Bassmaster Kayak Series heads to La Crosse for season finale

The Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX will be held September 25 on the Upper Mississippi River.

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Talented kayak anglers from around the country take to the waters of the Upper Mississippi River Sept. 25 for the final stop of the 2021 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX.

Competition Saturday starts at 6:45 a.m. CT with lines out at 2:45 p.m. An award ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. 

When the Kayak Series visited La Crosse in 2020, Barry Davis of Startex, S.C., won with a total of 88 inches, earning a prize package worth more than $5,500 and a berth into the 2021 National Championship. Davis is competing this year as well. 

Among the other competitors vying for the coveted trophy and a spot in the 2022 National Championship will be two 2021 Kayak Series winners — Nate Gloria of Papillion, Neb., who won the season’s first event on Texas’ Lake Fork, and Joshua Diehl of Grovetown, Ga., who took home the top prize on Pickwick Lake, Tennessee.

Instead of a standard weigh-in that requires scales measuring pounds and ounces, anglers will practice “catch, photograph and release” to determine the kayak tournament standings.

When an angler catches a bass, he or she will photograph it lying on an approved measuring board and submit the photo through a special mobile app provided by TourneyX. The boards will measure each bass in inches down to a quarter of an inch, and the angler with the longest five-bass limit will win.

This is the last opportunity for anglers to qualify for the 2022 National Championship which will be held in conjunction with the 2022 Bassmaster Classic March 4-6 in Greenville, S.C.

Earlier in September, La Crosse played host to the TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Northern Regional, and the Elite Series will return to La Crosse for the Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River Aug. 26-29, 2022.

Explore La Crosse is hosting the event.