St. Lawrence River Set to Host Final Event for Toyota Series Northern Division

MASSENA, N.Y. – The Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Northern Division will continue its 2022 season next week in Massena, New York, Sept. 22-24, with the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. at the St. Lawrence River Presented by BoatLogix. Hosted by the Town of Massena, the three-day tournament is the third and final event of the season for the Toyota Series Northern Division anglers and will feature the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers casting for a top prize of up to $75,000.

Local pro Jesse Spellicy of Gouverneur, New York, said he is excited about the upcoming event.

“The St. Lawrence River is fishing pretty consistently across the board,” Spellicy said. “We are getting into the fall – the time of year where fish are starting to feed more and get heavier – and they are biting pretty much everywhere on the fishery.”

Spellicy said he expects to see fish caught at various depths, from 2 to 60 feet of water, and believes there will be anglers bouncing back and forth between fishing shallow and deep throughout the event.

“I think we will definitely see spinnerbaits come into play, as well as the standard drop-shots, tubes and Ned rigs,” Spellicy said. “Current breaks are pretty key this time of year, more so than normal, so guys should be on the lookout for any type of structure or vegetation that breaks the current. That’s where smallmouth are typically stacked up.”

With weights accumulating over the three-day event and the field being cut to 25 on the final day, Spellicy said he predicts it will take 18½ pounds per day to make it into the Top 25 on the final day and 23½ pounds per day to win the event. 

Spellicy said he expects the tournament to be won around the Clayton and Cape Vincent area, a 1½-hour full-throttle run from where anglers will launch. Despite the long distance, Spellicy said he believes he’s going to have to commit to that run to have a shot at winning the event.

“It’s a long distance and anything can happen, but that seems to be the area that’s been kicking out the better bags of fish this year, so it’s definitely going to make things interesting,” Spellicy said.

Anglers will take off daily at 7 a.m. ET from Massena Intake Boat Launch located at 1415 State Highway 131 in Massena. Weigh-ins will also be held at the boat launch and will begin at 3 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend the event or follow the action online through the “MLF Live” weigh-in broadcasts and daily coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if Phoenix MLF5 Bonus qualified. Strike King co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.

The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. consists of six divisions – Central, Northern, Plains, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International and Wild Card divisions. Anglers who fish in any of the six divisions and finish in the Top 25 – or the Top 12 from the Wild Card division – will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship for a shot at winning up to $235,000 cash. The winning Strike King co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard. The 2022 Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Championship will be held Nov. 3-5 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, and is hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports.

Proud sponsors of the 2022 MLF Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. include: 4WP, 13 Fishing, Abu Garcia, AFTCO, A.R.E. Truck Caps, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, Black Rifle Coffee, E3, Epic Baits, Favorite Fishing, Gary Yamamoto Baits, General Tire, Lew’s, Lowrance, Lucas Oil, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Outlaw Ordinance, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, Strike King, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, Wiley X and YETI.

For complete details and updated information visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF Toyota Series on the MLF5 social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.