At Clayton, New York, on the storied St. Lawrence River, a young angler named Evan Kung turned a career-defining crisis into a defining triumph. Needing a strong finish just to preserve his place among professional bass fishing's elite, Kung rallied across four days to claim the Bassmaster Elite Series title in what may stand as the most competitive smallmouth tournament ever staged — nine anglers surpassing 100 pounds in a single event, a record that speaks as much to the river's abundance as to the field's excellence. In sport, as in life, the moments that test us most severely sometimes bec
Kung Wins Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence with Historic 9 Century Belts
I went to the lake for three hours, didn't catch a fish
Mark
So Kung came in needing to save his card, and he wins the whole thing. That's the narrative arc everyone wants. But what actually happened on the water?
Mimi
He built a lead over four days of consistent drop shot fishing—really simple, repeatable pattern. Then on Sunday he trailed McKinney by a pound and a half going in. Weighed in first, caught 27-12, and that put McKinney in a position where he needed 26-8 just to tie. McKinney came up two pounds short.
Luke
So McKinney didn't choke—he just didn't catch enough. That's different. And Kung's final-day story is interesting: three hours on the lake with nothing, then back to the river and the big bass in the last 20 minutes. But that's one day. What was his pattern the other three days?
Mimi
Drop shot, about 95 percent of the time. He was using a prototype bait that hasn't even been released yet. The consistency was the foundation. The Sunday gamble was just the exclamation point.
Mark
And the Century Belts—nine of them. That's the real story, isn't it? That's not about Kung. That's about the fishery.
Mimi
Exactly. Nine anglers over 100 pounds at a single smallmouth event. That's never happened before in Bassmaster history. Cole Sands spent six weeks scouting the river and treated it like trout water, reading current. He got his belt. Tucker Smith and Cory Johnston both had career-best four-day totals.
Luke
But here's what I want to know: is this repeatable? Is the St. Lawrence always this good, or did the Elite Series field just happen to converge on a perfect week? Because if it's always this good, that changes how people prepare. If it was a one-time convergence, it's a great story but maybe not predictive.
Mimi
The source says the goby-fed smallmouth population is there, and the field was pushing each other all four days. That suggests it's the fishery itself, not a fluke week. But you're right—we don't know if next year looks the same.
Mark
What about Kung's personal story? He came in desperate and left with his card and a win. Did he talk about what the year had been like?
Mimi
He said it was a tough year on him. He thanked his support system—sponsors, friends, his mother, his girlfriend's family. He seemed genuinely emotional about having them there.
Luke
That's human and real. But we don't know what made the year tough. We know the outcome, not the struggle. That's fine—the reporting is solid on what happened. Just not on the why beneath it.
Mark
Fair. So what's the forward story here?
Mimi
The St. Lawrence is now proven as a premier North American bass fishery. That's going to influence how Bassmaster schedules future events and how anglers prepare. This tournament will be a benchmark.
Luke
And Kung's card is safe. That's the personal resolution. The bigger resolution is that the river delivered exactly what people said it would.
The Pulse
- Kung entered the final day trailing by a pound and a half, his entire professional career riding on a river that had already been extraordinarily generous to nearly everyone in the field.
- Nine anglers crossed the 100-pound mark — a record for any single smallmouth event in Bassmaster history — turning the leaderboard into a historic document of competitive depth.
- On Championship Sunday, Kung made a bold gamble: three fruitless hours on the lake before pivoting back to the river, where he landed a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass in the final 20 minutes to seal the win.
- Trey McKinney, who led wire-to-wire until the final weigh-in, fell two pounds short of answering Kung's total — close enough to sting, yet still good enough to earn him the Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.
- The St. Lawrence River emerged as the tournament's quiet co-champion, its goby-fed smallmouth population and powerful currents validating its standing as one of North America's premier bass fisheries.
At Clayton, New York, on the storied St. Lawrence River, a young angler named Evan Kung turned a career-defining crisis into a defining triumph. Needing a strong finish just to preserve his place among professional bass fishing's elite, Kung rallied across four days to claim the Bassmaster Elite Series title in what may stand as the most competitive smallmouth tournament ever staged — nine anglers surpassing 100 pounds in a single event, a record that speaks as much to the river's abundance as to the field's excellence. In sport, as in life, the moments that test us most severely sometimes become the ones that reveal us most fully.
Evan Kung arrived at Clayton, New York with his Elite Series card on the line and left with a tournament victory that may define his career. What unfolded over four days on the St. Lawrence River was both a personal rescue and a collective record — nine anglers surpassing 100 pounds in a single smallmouth event, a benchmark that had never been reached before in Bassmaster competition.
Kung entered Championship Sunday trailing overnight leader Trey McKinney by a pound and a half. He weighed in first among the two leaders, delivering 27 pounds, 12 ounces to reach 109 pounds, 9 ounces for the tournament. McKinney needed 26 pounds, 8 ounces to answer. He came up two pounds short. The title was decided in the tournament's final minutes.
