CLAYTON, NEW YORK — Evan Kung’s name is on the tournament trophy from the St. Lawrence River. But the biggest story out of Clayton this week might actually be the young guns.
The Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River closed out the 2026 Elite Series regular season, and with it came the season-long Angler of the Year and Rookie of the Year titles. These are awards decided by cumulative points across all nine regular-season events — not by who wins this one tournament.
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Still, a lot was riding on how this Championship Sunday shook out.
Trey McKinney came into the season finale having watched Chris Johnston walk away with the Angler of the Year title for two straight years — runner-up finishes that, as the emcee pointed out, meant McKinney had “never been out of the top two” in the AOY race in his young career.
This time, the roles reversed: Johnston himself handed McKinney the trophy. A passing of the torch, you could call it.
At 21, McKinney is now the youngest Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year in history — breaking a record held by Kevin VanDam since 1992. It’s a fitting cap to a week where McKinney also boated the heaviest five-fish smallmouth limit ever weighed in Bassmaster history (30 pounds, 11 ounces, back on Day 2) and picked up his own Century Belt for good measure.
None of it came easily. McKinney finished the tournament in second place, 2 pounds behind Kung. But by his own account, that was never really what he came to Clayton for.
“Yes, I didn’t win the tournament, but I wasn’t even thinking about that,” McKinney said. “Angler of the Year is the only thing I was thinking about all week. I was doing well in the tournament, but that title is what was on my mind.”
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The final push very nearly didn’t happen. McKinney described his last hours on the water as the most nervous he’s ever been fishing.
“I was more nervous today than I’ve ever been in my whole life,” he said. “I couldn’t even think straight. My fish were short-striking, not committing, and I thought there was no way I was about to hand this away. We kept running around, and thank goodness, right at the end we caught a 6-pounder to seal it.
“I was about ready to leave when something told me to keep going a little longer. There was one rock. I gave it a shot, and it was a 6-pounder. If I hadn’t caught that fish, I don’t think I would have gotten it.”
McKinney credited three years of hard work finally paying off. His mom took the mic on stage afterward to share in the moment, crediting faith and the support of everyone who’d backed him through the chase.
While McKinney was closing out his tournament, a tight Rookie of the Year race was being decided, too. And it included a man who wasn’t fishing at all.
Caleb Hudson led the rookie points race most of the season but didn’t make the cut for Championship Sunday at St. Lawrence. This left him to watch from land as Fisher Anaya — the only other rookie still in contention — fished for the title. Anaya needed a top-six finish on the final day to overtake Hudson. He came in ninth, at 100 pounds, 5 ounces (a Century Belt, but not enough to flip the race), which meant Hudson held on to win Rookie of the Year without ever making a cast that day.
“It was the most nerve-wracking day I’ve ever had to go through,” Hudson said before the final leaderboard was announced. “I think today has felt like at least 30 hours long since I got up this morning. I’m ready for this to be over. I hate this feeling. Either way, I’m going to be happy. I’ve had an amazing season, and Fisher’s a great angler. I’d have no problem losing to him. He’s phenomenal.”
When it was official, Hudson — who picked up a $10,000 bonus check from Pro Guide Batteries along with the title — noted the timing: “Today’s my mom’s birthday, so I did it for her. Best birthday present — saves me some money on a gift.”
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Anaya, for his part, lost the title in dramatic fashion — losing what he described as one of the biggest smallmouth of his life on his first two casts of the day.
“What a battle, what a season,” Anaya said. “The last two days have been rough. I’ve lost more than I’ve caught. I knew heading out this morning it just didn’t feel right. Congrats to Caleb. It was his time to win, and he had a heck of a season. I’m not mad about losing to him. If it was going to be someone, he’s the guy to lose to.”
Maybe we’re seeing a changing of the guard.
Between a 21-year-old breaking a three-decade-old record and a Rookie of the Year race that came down to who was and wasn’t fishing on the final day, this St. Lawrence River finale was a doozy.
And it showcased a few of the faces the sport will be talking about for years to come.
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