2023 Kayak Bass Fishing Angler of the Year

KBF Members' AOY Program Details

In 2023 KBF recognizes superior performance in three series:

Realtree Fishing KBF TRAIL Series presented by Dee Zee
- Angler of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
KBF State Challenge Series Powered By Dakota Lithium
- Challenge Series Angler of the Year
- State Challenge Champion

Realtree KBF TRAIL Series Presented by Dee Zee

KBF Members competing in KBF TRAIL Series and KBF Pro SERIES tournaments earn points based on their ranking in each event. For national ranking in the KBF TRAIL Series, KBF counts the top four (4) scores from TRAIL Series Tournaments, plus the points score from the KBF TRAIL Series Championship. For national ranking in the Pro Series, KBF counts the top three (3) scores from Pro Series Tournaments, plus the points score from the Pro Series Championship.

The 2023 KBF TRAIL Series Angler of the Year will be announced at the Realtree Fishing KBF TRAIL Series Championship presented by Dee Zee, which will be in Clay County, Florida in the Fall of 2023. In addition, the top ten anglers in the final AOY Standings will qualify to attend the Dee Zee KBF The TEN.

The 2022 KBF Pro Series Angler of the Year will be announced at the Realtree Fishing KBF Pro Series Championship presented by Dee Zee in Anderson, SC on Lake Hartwell March 17-19th, 2023.

Angler of the Year Eligibility

Only 2022 KBF Premium and Lifetime Members may earn Angler of the Year points in the Realtree Fishing KBF TRAIL Series and KBF PRO Series.
KBF AOY Points are awarded only for registering (60) and competing (120 Minimum) in KBF TRAIL Series and KBF PRO Series tournaments.
KBF Membership Dues must be paid prior to event registration deadline in order to earn KBF AOY or ROY points.

ROY Eligibility

Rogue Fishing Co. is the title sponsor for the 2023 KBF “Rookie of the Year” race, which identifies KBF’s newest kayak angling competition leader.

Limited to 2023 KBF Premium and Lifetime Members who have not participated in KBF Trail Series Competition prior to the 2023 Season.

Points Awards

The Maximum AOY Points awarded for the highest ranking KBF Member in a KBF TRAIL Series or Pro Series tournament is 600.
AOY Points, to a maximum of 900, will also be awarded at the KBF TRAIL Series and Pro Series Championships.
The “decrement” at KBF TRAIL Series and Pro Series regular season tournaments is six (6) points per step in rank. For example, First place earns 600 points, second place 594, third 588, and so on down to 60 points, the minimum earned by “Active Participants.” (“Active” is defined as competitors who demonstrated by submission of a photo taken in the competition area, even if of an empty Measuring Board with Identifier.) or 60 (for non-participating registrants). The decrement will be nine (9) Points at the TRAIL and PRO Series Championship.

Scoring — KBF Trail Series AOY

Top four (4) KBF TRAIL Series Tournaments scores (maximum 600 each, total 2,400 from four events)
Score from the KBF TRAIL Series Championship (maximum 900).
AOY Points awards for TRAIL tournaments are not final until the end of the Dispute Period during which protests submitted by competitors are reviewed and, in some cases, resolved with a change in both rank and AOY scores.
Scores are reported on KBF event page on Fishing Chaos after all disputes have been resolved.
Ties will be broken by competitors finish in the KBF TRAIL Series Championship.

Challenge Series

Challenge Points: At each KBF State Challenge, Points are awarded, ranging from a maximum of 600 to a minimum of 120 (for active participants) or 60 (for non-participating registrants), dropping 6 points from one place in rank to the next.

Points from competitor’s top four (4) KBF Challenges plus up to 900 points at the KBF Challenge Series Championship (four scores in all) make up a KBF Member’s Challenge Points score.

The maximum possible points, at 600 per event (2,400) and 900 at the Championship, is 3,300. Ties in overall ranking are broken by competitors’ scores earned at the KBF Challenge Series Championship.

Challenge Points are the basis for 2023 KBF Challenge State Champion recognitions and for the 2023 KBF Challenge Angler of the Year, who earns a position on the 2024 Dee Zee KBF The TEN roster.

KBF Challenge Points also are part of the equation used to identify KBF Members who will be invited to compete in the 2023 KBF Challenge Series Championship, which will be held Fall 2023 in Clay County, Florida.

Each KBF Challenge Series competitor finishing in the top 25% from October 2022 through September 2023 qualifies for the 2022 KBF Challenge Series Championship.
Finally, all KBF Members whose 4-event Challenge Points total is 2,000 or more as of the end of September (the “cut-line”) will be invited to compete.

NOTE: If a KBF Member has already qualified by winning a Challenge Series Event, or by Challenge Points rank in either state/province or region, qualifying positions do not roll down within the state or province.

Difference between Registering and Competing

As soon as you’ve launched your kayak onto competition waters, start every KBF-sanctioned competition by uploading to the Tournament Management System (“TMS”) a photo of an empty, approved measuring device (e.g., Ketch, Hawg Trough) on your kayak with the correct identifier—exactly as you would a regular submission, but without a bass—and submit a score of 0.00″. Why?

Doing so identifies you as an active participant rather than just a registrant. Without even catching a fish, the number of KBF AOY Points you will receive double.
Registrants received sixty (60) “AOY Registration Points” for most events. By uploading the 0.01″ no-bass photo, the number of points double.
Going through the photo routine as soon as you’re on the water ensures your measuring board is onboard and intact, your camera is functional, and that you’re able to upload to the TMS app.
Uploading a photo also ensures that your name appears on the Leader Board. And that empty measuring board presents you an opportunity to promote a sponsor whose logo appears where a bass normally lies.