A Much Needed "New River Revival" For The Soul

Tim Miller of Pulaski County Sports & Entertainment took the stage at the Pulaski Theater on Saturday, May 16^th, and delivered some news. “This is the first sporting event we are hosting, so it’s a milestone…” And just like that, the Kayak Adventure Series added a new chapter to the history of the New River Valley, home to the planet’s second oldest river system and some of the most stunning landscapes in the United States of America.

The world class New River fishery is what brought over 100 anglers to Pulaski, VA, for the third stop of the 2026 Kayak Adventure Series (KAS) presented by GoPro. The New River and its tributaries offered new challenges, new waters and new adventures to KAS anglers, and Pulaski County welcomed the competitors with open arms. Anglers from fifteen states, from Texas to Minnesota, and of course the southeast, showed up to compete and commune on a special week in Virginia.

What attracted them? The legendary New River and its Smallmouth Bass of course. What else? Well, there was that nearly $20,000 cash purse as well. However, the KAS Angler mentality is more about the adventure and memories and of course the hardware that the winner would take home. Plus, there is a seaon-long points race for the "Torqeedo Team of the Year" and "KastKing Angler of the Year."

And, if that alone weren’t enough, the scenic views of the mountains framed the journey as well as the float trips, where anglers could see unique geological formations such as the famous “Pulaski Thrust Sheets” that were formed hundreds of millions of years ago as well as abundant, colorful limestone, sandstone and shale.  

Pulaski, Virginia pulled out all the stops to make this landscape painting come alive for the Kayak Adventure Series and its anglers. The festivities began long before the pref-fishing concluded. When anglers were not on the New, Claytor Lake, Little River or Gatewood State Park they found fresh drinks and good food at both The Mason Jar and Great Wilderness Brewing Company, fellowship and friends at the Bass U Brunch or just a quiet walk along the New River Trail.

What it all added up to were a new chapter in Pulaski county’s history and new memories for every angler at the New River Revival. A few anglers earned championship memories of a lifetime.

Opening Ceremonies Gallery

(photo credits to Brooks Beatty & KAS Production Team)

The New River Revival episode of the Bass U Brunch featured two names that every kayak angler knows: Jeff Little and Jameson Redding. Shane Hess from Raleigh, N.C. said that “Jameson’s talk about paddle strokes was really useful in explaining how important speed is to stability when paddling through rapids.” Regarding Jeff Little’s talk, Cameron Dierberger of Fredricksburg, VA noted that Little “discussed using rudders in rapids, and he also reviewed dry bag basics, not just for yourself but also to help other anglers.”

The big crowd that attended the Bass U Brunch also received breakfast and a sneak peak preview of a new KastKing rod designed by Director of Fun Drew Gregory, that will be released at this year's iCast show in July.

Bass U Brunch Gallery

(photo credits to Brooks Beatty & KAS Production Team)

Kayak Adventure Series sponsors provide items included in the $100 Angler Welcome Bags for the 1st 50 competitors who register. The headline product of this event was a choice between a KastKing rod rack or KastKing sunglasses!

KASTKING Individual Angler Division

When the Bass U Brunch concludes at mid-day, anglers prepare to compete. Fishing begins at the 3:00 PM for the KAS “Afternoon Sesh,” which is a late afternoon/early evening portion of competition that is unique to the KAS format. Why? Because your Friday fish count toward your total. And if you don’t catch any on Friday, you still have all day Saturday to adjust and find bites elsewhere.

It's a strategy component that anglers love: you can fine tune your approach, scout new options or ditch your plan entirely.

Additionally, KAS offers a $250 bonus to the angler who holds the lead at the close of the Friday Sesh, and Dark Horse Tackle presents the “Dark 2 Darkhorse” angler who rises the most from Day One to Day Two with additional prizes. More on that prize to come...

The story at the last event in Indian was high, nearly flood-like conditions. Here on the New, nearly a month later, quite the opposite. Drought had the river at a typically low mid summer level and while clear and certainly beautiful, it can make the fishing challenging especially in sunny and bright conditions. Friday’s fishing began with just that - clear skies, warm temps and a light breeze. The afternoon warmth, after a cold front came through on Wednesday and Thursday, had the fish were active all day long. However, they weren't just active on the New; one of the big questions was whether the river would produce big bags, or if Claytor Lake and the smaller Gatewood Lake (both in play for this event) might twist the plot given the tougher than usual conditions on the New.

