STAGE SEVEN 2020: St. Lawrence River Poised to ‘Show Out’

The storied St. Lawrence River will host the seventh stop on the 2020 MLF Bass Pro Tour schedule.

January 12, 2020 • Tyler Brinks • Bass Pro Tour

OGDENSBURG, N. Y. – Over the past several years, the St. Lawrence River has become a popular host for bass tournaments, thanks to a healthy population of giant smallmouth bass.

However, a major event under the MLF “every scorable fish counts” format has never taken place on these storied waters, and it will shake up strategies and expectations when the Bass Pro Tour arrives at the St. Lawrence June 26-July 1 for the seventh event on the 2020 schedule.

While the river is known for big smallmouth, largemouth bass could also be a player, according to Kevin VanDam, who has three victories on the St. Lawrence.

Josh Bertrand, another past winner here, can’t wait to get back.

“This is my favorite place in the entire country to fish,” Bertrand admitted. “It’s one of the Top 5 bass fisheries in the entire country.”

Prolific and Fertile

VanDam began his professional fishing career in 1987, and his first event was held on these same waters. He counts the venue among his favorites in the country. VanDam has seen the St. Lawrence change over the years and believes it’s at its peak right now.

“When the schedule came out, this was the one event that I highlighted in my mind,” he said. “I don’t know how I’m going to fish yet, but I can guarantee the fishing is going to be good. We’re going to catch them when we get there.

“There’s been quite a bit of pressure lately from high school and college-level tournaments up to regional and tour-level events. That has affected it some, but it is still awesome fishing,”

VanDam says that the St. Lawrence is so productive because of the habitat and water flow.

“It’s so fertile with all of the water coming through the islands, flats, and vegetation,” he said. “It has great habitat for both largemouth and smallmouth bass.”

MLF pro Josh Bertrand shows off an impressive St. Lawerence smallmouth. Photo by Joel Shangle

Smallmouth, Largemouth or Both?

One of the wildcards for this event will be largemouth bass. In previous tour-level events, green bass were a factor, but never solely accounted for a win in the traditional five-fish format. But VanDam says that could change this time around under MLF rules.

“Smallmouth will still be the focal point, and I see guys who are really good with finesse like Aaron Martens and Justin Lucas doing well. But, guys like Randall Tharp and Greg Hackney can be in their element targeting shallow largemouth because there is so much good habitat there,” VanDam said.

In previous trips here, Bertrand never targeted largemouth, but that may change this time around.

“I’ve caught zero largemouth there in my life, but I know there are plenty of them there, and I’ll have to be conscious of that when we get there,” he said. “If nothing else, it’s going to spread the field out some, and with no more than 40 boats fishing at a time, we’re going to have so many options and places to fish.”

Unlimited Options

Beyond just the decision to target largemouth or smallmouth, VanDam feels that many different techniques could come into play in late June on the St. Lawrence. Plus, miles and miles of water will serve as the playing field.

“One of the biggest challenges for the event is the vastness of the St. Lawrence,” he said. “If you make a long run, you’re going to be way behind on SCORETRACKER® before you even make a cast. With a smaller field and our group of anglers, the St. Lawrence is going to show out.”