I’ve been laser-focused on pre-fishing the St. Lawrence River before the cutoff. This is where the last Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series tournament of the season will take place, and I have to win it to qualify for the 2027 Bassmaster Classic. I’m too far down in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings to make the Classic on points.
The St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario are high on my favorite places to fish. I spent 2 1/2 weeks there in early July and put 140 hours on my outboard, mostly idling while I searched for structure that might play during the tournament.
In past Elite events on the St. Lawrence, I’ve done well for one or two days before running out of fish. I’m trying to find new water so I can avoid that problem.
I’ve found some juicy looking structure, but a lot of the smallmouth haven’t ventured out of shallow water to these types of places yet. During the tournament in late August, I hope to find them on some of the spots I’ve marked. I won’t know until the official practice gets underway.
The biggest smallmouth live in Lake Ontario, and I’ve invested 80% of my time on the big lake. I spent the rest of the time checking the St. Lawrence River. Big ones live there too, and I need to keep it honest.
A new tattoo
I’ll be pre-fishing right up to the cutoff, but I had to take a break and attend to other business. I spent two days with Tattoo artist Luke Wessman to film a video for the YouTube series “SELF MADE” w/Luke Wessman.
Monster Energy, my primary supporter, sponsors the series, which features athletes they support. On the first day of the shoot, Wessman interviewed me about my life as an angler and what it’s like to fish professionally.
On the second day, Wessman and I chatted while he gave me a tattoo. I’d eventually like to have my whole arm tattooed with images that tell my story. The images would include smallmouth bass, steelhead, salmon and carp.
I’d also like to have my dad’s first boat on my arm and other things that remind me of fishing with my dad and brothers while growing up. For the “SELF MADE” episode, I settled on a lighthouse where our family fishes for steelhead.
ICAST
I also flew from Clayton, N.Y., to ICAST in Orlando to touch base with sponsors, meet and greet fans, check out new products and film videos. Every one of my sponsors introduced fantastic new products.
Great Lakes Finesse revealed a Skirted Ned Head. It’s a super finesse bait that stands up true every time and gets big bites. I’ll be throwing it into high-percentage areas to tempt heavy smallmouth bass.
My favorite new product from BKK is a Neko hook sporting a heavy weed guard. The guard resists snagging in brush, around docks and in weeds but isn’t so stiff that you lose fish. I’ll match the Neko hook with a YUM Finesse Worm impaled with a 3/32-ounce nail weight.
I’m also pumped about Shimano’s Facer 85+FS. It’s a super compact glidebait that comes with three interchangeable tails and lips that let you alter the lure’s action and how deep it swims. And, I love Shimano’s Curado DC 150 casting reel.
When the cutoff prevents me from practicing for the St. Lawrence tournament, I plan to hang out in South Carolina, edit some videos and get my boat and tackle prepped for the final two Elite Series tournaments.
