WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Here’s all you need to know about how good the smallmouth bass fishing is now on the St. Lawrence River: In talking to only six Bassmaster Elite Series anglers Wednesday, three have caught the biggest smallmouth of their lives in practice here this week.
“I think it’s getting read to show out like it’s never showed out before,” said Jacob Powroznik, who landed a personal record 7-pound, 9-ounce smallmouth in practice. “I’ve been fishing here for 15 years, coming up about every year. Those rocks don’t move. But it’s absolutely insane how big the fish are getting.”
So expect a smallmouth bass slugfest when the four-day Huk Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet begins Thursday.
The trend has been in place for several years now. The combination of two invasive species – zebra mussels, which have cleared the water, and gobies, which provide a high calorie smorgasbord of food – has been like a steroid shot for all the fish in this river. But it’s bass, and smallmouth bass in particular, that are the focus of the 107 Elite Series anglers in this regular season finale.
Two more factors make smallmouth the focus this week. First, the river is lower than it has been in the Elite Series’ three previous visits since 2013. Secondly, this tournament is later in the year than the previous events.
“We’re going to smash ‘em,” said Kevin VanDam, who won here in 2017 with a four-day total of 90 pounds, 3 ounces. “It’s the best fishery that we have on the schedule this year, and it’s set up at a better time of year for more consistency, being later.
“These fish are on their deep summer pattern, and they’re really healthy too. They’re going to weigh more. Being able to land those 5- and 6-pound fish is going to be the key. They’re hard to land. They fight and fight and fight.”
Justin Lucas caught his personal record smallmouth this week – a 6-11. Lucas, like every one of the anglers quizzed Wednesday, expects this tournament to be dominated by drop-shotting.
“I’ll have four drop shot rods on the deck,” he said. “That’s all you need. I don’t think it’s going to take 20 pounds a day to make a (two-day, top 50 cut) check, but I won’t be surprised if it takes 19-something. There are too many 4-pounders biting. It’s crazy.”
Edwin Evers, who won here in 2015 with 77-10, also caught a personal record smallmouth this week, weighing 6.54 pounds. Evers agrees it’s going to be a slugfest, different than when he won in 2015, when the tournament was held July 30-August 2.
“A lot more fish are out deep,” Evers said. “It’s a full summertime pattern. I’ve caught them as deep as 58 feet.”
When Brandon Palaniuk won here with 88-12 in 2013 anglers were allowed to make the long run into Lake Ontario. This tournament, like the last one, limits the anglers to the St. Lawrence River mouth. But that won’t hinder the weights – at all, according to Palaniuk.
“We’re going to smash ‘em,” he said. “I think you can break 100 pounds. That’s my goal – to break 100 pounds. I’m guessing it will take 18 ½ pounds a day to make a (top 50) check and 21 a day to make the 12 cut (after Day Three).
“It’s going to be heavy drop shot tournament. Some guys will still catch ‘em shallow. But this is not a week when there are a lot of other things you can apply. I’m going to have three rods on the deck. That’s it. Keep it simple.”
There are all kinds of Toyota Angler of the Year and AOY Top 50 implications in this regular season ender. Those have been magnified with the cancellation of the last tournament due to flooding at Chesapeake Bay. Those angles will be explored and explained in full as this tournament progresses. For now, just know this: The St. Lawrence River is set up to provide a raucous ending to the Elite Series regular season.
“You’ll see some 7-pounders weighed-in, and you’ll see an abundance of 6-pounders,” said Powroznik. “This place is absolutely unbelievable.”