Yak-A-Bass

09/08/2026

Attention West Coast Championship and Yak-A-Bass anglers:

During the West Coast Championship, two anglers provided incorrect information to the mussel inspection staff. This is unacceptable and cannot happen again.

When going through inspection, you must provide accurate information regarding where your kayak, motor, trailer, or equipment has been used. If you are coming from a Golden Mussel affected area, inspectors will simply conduct a quick inspection and get you on the water. Attempting to avoid or bypass this process puts every kayak angler and tournament at risk.

If incidents like this continue, local agencies have made it clear that future Type C tournaments may be required to help cover the cost of mussel detection dogs and additional inspection procedures. This could result in the loss of open launch opportunities and add thousands of dollars in costs each year for both tournament organizations and anglers.

This affects all of us. One person's actions can have long-term consequences for every kayak tournament held on Clear Lake and other fisheries.

The following registrations need to contact James via text as soon as possible. You are not in trouble, but we do need to have a conversation:

Resident Kayak: 5543 TF
Visitor Kayak: 7908 XP

Please text James at 209-642-0206.

Consider this the only warning that will be issued. Future violations may result in more severe penalties, including tournament disqualification or additional sanctions.

Bob, who oversees the mussel dog program, asked that this message be shared with all anglers: please take this seriously and do not let it happen again.

We all enjoy the freedoms that come with kayak fishing events, including open launches and flexible tournament formats. It is everyone's responsibility to protect those opportunities for the future.

09/07/2026

THE SANDBAGGER STOPPER IS COMING… AND THIS ONE ISN’T FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.

September 18–20 | Clear Lake, California

44 HOURS.

That’s right. We’re throwing the normal tournament playbook out the window.

You want to grind from sunrise to sunset? Do it.

Want to chase the night bite? Have at it.

Want to fish for a few hours, take a nap, eat lunch, and get back after them? That works too.

There’s ONE RULE:

You’ve got 44 hours to put together your best 5 fish.

100% OPEN LAUNCH.

Fish any legal water. Launch whenever you want. Take out whenever you want. Find your pattern and execute.

And here’s where it gets interesting…

THE LEADERBOARD STAYS LIVE THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT.

No hiding. No guessing. No waiting until awards to find out where you stand.

You’ll know exactly what you need to catch.

Think you can sit on a lead for 44 hours?

Think again.

One kicker can change everything.

One bad decision can cost you everything.

One late-night fish might be the difference between winning and watching somebody else hold the check.

This is the SANDBAGGER STOPPER.

September 18–20
Clear Lake, CA
44 HOURS
5-FISH LIMIT
100% OPEN LAUNCH
NO MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
$150 ENTRY + FEES

Daily Big Fish.
Overall Big Fish.
Yak-Pot.
And 100% strategy.

Whether you're a sunrise grinder, a night owl, a weekend warrior, or the guy who thinks sleep is optional…

Clear Lake is calling.

Who’s actually going to stop the sandbaggers?

Sign up on TourneyX and get ready.

09/02/2026

YAK-A-BASS PRESENTS: THE SANDBAGGER STOPPER

September 18–20, 2026
CLEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA

Think you’ve got Clear Lake figured out? Think you can out-fish everyone without having to grind through a traditional tournament schedule?

We’re about to find out.

The Sandbagger Stopper is a completely different tournament format. You get 44 hours to put together your five fish, and YOU decide when, where, and how you fish.

44 HOURS. 5 FISH. 1 LAKE.

LINES IN: Friday, September 18 at 7:00 PM
LINES OUT: Sunday, September 20 at 3:00 PM
AWARDS: Clearlake Outdoors at 4:00 PM — subject to change

OPEN LAUNCH — 100%

Launch and take out from any legal launch at any time during the tournament. Yes, that includes launching from a legal Airbnb location.

Want to fish the night bite? Go for it.

Want to get up early and hammer the morning bite? Absolutely.

Want to fish a few hours, take a nap, eat lunch, and head back out? Your call.

Want to fish a traditional 5 AM–3 PM schedule Saturday and Sunday? You can do that too.

Fish for as little as one hour or take advantage of the entire 44-hour window.

