From April 24 to 25, the Kayak Adventure Series (KAS) presented by GoPro held its second event of the 2026 season in Plymouth, Indiana, right in the heart of Marshall County. For the first time in KAS history, anglers were given the ultimate freedom: the ability to fish any public water within the county, along with select nearby rivers and lakes just beyond its borders.
Anglers from 13 states quickly discovered just how special the Marshall County fishery is. What makes this area so unique is its position within three distinct watersheds. To the north, eligible waters flow into the Great Lakes via the St. Joseph River. Running through town, the Yellow River heads west, eventually joining the Mississippi River near St. Louis. Meanwhile, the southern Tippecanoe River meanders south, feeding into the Wabash River—forming the Indiana/Illinois border—before ultimately reaching the Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky.
With such a diverse playing field, the big question heading into the event was simple: which water type—and which species, largemouth or smallmouth—would rise to the top?
It all started on Friday with a warm welcome from Visit Marshall County and the city of Plymouth, Indiana, as anglers were treated to food and entertainment at Opening Ceremonies. With Yellow River Tap & Eatery serving as tournament headquarters for the week, anglers had a place to relax, attend fishing seminars, and enjoy outstanding pizza, wings, barbeque and more.
Friday morning gave anglers a chance to sleep in, relax, and learn at the Bass U Brunch. Fisheries biologist Reid Morehouse delivered an outstanding seminar focused on one of his specialties—crawfish. Anglers gained valuable insight into one of bass’ primary food sources and why it plays such an important role in both tournament strategy and everyday fishing success.
Anglers hit the water at 3 p.m. for the start of the KAS “Afternoon Sesh.” Quickly becoming one of the most popular elements of the KAS format, the Afternoon Sesh gives anglers a unique opportunity to fish an evening bite on a weekday. They have 4.5 hours to get their feet wet and start dialing in a game plan.
New for 2026, an added layer of excitement comes in the form of a $250 bonus awarded to the angler leading after Friday’s session concludes.
KASTKING Individual Angler Division: Friday Recap
The Friday Afternoon Sesh got off to a fast start. Less than 30 minutes in, Josiah Bihary—one of the New Primal “Next Up” Division anglers—posted the first limit of the event (mid-70s) to the Realtree Fishing Realtime Leaderboard powered by TourneyX.
The production team quickly caught up with Bihary, who was dialed in on a strong largemouth bite in one of the area’s smaller lakes. While filming, he added a key 18-inch upgrade on a spinnerbait, capitalizing on the rainy, windy conditions that had the blade bite firing. He also found a solid topwater bite in the pads, which made for one fun Friday for the young angler.
Meanwhile, as Bihary continued to cull in small but critical increments, the rest of the field was filling out limits with quality fish that would prove to matter. On the river, Eric Scrivner made an early statement, becoming the first angler to break the 20-inch mark with a 20.25-inch smallmouth. He caught it flipping soft plastics around man-made river structure, setting the tone for what was shaping up to be a diverse and competitive leaderboard.
Scrivner never completed a full limit on Friday, but with three quality smallmouth already on the board, he quickly became a name to watch heading into Saturday.
As Bihary continued upgrading his limit—pushing past the 81-inch mark—James Miller entered the conversation in a big way. He landed what would ultimately become the “Booyah BIG BASS” of the event—a 22-inch largemouth that earned a $500 prize package. Caught shallow on a buzzbait, it was the kind of fish that could anchor a winning bag.
Fans following along on the leaderboard knew that if Miller could back it up with four more mid-length solid keepers, he’d be a serious threat to take the title.
By the end of Friday, Miller had done enough to claim the overnight lead at 86.75 inches—earning the $250 Friday bonus in the process. The storyline heading into Saturday was simple: did he have more fish, and could he squeeze out a few more key upgrades to push past the 90-inch mark?
