The 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series season commenced on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina, with one angler accomplishing something few ever do: Ewing Minor finished year as both the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series national champion and the Pro-Guide Batteries Angler of the Year.
After six regular-season events across some of the country’s most diverse fisheries, followed by the first-ever standalone Kayak Series National Championship, Minor put the finishing touches on a season that solidified he's the king of tournament kayak fishing.
A Season Built for Competition
The 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series traveled across the country, challenging anglers with everything from Florida vegetation and Louisiana cypress-filled waters to California’s clear-water largemouth, Pennsylvania smallmouth and Wisconsin river systems.
The season opened on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida, where Ryan Matylewicz earned the first victory of the year with a two-day total of 194.25 inches. The event also saw Dylan Crystaloski set a Bassmaster Kayak Series record with a 114.75-inch Day 2 limit.
From there, the series moved to Caddo Lake and Lake Bistineau in Louisiana, where Casey Reed edged Dontrell Sullivan by just a quarter inch to claim the win with 196.50 inches.
At Santee Cooper Lakes, Ewing Minor began making his presence felt in a big way. After changing his game plan midway through Day 1, Minor found a productive dock and put together 106.75 inches. When dangerous winds forced the cancellation of Day 2, that was enough to give him the victory.
The series then headed west to California's Clear Lake, where Matthew Brannon delivered a remarkable second-day performance of 108.5 inches to win with 207.75 inches — the second-highest winning total in Bassmaster Kayak Series history.
After a summer break, anglers returned to the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, one of the country's premier smallmouth fisheries. Minor once again found himself at the top, winning the event with 190.50 inches and adding another major victory to his season.
The regular season wrapped up in Wisconsin on the Wolf and Fox Rivers, where Guillermo Gonzalez earned his first Kayak Series victory with 188 inches. Fishing out of a NuCanoe Unlimited Max powered by a Newport NK300 HD, Gonzalez used the motor to cover water throughout the river system on his way to the win.
Across six regular-season stops, the series showcased just how diverse competitive kayak fishing can be — and how much skill it takes to adapt from one fishery to the next.
A New Chapter for the Kayak Series
The 2026 season also marked an important milestone for the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series.
For the first time, the Kayak Series Championship stood on its own rather than being held alongside the Bassmaster Classic. Lake Murray became the stage for the inaugural standalone championship, giving the sport's top kayak anglers a dedicated national championship event alongside a weekend-long expo catered to kayak anglers.
Newport returned as the title sponsor for the 2026 season, continuing a partnership with B.A.S.S. focused on supporting the growth of competitive kayak fishing.
As Newport Brand Marketing Manager Howie Strech said when the sponsorship was renewed, “The progression of competitive kayak fishing continues to exceed all expectations.”
The season showed exactly what that progression looks like.
The championship also marked another step forward in coverage of the sport, with Bassmaster introducing live coverage from the kayaks for the first time at an event of this size. A dozen anglers streamed their tournament days, allowing fans to follow the action from the water in real time.
Ewing Minor's Championship Finish
Coming into Lake Murray, Minor already held the lead in the Angler of the Year standings with 745 points. But he still had one major goal left to accomplish.
The championship.
Minor had finished sixth at Kissimmee, 13th at Caddo/Bistineau and won at Santee Cooper before claiming another victory on the Susquehanna. Those results put him in position to take the season-long title, but Lake Murray would determine whether he could finish the job.
He did more than finish the job.
Minor opened the three-day championship with 98.25 inches, followed with 95 inches on Day 2 and saved his best performance for the final day, catching 99.5 inches to finish with 292.75 inches and claim his first Kayak Series Championship.
The final day was anything but easy. Strong winds forced anglers to adjust their game plans, but those conditions ultimately worked in Minor's favor.
Fishing offshore around schools of blueback herring and threadfin shad, Minor used his Newport NK300 to maintain his pace and position in the wind. As the wind pushed bait through a key pinch point, the bass became more active — and Minor capitalized.
He caught two fish measuring more than 20 inches on the final day, including a 20.5-inch largemouth and a 20.25-inch fish, along with several more in the 19-inch range. His final cull came with only minutes remaining and left him with no fluke left in the boat.
After three days of competition, Minor had finally earned the championship trophy he'd been chasing.
“It’s been an incredible week. I don’t even want to go fish another lake after the things that happened this week.”
And then came the second trophy.
Championship + AOY
With the championship victory, Minor also secured the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Kayak Series Angler of the Year title with 995 points.
That made him the youngest Angler of the Year in Bassmaster Kayak Series history.
The accomplishment capped a remarkable season in which Minor's consistency across different fisheries proved just as important as his individual victories.
As he put it:
“You really have to have an incredible season to do it. All the stars have to align across multiple events.”
His 2026 season included a sixth-place finish at Kissimmee, a win at Santee Cooper, a 13th-place finish at Caddo/Bistineau, a victory on the Susquehanna River and, finally, a championship victory on Lake Murray.
He entered the final event looking for the two titles that had eluded him.
He left Lake Murray holding both.
“To seal the deal on this and AOY is unreal. Those were the two titles I was missing.”
Newport Anglers Make Their Mark
Minor wasn't the only Newport angler making noise on Lake Murray.
Four Newport anglers finished inside the Top 10 of the championship:
1st — Ewing Minor
3rd — Jacob Berryhill
4th — Carson Holbert
6th — Guillermo Gonzalez
Berryhill, who had never fished a Kayak Series Championship before, actually opened the event by taking the Day 1 lead with 98.5 inches, anchored by a 22-inch largemouth.
Gonzalez also carried momentum into the championship after winning the Wolf and Fox Rivers event to close out the regular season. His sixth-place finish on Lake Murray capped a strong year that included his first Kayak Series victory.
Four anglers in the Top 10 at the biggest event of the season is a finish worth celebrating — and a fitting way to close out a year of Newport-powered kayak competition.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series season brought together anglers from across the country, tested them on vastly different fisheries and continued to push competitive kayak fishing forward.
From Florida to Louisiana, South Carolina to California, Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, and finally Lake Murray, the season delivered big fish, close finishes and plenty of memorable moments.
And at the end of it all, Ewing Minor stood alone at the top.
2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Champion.
2026 Pro-Guide Batteries Angler of the Year.
Youngest Bassmaster Kayak Series AOY in history.
Congratulations to Ewing Minor and to every Newport angler who made the 2026 season one to remember.
We'll see you on the water in 2027.