Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 31

Trey McKinney, 21, Wins Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Breaking VanDam's 1992 Record

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 31

Trey McKinney, 21, Wins Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Breaking VanDam's 1992 Record

Q: What dramatic final-20-minute catch saved a desperate angler's Elite Series career during a record-breaking St. Lawrence River showdown?

It was Evan Kung’s late 6-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth, caught in the final 20 minutes after he returned to a productive St. Lawrence River spot. That fish proved decisive in a tournament where Kung started the week in danger of losing his Elite Series berth for 2027. After spending three unproductive hours in Lake Ontario without an upgrade, he went back to the river and landed the 6-13, the catch he said “was the difference in this one.” The bass capped a winning four-day total of 109 pounds, 9 ounces, giving Kung his first Bassmaster Elite victory, a Bassmaster Classic berth, and enough of a finish to protect his tour status. It also came during a record-setting showdown in which Trey McKinney secured Angler of the Year with a late 6-pounder of his own and the event produced the heaviest all-smallmouth winning weight in Bassmaster history.

Q: How did a 21-year-old use forward-facing sonar to shatter a legendary 34-year-old Bassmaster record on the final day?

Trey McKinney shattered the 34-year Bassmaster age record by pairing forward-facing sonar with a late, decisive adjustment on the St. Lawrence River, then using the points he protected on the final day to clinch Angler of the Year at just 21. The key moment came when McKinney resisted leaving his area during a nervy final round. He pushed a little farther, used forward-facing sonar to spot a big smallmouth positioned behind subtle rock structure, and caught the late 6-pounder he said effectively won him the $100,000 AOY title. That fish capped a week in which his electronics helped him stay on roaming offshore smallmouth in deep, clear water where fish were shifting around sand flats, rock veins and current seams. His sonar work had already fueled the event’s signature burst on Day 2. After noticing on forward-facing sonar that a fish reacting to his drop shot looked more like a “minnow eater,” he switched to a 5-inch minnow presentation. In a 16-minute flurry, he caught a 6-2, then saw and landed a 6-13, another 6-pounder, and finally a 6-3 to complete a Bassmaster-record five-fish smallmouth limit of 30 pounds, 11 ounces. That combination of live sonar, reading fish behavior in the water column, and changing from a drop shot to a minnow bait allowed McKinney to stay with the biggest fish. He finished second in the tournament with 107 pounds, 9 ounces, but his 735 season points were enough to break Kevin VanDam’s 1992 mark and make him the youngest AOY winner in history.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 31

21-year-old Trey McKinney clinched the 2026 Bassmaster Angler of the Year title on cumulative points after the nine-event regular season finale at the St. Lawrence River.
Second place in the tournament was enough for McKinney, who said a late 6-pound bass sealed the points race he had finished runner-up in for the previous two seasons.
McKinney also capped the week with a Bassmaster-record five-fish smallmouth limit of 30 pounds, 11 ounces on Day 2, while Evan Kung won the Clayton event by 2 pounds.
The finale also settled Rookie of the Year, with Caleb Hudson holding off Fisher Anaya from shore after Anaya finished ninth at 100 pounds, 5 ounces—short of the top-six result he needed.