The world-class New River fishery brought over 100 anglers to Pulaski, Virginia, for the third stop of the 2026 Kayak Adventure Series (KAS) presented by GoPro. Anglers from 15 states showed up to compete in the event dubbed the New River Revival and held May 15 to 16.
What attracted them? The legendary New River and its smallmouth bass, of course. There was a nearly $20,000 cash purse as well. However, the KAS Angler mentality is more about the adventure and memories—and of course the hardware the winner would take home. Plus, there is a season-long points race for the “Torqeedo Team of the Year” and “KastKing Angler of the Year.”
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.
Bass U Brunch
The Bass U Brunch at this event featured two names every kayak angler knows: Jeff Little and Jameson Redding.
Shane Hess from Raleigh, North Carolina, said, “Jameson’s talk about paddle strokes was really useful in explaining how important speed is to stability when paddling through rapids.”
Cameron Dierberger of Fredericksburg, Virginia, 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.”
Friday Afternoon Sesh Recap
When the Bass U Brunch concludes at midday, anglers prepare to compete. Fishing begins at 3 p.m. for the KAS “Afternoon Sesh,” which is a late afternoon/early evening portion of competition that is unique to the KAS format 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.
Drought had the river at a typically low midsummer level and while clear and certainly beautiful, these conditions can make the fishing challenging, especially in sunny and bright conditions. Friday’s fishing began with just that: clear skies, warm temperatures and a light breeze. The afternoon warmth, after a cold front had come through on Wednesday and Thursday, had the fish 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 Afternoon Sesh, the New was proving to win out as Jacob Turner’s 88.25 inches 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 intentionally lowered lake level, Gatewood was the complete opposite of the New River—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.
Dale Allison held the third spot with a limit of 85.25 inches on a 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-inch smallmouth bass he landed at 7:44 p.m., less than one minute before lines out.
Saturday Recap
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, also sponsored by Guardian Angel Devices, with an 18.5-inch smallmouth bass he submitted at 6:18 a.m., only three minutes after lines in. Both Wiest and Turner 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 continue to hold its own against the mass of anglers on the river and Claytor Lake.
In the end, Anderson managed to take the first place Ketch trophy, courtesy of a few big culls on Gatewood Lake. One of them was a 21-inch largemouth that he added to his final limit of 95.75 inches.
Jacob Turner, took second place with 93.25 inches.
Toyo Tires Team Division Winner
At the end of Friday’s Afternoon Sesh, Smalljaw Syndicate (Dale Allison and Ryan Buckler) led with 163.25 inches.
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.
Thacker steadily assembled a limit of 90.25 inches. 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 inches overall.
The Wet Bandits took second place with a bag of big smallies for 181.75 inches, while Smalljaw Syndicate took third place with 175.25 inches.
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.
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 in the KastKing Individual event, so he wasn’t too disappointed. Later he added, “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. Nance told KAS: “I caught my fish out of Pembroke, using an Atomic Teaser [by Berkley].”
“Next Up” Division
New Primal, the Official Meat Snack of KAS, 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 KAS events, gaining experience and prizes along the way.
Oliver Lee from Minnesota took third place with a limit of 72 inches. Josiah Bihary, who won the division at the previous event in Indiana, came in second with 74 inches.
Jordan Lovejoy ended up taking the title in the “Next Up” Division with 87.50 inches, which also earned him eighth place in the overall Individual Division. He was targeting smallmouth in swifter shoals, fittingly fishing out of his Crescent Kayaks Shoalie. Jordan won a Yakrods 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, earning him the $500 Big Bass Prize package including gift cards to Lurenet and for a new Bending Branches paddle.
Wrapping Up
To learn about all the prizes, awards and programs offered at the New River Revival, visit the Kayak Adventure Series website.
Kayak Adventure Series would like to thank Jake Heppner for his work offsite and all the volunteers who helped in Pulaski, Virginia. Additionally, they wish to thank Fourseven Lures for the custom baits distributed to anglers at the event.
There are three more events in the Kayak Adventure Series in 2026. Find the event schedule here. For more information about the Kayak Adventure Series presented by GoPro, visit: kayakadventureseries.com
