Kayak fishing tourney April 18 in Carolinas

On April 18, the River Bassin Trail brings its Charlotte super regional kayak fishing event to Lake Wylie.

“I challenge everybody to try it and tell me what they wouldn’t like about it,” said Noah Heck, tour director.

While power boat tournaments measure fish by the weight, kayak events win by total length. Kayak events weigh in and take photos against a rule, and release on the water. Kayakers can fish by themselves or in teams.

“As long as they’re fishing moving waters, they’re in bounds,” Heck said.

The fishing boundaries run north to Taylorsville, N.C., south to Great Falls, and east-west from Spartanburg to Lancaster. Anglers may choose from the Catawba or Broad rivers, or from tributaries throughout. All anglers must be at Ebenezer Park in Rock Hill for the awards and prize drawing at 3:30 p.m.

The top team will win $1,000. The top individual receives a prize pack worth $1,500, including $500 cash. A Charlotte regional last year had about 50 anglers.

“Good area, good time of year,” Heck said. “The fish should be about as big as they can get.”

Heck, based in Pittsburgh, said eventually he won’t have to answer so many question about how kayak tournaments work. He began a kayak fishing club in 2013 with 31 members. Last year, there were 96 members. Now there are 150.

“Kayak fishing is growing more quickly than anything out there,” Heck said. “It’s affordable. You can access all sorts of water you can’t get to with most boats. And now with these tournaments, you can make a little money .”

Hunt Fish Paddle in Lake Wylie held Kayaks N’ Greenbacks tournament last year with 98 anglers, with winnings totaling $14,000, along with prizes including kayaks and gear. It was the third largest tournament of any kind on Wylie in 2014 and the second largest kayak tournament in the country, said Adam Fillmore, owner of Hunt Fish Paddle store.

The second Kayaks N’ Greenbacks event was scheduled April 11-12. Most anglers come from outside the area, Fillmore said.

“Ours is specific to Lake Wylie,” Fillmore said. “A lot of them are coming to fish our event to practice for the River Bassin tournament.”

This story was originally published April 10, 2015 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Kayak fishing tourney April 18 in Carolinas."