WADDINGTON – The end of the 2024 season at the country’s top-ranked fishery is generating plenty of justified optimism, and the 101 anglers who participated in the Humminbird Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River will do their best to unlock the treasures of this legendary region.
Competition days will be August 15-18. Starts will be at 7 a.m. ET each day at Whitaker Park, with weigh-ins at 3 p.m. each day at the park.
Topping Bassmaster Magazine’s 2024 list of the 100 Best Bass Lakes, the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River offers the best smallmouth bass fishing in the country. The elite have seen this famous region in a variety of weather conditions, and it always delivers the best results.
“I expect it to be almost a repeat of last year. It will be about finding the better schools of fish,” said the third-year Elite Series pro. Jay Przekurat“The water temperatures in the river are slowly reaching the summer highs of 18 to 25 degrees, and in the lake they can reach up to 21 degrees.
“The water never gets really dirty there, but you want to look for water that isn’t stagnant. So on the Great Lakes, if you find water temperatures above 75 degrees, you’re probably in an area with no current. I try to look for areas that have water flowing through them so you have the conditions you need for smallmouth bass.”
Suffice it to say that the St. Lawrence holds a special place in Przekurat’s heart, as the Wisconsin pro Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year title by conquering this historic fishing area in the 2022 Elite Series season finale. Notably, at the time, Przekurat was the youngest angler to ever win an Elite title, at 23 years and 26 days.
Two years later, he’s excited to see what the St. Lawrence fishery has to offer. The biggest difference: The last two years, the Elites started from Clayton, NY, about 10 miles from Lake Ontario, but this year the event will be run from Waddington, NY, over 70 miles from the easternmost part of the Great Lake.
“This year, of course, it’s going to be very different,” Przekurat said of the long drive and obligatory fuel stop en route to the popular waters of Lake Ontario. “There are a lot more factors that determine how you get to the fish, and you only have 3 to 4 hours to catch them.”
“If conditions are so bad that a guy can’t get out to the lake, or if he gets out but doesn’t have much time to fish, he might win on the river. Generally speaking, everyone knows that you can catch 5-pounders more consistently on the lake than on the river.”
Additionally, Przekurat notes that a wind countering the river’s northeasterly flow can disrupt the current that anglers typically use to fish shallows, sandbars and island points. Lake Ontario isn’t always cooperative, but if you target specific spots with significantly less current, the scenario is more forgivable.
Statistics confirm these points, but the only absolute this sport offers is that the fish come out of the water wet. Case in point: the last time the Elites fished at Waddington (2021), Taku Ito won the event by fishing in the lake, while the experienced Elite Series professional Bernie Schultz stayed in the flow and achieved a top 10 placement.
One more thing: 2020 was Canada Chris Johnston to win his first elite title by battling through the rough Lake Ontario while Brock Mosley spent four days in the Clayton area, targeting mostly largemouth bass, eventually coming in third place. The green fish fishing point is another story for another time, but a point worth mentioning in case high winds add to Ontario’s nastiness.
While Przekurat expects the mix of drop shots, Ned Rigs and hair jigs common in smallmouth bass fishing will do the majority of the job, he says bait selection is secondary to the initial effort.
“The biggest key is finding the fish and getting the presentation right,” he said. “Then you have to get to your fish (every day).”
No doubt many will return to the weigh-in with empty pockets and long faces due to the inclement weather on Lake Ontario. However, the moderate to fair weather guarantees a bronzeback rubdown with many 5- to 6-pound colts crossing the stage.
Przekurat said he expects to gain 20 to 21 pounds a day to make the top 50. The winner, he said, will likely weigh about 97 pounds.
The next logical question: Will someone pull off a Century Club performance? This award honors anglers who reach 100 pounds with a five-bass limit over four days. Largemouth bass events have obviously dominated this prestigious league, but at the last two St. Lawrence Elites, smallmouth bass have also come into the conversation.
Two years ago, Przekurat won his blue trophy with a total weight of 102 pounds and 9 ounces, consisting entirely of smallmouth bass. Technically, Chris Johnston’s older brother Cory Johnston was the first to enter the Century Club with only brown bags, as he reached his final limit of 28-8 (the heaviest bag of the event) ahead of Przekurat and eventually finished second with 100-5.
Last year St. Lawrence Elite four anglers reached the 100-pound mark. South Carolina’s Patrick Walters won with 105 pounds, setting a new weight record for a total of 20 smallmouth bass fish. Chris Johnston took second with 103-12, Kyoto Fujita took third place with 102-5 and Ito took fourth place with 101-7.
Will this trend continue in 2024? It’s not impossible, but as Przekurat points out, the £100 mark will be a major hurdle due to time constraints.
“I think under perfect conditions someone could lift 100 pounds, but it’s hard to maintain that consistency,” he said. “A guy might lift 26 pounds one day, then he’ll do a 23 pound day, and then he’ll repeat it over and over again.”
“The key will be whether you can get to your fish day after day. It’s hard to run 70 to 80 miles like that consistently. Everything has to go perfectly.”
Coverage of the Humminbird Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River will air Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET on FS1. Bassmaster LIVE will stream on Bassmaster.com every four days.
The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the tournament.
