Morrison moves to the top on Day 2 at the Detroit River 

Image for Morrison moves to the top on Day 2 at the Detroit River 
July 27, 2024 • Jody White • Invitationals

TRENTON, Mich. – Looking to pull off a sweep of Polaris Rookie of the Year, Fishing Clash Angler of the Year and the tournament win, Alec Morrison wrangled 23 pounds, 6 ounces of smallmouth Saturday to move into the lead at Stop 6 Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches at the Detroit River. With a two-day total of 46-4 total, Morrison is trailed by Keith Carson (44-14) and Jon Canada (44-6), with multiple other pros entering the final day over the 40-pound mark and within striking distance, given the right circumstances. So, as has been the case all year, the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals will not lack drama, even down to the final day. 

Magical finish within reach for Morrison 

Alec Morrison hasn’t had a problem with the St. Clair smallmouth so far. Photo by Jody White

Running to Lake St. Clair from takeoff in the Detroit River, Morrison has been going hard all day, both days. While a culling mishap cost him 2 pounds and a really big lead on Day 1, he backed up his opening round performance with another top tier bag on Saturday. 

“It was definitely a good day, I felt like I really needed to push hard after yesterday,” Morrison said. “Yesterday was a tough deal, and I knew the only way I could get through it was if I caught ‘em the next two days.

“I got off to a good start this morning in one of my primary areas and then did some searching around. I think there are still fish left in my areas, they’re just getting a little tougher, by the hour it seems like. As long as I can get five of them to bite, I should be OK.” 

Scanning around in the open water of St. Clair, Morrison has seen the fish get tougher to catch by the day. 

“They’re definitely not easy to get to bite, as it seems like they are everywhere during this schedule,” he said. “The weights have been crazy, but we see a lot more of them than we get in the boat. It’s been tough. I’ll definitely see them tomorrow, hopefully I’ll be able to get the right ones to connect.”

A New Yorker with a ton of smallmouth experience, Morrison has taken well to St. Clair, despite never fishing an event there before. 

“St. Clair is very much its own fishery as far as smallmouth go,” he said. “It’s a different beast. It was tricky during practice to find them and figure out areas, but I’m learning to love it the last two days for sure.” 

In 2023, Morrison won a Toyota Series event at Sam Rayburn, and he’s been on a tear since, knocking down Top 10s about every time out. Barring disaster, he’ll make AOY official on Sunday, and with a winning effort he’d wrap up about as perfect a season as you could ask for. 

“It’s not official yet, but it’s something I’ve really pushed for the last few events,” Morrison said of AOY. “The second I got in somewhat of a good position around Kentucky Lake, I’ve been pushing for that ever since. The goals have been to win (an Invitational), and to get Angler of the Year. To get one of those, that would be unreal – hopefully we can have a magical day tomorrow and put it all together.” 

Slow and steady works for Carson

Anchor Bay has produced for Keith Carson this week. Photo by Jody White.

Dropping off the lead, Carson is still picking away in Anchor Bay, seeing good quality, but not a ton of fish.

“It was slower than yesterday,” he said. “I think I only caught seven keepers today, and got lucky that there were big ones.”

Throwing a drop-shot with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm or a minnow, Carson is combing a few key areas with Lowrance ActiveTarget.

“I’ve got two strips of grass, with a sand bar between them,” he said. “The big ones are pulling up on the sand. Then, I’ve got a hole out in the middle, and it’s a sand spot – and they’ll swim out of the grass and when they’re on the sand they’re ready to eat. Every hour, I’ll go through them both, and I usually get one about every hour or so.”

Catching seven bass is pretty slow by St. Clair standards, but Carson knows he’s around the right quality. In practice, in Anchor Bay, he had one day where his best five went over 25 pounds.

Smallmouth title in play again for Canada

There aren’t many anglers more passionate about chasing smallmouth than Jon Canada. Photo by Rob Matsuura

Despite an Alabama address, Canada has turned into one of the best smallmouth anglers going, with a passion for the species unmatched by most in his home state. After a knee surgery in November, he endured a slow recovery and his on-the-water results have not been up to par, until this week.

“I’d love to have it,” he said of the possibility of a trophy. “I love the smallmouth. It’s an addiction like no other. I grew up throwing a frog, swimming a jig, flipping. You’d get that bite on a buzzbait, that’s what a smallmouth bite is like, like a 6-pound spot eating my buzzbait. When a 6-pound smallie eats my cricket, I love it. It would mean a huge amount, I’m having a crappy year, but I feel like I’m fishing out of the slump.”

Roaming in St. Clair, Canada has stayed out of Anchor Bay and is seeing success – if he can make more fish bite, he may have a shot at the title.

“I’ve been running around, chasing them with forward-facing sonar, trying to find some perch-eaters,” he said. “I’ve got an area, if I could figure out what would make them bite, I could win the tournament – today I saw 15 fish over 5 pounds.”

Top 10 pros 

1. Alec Morrison – 46 – 4 (10)               
2. Keith Carson – 44 – 14 (10)                 
3. Jon Canada – 44 – 6 (10)  
4. Kyle Hall – 43 – 10 (10)          
5. Scott Dobson – 43 – 9 (10)               
6. Adrian Avena – 43 – 5 (10)                 
7. Cory Johnston – 42 – 10 (10)              
8. Brad Jelinek – 42 – 8 (10)  
9. Jacob Wheeler – 42 – 7 (10)             
10. Jaden Parrish – 42 – 7 (10)             

Complete results

Morrison close to icing AOY, Bass Pro Tour graduates nearly set

Tomorrow, Andrew Nordbye will look to shake up the points situation. Photo by Rob Matsuura

With all the possible variables of the final day, and the fact that most of the Top 10 anglers are fishing it, there’s little that is officially official. But, as of now, Morrison is looking good for AOY, barring a huge rally from Jake Lawrence. With the top five pros qualifying for the Bass Pro Tour, Marshall Hughes will sit on the sideline tomorrow and hope to hold on – if he can move up enough from 14th, Andrew Nordbye could steal the last spot. Regardless, it looks like the BPT will be gaining five stupendous anglers, and, the $50,000 for Fishing Clash Angler of the Year won’t be awarded until the very last day.

Standings if the event ended today:

1. Alec Morrison – 1155 points
2. Jake Lawrence – 1132
3. Jaden Parrish – 1106
4. Colby Miller – 1098
5. Marshall Hughes – 1074
6. Andrew Nordbye – 1063
7. Jacob Walker – 1056
8. Brock Reinkemeyer – 1054
9. Brad Jelinek – 1050
10. Mark Condron – 1041