"The Great Mississippi Midwestivus"

The Erie Expedition

May 7-8, Erie, PA
Awards @ Tom Ridge Environmental Center

The Kayak Adventure Series heads to Erie, Pennsylvania, for an unforgettable Great Lakes and inland fisheries adventure where trophy smallmouth, giant largemouth, and endless opportunities await! With the beautiful Presque Isle Bay serving as the centerpiece, anglers will have access to an incredible variety of surrounding fisheries as well, including the bass-rich waters of Chautauqua Lake just across the New York border.

The star of the show is undoubtedly Presque Isle Bay, where big Lake Erie smallmouth move into the shallows during the spring spawning season, offering anglers a chance at some truly impressive fish. But don't overlook the bay's resident largemouth population, either! Thick vegetation, shallow flats, and protected backwaters can produce some surprisingly big green fish, making this one of those rare tournaments where completely different fishing styles could end up competing for the win.

And the adventure doesn't stop at Presque Isle! Weather permitting, anglers can explore miles of Lake Erie's legendary smallmouth waters within the tournament boundaries. Or they can head east to New York's Chautauqua Lake, a world-class bass fishery in its own right, loaded with quality largemouth and smallmouth. Whether you go big water, or inland, there's no shortage of ways to put together a winning bag in this one.

Off the water, Erie offers plenty for anglers and their families to explore. Presque Isle State Park is one of Pennsylvania's most beloved outdoor destinations, featuring sandy beaches, scenic trails, wildlife viewing, and beautiful Lake Erie sunsets. Explore Erie's waterfront, grab a bite at one of the city's restaurants or breweries, or take the family to Waldameer & Water World for some extra fun.

As always, we'll bring everyone together for the signature KAS Opening and Closing Ceremonies, with great food, good company, and our GoPro-powered Awards Show featuring the biggest catches, wildest moments, and best adventures of the weekend on the big screen!

Two states. Two legendary lakes. Two species of trophy bass.

DATES & SCHEDULE

All times CST

*(if) any changes are made on this page after it goes live, that could affect the competition portion of the event, they will be updated in red

WEDNESDAY (Date TBD)

OFFICIAL PREVIEW SHOW - 7:30pm - LIVE on the KAS YouTube channel & Facebook pages.

* REMINDER: First 50 anglers to register for the Individual Angler Division receive $100 KAS Sponsors Gift Bag at check-in

FRIDAY 4/23

2 WEEK PRACTICE WINDOW BEGINS - Anglers fishing the event (already registered or not) may only spend 4 days on eligible water. Anglers choose their 4 days.

WEDNESDAY 5/5

WEDNESDAY WELCOME DINNER (Optional for those already in town) - @ TBD

THURSDAY 5/6

PRE-FISHING ENDS - 6:00pm - Anglers must be off the water

OPENING CEREMONIES (check-in, registration, food, games, food etc) - 6:00pm-7:30pm @ TBD

REGISTRATION ENDS - 10:00pm (check-in with Tournament Director if you cannot make it - valid reasons only)

FRIDAY 5/7

"BASS U BRUNCH"(FREE breakfast food, seminars & fellowship)

9:00am-11:00am @ TBD OPTIONAL DONATION is always appreciated to help cover food & venue rental costs.

9:00am - Food is served
9:45am - Seminars begin
GUEST SPEAKER: TBD
11:00am - Bass U Brunch ends, ID code given out

TOURNAMENT DAY 1, AFTERNOON SESH

LAUNCH: @ TBD
LINES IN: @ TBD
LINES OUT: @ TBD on Eligible Waters
FISH PHOTO DEADLINE: @ TBD

SATURDAY 5/8

TOURNAMENT DAY 2

LAUNCH: @ TBD
LINES IN: @ TBD
LINES OUT: @ 3:00pm on Eligible Waters
FISH PHOTO DEADLINE: 4:15pm

CLOSING CEREMONY MEET UP (Yard Games, Kayak Demos, Food etc): 3:00-5:30pm at TBD

CLOSING CEREMONIES (Awards Show): 6:00pm @ TBD

CLOSING CEREMONIES AFTERPARTY 7:00pm- how long you want to celebrate at TBD

SUNDAY 5/9 Drive safe, and we'll see you at our next adventure!

Eligible Water

Interactive Eligible Water Map >>>>>>
(Click here for full size map)

Eligible Core Bodies of Water **

LAKES

- Presque Isle Bay

- Lake Erie proper (weather permitting)

From western launch boundary in Ashtabula, OH to the eastern launch boundary in Barcelona, NY
Limited to 3 miles off shore as a hard boundary

- Chautauqua Lake

- Any connecting tributary rivers or creeks flowing into the eligible waters above.

**We are attempting to get permitting to fish the inland PA rivers and smaller lakes. If we are approved, those waters will be added here.

When scouting (online or in person) track all tributaries upstream from one of the above listed core bodies of water listed above until you hit any of the following man-made obstacles - solid or earthen dam, or road, culvert or pipe etc that you cannot kayak under/over. Any of those points are hard KAS boundaries. However, a "spillway" or "lowhead" type dam is legal in KAS and anglers can fish & access above & below them. They are just "running the river" and are different from "solid or earthen" dams that have water flowing under the dam via a pipe or drain (think neighborhood or farm ponds, private lakes etc) or through larger outflows or turbines on larger public lake dams. If the water above a non-spillway type dam is legal in KAS it will be marked and listed as one of your "core" bodies of water on this page/map. If not, then it is not legal for the event.

Anglers must access "legally" & "publicly." If you find any water, or access, you feel may not be covered by the interactive map, preview video, or rules standards please contact the KAS Tournament Director prior to the event for clarification or risk being DQ'd if it is later deemed to be not eligible. For help determining "public" access reference this GIS Flowchart

EVENT DETAILS

Coming Soon!

OFFICIAL PREVIEW VIDEO