By the end of the the Afternoon Sesh, the New was proving to win out as Jacob Turner's 88.25" of smallies held first place. His early success earned him the $250 prize for being the Day One leader. In second place, Chris Anderson had a limit of 86.50” inches of largemouth from Gatewood Lake. Anderson was one of only four anglers who fished the smaller water supply reservoir as their area of competition. Due to drought and an Intentional lowered lake level (for repairs on the dam or docks we can only assume), Gatewood was literally the complete opposite of the New River in every way - largemouth instead of smallmouth, ugly mud banks instead of pristine natural shoals and scenic islands, and slightly murky rather than crystal clear. However, this isn't a beauty contest, and the conditions and Largemouth Bass on Gatewood were proving they could hold their own against the big river smallies. Anderson’s anchor fish was a 20.5” Largemouth Bass. Dale Allison held the third spot with a limit of 85.25” or New River Smallmouth. Josh Wiest was also a big Friday winner as he won the “Last Light” bass prize, presented by Guardian Angel Devices, with an 18” Smallmouth bass he landed at 7:44 p.m., less than one minute before lines out!

Anglers launched at 6 a.m. Saturday to begin their days, and fished until lines out at 3 p.m. Jacob Turner won the “First Light” prize with an 18.5” Smallmouth Bass he submitted at 6:18 a.m., only three minutes after lines in. Both Josh and Jacob will receive a $400 Kayak Kit from Guardian Angel Devices.

One of the big questions of the day would be whether the Gatewood Lake bite would hold its own against the mass of anglers on the river and Claytor Lake. As the sun broke over the mountains, four competitors headed to the smaller largemouth hole. Chris Anderson and Jim Thacker of Ohio joined Alex Sterling and Hank Veggian of North Carolina in a productive area of the lake that was estimated down by 20ft. By the end of the day, they would each cash checks in either the team division, individual division or both. Meanwhile, anglers launched also on Claytor Lake and the New River, hoping the clear, low water would deliver big bites, trophies and prizes.

By early morning, Chris Anderson had jumped into the lead. After holding second place on Friday, he moved into first and never looked back. Jim Thacker also began putting a limit together after a slow start on Friday, and by noon it became apparent they might manage to sweep the top spots. But you never know what the river will produce, and every cast became critical as the day wore on and the wind picked up speed.

In the end, Anderson managed to take the first place Ketch trophy, courtesy of a few big culls. One of them was a 21” Largemouth that he added to his final limit of 95.75”. After the awards, Anderson told KAS: “I caught my fish on a 4” Senko. The color was green pumpkin rigged wacky style, on a Gamaktsu G Finesse hook. For me, every one of these events is special, because KAS lets anglers choose how they want to fish.”

Jacob Turner, took second place with 93.25”, but sadly was not feeling well enough to make the awards (get well soon, Jacob!). We do know he sent in a message that not only confirmed he was physically not well, but also sick to his stomach for losing so many smallmouth that would have given him the title...ouch. In third place, Dale Allison had 92”. He told the crowd at the Pulaski Theater: “I fished the same place on both days. Three of my spinning rods had [Megabass] Sleeper Craws on them. I kept that Sleeper Craw in my hands the whole time.”

Jim Thacker won fifth place, and he did so after submitting only one bass on Friday. His story sets up how the Toyo Tires team division was won…….

It was an incredible site to see the entire city of Pulaski come together for a festival and see so many come into the Pulaski Theater to take in the KAS Awards Show.

Click here for full Kastking Standings on the Realtree Real Time Leaderboard hosted by TourneyX.

Click here for full AOY Standings in which Chris Anderson is still leading.

Omnia Fishing's On-The-Water Gallery

(photo credits to Jeff Little & KAS Production Team)

From the Air Gallery

(photo credit to KAS Production Team)

TOYO TIRES Team Division

At the end of Friday’s Afternoon Sesh, Smalljaw Syndicate (Dale Allison and Ryan Buckler) led with 163.25”. Team Jersey Strong (Hank Veggian and Alex Sterling) held second place with 154.50”. Monsters, Inc. (Neil Tolley and Greg Anderson) were in the third place spot with 131.25”.

The only thing keeping Strictly Sail and Paddle B Team from a run at the top was Jim Thacker, who had a slow start to his tournament on Friday. If he could manage a decent limit, he could lift the team.

