When a tournament trail takes to the waters of the smallmouth playground that is New York’s St. Lawrence River, fans typically have a pretty good idea what to expect – big brown bass and lots of them. That should hold true when the Bass Pro Tour wraps up its 2024 season on the famed fishery at Minn Kota Stage Seven Presented by Humminbird.
That said, don’t write this off as another same-old smallmouth event. There are several variables in play that should provide a new spin on the St. Lawrence.
The biggest departure from the norm is the Bass Pro Tour’s every-fish-counts scoring. Only once prior has a major tournament been contested on the river under that format (the BPT’s visit in 2021), and that event was dominated by sight-fishing, which isn’t likely to play this time around. Plus, a trailering policy will allow anglers to launch from any public ramp within the playing field, thus eliminating long runs and giving anglers longer to fish. There’s also a lot on the line with the Fishing Clash Angler of the Year title, REDCREST 2025/Heavy Hitters berths and requalification all up for grabs.
For Phoenix Boats Fantasy Fishing players who are also looking to finish the season strong, here’s a comprehensive guide to the fishery and the field.
The St. Lawrence offers some solid largemouth fishing, and it’s not out of the question that we could see an angler or two target green fish. But make no mistake, smallmouth will dominate this event. The river regularly kicks out 6-plus-pounders, and BPT pro Spencer Shuffield estimated that, based on a recent scouting trip, the average size of a scorable smallmouth will be nearly 4 pounds.
The big questions competitors will have to answer will be where to target those smallmouth and how to manage their fish throughout the six-day event. Normally, the upper end of the river near Lake Ontario is a hotspot. With the trailering policy in effect and the BPT’s live scoring, competitors won’t have to spend half their days running to and from the area like they would in a normal event. In theory, that should help anglers who know that region well; but Shuffield noted that it might actually wind up being a negative, as fishing pressure could take a major toll by time the Championship Round arrives. He thinks an angler could also do well running some less-popular holes further down the river between Ogdensburg and Waddington.
The other unique aspect of the St. Lawrence to keep in mind is that while forward-facing sonar will certainly be a big player, it’s not the only way to contend like on some smallmouth fisheries. The river’s heavy current causes lots of fish to take up ambush positions near boulders and other bottom-oriented cover, making them difficult to spot on sonar. There’s also always a population of both species living shallow, too, which can be targeted with winding presentations like vibrating jigs or finesse tactics like wacky rigs and hair jigs. However, given the timing of this event, Shuffield thinks the bulk of the bass will be caught from deep haunts.
By this point in the season, we know which anglers are fishing well. It’s no surprise who is tops among that group. Jacob Wheeler needs only to make the Knockout Round to clinch his third AOY crown in the past four years. It would come as a shock if he fails to do so. In his last eight BPT events on northern smallmouth waters, Wheeler has two wins (including one on the St. Lawrence), six top-five finishes and has never been worse than 11th.
Should he surprise everyone and stumble, though, Alton Jones Jr., Dustin Connell and Drew Gill would all have a shot at stealing the AOY trophy. Expect all of them to make Wheeler earn it, as they are not only fishing with momentum but are all accomplished smallmouth anglers.
There’s been no shortage of tournaments on the St. Lawrence through the years, so plenty of anglers in the field will have fond memories of the fishery. Noting everyone with a previous Top-10 finish would make for a long list, but there’s a few clear standouts.
Shuffield is the most obvious. He won the Tackle Warehouse TITLE on the river in 2022 and also has a top-five finish in Toyota Series competition on the fishery. Matt Becker, too, has a win on the river to his name plus another Top 10. Brent Ehrler has a pair of top fives. Finally, Skeet Reese is not only fishing with momentum after his win at the James River, but he’s been solid on the St. Lawrence with three top-five finishes there during his career, including a third-place showing when the BPT visited in 2021.
There’s a handful of anglers who bear watching anytime smallmouth are the primary quarry. A few have already been mentioned, but three others to keep in mind are Adrian Avena, Justin Lucas and Michael Neal.
Lucas has long been one of the best anglers on the Great Lakes and connected waterways. Avena finished fourth the last time the BPT visited the St. Lawrence and has also logged Top 10s on St. Clair, Mille Lacs and Cayuga in recent years, not to mention his recent third-place finish in the Invitationals season finale on the Detroit River. Neal won on Lake St. Clair in 2021 and feels overdue to add a second red trophy.
The nice thing about northern smallmouth events is there’s typically a small group of anglers you can count on to perform. The problem with that, though, is just about everyone knows who those anglers are, so it can be hard to differentiate your fantasy team from everyone else. If you’re looking to make up some points in the season-long standings, here are a few alternative options to consider.
Group A:
Nick Hatfield — After stumbling with a 71st-place finish at the James River, Hatfield enters the final event of the season on the right side of the bubble to requalify for the Bass Pro Tour in 2025, but he can’t afford another slip up. Fortunately, he’s finished among the Top 10 twice before on the St. Lawrence.
Matt Stefan — No one needs a strong season finale more desperately than Stefan, who enters Stage Seven as the last man inside the cut line for requalification based on 2024 standings. The good news for Stefan is he’s always most comfortable when current is in play, and he has some good history on this particular river. He finished second in a Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit event on the St. Lawrence in 2021.
Group B:
Josh Bertrand — It’s been a rough season for Bertrand, but he should welcome a return to the St. Lawrence. He won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on the fishery in 2018 and finished eighth there in 2013.
Keith Carson — Until a couple weeks ago, Carson wouldn’t have been on my radar for a non-spawn smallmouth derby. But he showed that he can catch brown bass with the best of them during his Invitationals victory on the Detroit River. That should give Carson a welcome momentum boost, as he’ll enter the season finale 8 points back of Stefan for the last invitation to join the 2025 roster.