West Virginia- For the first time in WV kayak fishing history, the three major clubs in the state are being brought together for a one-of-a-kind “Best of the Best” Championship. Mountain State Kayak Anglers, West Virginia Kayak Anglers, and Southern West Virginia Kayak Anglers will bring together their best 12 best anglers from each club respectively. Totaling the who field to 36 anglers.
The location for the tournament has not yet been announced and will not be announced until next Thursday. Leaving the entire field with a mystery and truly making the event more interesting leading up to it.
The entry fee will be $50 per angler, $300 will be rewarded to the highest finishing club member from each club and the overall winner will take home the additional $900. Therefore, the grand champion will take home $1200 in total. Also included for the winning angler will be a Wilderness Systems Recon 120 kayak.
We caught up with a few notable anglers in the field to get their thoughts leading up to the event for a little interview for folks to read through!
Philip Backus
DockTalkWV: What does it mean to you to qualify for the first Kayak state championship in WV?
Philip: It is pretty cool to be able to get to fish in the very first kayak state championship. The first of anything only happens once so it is pretty neat to be in it along with some real quality anglers. I’m just glad I was able to qualify despite missing the first two events of the year.
DockTalkWV: Without knowing the location of the tournament, is there any type of preparations you are going to make to get ready for the event?
Philip: Yes, I’m just trying to fish locally some to stay sharp and make sure all my equipment is functioning 100%. Try and have a few things rigged that I typically fish with but once they announce the location it’ll be a scramble to rig up all the other rods, gear, and tackle.
DockTalkWV: If you had to pick one or two key things to your success in making it to this event what would they be?
Philip: Experience and preparation. I’ve only seriously kayak fished for 3 years but I’ve fished a lot of different bodies of water and situations. I’m so meticulous with my leader knots and lure knots and it has helped to capitalize on every bite. Getting bites is one thing but getting those fish hooked and inside the boat is never a certainty. I’m always playing with different hooks and knots and have found some that I feel help me land more fish.
DockTalkWV: Give us one or two highlights of kayak tournament fishing for this year
Philip: Pre-fishing for a national KBF tournament down in Kissimmee (Florida) earlier this year I was able to catch my PB bass which was almost 25″ long and estimated to be around 10lbs since I didn’t have a scale. It was really special and a once-in-a-lifetime fish.
During the Elk River/Sutton tournament I flipped my kayak less than an hour into the tournament on the river in some pretty high and swift water but was lucky to be safe and not lose anything but my power pole spike and sunglasses. Despite that I was able to put together a really good limit and finish 2nd in the tournament.
DockTalkWV: Qualifying for this event with your wife has to be pretty special, what does all that mean to you?
Philip: Yes, it is. She likes to fish as much as I do, and she’s got to fish with me more this year than in the past. I’m trying to help her all I can, albeit she’s done pretty well during her rookie year. I just hope I can catch a quarter inch more than her during the championship.
Sierra Backus
DockTalkWV: What does it mean to you to qualify for the first Kayak state championship in WV?
Sierra: It’s such an amazing opportunity. It’s pretty special to me just for the fact that this was my Rookie season. I have battled hard this season and have learned a lot. I hope to put all that to use for this tournament, and hopefully do well in it.
DockTalkWV: Without knowing the location of the tournament, is there any type of preparations you are going to make to get ready for the event?
Sierra: Just making sure that I have all my gear ready. Not knowing where we could be fishing till two days before the tournament, means rigging rods will happen late. But the most important thing I can do to get ready is to mentally prepare and hopefully get a good night’s sleep the night before.
DockTalkWV: If you had to pick one or two key things to your success to making it to this event what would they be?
Sierra: The Good Lord. I always pray before the tournaments. He has kept me safe not only on the water but traveling all over the state and country this year.
Secondly, I really wouldn’t have been as successful this year without my husband’s help. Whether that be teaching me how to tie new knots and leaders, showing me how to operate my fish finder, what to look for to fish in new bodies of water, etc. I’ve always been into fishing, but tournament fishing is a whole new ball game and I’m glad he’s been there to help me every step of the way.
DockTalkWV: Give me one or two highlights kayak tournament fishing for this year
Sierra: My goal this season was to win Top Female Angler. I was able to do that and win Rookie of the Year all while finishing in the top 10! I was pretty stoked.
DockTalkWV: Qualifying for this event with your husband has to be pretty special, what does all that mean to you?
Sierra: This is something we both enjoy, and being able to share it, has been so much fun. We are competitive, and I do a lot of trash-talking, but I enjoy sharing this experience with him so much. Learning from him as I said earlier, has helped me. I rely on him a lot with pre-fishing since we have two small kids, and it’s easier for him to go than both of us. It has brought us closer together, and I look forward to this tournament to see how we do.
Blaine Winters
DockTalkWV: What does it mean to you to qualify for the first Kayak state championship in WV?
Blaine: It feels great! The state championship was one of my main goals this season. I knew I couldn’t travel much in 2022 so I focused all my efforts on the local scene.
DockTalkWV: Without knowing the location of the tournament, is there any type of preparations you are going to make to get ready for the event?
Blaine: Not knowing makes it tough to prepare. I’ll just have kit and caboodle ready to go and make last-minute adjustments on the 13th when they announce the location.
DockTalkWV: If you had to pick one or two key things to your success in winning AOY in two clubs and making it to this event what would they be?
Blaine: If I had to narrow my success down to two major factors they would have to be versatility and preparation. You have to be willing to change your tactics as the conditions change and have the confidence to throw the right baits at the right time. Also, your gear has to be ready to handle those big bites when they do come. You have to be willing to spend time changing leaders and retying a lot on the water.
DockTalkWV: Regardless of how you finish this in this event, what does mean winning AOY against some of the best kayak fishermen in the nation mean to you?
Blaine: Not only do we have some of the best fishermen in the nation, but we also have some of the best people I’ve had the pleasure to meet in our kayak fishing community. To get to share the water with the likes of Anglers like Matt Ball, Mark Edwards, Jody Queen, Tim Isaacs, and many more is a real honor. To be able to win against that competition is an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment.
DockTalkWV: If anything additional feel free to leave below.
Blaine: I’d like to give a huge shoutout to the people who make this possible! Our clubs coming together have done wonders for the kayak community in WV. Big thanks to the Presidents: Coy Lehman, Jason Plumley, and Greg Kupfner along with everyone behind the scenes for their efforts! They give a lot to this sport and expect very little in return and I think I speak for many when I say it’s much appreciated.
Below is where you can find more information on each club through their Facebook pages and keep up to latest date on the West Virginia Kayak State Championship.
MSKA: https://www.facebook.com/mskawv/
WVKA: https://www.facebook.com/wvkayakanglers/
SWVKA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/swvka/
To read more on the “Best of the Best” Championship check out this article here! https://wildyfishing.com/articles-1/f/the-battle-for-west-virginia