Team Jersey Strong started Saturday with a big cull, as Hank Veggian landed a 17.25” Smallmouth Bass to improve their standing. Over the course of the day, small culls (and one big late cull by yours truly) helped Veggian and his teammate Alex Sterling keep pace. Ultimately, they finished in fourth place overall, despite the fact that they placed 15^th and 16^th on the overall team leaderboard.

In the meantime, Thacker was fishing nearby with his teammate Chris Anderson. Early in the day, Thacker had cautioned Veggian not too fish too close to him because Thacker’s bad luck might rub off on him. It turns out I should have fished closer to him in the hopes his good luck would find me.

Thacker steadily assembled a limit of 90.25”. he had landed an anchor fish on Friday night, added three more keepers in the morning and made a final cull late in the day on Saturday.

As Thacker later told the audience: “I was catching them on a Neko Rig, a chatterbait and a wacky rig.” His diverse approach helped lift the Strictly Sail and Paddle B team to first place in the Toyo Tires team Standings, as they finished with 186” overall.

The Wet Bandits took second place with a bag of big Smallies for 181.75”, while Smalljaw Syndicate took third place with 175.25”. Colin Veith of Team Wet Bandits told the crowd: “I came in Monday from New York, and couldn’t figure out the bite. But then I started dragging lipless crankbaits…..”

Team Jersey Strong finished in fourth place, besting the fifth place team of Hybrid Swarm by a mere quarter inch, 165.75” – 165.50”.

In the end, Gatewood Lake held its own against the river, and then some. It produced the winning angler overall and also the winning team and fourth place team, showing that Largemouth bass in the area fisheries were of as high a quality as its Smallmouth Bass. The only question that will never have the answer for will be whether It would have competed had the stars not aligned perfectly with the low tough conditions on the river compared to the low (making it a little easier) conditions on the lake? We'll never know and we don't need to because the Gatewood anglers took what mother nature gave them and played the hand they were dealt perfectly from a strategy perspective. Did they miss out on some of the most epic river scenery, sure, but Pulaski County will welcome them back for that whenever they want.

Click here for full Toyo Tires Team Division Standings

Click here for Torqeedo Team of the Year Standings

TOP 10 Teams

Team of the Year will win a Torqeedo motor in their TMOY package, along with additional prizes from Power-Pole, Bending Branches, DEFIANT Lures, KastKing, Yak Attack, SMITH OPTICS and more.

REBEL "Live Flex" Micro-Bag Division

While the entries in the other divisions were on the higher side, the Micro-Bag division saw its lowest total ever with only nine anglers registered for this popular event. I guess when you come to the New you aren't coming to catch dinks! One of the "dinkmasters" of this division has historically been John Dalton of Tennessee. Dalton competed for the micro title and nearly won it, losing out by just .25 inches. However, he managed to cash a check by finishing in fourth place on the Kastking Individual event so he wasn't too disappointed but later he added "Yeah, but I wanted to be the first to cash a check in the Individual Division and win the Micro-Bag!" A feat that has still yet to be done.

West Virginia angler Raven Nance ended up besting the Micro-Bag king by a mere quarter inch, however, as she posted notice of her expertise in finesse tactics. Nance told KAS: “I caught my fish out of Pembroke, using an Atomic Teaser” [by Berkley].” Not only is it always nice to see lady anglers, it's nice to see them really out there competing and winning over the men who make up the majority of the field - these women can fish!

Click here for full Micro-Bag Standings

Feel free to support KAS by purchasing your New River Revival shirt, or any other items in the KAS Store. Helps you remember this great event and helps us keep the lights on so we can keep producing these great events for you guys! < Shop the KAS STORE >

New Primal  "Next Up" Division (under 21)

New Primal, the Official Meat Snack of Kayak Adventure Series, also serves as the presenting sponsor of the “Next Up” Division—bringing together youth, high school, and college anglers under one competitive umbrella.

This division celebrates young anglers who compete and travel for Kayak Adventure Series events, gaining experience and prizes along the way.

Oliver Lee, from Minnesota, took third place with a limit of 72”. Josiah Bihary, who won the division in Indiana at the previous event came in 2nd with 74”. Bihary told the crowd: “I caught a 20.5” in practice, so I went back there today. This place is so beautiful, I really want to come back.”