This tournament is about strategy, time management, and knowing when to be on the water.

IDENTIFIER CODE

You MUST use the official Yak-A-Bass identifier.

The identifier code will be available through TourneyX at lines in.

MUSSEL STICKERS / INSPECTIONS

If you are fishing with a motor and/or trailer, a valid mussel sticker is REQUIRED.

No sticker = no participation.

Failure to meet the requirement will result in disqualification.

Inspections may not be available before 5:00 AM Saturday, so plan accordingly. If you have to wait for an inspection, you may start later than other anglers — but with a 44-hour format, you’ll still have plenty of opportunity to get after them.

NO YAK-A-BASS MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED

That’s right. Anyone can enter.

OFFICIAL PRACTICE

Monday, September 14 through Friday, September 18.

All official practice must be conducted in an approved craft.

THE RULES

• 5-fish limit
• Fish must be submitted within 1 hour of the photo being taken
• Submission time is measured from when the photo is taken until the fish is submitted
• Hard submission cutoff applies equally to everyone
• Leaderboard will remain LIVE throughout the tournament
• Final winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony
• All other Yak-A-Bass rules apply and can be found under the Files section of the Yak-A-Bass Facebook group

WEATHER

With a 44-hour window, there’s plenty of flexibility to work around changing conditions. If unsafe conditions or red flag warnings occur, weather delays may be called.

Use good judgment and fish when you’re comfortable and conditions are safe.

THE MONEY

Tournament Entry: $150.00
TourneyX Fee: $6.50
PayPal Fee: $6.50
Admin Fee: $7.00

TOTAL: $170.00

PAYOUT STRUCTURE:
1/10

Daily Big Fish:
10% of total entry fees, minus PayPal fees × 3 days

Overall Big Fish:
70% of total entry fees, minus PayPal fees

ADDITIONAL PRIZES

Big Fish: $60.00
Yak-Pot: $100.00 — 1/5 payout

44 hours.

One lake.

Five fish.

No excuses.

Your schedule. Your strategy. Your game plan.

The Sandbagger Stopper is coming to Clear Lake.

Are you ready to stop the sandbaggers?

08/24/2026

08/23/2026

Chris laird memorial and proving grounds awards

08/23/2026

YAK-A-BASS — NOON UPDATE

The leaderboards are officially going dark, but the fishing is far from over.

Both the Chris Laird Memorial and the Proving Grounds continue until 2:00 PM. From this point forward, the anglers will be fishing blind. They won't know exactly where they stand, and neither will everyone watching from home.

That makes these final two hours even more important.

CHRIS LAIRD MEMORIAL — LAST VISIBLE STANDINGS

1. Joseph Silva — 190.25"
2. Reed Frazier — 189.00"
3. Matthias Worch — 186.00"
4. Michael Najera — 184.25"
5. Aaron Hart — 183.75"
6. Sean Beach — 180.50"

PROVING GROUNDS — LAST VISIBLE STANDINGS

1. Erich Toensmeyer — 51.50"
2. Carson Stone — 51.25"
3. William Howard — 49.50"
4. Jason Auguste — 48.75"
5. Pedro Lagos — 45.50"
6. Rich Stidham — 43.75"

These are the last standings you'll see until after the tournament.

The anglers have two more hours to fish, make upgrades, and potentially completely change the outcome. Anything submitted after noon will remain hidden until the final results are revealed.

Fishing ends at 2:00 PM.

Then the waiting game begins.

We'll announce the final winners at approximately 4:00 PM at Clear Lake Outdoors, and we'll be going LIVE so everyone can follow along with the awards and final results.

Two more hours.

No leaderboard.

No idea who's ahead.

Just fish.

Let's see who can put together the fish that changes everything.

08/23/2026

YAK-A-BASS — 10:00 AM UPDATE

CHRIS LAIRD MEMORIAL

The Day 2 battle at Clear Lake is getting tight, and we have a new angler sitting on top.

Current Top 6:

1. Michael Najera — 184.25"
2. Matthias Worch — 184.00"
3. Aaron Hart — 183.75"
4. Sean Beach — 177.00"
5. Jesse Hoover — 174.75"
6. Casey Remy — 171.25"

That's a razor-thin 0.50" separating the Top 3. With plenty of fishing still ahead, there is absolutely no room to get comfortable.

