MASSENA, N.Y. – In late August of 2021, Chris Johnston set what was the weight record for an MLF event out of Massena, running out to Lake Ontario and sacking up 77 pounds, 15 ounces worth of smallmouth over three days in the Toyota Series event. Considering the distances involved and the fact that the lake isn’t usually open for events out of Massena, it felt for a while like a record that might have stood the test of time. Then, earlier this summer, in the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals event, Johnston knocked out an easy, breezy 76-1 in the St. Lawrence River proper, which included a day without the benefit of forward-facing sonar.
This week, in the third major event of the summer on the St. Lawrence River, the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division pros absolutely went to town on the bass. By the end of Day 3, both Brody Campbell and Alex Korol had surpassed Johnston’s 2021 mark, with 79-1 and 78-1, respectively. That wasn’t the only record to fall. Headlining Day 2, Erik Luzak set the single-day MLF/FLW mark on the St. Lawrence with five for 31-5, including a 7-14 smallmouth – barely a pound shy of the New York state record. To get paid in the event, it took 41-8, and Shayne McFarlin was the last pro to catch more than 64 pounds over three days, which earned him 22nd place.
Historically, breaking 70 pounds for three days out of Massena has not been a given by any means. In 2023, Brent Anderson won the Toyota Series event with just 66-11, and in 2022, Spike Stoker won with 64-12. But in 2024, three pros crossed the 70-pound mark in a river-only event, and that number doubled this year, with six pros over the 70 pounds – including Luzak, who managed to do it while only catching a 17-pound bag on the final day.
Anyhow, here’s how it went down on the river – if you’re headed north, bring your minnows and drop-shots.
1. Minnow and drop-shot carry the weight for Campbell
Earning the win with incredible weights, Campbell leaned on some smallmouth staples. For his minnow, he used a Deps Sakamata Shad on a 1/4-ounce jighead, and for his drop-shot, he used a Megabass Hazedong Shad with a 3/8-ounce weight. For the drop-shot, he used a 7-foot, 2-inch medium Bird Dog Rods BDR-862S spinning rod.
2. Korol leads the locals
Carrying the flag for the home crowd, Korol would have won most any other event on the river easily, but this was no ordinary event.
“I don’t have too many regrets, man,” said Korol. “I wish I would’ve leaned on them a little more Day 1, but I’ve never fished a three-dayer, and I figured 26, you did your job. You could kind of lay off of them, but they were chewing better on Day 1 than they were on Day 2, and it would have been nice to have another pound. But, no regrets, really. I can’t catch them too much better than that.”
Fishing both deep and shallow near Cape Vincent, Korol used a minnow and a drop-shot. For his minnow, he used a 4.2-inch RAID Super Fish Roller on either a 5/16- or 1/4-ounce head, and he used a Megabass Hazedong Shad on his drop-shot. He used a 7-foot, medium St. Croix Legend Elite for his 5/16-ounce baits, a Megabass Orochi X10 Medusa for his 1/4-ounce minnows and a custom rod made by Alex Pilloff for his drop-shot setup.
3. Megabag makes history for Luzak
Weighing a record 31-5 on Day 2 rocketed Luzak into the lead, but it was a little tenuous at the time. On Day 1, Luzak culled a few times, and he culled just once on Day 2. On Day 3, the tightrope he was walking failed him, and though plenty of big fish undoubtedly saw Luzak’s presentations, they didn’t convert into bites.
“Day 1, Day 2, every single fish came on the minnow,” said Luzak. “But then, on Day 3, I did catch a few on the jig on the bottom. They were starting to not come up on the minnow, and I would throw the jig at them and then just try to drag the jig by them, then sometimes they’d go down and bite.”
Fishing the Cape Vincent area, Luzak plied a few minnows on 3/8- and 1/4-ounce heads, using a Lunkerhunt Twytch Witch and others. For his jig, he used a Lunkerhunt Finesse Skirted Jig in green pumpkin with a Ned-style trailer. For his minnows, Luzak used a 7-3, medium Daiwa Tatula spinning stick with a 2500 Daiwa Ballistic reel matched with 15-pound braid and 10-pound fluoro.
4. Dickerson drags into the Top 10
Proving that going old-school isn’t out of style yet, Tommy Dickerson knocked out a Top 10 with the ball and chain.
“I’m just dragging that Carolina rig, 25 to 50 foot,” said Dickerson. “I found an area where they were almost all 5 pounds. I was just catching a 4-10, 4-13, 5-2, 5-1 – just one after another all day. The more I learn about this place, the closer you get to that damn lake, the better they are every time.”