Jordan Lovejoy ended up taking the title in the "Next Up" Division with 87.50 inches which also earned him 8th place in the overall Individual Division. He was targeting smallmouth in swifter shoals, fittingly fishing out of his Crescent Kayaks "Shoalie."

Jordan won a Yak Rods fishing rod worth $250.

"BOOYAH Big Bass" Award

The largemouth didn't spoil all the fun, as Evan Adamson landed a mega smallie at 21.25 Inches to take the "Booyah Big Bass" of the event. Evan mentioned he kept the giant glide bait in his hand all day and it certainly paid off as he placed 10th in the KastKing Individual Division and of course scored the $500 Big Bass Prize package headlines by gift cards to Lurenet.com and a gift card for a new Bending Branches paddle! Below you can see Evan and his glide bait in action amongst the shoals!

AFTCO Bank Bag Cleanup

Anglers received AFTCO Bank Bags at the Opening Ceremonies and many returned them full of trash. One angler, Brian Butcher, even hauled out a large kids construction truck out of the river via his kayak. We're proud of how many KAS anglers are determined to leave the rivers, lakes and their boat ramps cleaner than when we found them! All anglers who returned trash will receive a $25 gift card to AFTCO.

Raffle Kayak

The raffle kayak was sponsored by Bonafide Kayaks and the money raises funds for ACA safety course scholarships. Jamie Goggans, from Alabama, was the winner of the RVR119 at this event. At the awards you could hear him yell out "It's coming back to Alabama!" He would later add, "Best $100 I ever spent."

Awards Photo Gallery

(photo credit to KAS Production Team)

FULL AWARDS REPLAY

BONUSES PROGRAMS

"Unhooked" presented by DHUKR

(Winners from previous event revealed on stage at New River Revival)

Josiah Bihary won the first place prize and a DHUKR tool. Had he already owned a DHUKR his best video of a fish coming "unhooked" would have won him an additional $500! It pays to own a $35 safety tool (FDA licensed & registered) like the human DHUKR. Click here to buy a DHUKR tool today – you never know when you will need it to get a hook out of you safely and keep you on the water!

"Angler's Cut" Presented by GoPro 

One angler will still win an additional $1000 ($500 cash + new GoPro) for submitting the best GoPro clip/s from the event. KAS gives anglers about 3 weeks after the event to find their best GoPro footage and submit it to the Anglers Cut form here. The winners all season will be shown on the big screen at the following KAS event. For more information about this program and all the bonus programs KAS and it's partners offer, click here to visit the Bonus and Contingencies page.

The winner from this previous event (Great Midwestivus II, in Indiana) was Scott Case who captured this incredible sight fishing clip.

Day 2 Darkhorse presented by Darkhorse Tackle

After earning a Chinook Century Belt at TallaBassee, FL native Brandon Turek decided to come up to the New to catch his first ever smallmouth bass. Well, not only did he cross that off the bucket list, but after a poor day 1 with no scoreable smallies he adjusted to catch 83.25 Inches of smallmouth on day 2 to move from a tie for last place all the way up to cash a check in 15th place! Plus win the Darkhorse Tackle subscription box and a $150 to darkhorsetackle.com Brandon has been filming all year long and even captured a great clip of him catching his PB smallie, a 19.75 beauty!

Crosskix Awards

Tristan Lee and Peter Husser took home the Cross Kix Cross Country prize by driving 1,040 and 1,100 miles, respectively.

Raven Nance, who won the Rebel Micro Bag division, also won the New Angler New Kix award, where she was joined by Ben Caldwell.

Also, for the first 18 (36 anglers) in the 2026 KAS season who sign up as a team for at least 3 events (making them Team of Year eligible) Crosskix will give each of those 36 anglers a new pair of Crosskix! Huge thanks to Crosskix for making this possible!

First & Last Light Bass presented by Guardian Angel

Looking Ahead

Next up on the 2026 KAS schedule is the Juniata Regatta in Lewiston, PA!

Additional Info

Kayak Adventure Series would like to thank Jake Heppner for his work offsite and all the volunteers who helped in Pulaski, VA. Additionally, we wish to thank Four Seven lures for the custom baits distributed to anglers at the event!

For more information about the Kayak Adventure Series presented by Go Pro, visit: https://www.kayakadventureseries.com/

To watch the awards ceremony, click here.

Click here to learn more about Go Pro cameras.

© 2026 Kayak Adventure Series. All Rights Reserved. First published May 18 , 2026.