Minor Wins Bassmaster Kayak Championship, AOY at Lake Murray
The biggest competitive story of the week came out of South Carolina, where Ewing Minor turned the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship presented by Native Watercraft into a career weekend on Lake Murray. Minor posted a three-day total of 292.75 inches to win the event — and clinched the Pro-Guide Batteries Angler of the Year title in the same breath.
Getting there took a come-from-behind run. Jacob Berryhill set the early pace with 98.5 inches on Day 1, and Wyatt Hammond seized command on Day 2 with a 196.25-inch two-day total. Minor saved his best for Championship Friday, measuring the fish he needed to run down the leaders and complete the rare win-and-AOY double on the final day.
Because the Bassmaster Kayak Series is a catch-measure-release format, standings are scored in inches rather than pounds — anglers photograph each bass on an identifier board and release it on the water. Lake Murray is a clear, herring-influenced reservoir known for roaming schools of spotted bass and largemouth, a venue that rewards anglers who stay mobile and chase moving fish. Specific bait details were not included in the official championship release.
Team Bragg takes the Toyota Owners event on Guntersville
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Over on Lake Guntersville, the 15th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament crowned Team Bragg — Jade Bragg and Caige Bragg — as champions. According to B.A.S.S., the duo brought a one-day winning bag of 24 pounds, 1 ounce to the scales on the famed Tennessee River impoundment (B.A.S.S. noted additional details were still to come). The Toyota-run owners event is co-covered by both B.A.S.S. and Major League Fishing and draws Toyota owners from across the country to one of the South's premier big-bass fisheries.
MLF watch: top tour done, grassroots rolling
On the MLF side, the top-tier Bass Pro Tour season is in the books — the league has already rolled out its 2027 schedule — so October action lived at the grassroots level. Phoenix Bass Fishing League regionals wrapped across the region in mid-October, including events at Clark's Hill (Oct. 16) and Kentucky/Barkley lakes (Oct. 15), with those finishes feeding the race toward BFL championship berths. Full, corroborated regional results were not yet confirmed across sources at publication, so we're holding specific weights until they are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship? Ewing Minor won on Lake Murray with a three-day total of 292.75 inches, a result that also secured him the Pro-Guide Batteries Angler of the Year title.
Why are kayak results scored in inches instead of pounds? The Bassmaster Kayak Series uses a catch-photograph-release format. Anglers lay each bass on a measuring board, photograph it and release it, and cumulative length in inches determines the standings — no livewell or traditional weigh-in required.
Who won the Toyota Owners Tournament on Lake Guntersville? Team Bragg — Jade Bragg and Caige Bragg — won with a one-day bag of 24 pounds, 1 ounce at the 15th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament.
Did MLF hold a Bass Pro Tour event this week? No. The Bass Pro Tour season has concluded and MLF has already released its 2027 schedule. The recent MLF activity has been at the grassroots Phoenix Bass Fishing League level, with regionals in mid-October.
What is Lake Murray known for? Lake Murray is a clear, blueback-herring-influenced South Carolina reservoir famous for schooling spotted bass and largemouth, making it a fitting stage for a mobile, run-and-gun kayak championship.
That's the wrap for this week. We'll be back as the offseason storylines — AOY races, championship qualifiers and the 2027 schedules — take shape. Tight lines. — BassFishing.World