The win was built on discipline and a willingness to adapt. Kung relied on drop shot fishing for nearly the entire week, including a prototype bait not yet available to the public. On Sunday, he spent three hours on the lake without a bite before returning to the river and catching the tournament's biggest bass — 6 pounds, 13 ounces — in the last 20 minutes. That fish earned him the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award and closed the deal. "It was a tough year on me, so it's great to end it like this," he said afterward, crediting sponsors, friends, his mother, and his girlfriend's family who had traveled to witness the moment.
The rest of the top ten underscored just how exceptional the week was. McKinney's runner-up finish of 107 pounds, 9 ounces also secured him the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year award. Tucker Smith and Cory Johnston finished third and fourth within a pound of each other, both cracking the Century Club. Cole Sands, who spent six weeks scouting the river before the event and fished it like trout water — reading current, drifting with precision — finished fifth with 105 pounds, 10 ounces. "This might be my favorite bass fishery on earth," he said. Brandon Cobb, JT Thompkins, Bryant Smith, and Fisher Anaya rounded out the historic nine. Easton Fothergill finished tenth with 99 pounds, 8 ounces — a number that, in any other week, might have contended for a title.
The St. Lawrence delivered on every expectation. Its goby-fed smallmouth population and the relentless pressure of an Elite Series field produced something rare: a tournament so heavy and so competitive that it will likely be remembered as one of the finest smallmouth events Bassmaster has ever run. Kung's name is on the trophy, but the river itself may be the story that endures.
Evan Kung arrived at the St. Lawrence River needing a lifeline. His Elite Series card was on the line, and Clayton, New York was his last real chance to keep it. What unfolded over four days was not just a personal rescue but a tournament so stacked with talent and so generous with its fish that it will likely stand as a benchmark for competitive smallmouth fishing.
Nine anglers crossed the 100-pound mark during the week—a record for a single smallmouth event in Bassmaster history. That alone would have been the story. But Kung's final-day charge made it something else entirely. He entered Championship Sunday trailing Trey McKinney by a pound and a half, McKinney holding an overnight lead of 83 pounds, 5 ounces. Kung weighed in first among the two leaders and delivered 27 pounds, 12 ounces—enough to vault him to 109 pounds, 9 ounces for the tournament and into the lead for the first time all week. McKinney needed 26 pounds, 8 ounces to answer. He came up two pounds short. The title was Kung's in the tournament's final minutes.
Kung's path to the win was built on repetition and a willingness to adapt when the day demanded it. He relied on drop shot fishing for roughly 95 percent of his week, including several fish on a Great Lakes Finesse prototype bait not yet released to the public. On Sunday, he made a gutsy call: he spent three hours on the lake without a bite, then returned to the river and caught the tournament's biggest bass—6 pounds, 13 ounces—in the final 20 minutes. That fish earned him the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award and sealed the tournament. "It was a crazy week," Kung said afterward. "I knew every day going in what I needed to catch just to stay in the Elites. Once I had that locked up, I went out today wanting the Century Belt. Once I had that, I just went looking for big ones."
The rest of the top ten reinforced just how exceptional the St. Lawrence proved to be. McKinney finished second with 107 pounds, 9 ounces—a strong finish that also earned him the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year award. Tucker Smith (107-1) and Cory Johnston (106-7) both cracked the Century Club with two of the heaviest four-day totals of their careers, finishing within a pound of each other. Cole Sands, a Tennessee pro who spent a month and a half scouting the river before the event, deliberately avoided the lake during competition and instead treated the river like trout water, reading current and drifting his bait with precision. He finished fifth with 105 pounds, 10 ounces. "I wanted one of those Century Belts so bad for so long, and I finally got one," Sands said. "And to get it with smallmouth at the St. Lawrence—this might be my favorite bass fishery on earth."
Brandon Cobb (103-14), JT Thompkins (103-0), Bryant Smith (101-3), and Fisher Anaya (100-5) rounded out the Century Club. Only Easton Fothergill, who finished tenth with 99 pounds, 8 ounces, narrowly missed joining the historic group. The fact that 99 pounds wasn't enough to crack the top nine tells you everything about the week's competitive depth and the river's abundance.
For Kung, the win carried weight beyond the trophy. He had entered the week with his career in the Elite Series hanging in the balance. He left it with his card secured, a tournament victory, and a moment he'll carry forward. "It was a tough year on me, so it's great to end it like this," he said. "I couldn't have thought of a better ending. I'm kind of at a loss for words right now." He made sure to thank the people who traveled with him—sponsors, friends, his mother, and his girlfriend's family. "It's extra special to have them all here to see it," he said.
The St. Lawrence River delivered on every promise made about it heading into the week. The goby-fed smallmouth population and a field of Elite Series anglers pushing each other across four days of competition created something rare: a tournament so heavy and so competitive that it will likely be remembered as one of the finest smallmouth events Bassmaster has ever run. Kung's name goes on the trophy, but the real winner was the fishery itself—and the sport's confirmation that the St. Lawrence belongs among the best bass waters in North America.
Notable Quotes
It was a tough year on me, so it's great to end it like this. I couldn't have thought of a better ending.— Evan Kung, tournament winner
I wanted one of those Century Belts so bad for so long, and I finally got one. And to get it with smallmouth at the St. Lawrence—this might be my favorite bass fishery on earth.— Cole Sands, fifth place finisher
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