On September 26, 2025 the body of a 21-year-old kayak fisherman Peyton Hughes was recovered around 7:15 a.m. on the Toledo Bend Reservoir by the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office, Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office and Texas Game Wardens according to a Facebook post from Texas Game Wardens. Hughes was a student at Campbellsville University in Kentucky and had been missing since September 24, when he did not return from pre-fishing for a kayak fishing tournament.
College student’s body recovered after having gone missing at Bassmaster College Kayak Series
Hughes was registered to compete in the Bassmaster College Kayak Series finale on September 27 and 28 on the Toledo Bend Reservoir, a body of water on the border of Texas and Louisiana. On September 25, B.A.S.S. issued a statement sharing that after Hughes had not arrived at his designated meeting place on September 24, his travel partner had contacted authorities. A search of the reservoir led to the discovery of Hughes’ empty kayak; Hughes’ body was recovered two days after he went missing.
The Bassmaster College Kayak series is new in 2025, and the event at Toledo Bend Reservoir was the final of three events.
A GoFundMe has been created to support Hughes’ mother, Sara, as she navigates funeral costs and memorial arrangements. The GoFundMe description notes that Hughes was only 21, the same age as his father was when he was killed serving in Iraq 20 years before.
“To lose them both at the same age feels beyond imaginable,” reads the fundraiser’s description. “Peyton was full of love, laughter and dreams that were taken far too soon.”
The body of a missing college kayak angler was recovered on the Toledo Bend Reservoir. Feature Image: Texas Game Warden | Facebook
