good money for a weekend of fishing, and other sponsor prizes were handed out after the event.
The 2024 West Coast Championship is going to be an opportunity you do not want to miss. Join a club, fish the tournaments, qualify for the championship, and meet some great people along the way. Follow the West Coast Championship on Facebook to keep up to date with the 2024 championship.
References
Blanchard, Greg. “:55-1:10. (2023). YouTube. Retrieved January 7, 2024, from https://youtu.be/xv49IVzzj1I?si=WZXPrBGC3USoNy4w. .” n.d.
Pictures from West Coast Championship Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westcoastchampionship
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