CLARENDON COUNTY, S.C. — Ewing Minor is not only one of the best young anglers on any of the Bassmaster circuits, but he’s a competitor at heart.
So, naturally, he was disappointed when the second and final day of the 2026 Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Santee Cooper Lakes presented by Native Watercraft was cancelled due to the potential for dangerous winds.
“When you prepare for a two-day tournament and you only fish one day, you feel like the job isn’t done,” he said Sunday morning after B.A.S.S. officials had already called off Day 2 of the derby that boasted 214 anglers fishing for part of a $42,800 cash purse.
Still, Minor felt it was the right decision to cancel, given the possibility for hazardous conditions.
“Not everyone will have enough sense to stay safe when there’s money on the line,” the 24-year-old Dandridge, Tenn., resident said. “And to be honest, when I’m in a tournament, I’m going where the fish are. Unless it’s just ridiculously rough, I’d do things I wouldn’t do outside of a tournament.”
Tournament Director Steve Owens said it’s always difficult to cancel an event, especially one that attracted competitors from around the country to the Palmetto State for what was the third of six regular-season derbies scheduled on the 2026 Bassmaster Kayak Series.
“Based on a compilation of data from multiple weather outlets … it looked like the best decision for overall angler safety was to cancel Day 2,” Owens said Sunday morning. “We waited overnight, hoping the strength of sustained and gusting winds would diminish. We understand that there are areas that can be protected from the wind, as well.
“However,” Owens continued, “we are an open series which means we not only have seasoned hardcore competitors, but we also have anglers in the beginning stages of learning navigation, safety, what to do in dangerous situations and even identifying what is a dangerous situation. We have anglers from 16 years old up to nearly 70 years old; anglers who may have limited physical abilities, as well. So, we must account for all of those who may not be able to make the types of decisions to keep themselves safe.”
Minor took the Day 1 lead Saturday with a five-bass limit that measured 106.75 inches. He caught the majority of his keepers around a dock not far from take-off and said he planned to return there to begin Day 2.
“I was gonna’ start there and hopefully pull a fish or two off that same dock,” he said. “There still were fish there. After I finished my limit there, I spent half the day yesterday just practicing in other places. The last 35 to 45 minutes of the day, I was pulling my bait away from fish.
“You can’t feel too confident, not with the number of people fishing you’re against in a tournament this size,” he added. “But I definitely was confident I’d catch fish today.”
A Hideup Coike Full Cast soft bait was Minor’s lure of choice at Santee. The lure has been popular in Japan for a couple decades, but only recently caught on in America. It’s a confidence bait for Minor — one he’s seemingly mastered while some competitors are only beginning to tinker with the lure (which resembles a sea urchin).
“I saw a bait that was winning a bunch of tournaments and said ‘I need to figure this thing out,’” Minor said. “It’s like a combination of a wacky rig and a jerkbait. And it’s hard to argue with it. The fish eat it.”
Minor’s tournament results in 2026, and with a Hideup Coike tied on, speak for themselves. He finished sixth in the Bassmaster Kayak Series season opener on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain in February and placed 13th at Caddo Lake/Lake Bistineau in north Louisiana in April. Between those two regular-season events, he placed 12th in the 2025 Championship, held in March on lakes Chickamauga and Nickajack in his native Tennessee.
And now he’s added a victory to his resume at Santee. The win earned Minor a $10,550 first prize as well as a berth in the 2026 Newport Bassmaster Series Championship presented by Native Watercraft, when it’s held Oct. 14-16 on Lake Murray a couple hours further inland from the Santee Lakes. It will be the first-ever standalone Bassmaster Kayak Series Championship after years of being held during Classic week.
Also finishing in the Top 5 at Santee Cooper, and securing spots in the series championship are second, Tennessee’s Rus Snyders, 105.5 inches, $4,775; third, North Carolina’s Will Lambert, 104.75, $2,975; fourth, Pennsylvania’s Greg Polec, 104.5, $2,300; and fifth North Carolina’s Cher Tou Thao, 100.25, $2,200. Full results of the Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series at Santee Cooper Lakes presented by Native Watercraft can be found here.
Lambert caught the big bass on Saturday — a 24.5-inch largemouth he hooked between 7 and 8 a.m. ET. The catch earned him a $500 prize.
The Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce hosted the event.