A stop on a national kayak fishing tour will come to the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers on July 30-31.
The Pennsylvania tournament is the eighth stop of 10 in the 2022 Hobie Bass Open Series Anchored by Power-Pole – the full name of the tour – leading to a $100,000 Tournament of Champions November 11-13 on Caddo Lake in Louisiana for 50 anglers qualifying on the tour.
According to tournament organizers, all 200 spots in the local tournament were subscribed earlier this year and a lengthy wait list exists.
Kayak tournament fishing is the fastest growing segment of competitive fishing, partly because of the much lower cost of getting into the sport. While top-of-the-line fishing kayaks can cost more than $5,000, newcomers can get started in kayak fishing for less than $1,000. Bass boats carry an average price of $20,000 to $45,000.
A kayak fishing tournament is different from the image of massive bass boats with powerful motors almost flying across the water to preferred spots and anglers hoisting their bass on the weigh-in stage for crowds of fans that most of us have of bass-fishing tournaments.
In contrast kayak tournament anglers have no motors on their crafts. They get to their spots by paddling or pedaling.
There are no fish-hoisting weigh-ins each day or at the end of the competition. Kayak anglers have no live-wells on their kayaks. They photograph their bass against measuring boards – Ketch Boards – that have been checked and approved by tournament organizers, release the fish and then submit the photos using a tournament management app.
Winners are determined by total length of their five longest fish rather than the weight of the fish as in the bass boat tournaments.
In announcing the tournament, organizers described the Susquehanna as “one of the most iconic rivers in the country” that will offer “our anglers the perfect summer tournament venue. Shallow shoals, dams and rapids will provide some amazing smallmouth bass opportunities for our anglers, but some deeper, slower pools mixed with grass can open up the fishery for the plentiful largemouth opportunities that exist too. This mid-Atlantic stop is going to be something special and one you won’t want to miss.”
Boundaries for the competitors are described as follows. “Northern Boundary: Sunbury Dam. Anglers must launch and fish below Sunbury Dam. Southern Boundary: York Haven/ Goldsboro Dam. Anglers must launch and fish above the Goldsboro Dam. Juniata River: The last legal launch is the (Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission) Thompsontown boat access at the Route 333 Bridge. Anglers may fish above this launch but cannot launch above it. All launches and water from this launch to the mouth of the Susquehanna River will be legal waters. All other tributaries: To be considered a legal launch, anglers must launch at a public access within a measured mile of where the tributary meets the Susquehanna River. This is a launch boundary; anglers can fish farther up the tributary as needed/able.”
Pennsylvania stop on major bass fishing circuit canceled
The official practice period on the local waters will run from July 25, through 4 p.m. July 29.
The first launch of the tournament will come at 5:30 a.m. July 30, followed by the first cast at 6 a.m. and a day of fishing that will end at 3 p.m.
The second and final day of the tournament will follow a similar schedule, with an awards ceremony at 5 p.m.
The Hobie Bass Open Series was started in 2019. In 2020, angler’s earnings topped $243,000 and the Tournament of Champions purse paid out $62,000.
