The Massachusetts Kayak Bassin’ Angler of the Year race is a tough one. Points are based on an angler’s top twenty-five bass of the season, plus bonus points awarded for finishing in the top five. Seems simple enough, right?

It’s not.

Anglers wishing to become the MAKB Angler of the Year need to compete in a minimum of five events, consistently catch limits, put quality fish on the board, and finish in the top five. None of those alone will do it.

And we have a lot of excellent fishermen in this group, so getting to the top, or even close to it, is a great achievement and something to be proud of.

So it is my pleasure to officially announce the 2019 MAKB Angler of the Year: Kevin Amaral Jr!

Kevin fished in nine tournaments and caught 44 bass (not including culled fish) this year, racking up two wins, three second-place finishes, and a fifth-place finish. He also had lunker largemouth and smallmouth once each, both of which were fish that contributed to his Top 25 season length of 410.50. Add to that 23 points from his top-five finishes, and his winning total season total length was 433.50!

His 20.75-inch smallmouth was also the biggest bass caught during any of our ten events.

Consistency is the key, as I mentioned, and the without a doubt Kevin performed at a consistently higher level than the rest of us this year. A well-deserved victory, my friend! Congrats.

Here are your top ten anglers for 2019! Great job, fellas!

Kevin Amaral, Jr. – 433.50
Ken Wood – 420.00
John Ferreira – 406.25
Gabe Portes – 397.25
Paulo DeMorais – 397.00
Lee Kennon – 388.25
Bruce Levy – 384.75
Donald Davis – 383.00
Steve Scott – 378.50
Bruno Casagrande – 377.25

Click here to check out the full 2019 Angler of the Year standings.

Congrats again, guys!