Tallahassee is kicking off the 2026 Kayak Adventure Series Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28. <\/p>\n
The tournament branded the \u201cTallaBassee\u201d is expected to draw hundreds of anglers and spectators to the area\u2019s lakes and rivers.<\/p>\n
It’s open to competitors nationwide. It will follow a catch-photo-release format, with anglers competing to record their five longest bass over two days of competition<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the news release from Leon County government:<\/p>\n
Leon County will host the kick-off event of the 2026 Kayak Adventure Series (KAS), presented by GoPro on March 27 and 28, 2026. The two-day tournament branded the \u201cTallaBassee,\u201d is expected to draw hundreds of anglers and spectators to the region\u2019s lakes and rivers.<\/p>\n
Open to competitors nationwide, the event will feature multiple divisions, including individual anglers, teams, and a high school division for anglers 18 and under. The tournament will follow a catch-photo-release format, with anglers competing to record their five longest bass over two days of competition.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the tournament is Lake Talquin, a world-renowned fishery that anchors Leon County\u2019s reputation as a premier destination for competitive kayak fishing. Along with the winding Ochlocknee River and the expansive Lake Iamonia, the region features a wide selection of environments\u2014from blackwater rivers to spring-fed runs lined with lily pads. This vast array of waterways allows anglers to choose the specific conditions that best match their strategy and skill set.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaunching the 2026 Kayak Adventure Series in Leon County further underscores our County\u2019s commitment to becoming a destination of choice for high-caliber outdoor competitions,\u201d said Leon County Commission Chairman Christian Caban. \u201cWe are eager to demonstrate our region’s capability as a premier host for national sporting events and look forward to the momentum this partnership creates for our local economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike traditional large-boat tournaments that center on a single body of water, the Kayak Adventure Series format allows competitors to fish multiple approved waterways. This structure highlights the breadth of Leon County\u2019s natural assets while distributing visitor activity across the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cBig thanks to our County Tourism team and all of our partners whose dedication continues to bring world-class sporting events of every kind to Leon County \u2014 whether by land or by sea,\u201d said Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long. \u201cFrom the World Athletics Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park to the inaugural \u2018TallaBassee\u2019 kayak fishing tournament, our community\u2019s natural assets and our staff\u2019s commitment to excellence are putting Leon County on the national stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to prize money, top finishers will earn points toward the Kayak Adventure Series Angler of the Year standings and receive national exposure through Kayak Angler Magazine, the official media partner of KAS and the official KAS media platforms. The tournament is one of only six stops on the 2026 series schedule.<\/p>\n
An awards celebration and event recap will take place at Summer’s Smokehouse, where competitors and spectators will gather to view featured catches and recognize the inaugural \u201cTallaBassee\u201d champion.<\/p>\n
Registration is open. Full details, including entry information, event schedules and spectator opportunities, are available at KayakAdventureSeries.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information, contact Mathieu Cavell, Leon County Director of Community Relations & Resilience, at 850-606-5300 or\u00a0CavellM@leoncountyfl.gov<\/a>. For destination information, please go to VisitTallahassee.com.<\/a><\/p>\n About the Kayak Adventure Series: The Kayak Adventure Series (KAS), presented by GoPro, is a national catch-photo-release kayak fishing tournament trail built around adventure, conservation, and community. <\/p>\n Blending high-level competition with a laid-back, festival-style atmosphere, KAS sends anglers into diverse fisheries – rivers, lakes, ponds, and creeks – while celebrating the places they fish and the stories and videos that come from them. <\/p>\n With a strong emphasis on authentic storytelling and self-filming, KAS awards are typically held in historic theaters, giving anglers a true stage as they showcase their catches on the big screen for in-person crowds and fans watching from home. The Kayak Adventure Series is redefining the competitive fishing experience, on and off the water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tallahassee is kicking off the 2026 Kayak Adventure Series Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28. The tournament…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206894,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-206893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206893\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}