Anderson holds on to lead on St. Lawrence, sets sights on second New York win on Saturday
MASSENA, N.Y. – You might’ve guessed that the field had caught ‘em again on the St. Lawrence River when the Berkley Big Bass bell started ringing and the first notable bag to the scales on Day 2 of the Toyota Series Northern Division finale was 24 pounds, 9 ounces by Jon Canada. Not 30 minutes into weigh-in, a 7-3 had hit the scale, and a grip of 22- to 24-pound bags had given bump-tank bell ringer Raymie Long a thorough workout.
Amid the clangor of the first wave of anglers, Tennessee pro Brent Anderson slipped across the stage, quietly dropping 22-5 on the scale to back up his Day 1 bag of 26-13. That boosted his two-day total to 49-2, which sends him into the final day of the 2024 Northern Division season with a 1-11 cushion over Mitchell Robinson (47-7) and 2-1 over Adam Howell and Kyle Cortiana (47-1).
To the rest of the world, a lead going into the final day of a fishery that he guides on and has won a Toyota Series on (in 2023) would seem like a clutch situation, especially for a guy who has finished no worse than 11th in nine tournaments on the St. Lawrence. But Anderson was genuinely relieved to escape Day 2 without suffering major damage. His 22-pound day was the 10th-best in the top 15 on Friday – a notable dropoff from his near-27-pound bag on Day 1 – and he considered himself fortunate to collect even that much.
“Today was a complete 180 from Day 1,” Anderson admitted. “There are two big local tournaments tomorrow, so there were boats on everything I needed to fish today. I caught a 6 1/2-pounder on my first stop, so I thought it was going to go good, but buddy, today was a struggle. At 11 o’clock this morning I left Chippewa Bay with 6-7 and a 3-12 – I had 23 pounds and some change by then on Day 1. I squeaked it out and managed to salvage the day, but it was a grind.”
Anderson’s afternoon grind started with a run from Chippewa back toward Massena, an area he thought would see less pressure, and where he knew he could catch fish to fill his limit (albeit not likely the 6-pound class that lives closer to the big lake). He plinked away through early afternoon, working several different drifts where he would spot fish on his Lowrance ActiveTaget and drop a drop-shot with a Berkley Powerbait MaxScent Lil’ General or Z-Man Finesse TRD, or a Beast Coast O.W. Sniper Jig and “TRD-type trailers.”
“I managed to get enough to scrape up 22 (pounds), but I feel pretty lucky – I know I said (on Day 1) that I was lucky, but today I was lucky lucky,” Anderson joked. “I had three 13-inchers in my livewell at one point early in the afternoon. I felt about as lost as I’ve ever felt on this river.”
Day 2 struggles notwithstanding, Anderson is gunning for 23 to 24 pounds on Saturday – “What I’d actually like is 27 pounds and nobody on my holes,” he joked – a goal that he knows is well within reach if things go slightly better than they did on Friday. He hasn’t decided on where he’ll focus his time, but hinted that the bigger play would be closer to the lake, where he can possibly connect with a few of the 6 1/2-pounders that have anchored his lead so far this week.
“Obviously, 23 or 24 pounds is very doable out here,” Anderson said. “On the one hand, I’m thinking about staying in Massena and maximizing my time; on the other hand, I’m also thinking about a 50-mile run. I’ve had a couple of 6 1/2s the past couple of days around Chippewa, and those go a long ways. You can weigh in a couple of 3s here and there if you have those 6 1/2-pounders. I’ve caught some nice fish in Massena, but no 6s.
“What’s really frustrating is that I feel like I could win every tournament I’ve ever fished here. This place just makes sense to me, but I told my family and everybody coming into this tournament that I thought I’d have 18 pounds. I really didn’t expect much. How I’m in the lead right now, it’s out of my hands.”
Fishing Clash AOY race down to the wire
The Northern Division’s Fishing Clash AOY race was squeaky tight heading into the week, with Cortiana leading Casey Smith by a mere two points (506 to 504), and it hasn’t loosened much heading into the final day. Cortiana will start Championship Saturday three places and 1-4 ahead of Smith for the $5,000 cash bonus.
Top 10 pros:
1. Brent Anderson – 49-2 (10)
2. Mitchell Robinson – 47-7 (10)
3. Kyle Cortiana – 47-1 (10)
4. Adam Howell – 47-1 (10)
5. Dante Piraino – 46-12 (10)
6. Spencer Shuffield – 46-3 (10)
7. Casey Smith – 45-13 (10)
8. Erik Luzak – 45-10 (10)
9. Colby Miller – 45-4 (10)
10. Alex Bradley – 44-12 (10)