Baird gets redemption on St. Lawrence River with Strike King co-angler win
MASSENA, N.Y. — Lenny Baird found himself in a familiar spot Saturday morning. After totaling 40 pounds, 6 ounces through the first two days of competition of the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division finale on the St. Lawrence River, Baird held a slim lead in the Strike King co-angler competition entering the event’s final day.
While having a legitimate shot to win on the final day is the goal for just about every competitor, Baird couldn’t help but think back to 2021, when he entered Day 3 on the same fishery tied for the lead. On that occasion, he fell to third in the final standings, his total hampered by a few dead fish.
This time, Baird left no doubt. The Virginia native brought 18-4 to the scales, boosting his three-day total to 58-10. That put him nearly 4 pounds clear of runner-up Ken Golub, adding his first Toyota Series victory to a résumé that includes three Phoenix Bass Fishing League wins. For the win, Baird received a Phoenix Boats prize package worth $33,900.
“It means a lot,” Baird said. “I had this one slip away from me a couple years ago with some dead fish, so it felt good to get redemption.”
The impressive weights produced by the boaters on the St. Lawrence carried over to the co-angler side, with four competitors topping 50 pounds from the back of the boat. Still, consistency could be tough to come by. Baird was the only co-angler to hit the 18-pound mark each day; which he did by mixing and matching bottom-oriented techniques.
Noting that he was fortunate to draw boaters each day who targeted deep-dwelling smallmouth by drifting, Baird primarily employed a Beast Coast O.W. Sniper jig on Day 1. However, he lost several fish — he said his limit could have been much heavier than the 18-2 he brought to the scales. So, on Day 2, he stuck with a drop-shot using a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm in natural shad which produced a better landing rate, as evidenced by his 22-4 total.
On Day 3, Baird rotated between the drop-shot and the jig while also mixing in a Carolina rig with a YUM Christie Craw.
“If I would make a drift and not get bit, I would just change up,” he said of his lure selection.
Fishing behind Day 2 leader Brent Anderson on Saturday, Baird didn’t have to wait long to get his day started. Anderson’s starting spot produced a quick limit for each of them.
“He just sat right down on the fish,” Baird said of Anderson, “and when you’re drifting, the co-angler kind of gets first shot at them.”
While the strong start helped, Baird said he remained nervous all day, never feeling like he had it won “until (tournament director Mark) McWha shut down the scales.” In the end, he turned a tight contest into a convincing win.
Top 10 Strike King Co-anglers
- Lenny Baird — 58-10 (15) — $33,900
- Ken Golub — 54-11 (15) — $4,969
- Sakae Ushio — 52-14 (15) — $3,975
- Steven Schantz — 50-10 (13) — $3,478
- Gary Marean — 49-14 (15) — $2,981
- Jimmy Schaffer — 49-12 (13) — $2,484
- Hunter Navari — 49-11 (15) — $1,987
- Barry Hooper — 48-14 (13) — $1,739
- Taylor Wisniewski — 47-5 (15) — $1,491
- Chris Hurley — 45-15 (14) — $1,242