After 15 weeks of intense competition, the first-ever YakOff Awards have concluded with Jake Suvak of Greer, South Carolina, being crowned champion, emerging the winner after facing off with 15 other competing anglers from across the U.S.
An NCAA bracket-style tournament, the inaugural YakOffs pitted professional kayak anglers against one another who competed for votes to become the first YakOff Champion.
Crowning the first YakOff Champion: Jake Suvak
“Knowing all the people that were involved in the competition and knowing how awesome some of the other setups were, I felt like it was going to be tough to make it all the way through,” says Suvak, a college strength and conditioning coach. “Especially after the first round where I won by, I think it was less than a percent. I’m pumped… It was a lot of fun.”
Suvak is also a member of the 2024–2025 USA Kayak Fishing Team, and earned three KBF Top 10 finishes in 2024. His 2025 series competitions include Bassmaster, Queen City KBF, and SCBASS.
Kayak Angler asked Suvak about the most important aspects of his winning rig:
“My forward facing sonar with the Sniper Marine Sniper Pole, that’s probably one of the bigger things for me and how I like to fish,” shares Suvak. “The motor guide Xi3 Motor, because it’s got the spot lock on it, and it’s great for fishing offshore and deeper water and holding my position without having to mess with an anchor.
“[And the] Vibe Versa pod,” adds Suvak. “It’s awesome to have a giant pod, a giant storage container right between my feet so that if I can grab anything that I need that I know I’m going to be needing throughout the day really easily without having to dig behind me.”
Hosted by Kayak Angler, the YakOffs began on February 3 and were created to provide an opportunity for the kayak fishing community to learn from one another, ask questions and share ideas to MacGyver fishing kayaks to best suit angler needs and enhance time on the water.
Behind the YakOffs
“The kayak fishing community is super close knit and everyone knows of each other but not everybody knows each other. So it was a cool way to bring everybody together and bring their expertise to share with the whole entire kayak fishing community in a fun competition,” says Kayak Angler’s Keith Stevenson, who created the YakOffs event.
“Fishing competitions are always about catching fish. No one has ever done this kind of competition where it’s more about how people fish and why they fish the way they do,” adds Stevenson.
Not only does Suvak earn bragging rights and a cool trophy, he will also be featured in the summer print issue of Kayak Angler magazine, and will get a $2,500 cash prize. Subscribe now to get your copy.
More than 200,000 votes and entries were recorded during the YakOffs. One lucky voter will win a prize pack valued at $3,500, featuring a fully-rigged motorized kayak with a cart and a bunch of accessories to go along with it; the winner will be announced Thursday, May 21 on the Kayak Angler magazine Instagram page.
The next YakOff championships launches this Fall.
