Stage Five Predictions: Bold Picks for the St. Lawrence River
MASSENA, New York – The Bass Pro Tour’s 2021 northern swing kicks off Friday on the St. Lawrence River with the start of General Tire Stage Five Presented by Berkley.
A handful of past winners on the St. Lawrence are in the field of 80, including three-time winner Kevin VanDam, along with Josh Bertrand and Edwin Evers. Most of the anglers in the field are very familiar with the St. Lawrence thanks to previous events held on this legendary smallmouth fishery, but the late-June setting is a unique aspect: most of that tournament history is July through September.
MLF NOW! analyst Marty Stone was excited about this event and the unknowns that will be answered June 25-30.
“This is a traditional fishery at a non-traditional time,” Stone said. “We could be walking into a sight fishing event dominated by smallmouth, or it could be a largemouth tournament. In a five-fish tournament, largemouth never win, but who knows how it will turn out in our event.”
Stone, fellow MLF NOW! analysts JT Kenney and Chad McKee, and MLF Executive Editor Joel Shangle made their bold predictions for the tournament. We asked each for their top pick and one wild card – an angler they thought was due for a good event or with a fishing style that doesn’t immediately seem to fit the big river.
JT KENNEY
Top Pick: Michael Neal
“He’s not really seen as a ‘smallmouth guy,’ but he’s in the Top 10 pretty much every time he puts his boat in the water,” Kenney said. “He can catch them shallow or deep. It’s been awesome to watch him this year, and I wouldn’t bet against him anywhere right now.”
Wild Card: Bobby Lane
“Bobby has had some good events up there with finishes in the teens and was always a good bite or two from a higher finish,” Kenney said. “To me, he’s no longer just a ‘Florida guy’ and is now an ‘all-the-time guy.'”
CHAD MCKEE
Top pick: Josh Bertrand
“I’m taking Josh because he either wins or finishes in the Top 15 every time he fishes the St. Lawrence,” McKee said. “He’s had kind of a quiet season on the BPT, so it’s the perfect chance for him to win his first MLF event and secure a spot in REDCREST.”
Wild Card: Jonathan VanDam
“He’s fished well here in the past and knows the fishery well,” McKee said. “This season has been one where we’ve seen anglers who have struggled a bit to find consistent success on the Bass Pro Tour start to get dialed in. JVD fits right with that theme.”
MARTY STONE
Top pick: Brent Ehrler
“I’ve looked at the history of both Ehrler and Josh Bertrand and they’ve both performed very well on the St. Lawrence, but I’m going with Ehrler,” Stone said. “He hasn’t been this close to an AOY title in a while and he’s fishing great. He’s one of the best without an Angler of the Year title and you can make the argument that nobody deserves one more than him.”
Wild Card: David Walker
“He’s quietly very good on this river,” Stone said.
JOEL SHANGLE
Top pick: Justin Lucas
“Lucas didn’t grow up fishing for smallmouth, but he’s worked hard to become a great smallmouth fisherman – now, every time we come up north, he’s a threat to win,” Shangle said. “Being around Justin this year, he just feels like the Justin Lucas of 2018, when he won an AOY. He thrives on momentum and confidence, and I think he has both. I’m betting on him this week.”
Wild card: Alton Jones
“I’m naming Alton a ‘wild card’ strictly because he’s from Texas, and he wouldn’t be an obvious fantasy pick,” Shangle said. “But just like Marty’s pick of David Walker, Alton is a darn good smallmouth fisherman.”