Fantasy Fishing: Everything on the line at the St. Lawrence

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Minnesota

The finale is here, and this one is for all the marbles—especially when it comes to AOY. The St. Lawrence River is always an incredible place to close out the season, and this year the stakes couldn’t be much higher.

Some of the best St. Lawrence anglers in the field are sitting right at the top of the AOY standings, meaning every fish will be that much more important. I can’t remember an AOY race in recent years that has been this tight. Will Trey McKinney finally break up the Johnston cruise? That’s a tall task heading to their favorite body of water. But don’t count out Drew Cook, either, who currently sits second in the standings. Heading into this final event, it really is anyone’s game.

Then you have the anglers fighting to save their Elite Series careers. Will that added pressure bring out some great finishes from anglers farther down the standings, or will it prove to be too much? That’s a big question, especially when digging into some of the lower buckets.

Fantasy-wise, I’ve struggled the last few events, so I’m leaning on some heavy hitters and hoping to end the season on a high note.

Let’s get into some picks!

Bucket A: JOHNSTON

With so much focus on the McKinney-Cory Johnston AOY battle, let’s not forget just how good Chris Johnston is on this system. I could very easily see all three of them finishing in the Top 10, but I’m going with Chris because of his lower pick percentage. He gives you the Johnston upside without having to follow quite as much of the crowd.

Solid secondary pick: If not Chris, you might as well join the crowd and take the Johnston brother battling for AOY. Cory has everything to fish for this week, and there probably isn’t a better place for him to have to do it.

Bucket B: FOTHERGILL

I’ve gotta go with my guy Easton Fothergill for the final Elite of the year. He loves fishing up north and was very disappointed with his finish on Champlain. I expect the smallmouth master that he is to bounce back in a big way and close out the season strong.

Solid secondary pick: Robert Gee had quite the eventful tournament the last time we were here and nearly took down the Johnstons. I’d love to see him make another run at it.

Bucket C: REDWINE

I’m going a little more against the grain here with Alex Redwine. Redwine is an excellent smallmouth angler, and his 2024 St. Lawrence finish looks more like an anomaly when you consider his other two finishes here were 28th and 26th. He’s also put together a solid season and currently sits just outside the Classic cut. With everything on the line, I’m sure he’ll be looking to rally his way inside.

Solid secondary pick: Austin Felix had a tougher event on Champlain than we’re used to seeing from him, but he’s no slouch on the St. Lawrence. He almost always seems to hang around the top quarter of the field here and is a strong option to bounce back.

Bucket D: SMITH

With scope and giant brown bass in play, I have to lean on some of the youngsters. Tucker Smith can hang with the best in a slugfest, including on smallmouth fisheries. He’s had two awful events leading into this week, but I don’t expect him to stay down for long. The St. Lawrence seems like a pretty good place for him to turn things around.

Solid secondary pick: Beau Browning is fighting for his Elite Series career and needs another big finish. He made it happen on Champlain, so let’s see if the pressure continues to make diamonds.

Bucket E: JAGDFELD

While it hasn’t been the rookie season Jagdfeld hoped for, one final smallmouth derby gives him a chance to finish on a high note. He’s fresh off a third-place finish in the Lake Erie Open smashfest, so hopefully he can carry that momentum straight into the St. Lawrence.

Solid secondary pick: Nick Trim is another angler who excelled on Erie. He desperately needs a strong Elite event to build some momentum heading into next season, and this looks like a good place for him to make it happen.