Saturday Recap
On Saturday, lines went in at 7:15 a.m., giving the field until 3 p.m. to track down Miller. With confidence high, Miller kept the buzzbait in hand and went right back to work.
Behind him, Josiah Bihary picked up where he left off, dialing in a morning bite and steadily climbing the leaderboard. Cole Lawrence also entered the mix after a slow Friday, making a key adjustment and finding success on both smallmouth and largemouth in the river.
Elsewhere, top female angler Jamie Young and eventual fifth-place finisher Justin Kivett began to surge, each just a couple of big bites away from entering true contention.
Still, as the morning progressed, Miller started to separate himself, turning the tournament into a tight race between a handful of contenders—Eric Scrivner, now with a full limit, along with Bihary and Lawrence—all chasing down the leader.
While all of them remained just one 21+-inch fish away from truly challenging Miller, the focus quickly shifted to the race for second place.
Cole Lawrence made a strong move, culling up with an 18.50-inch smallmouth to pair with an earlier 18.50-inch largemouth, briefly taking over second. But while Lawrence was consistently upgrading in the 17- to 18.5-inch range, it became clear those fish would make it difficult to gain much more ground.
Meanwhile, Josiah Bihary had already shown his area had the size to compete, landing a 20.75-inch largemouth on a bladed jig earlier in the day—and still holding a 16-inch fish in his limit. That left the door open.
Around 1 p.m., Bihary capitalized with an 18.75-inch upgrade, reclaiming second place for good. From there, the final order settled in, with Bihary finishing second, followed by Lawrence in third and Scrivner in fourth.
James Miller continued to separate himself from the field on day two, leaning into the shallow-water big-bite pattern he’d dialed in late on Friday. Despite heavy pressure on his lake during both practice and the event, he stayed committed and executed—grinding his way to a winning total of 96.75 inches.
Key upgrades of 20.50, 18.50 and 16.75 inches helped him extend his lead and put the tournament out of reach.
Wrap-up
On stage, tournament director and founder, Drew Gregory, joked, “Man, must’ve been tough throwing a buzzbait all day to catch some mega Indiana largemouth.”
Miller laughed and admitted that the buzzbait was the difference-maker—calling up the kind of big bites needed to win and proving to be the key pattern for the event.
Miller took home over $4,500 in total earnings—including his Team Division winnings—making him the clear on-the-water winner at Great Midwestivus II. Plus, he earned an additional $300 in Omnia Fishing Credit by winning the Omnia PRO bonus. Of course what matters to most who win is the hardware and he took that beautiful first-place Ketch trophy as well.
As for the question of what water body would be the most productive: as it turned out, the top 25 percent of the field, who all earn cash or prizes, cracked the code across a wide range of water types. The standout finishes came from a mix of locations that proved to be just a little more productive than the rest:
- Lake of the Woods – Marshall County Lake (Yellow River/Kankakee Watershed)
- A small Marshall County lake (in Tippecanoe Watershed)
- Chain of Lakes in Marshall County (Yellow River/Kankakee Watershed)
- Worster Lake (Yellow River/Kankakee Watershed)
- Tippecanoe River
- St. Joseph River
- St. Joseph River Tributary
Anglers from 13 states were represented, combining to register 859 total bass across 132 entries spanning all divisions.
KAS wishes to thank all the sponsors who make KAS possible, and especially those who contributed items to the $100 Angler Welcome Bags for the first 50 who register. The headline product of this event was that the angler got to choose between a KastKing Rod Rack or a pair of KastKing sunglasses.
Beyond the payouts, the real victory was shared across the field. With smiles seen throughout the week, it was clear the mission of KAS was accomplished—delivering an unforgettable experience where, in the end, everyone walked away a winner through the adventure.
There are four more events in the Kayak Adventure Series in 2026. Find the event schedule here. For more information about the Kayak Adventure Series presented by Go Pro, visit: kayakadventureseries.com
To watch the awards ceremony, click here.