PROVING GROUNDS

The Proving Grounds is heating up as well, with Carson Stone making a move into the top spot.

Current Top 5:

1. Carson Stone — 51.25"
2. Erich Toensmeyer — 50.50"
3. William Howard — 48.75"
4. Jason Auguste — 46.25"
5. Pedro Lagos — 45.50"

The Proving Grounds is proving exactly why we created this series. It's competitive, it's close, and it's giving anglers a chance to experience tournament fishing on Clear Lake without the same pressure as the larger events.

Both competitions are wide open.

We'll keep bringing you updates throughout the day as the leaderboard continues to change.

Who makes the next move?

08/23/2026

YAK-A-BASS CHRIS LAIRD MEMORIAL & PROVING GROUNDS — 9:00 AM UPDATE

Good morning from Clear Lake. Day 2 is underway, and both the Chris Laird Memorial and the Proving Grounds are already heating up.

CHRIS LAIRD MEMORIAL — CURRENT TOP 6

1. Michael Najera — 183.75"
2. Aaron Hart — 182.75"
3. Matthias Worch — 177.75"
4. Sean Beach — 174.50"
5. Casey Remy — 170.00"
6. Reed Frazier — 168.50"

The battle at the top is extremely tight, with just 1 inch separating first and second. With the entire day still ahead, there is plenty of time for the leaderboard to change.

PROVING GROUNDS — CURRENT TOP 6

1. Erich Toensmeyer — 47.00"
2. William Howard — 45.50"
3. Jason Auguste — 44.75"
4. Pedro Lagos — 43.75"
5. Bryan Gomez — 15.25"
6. Rich Stidham — 12.50"

The Proving Grounds is doing exactly what we hoped it would do — giving anglers an opportunity to compete, learn Clear Lake, and gain tournament experience in a format designed to take some of the pressure off.

With a full day of fishing ahead, both leaderboards are wide open.

Stay tuned throughout the day as we continue to bring you updates from the Chris Laird Memorial and the Proving Grounds.

Clear Lake still has plenty of fishing left to do.

08/23/2026

YAK-A-BASS CHRIS LAIRD MEMORIAL — DAY 1 FINAL

Day 1 of the Yak-A-Bass Chris Laird Memorial is officially in the books, and Clear Lake delivered an incredible day of competition.

After a full day on the water, Simon Her is sitting on top with 104.25", but the battle behind him is tight.

Day 1 Top 10:

1. Simon Her — 104.25"
2. Isaiah West — 102.25"
3. Joseph Silva — 101.25"
4. Shaun Leytem — 100.00"
5. Michael Najera — 99.25"
6. G. Blanchard — 99.00"
7. Reed Frazier — 97.00"
8. Aaron Hart — 97.00"
9. Drew Boles — 94.00"
10. Scott Savko — 90.50"

Only 7.25" separates first from sixth, and there is still another full day of fishing ahead. Anyone in striking distance can make a major move tomorrow with the right bite.

But this weekend is about more than the standings.

The Chris Laird Memorial is about coming together as a fishing community and honoring Chris's memory by doing what we all love — spending time on the water, competing, and making memories with friends.

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and helped make Day 1 special.

Tomorrow is another day, and Clear Lake still has plenty of surprises left.

We'll see everyone back on the water tomorrow for Day 2 of the Chris Laird Memorial.

08/23/2026

August 23rd 2026

PROVING GROUNDS

Identifier Code: URCN

Clear Lake

Open Launch AT APPROVED RAMPS!

Launch/fishing Begins 6:00 am

Lines out of the Water 2:00 pm

off the Water 2:30 pm

Awards Clearlake Outdoors 4:00 pm

All Anglers are required to Take a Photo of their Completed identifier and upload it to the tournament with a 12.00 length prior to starting to fish- this will allow our judge to verify you have the right code and identifier before you start fishing so it can be corrected. failure to do so will result in a dq from the tournament. you can start the upload 5 minutes prior to launch