This year’s Elite Series tournament, as predicted, isn’t matching the record-breaking totals from last year’s event on the St. Lawrence River. You can’t expect to have “the greatest smallmouth tournament in the history of man,” as the 2018 event was deemed, every year.
However, the Day 1 totals this year exceeded what were then considered eye-popping totals from 2017. The St. Lawrence River is proving its ranking as the No. 1 bass fishery in the U.S., according to Bassmaster magazine.
The following are the Day 1 totals from the last three years of Elite Series tournaments:
St. Lawrence River – Day 1 – 2017-19
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Anglers | 107 | 107 | 75 |
| Limits caught | 105 | 104 | 75 |
| Total bass weighed-in | 537 | 527 | 375 |
| Total weight | 1,855-1 | 2,081-6 | 1,344-9 |
| Average weight per bass | 3.45 lbs. | 3.95 lbs. | 3.59 lbs. |
| Big bag | 24-5 | 27-12 | 24-7 |
| Big bass | 6-1 | 6-12 | 6-2 |
| Bags of 20 lbs. or more | 20 | 52 | 26* |
| Bags of 18 lbs. or more | 50 | 72 | 43* |
* includes Cory Johnston’s 22-5 before 7-pound late check-in penalty