Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship

Kayak Bass Fishing’s Biggest Event of 2019

KBF’s 2019 National Championship, presented by Torqeedo, will take place March 28-30, 2019. Championship contenders will be fishing not just a single lake but an entire system of river and lakes centered around Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. Eligible water will include the Red River from the Hwy 2 bridge in the north to the mouth of Loggy Bayou on the south and the following five lakes within a 25 mile radius of the Event HQ:
• Caddo Lake (in Louisiana and Texas, upstream to Hwy 43 bridge)
• Cypress Bayou Reservoir & Black Bayou Reservoir* (Cypress-Black Bayou Park & Recreation Area)
• Cross Lake°
• Lake Bistineau
• Wallace Lake
*NOT Black Bayou Lake by Hosston, LA, which lies outside of the 25-mile radius
°Cross Lake and the City of Shreveport have agreed to waive Cross Lake Boat Permit fees for KBF National Championship Competitors. If asked by a Patrol member to produce your Cross Lake Boat Permit, show your KBF Identifier Card.

Event Headquarters will be Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, providing Championship contenders with 22,000 square feet of assembly space, and 19 acres of parking, plus overflow parking with shuttle service. KBF is working on crazy lodging discounts, too. Stop back by; more details to come.

This will be a 3-day event (Thur/Fri/Sat) with a side KBF Big Bass Brawl. The field will be trimmed after Day 2, and the top 100 competitors will meet on one of the bodies of water on Saturday. While they chase down a limit that produces the next KBF National Champion, all others who entered the KBF Big Bass Brawl will be invited to fish on Saturday for even greater big bass prizes. Prize ceremonies and awards will be Saturday evening.

KBFNC Expo

Open to the public. No admission fee! Come browse exhibits by Kayak Bass Fishing sponsors, paddlesports manufacturers, and merchants in the Red River Room at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, 8000 East Texas St, Bossier City LA 71111
• Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, March 27-29, noon to 8 PM
• Saturday March 30, noon to 6 PM

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, March 27

• 12:00 pm–8:00 pm: KBFNC EXPO for Competitors & Sponsors, Red River Room
• 2:00 pm–6:00 pm: Competitor check-in, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs lobby
• 2:00 pm–8:00 pm: Food trucks on premises
• 3:00 p.m.: Prefishing on eligible water ends
• 3:00 pm–5:45 pm: Lifetime Members Lounge open (appetizers at 4:00 pm)
• 6:00 pm: Captains Meeting, Red River Room; Day 1 Identifier Cards distributed
• 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Competitor check-in wrap-up

Thursday, March 28

• 5:30 am–6:00 am: Late arrivals check-in
• 6:30 am–2:30 pm: Competition
• 7:09 am: Sunrise
• 12:00 pm–8:00 pm: KBFNC EXPO Open to Public, Red River Room
• 2:00 pm–3:30 pm: Photo assistance/manual uploads at HQ, in lobby
• 2:00 pm–8:00 pm: Food trucks on premises
• 3:00 pm–5:30 pm: Check-in, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs lobby
• 3:00 pm–5:45 pm: Lifetime Members Lounge open (appetizers at 4:00 pm)
• 6:00 pm: Captains meeting, Day 2 Identifier Cards Distributed

Friday, March 29

• 6:30 am–2:30 pm: Competition
• 7:07 am: Sunrise
• 12:00–8:00 pm: KBFNC EXPO Open to Public, Red River Room
• 2:00–3:30 pm: Photo assistance/manual uploads at HQ, in lobby
• 2:00–8:00 pm: Food trucks on premises
• 3:00 pm–5:30 pm: Check-in, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs lobby
• 3:00 pm–5:45 pm: Lifetime Members Lounge open (appetizers at 4:00 pm)
• 6:00 pm: Captains meeting, Top 100 and Day 3 competition location announced, Day 3 Identifier Cards Distributed

Saturday, March 30

• 6:30 am–2:30 pm: Competition (Top 100 location announced at Friday captains Meeting; Big Bass Brawl on other eligible water)
• 7:06 am: Sunrise
• 12:00–6:00 pm: KBFNC EXPO Open to Public, Red River Room
• 2:00–3:30 pm: Photo assistance/manual uploads at HQ, in lobby
• 2:00–8:00 pm: Food trucks on premises
• 3:00 pm–5:30 pm: Check-in, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs lobby
• 3:00 pm–6:45 pm: Lifetime Members Lounge open (appetizers at 4:00 pm)
• 7:00 pm: Awards Ceremony, Red River Room

BONUS BUCKS & KBFNC Big Bass Brawl

These two optional KBF programs have been combined for the 2019 KBF National Championship, and they infuse up to $53,100 in bonuses and prize money to this year’s KBFNC.

To be eligible to win bonuses, one must register for KBF BONUS BUCKS – KBFNC. For Sponsors’ BONUS BUCKS, meet the eligibility requirements outlined below:

To qualify for any bonus, one must enroll in KBF BONUS BUCKS – KBFNC no later than 11:59 PM CST on Wednesday, March 27.

