Evan Kung Wins St. Lawrence Elite at 109-9, Securing Bassmaster Card

Q: What specific features of the unreleased finesse bait allowed Evan Kung to outfish a record-breaking Angler of the Year?

It is not possible to say from the available reporting what specific design features of the unreleased Great Lakes Finesse prototype let Evan Kung beat Trey McKinney. The published event coverage identifies only that Kung caught key fish on a drop shot using a “yet-unreleased Great Lakes Finesse prototype bait.” Neither Bassmaster’s tournament recap nor the supplemental material provides a technical description of that lure’s shape, size, action, material, buoyancy, tail design, scent, or color. Without those details, any claim that a particular feature was the deciding edge would be speculation. What the reporting does support is that Kung’s advantage came from a combination of fit-for-conditions finesse fishing and execution. On the St. Lawrence, smallmouth commonly respond to natural, subtle presentations around current, rock, and baitfish-rich structure, and drop-shot tactics are a proven pattern there. Kung stayed with that high-percentage approach, made a risky relocation, then returned to the river and caught a crucial late fish. McKinney, meanwhile, leaned on a bug imitator and minnow mix in deeper water and still finished only two pounds back after winning Angler of the Year. So the fairest answer is that the bait may have helped because it matched St. Lawrence smallmouth conditions, but the record available does not reveal the specific features that made it superior.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 30

27-12 on Championship Sunday lifted Evan Kung to 109-9, enough to erase Trey McKinney’s 1 1/2-pound overnight lead and win the Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River.
The victory capped a week in which Kung mainly fished a drop shot and needed a strong finish just to keep his Elite Series card; he also landed the event’s Big Bass at 6 pounds, 13 ounces.
McKinney finished second at 107-9 after falling 2 pounds short of the needed 26-8, but still left Clayton with the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year title.
Nine anglers topped 100 pounds—Bassmaster’s most Century Belts ever at a single smallmouth event—underscoring the St. Lawrence’s status as one of the circuit’s heaviest fisheries.