Three major tournament announcements spell big changes for the kayak fishing tournament world in 2025.
On December 9, B.A.S.S. announced Native Watercraft will be the presenting sponsor for 2025, the announcement following the news that Newport would be the title sponsor of the 2025 event. December 12, Hobie Bass Open Series announced that the 2025 series is on hiatus. Additionally, Chad Hoover and JT Hickman shared on December 16 major changes are coming to Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF), including Hoover taking a step back from the tournament.
Chad Hoover steps back from Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF)
Changes coming to KBF including rule standardization, efforts to streamline the KBF National Championship, KBF Challenge Series, and KBF Fishops Catch22 Challenge, and Chad Hoover scaling back his direct involvement in the tournament Hoover shared in the KBF State of the Union YouTube Live on December 16.
New rule standardizations include hand placement in photos and videos submitted for documentation. Additionally KBF is now requiring video documenting releases to minimize duplicate fish or sharing of fish. This is a change from previous years in which the standard was catch-photo-release to a new standard of catch-photo-record-release. Videos are not required to be submitted but are required to be available, and will only be asked for any time the fish is mutilated, injured, or sick and on occasional spot checks.
The video requirement does not apply to the KBF Fishops Catch22 Challenge, but Hoover and KBF still encourage the practice of video documentation.
In addition, fish now need to be submitted within 48 hours of the catch to prevent sandbagging, or anglers submitting a backlog of fish at the last minute.
While Hoover will remain involved with KBF, perhaps the biggest change is the implementation of the new KBF advisory board made up of Marty Hughes, JT Hickman, Hank Veggian, and Garret Wade. All decisions about KBF will now need to go through the advisory board first; a change from previous years where Hoover called most of the shots himself.
Hobie Bass Open Series (BOS) on hiatus for 2025
“After 6 strong seasons, we need to take a step back to evaluate the landscape, opportunities, and our future goals of this series,” Hobie BOS shared on December 12.
Hobie BOS also emphasized that this change was not due to a perceived drop in attendance.
“As a Not-For-Profit tournament series, we do not rely on angler entries or memberships to function as others do and are built to provide premium experiences and payouts for who does come, not who doesn’t,” Hobie BOS wrote in a Facebook post.
After a break in 2025, Hobie BOS hopes to provide timely announcements on future events and bring back the BOS with “more momentum, community and opportunities for anglers in the future”.
B.A.S.S. Bassmaster announces new sponsors for 2025
Previously sponsored by Yamaha and Tourney X in 2024, B.A.S.S Bassmaster kayak series announced that in 2025 Native Watercraft would take on the role of presenting sponsor and Newport the role of title sponsor.
“This legacy aligns perfectly with the qualities we seek in a partner, making this collaboration a natural choice,” shared Native Watercraft and BIG Adventures chief operating officer Tyler Brown in a statement.
Native Watercraft is a kayak manufacturer based in North Carolina with decades of boat design experience; Newport is well-known among kayak anglers for outboard motors and batteries.
“It’s a privilege to join forces with Bassmaster’s legacy and push the boundaries of what anglers can achieve with electric power on the water,” Howie Strech, Newport brand marketing manager, said in a statement.
Overall, changes for 2025 in kayak fishing tournaments seem to reflect the evolving identity and growth of the sport itself. Tournaments are regrouping and working to adjust to the needs of the community.
Chad Hoover on YouTube Live announces major changes for KBF in 2025. Fishin With GRAMPS | YouTube