Torqeedo: If the 2019 Champion owns and has a Torqeedo Ultra-lite 403 or equivalent mounted on the watercraft he used in the KBFNC, Torqeedo will award him $5,000. If he does NOT meet that eligibility requirement, then the presenter will ask 2nd place, then 3rd, and on down until we find the top-ranked competitor who does, and a $2,500 check will be presented to that person.

Bonafide: If first place is won by a competitor fishing from the Bonafide he owns, that’s worth $5,000. If not, then $2,500 will be presented to the highest-ranking competitor who owns and competed in a Bonafide.

Nucanoe: If first place is won by a competitor fishing from the Nucanoe watercraft he owns, that’s worth $5,000. No awards down the line if first place isn’t in a Nucanoe.

Jackson Kayak: If first place is won by a competitor who owns and competed in a watercraft by Jackson Kayak, he gets a $5,000l from Jackson. If not, then the MC will ask down the ranks, stopping at the first one who answers affirmatively and awarding a $2,500 to that competitor.

YakAttack will award $5,00 to the 2019 Champion if he owns and has YakAttack products* (GearTrac, mounts, Leverage Landing Net, etc.) on the kayak used in KBFNC competition. If the Champ strikes out there, then $2,500 will be awarded to the highest-ranking competitor who does.

NRS: If the highest-ranking Chinook PFD owner/user finishes in first place, NRS will award him a $5,000 bonus. If not, then we work our way down the ranks and the top Chinook-owner/user will receive a bonus check for $2,500.

Tourney Tag: If first place is won by a competitor with his Tourney Tag in the photos he submitted, he wins a $500 bonus. If not, then that $500 will be presented to the highest-ranking competitor who owns and had Tourney Tags in his photos.

KBF will award $5,000 to the first place finisher if enrolled in KBF BONUS BUCKS – KBFNC by the 11:59 PM deadline on Wednesday, March 27. If first place is NOT in KBF BONUS BUCKS, then the top competitor who is wins $2,500.

FishUSA: During 2019, paying $100 or more for products purchased from FishUSA will be worth $5,000 to first place. If that competitor doesn’t  qualify, then a $2,500 FishUSA Gift Card will be awarded to the highest-ranked competitor who does.

The following companies will award bonuses to the competitors who finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. These awards do NOT roll down if unclaimed:

Bending Branches: A competitor finishing in the top three wins a bonus if he owns and has on watercraft during the KBFNC any Bending Branches Angler Series paddle. $1,000 to first, $500 to second, and $250 to third place.

NINES® Optics: A top-three finisher wins $1,000 $500 $250 (places 1-3, respectively) if he owns and has on watercraft during the KBFNC any NINES brand sunglasses

APR: A competitor who wins the KBFNC and who owns and has on watercraft during competition any APR (All Pro Rods) fishing rod receives a $1,000 bonus. Second and third place bonuses to eligible competitors will be $500 and $250.

LEW’s: Regardless of where one ranks, “You can’t lose with Lew’s!” But if you finish at the very top and you own and used any Lew’s fishing reel in competition, you’ll win a $1,000 Lew’s Reels bonus. Second place, if eligible, wins a $500 bonus, and third, $250.

*Products do not include promotional items, like caps, decals, garments (except high-tech apparel from NRS) or other items that do not represent the company’s primary goods.

KBFNC Big Bass Brawl

Hourly $100 big bass prizes all three days of the KBF National Championship are worth $100 (doubled during the “Golden Hour,” first hour of each day). The prize goes to the Brawl participant with the biggest (highest-scored) bass of an hour. That’s $2,700 up for grabs in hourly increments on Days 1 and 2. On Day 3, the top two each hour win the hourly prizes. The daily big bass winners on Day 1 get $1,000 each, and on Day 3 the top three receive money: $3,000 for First, $2,000 for Second, and $1,000 for Third biggest bass of Day 3. Another $4,000 will be awarded for the biggest bass of the entire 3-day Championship period. By “biggest bass,” we mean the highest-scoring photo. A 25.25″ bass penalized 1″ for open mouth will be scored 24.25″ and may be beat out in the Brawl by a 24.50″ bass with no deductions. Ties are broken based on upload time stamps. All totaled, that comes up to $15,600 in prize money paid out for the KBFNC Big Bass Brawl.

Early Bird Cash Prizes

Day 1: On Thursday, March 8, the highest ranking Day 1 competitor who registered and paid his KBFNC entry fee by November 1 wins $5,000.

Mustad & FishUSA: Another benefit to those who registered by November 1: Mustad Mystery Bass. A $1,000 Fish USA Gift Card, redeemable for Mustad, NRS and YakAttack products, will be awarded to the competitor with a photo in the NRS Leader Board at the end of Day 1 that is scored closest to a randomly-generated length. Ties are broken by earliest submission time stamp.

Day 2: Just looking at the Day 2 submissions, the KBFNC competitor who, on Friday, March 29, has the highest single-day score wins $2,500 on top of any other cash prizes and bonuses.

These three Early Bird specials contribute another $8,500 in cash and Gift Cards to KBF National Championship payouts.