Is this weekend the end of the KBF Trail Series?

Kayak Bass Fishing was the top and only national trail worth fishing for many years but have we come to the end of the journey? 

Starting way back in 2013 Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) started bringing like minded kayak anglers together for friendly competition and camaraderie. Boondoggle's and Opens were exiting opportunities for anglers to travel to new destinations with their plastic crafts rigged up in all sorts of DIY creations transforming the kayaks to unique fishing machines. The popularity skyrocketed as anglers looking for more affordable ways to get off the bank and compete found this amazing new trend. Soon after the KBF National Championship was born, and soon after the Trail Series.

Chad Hoover has been the driver for growth in the sport, love him or hate him you can't take away what he has done for the anglers. KBF The Ten, the Trail Series and the Championship events, Challenge Series and it's Championship events to name a few big event titles anglers have chased over the years. All this while bringing awareness to veterans in need and helping anglers chase their dreams of national competition success. Of course everyone thinks they can build a better mousetrap and there has been competition as of late for the national trail scene. 

KBF had introduced the concept to FLW back in 2019 and introduced the kayak anglers to what a large organization partnership would be like. Of course the anglers felt like they were treated like a red-headed stepchild. (no offense to the ginger hammers out there!) After years of being the show, being the side show kind of had an awkward feel to it although being on those large stage situations was still appealing for many anglers. Hoover at the time had opined about he would like to see a big organization take the nation trail over so he could continue focusing on the Challenge Series and Trail Series focused as more of a stepping stone to a "Professional" series from FLW or BASS. Unfortunately FLW was sold off to Major League Fishing and that avenue was shut down.

The First Threat

The first real successful competition came with the introduction to the Hobie Bass Open Series. A slight difference with the rules including not allowing motors which would make sense for the company that has built their brand on the revolutionary fin style pedal drive. Hobie branded kayak were not designed with any sort of electric propulsion in mind and was the first to remove the need of a paddle to get to where the fish are biting. The motor argument being one the "KBF haters" loved to latch onto on social media with constant griping over it taking away from the sport in their opinions.

The immediate success and popularity for the Hobie BOS was garnered from the excitement of a new trail from many anglers who were disenchanted by the KBF issues over the years. Whether it be allowing motors or the seemingly ever changing formats and rules. The first year was successful and soon after the Hobie BOS was hitting the 200 angler cap it set initially to ensure that the events didn't get too crowded. Without motors, the amount of reasonable water to fish is more limited, and even with motors some lakes just don't fish big enough to handle hundreds of anglers.

Ironically, what was once seen as a big difference between KBF and the Hobie BOS the rule was changed and motors were allowed in almost all Hobie BOS events in 2024, and likely will be allowed in all events in 2025.

Enter Bassmasster

Bassmaster soon after hopped into the mix bringing the Bassmaster Kayak Series. This trail allowed motors, and added the carrot of getting on the "big stage" at the Bassmaster Classic to the mix. Regardless of what you fish out of, Bassmaster has been the foundation of competitive bass fishing since the jump, and is till considered the top organization for competitive minded bass anglers in the country. 

The Bassmaster Series had moderate success, but with the Hobie BOS and the KBF Trail Series both rolling it stumbled a bit in the first couple years. However, with new leadership and after learning more about the kayak anglers it seems Bassmaster has dialed it in, and has become the seemingly more popular trail series in 2024. 

So far this year Bassmaster has been the most widely attended events brining hundreds of anglers to events across the Southeast and Texas with a successful Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Classic.

A New Wild Approach with Kayak Adventure Series

2024 has also brought a new and completely different take on the national scene with the introduction of Drew Gregory's Kayak Adventure Series. This shiny new object has grabbed the attention of anglers looking for something different which this series brings with large areas to compete in with numerous leaderboards for overall winner, team challenges and other side shows like smallest fish. Also a family vacation friendly format with seminars and demos at every event. If you haven't heard of this series we encourage you to check out the schedule and advertised festivities!

KBF Missteps and Self-Destruction?

Running a business and satisfying everyone is never possible, although Hoover tried over the years. Hoover has consistently tried to step up the game and push for bigger paydays for anglers. Hitting the peak with a $100,000 guarantee in the 2018 National Championship brought over 700 anglers to Paris, TN for an unprecedented event. However the more he tried to come up with "new exciting things", the harder it became to meet the expectations. Trying to maintain high expectations of The Ten and National Championships became harder and harder. Changing the trail formats, going bigger and then having to step back is something that Hoover struggled with.

Keeping KBF going without laying off staff during COVID was another financial decision which was then followed by a divorce from then recently named President of KBF Kristi Hoover adding more financial and emotional turmoil to the company. Hoover decided to keep things the same not backing off from promises made. This decision painted Hoover in a financial corner, and everyone knows there was over a year of IOU's for payouts throughout 2023 that had many anglers in an uproar and many others very concerned about the future of KBF.

Moving Forward in 2024

Angler financial obligations being handled brought only the skeletons from it into 2024. With a limited trail series of only 4 stops which 2 single day events per weekend Hoover was keen on ensuring quick payouts and getting that nightmare put behind the company. However anglers have been slower to get over those issues than he had hoped, and with the other options out there now it turned into a perceived risk anglers did not have to take. There was also numerous events with conflicting dates and locations adding to the challenges causing more financial losses.

The 2024 KBF National Championship was the lowest attended since its creation. The fan fare was less than stellar which was a big disappointment for the company. 

Hoover then had decisions to make, hard decisions. Looking into all the competitive options and business model of the company it was decided that in order to keep moving forward KBF would have to not move ahead with a Trail Series in 2025 and focus more on the success of the Challenge Series, Knucklehead Series and veteran awareness options with Catch 22. 

This weekend will potentially be the last KBF Trail Series event ever, or at least for the foreseeable future. This should be a great event for anglers looking for a challenge in a top notch fishery like Lake Chickamauga. The post-spawn feeding frenzy should be in full tilt with big girls getting some shallower meals before they head to their offshore shore haunts for the heat of the summer. 

What will 2025 May Look Like

There will be a National Championship in 2025 as well as a Challenge Series Championship and The Ten which will now be from Challenge Series standings. The Knucklehead series and Catch 22 will also continue. As far as national in person events, Hoover may be brining back Opens and possibly the Boondoggles. Although many who know Hoover will make many statements on what the future will look like but its all with a caveat to how things are received by sponsors and angers alike so are subject to change.

Some of the stops will likely include Santee Cooper, Guntersville and Lake Murray all of which have been big bass destinations for years and are solid areas for building successful events. How these and other potential events will be received only time will tell with no points chase or additional championship to qualify for.

The Springtime National Championship will consist of "opportunity for everyone" with pushing prize money throughout the days of the event for daily and hourly cash prizes for big bass and best 5. A sizable guaranteed payout will still exist however more modest, and the increasing of payout guarantees will change based on participation.

The Ten will possibly bring back "The Ten House" but will only consists of Challenge Series anglers. Also talks of having more prize giveaways at events which lots of trails have had less of since COVID when companies in the space all had suffered from supply chain and inflation issues to contend with.

What this means in total for KBF we will have to wait and see. This could be the refocus the company needs, and with the Hobie BOS also in a downturn in 2024 we won't know what 2025 and 2026 will evolve into. We will definitely be following the story going forward so make sure to follow Basstrail on social media.