Using a 1-ounce weight, Dickerson rolled with a a Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw with a 1/0 Gamakatsu Offset EWG.
5. Minnow does the work for Dyar
Making the long run west of Clayton, Logan Dyar continued to look great at the Toyota Series level, proving again that an Alabama address is no hindrance when it comes to chasing smallmouth.
On the week, Dyar caught every fish on a minnow – in his case, a Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow, which he rigged on a Dirty Jigs Guppy Head.
6. Gordon drifts and minnows for a Top 10
Fishing from Ogdensburg to Clayton, Jeremy Gordon knocked out a Top 10 with a combo approach, throwing a minnow for suspended fish and drifting for more current-related fish.
For drifting, he used an Angler Tungsten Ned head in 3/8- and 1/4-ounce sizes, sometimes with a Ned bait and sometimes tying it up into a finesse jig. For his minnow, he used a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader on a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce head depending on the depth. For both techniques, Gordon used 18-pound Seaguar PEX8 braid with 10-pound Seaguar Tatsu leader.
7. Shallow and deep approach works for Piraino
The owner of the New York state record smallmouth, Dante Piraino put up big weight every day of this event, making his second Top 10 in four career Toyota Series events on the river.
Fishing the Cape Vincent area, Piraino was making long runs every day.
“I rotated shallow and deep with that east wind,” he said. “There were some places you could get on where there are shallow fish all year.”
Shallow, Piraino used a Megabass Vision 110 in wagonhasu, a color exclusive to Tackle Trap. Deep, he used a drop-shot with a Megabass Haze-ST in natural borealis shad. For his jerkbait, he used 12-pound Sunline Shooter, and he used 11-pound Sunline Almight with an 8-pound Sunline Shooter leader for his drop-shot.
8. O’Barr slips up on the final day
Making his sixth Top 10 of the year with MLF, Hayden O’Barr faded a little on the final day due to some motor issues and a shortened day of fishing. Still, he was over the 23-pound mark each of the first two days with ease.
On the week, O’Barr utilized a drop-shot with a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm and a Carolina rig with a Zoom UltraVibe Speed Craw. He used TigeRodz with Eternity blanks, using a 6-10, medium-light model for his drop-shot and a 7-7, heavy for the C-rig.
9. Stephens crushes in Canada
Running 647 miles over three days – nearly to Kingston, Ontario – Lee Stephens of Kentucky earned his first Top 10 at the Toyota Series level, catching more than 69 pounds of smallmouth on the week.
Stephens caught most of his weight on 5- and 6-inch Deps Sakamata Shads on 1/4- and 3/16-ounce Gamakatsu Horizon Head LG jigheads. He backed it up with a 1/2-ounce drop-shot with the venerable Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm. For his minnow, Stephens used a 7-6, medium Hammer Elite Series spinning rod, which he dotes on for larger minnows.
For Stephens, using the lightest weight he could was the deal.
“When I could get by with the 3/16, it definitely got bit better,” Stephens said. “A lot of times those fish were in 15 foot. The 3/16 was just lights out. But when they got to that 30-foot mark, you just had to have that heavier head. And, of course, you can go with a bigger head, just every time you upgrade head size, your bites drop by half. They will react to a bare hook, I think, but they won’t eat it. That was a big thing for me in practice, because I could go with a super heavy head. I could throw it anytime I wanted to, anywhere I wanted to, and nothing bit it, but I got a good look at the fish.”
10. Shallow plays for Stoker
A past winner on the river, Stoker may have had the most fun of anyone in the Top 10. Staying close enough that he didn’t need to get gas any day, the Texan fished shallow almost exclusively.
Deep, he used a 6.5-inch Zoom Winged Fluke with a 3/16-ounce Reneau Tackle Minnow Helmet. Shallow, he used a weightless Yamamoto Senko and a homemade fuzzy bait. He threw everything on U-Call Midnight Series rods, with 15-pound U-Call braid.
Stoker was also willing to dish out some high-level ‘Scope details that helped him do as well as he did in the shallows.
“I turned the gain way down on my graph to like 52, to where I didn’t pick up any of the little strands of grass or anything,” he said. “If it picked up any signature on that screen, it was a fish. And I tried to stay 80 to 100 foot away from them, because at that distance, when it hit the surface, they would swim straight up and eat it. By turning that gain down, the fish were hot enough in that shallow water that you can see them perfectly.”