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Buckeye Kayak Fishing Trail
History
2020
2020 was a challenging year for the country, Ohio, and the Trail. In April the decision was made to essentially make every Tour Series event an online event, which resulted in no measure-in's. Once the tournament was over we shifted to a more virtual setting and released our YouTube channel to release payouts, prizes, and 50/50 drawings.
In 2020 we developed our tournament circuit into three 'Series':
Tour (or in-person events), Online, and Multi-Species.
The 2020 Angler of the Year was Chris Hannegan.
The 2020 Online Warrior was Jason Isaacs.
The Multi-Species Angler of the Year was Russell McDonald.
In the end 24 anglers were invited to THE CLASSIC.
With 19 of them able to participate, Darrell Cornelius took home the win and was the only angler to post a 5 fish limit at CJ Brown Reservoir.
The Final 2020 Standings can be found HERE.
The standings for each individual 2020 event along with every fish submitted can be found HERE.
2019
The 2019 Angler of the Year was Shawn Skidmore.
2019 was also the first year we had two divisions: In-person & Online tournaments.
The 2020 Online Warrior was Wayne Schnaak.
In the end 18 anglers were invited to THE CLASSIC.
With 15 of them able to participate, Ryan Parker took home the win on Rush Creek Lake.
The Final 2019 Standings can be found HERE.
The standings for each individual 2019 event along with every fish submitted can be found HERE.
2018
2017
The 2018 Angler of the Year was Wayne Schnaak.
2016
2014
2015
2013
The Buckeye Kayak Fishing Trail held its inaugural season in 2013, but the planning began in October of 2012. The first year had 4 lake events, 2 moving water events, 2 online events and 7 YAK Ohio awards. A few of the events held in 2013 were so popular with BKFT anglers they still exist today including Dayton area rivers, Columbus area rivers, and the Buckeye Open Labor Day online event. A couple of other events were popular but the trail exceeded lake capacity (Kiser Lake, Nettle Lake).
After the dust settled at the end of the season two anglers ended atop the standings in a tie; Jeff Bennett & Rylan Hayes. After a quick deliberation all the anglers decided the best way to decide who would take home the Angler of the Year award was a final deciding event where all other anglers could also compete. It was decided that Kiser Lake would be the final location due to its popularity among the kayak fishing community at the time. The final event on Kiser saw upper 30 to lower 40 temps and sideways rain the entire day. It was a brutal day considering paddle kayaks were the only thing on the water back in those days. In the end Jeff pulled in a limit including a 20" largemouth to take home the AOY title!
The Buckeye Kayak Fishing Trail is presented by:
