09/12/2026
What a honor for friend Austin Lilly! Congratulations sir!
WEST VIRGINIA’S TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL KAYAK ANGLERS — PAST & PRESENT
2016–2025 • A Ten-Year Retrospective— #15 AUSTIN LILLY
As we continue our 2016–2025 Ten-Year Retrospective, we reach an angler who deserves recognition not only for helping grow organized kayak fishing in southern West Virginia—but for being one of the strongest competitors during the formative years of West Virginia Kayak Anglers.
Coming in at #15 is Austin Lilly.
When we went deeper into the old tournament results, club history, and social-media archives, Austin's résumé became much clearer.
He wasn't simply helping build the tournament community.
Austin Lilly was winning in it.
THE FIRST WVKA ANGLER OF THE YEAR
The centerpiece of Austin's résumé came during WVKA's inaugural season in 2017. After that first season, Austin captured: 2017 WEST VIRGINIA KAYAK ANGLERS — ANGLER OF THE YEAR
That distinction carries considerable weight in our ranking.
An Angler of the Year championship isn't based on one good tournament. It rewards consistency across a season, the ability to perform on different fisheries, and repeatedly finishing high enough to accumulate the points necessary to beat an entire field of competitors. But there's another piece of history attached to Austin's title: There can only be one first WVKA Angler of the Year.
And that distinction belongs to Austin Lilly.
2017 WVKA SUMMERS COUNTY SLAM
Austin's championship season included actual tournament victories as well.
In August 2017, Austin won the: WVKA SUMMERS COUNTY SLAM
That is particularly important under the methodology we're using for this retrospective. We've deliberately placed greater value on specific-water, in-person tournament results than statewide or month-long online events. Austin wasn't accumulating an AOY championship simply by participating.
He was winning tournaments.
A FORCE DURING WVKA'S FORMATIVE YEARS
The timing of those accomplishments matters. WVKA was just getting started. The organization was establishing tournaments, building participation, and developing an identity within a West Virginia kayak-fishing community that already included other growing clubs. Austin became the organization's first AOY champion during that formative period. That gives his 2017 season both competitive and historical significance inside our ten-year window. He helped establish the competitive standard that future WVKA Anglers of the Year would be measured against.
SUMMERS COUNTY KAYAK BASS ANGLERS
But Austin's contribution didn't stop when the tournament ended.
He also became closely associated with the development of and Manging Director of the Summers County Kayak Bass Anglers — SCKBA. Public organizational records identify Summers County Kayak Bass Anglers — Hinton, West Virginia and list the organization “c/o Austin Lilly.” Those records date the organization to 2018, directly inside our ranking window. That gives us independent evidence supporting what the WV kayak-fishing community remembers from this period: Austin wasn't only competing. He was helping organize opportunities for other anglers to compete.
BUILDING SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA KAYAK FISHING
SCKBA's location was significant. Hinton sits in the middle of some of West Virginia's premier moving-water fishing country, with access to fisheries associated with the New River, Greenbrier River, and Summers County region. As kayak tournament fishing expanded across the state, regional organizations were essential.
MSKA had established a strong statewide presence. WVKA was developing another major tournament trail. Other clubs were emerging throughout West Virginia. And SCKBA helped provide another competitive home for anglers in the southern part of the state. Austin Lilly was part of that expansion.
🧩 COMPETITOR + CHAMPION + CLUB BUILDER
That's where Austin's #15 résumé becomes particularly strong.
Our accumulated platform scrub, reconstructed social-media results and club history give us several different forms of contribution:
There is also independent evidence of Austin competing in the 2016 KBF OPEN – West Virginia in Hinton, so his KBF history in the area goes back at least that far. For the Austin Lilly #15 profile,
HIGH FINISH — KBF TRAIL, NEW RIVER WV
Top podium-level performance in the 2017 KBF New River 2-Day event at Hinton. And this matters to the ranking: a high finish/podium in a KBF TRAIL event should carry considerably more weight than KBF National Championship qualification alone. It strengthens Austin’s competitive résumé at #15.
🏆 2017 — INAUGURAL WVKA ANGLER OF THE YEAR
🥇 2017 — WVKA SUMMERS COUNTY SLAM CHAMPION
🎣 Multiple competitive results during WVKA's formative period
🏗️ Major involvement with Summers County Kayak Bass Anglers
đź“Ť SCKBA organizational presence in Hinton beginning during our ranking window
🌊 Helped expand organized kayak tournament fishing in southern West Virginia
🤝 Competitor, organizer, and community contributor
That's considerably different from simply having a long tournament history.
WHY AUSTIN LILLY IS #15
This ranking asks us to look at 2016 through 2025 as an entire era.
Some anglers made their mark nationally. Some accumulated multiple tournament wins. Some ran organizations. Some helped develop new clubs. Austin Lilly's résumé contains pieces of several of those categories. But the foundation of his ranking should be clear: He was a proven tournament angler first. He won during WVKA's inaugural season. He captured the organization's first Angler of the Year championship. And then he helped contribute to the growth of another kayak-fishing organization in southern West Virginia.
That's a powerful combination.
Austin didn't simply benefit from the growth of organized kayak fishing in West Virginia. He competed at a high level while that growth was happening—and then helped create more opportunities for the anglers coming behind him.
🏆 #15 — AUSTIN LILLY
There will be many WVKA Anglers of the Year. But there will only ever be one first. Congratulations to Austin Lilly— #15.
