Top baits on the St. Lawrence

See the baits the Top 5 used to snatch largemouth and smallmouth bass from the St. Lawrence River.

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<i> Captions by Steve Wright</i><br>Before this tournament started, the Bassmaster Elite Series pros noted that smallmouth bass were in transition, rather than schooled up on deep structure like they were the last time the Elite Series came to the St. Lawrence River in 2013.
Photo: James Overstreet - Captions by Steve WrightBefore this tournament started, the Bassmaster Elite Series pros noted that smallmouth bass were in transition, rather than schooled up on deep structure like they were the last time the Elite Series came to the St. Lawrence River in 2013.
“There are fish shallow, deep and in-between,” said Jacob Powroznik, after the last day of practice. “There is going to be lots of changing up, lots of rods on the deck.”
Photo: Seigo Saito - “There are fish shallow, deep and in-between,” said Jacob Powroznik, after the last day of practice. “There is going to be lots of changing up, lots of rods on the deck.”
Powroznik, who would finish seventh in this event, couldn’t have described Edwin Evers’ winning formula any more perfectly, or the way this tournament would play out for the the 107-angler field.
Photo: James Overstreet - Powroznik, who would finish seventh in this event, couldn’t have described Edwin Evers’ winning formula any more perfectly, or the way this tournament would play out for the the 107-angler field.
“I had about 20 rods on the deck,” said Evers, who became the first to win back-to-back tournaments in the 10-year history of the Elite Series, coupled with his win at BASSfest on Kentucky Lake.
Photo: Seigo Saito - “I had about 20 rods on the deck,” said Evers, who became the first to win back-to-back tournaments in the 10-year history of the Elite Series, coupled with his win at BASSfest on Kentucky Lake.
The following is a closer look at the lures used by Evers and the other Top 5 finishers:
Photo: Garrick Dixon - The following is a closer look at the lures used by Evers and the other Top 5 finishers:
<b>Skeet Reese – 5th, 72-5. </b><BR>A Lucky Craft Pointer 78 suspending jerkbait was Reese’s primary lure. Several pros steered away from jerkbaits in this tournament because of a regulation, which wasn’t in place two years ago, that required at least one hook point to be inside a fish’s mouth when landed for it to be a legal catch. Hard-fighting smallmouth bass frequently pull free of the initial hook set, but often get hooked outside the mouth by the other treble hooks on a jerkbait.
Photo: Garrick Dixon - Skeet Reese – 5th, 72-5. A Lucky Craft Pointer 78 suspending jerkbait was Reese’s primary lure. Several pros steered away from jerkbaits in this tournament because of a regulation, which wasn’t in place two years ago, that required at least one hook point to be inside a fish’s mouth when landed for it to be a legal catch. Hard-fighting smallmouth bass frequently pull free of the initial hook set, but often get hooked outside the mouth by the other treble hooks on a jerkbait.
Reese found that by downsizing from the 5-inch Pointer 115, which has three treble hooks, to the 3-inch Pointer 78, which has two trebles, he could avoid the foul-hooking problems for the most part. He used 10-pound test Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Barb Elliott - Reese found that by downsizing from the 5-inch Pointer 115, which has three treble hooks, to the 3-inch Pointer 78, which has two trebles, he could avoid the foul-hooking problems for the most part. He used 10-pound test Trilene 100% fluorocarbon line.
“Skeet’s Magic was the best color the first day,” he said. “Then a perch color and Pro Blue were best on Day 2. The last two days, it was more of a ghost minnow color that worked best.”
Photo: Seigo Saito - “Skeet’s Magic was the best color the first day,” he said. “Then a perch color and Pro Blue were best on Day 2. The last two days, it was more of a ghost minnow color that worked best.”
Reese also caught fish on a drop shot using a 3-inch Berkley PowerBait Twitchtail Minnow. He alternated between 6- and 8-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon on the drop shot.
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Barb Elliott - Reese also caught fish on a drop shot using a 3-inch Berkley PowerBait Twitchtail Minnow. He alternated between 6- and 8-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon on the drop shot.
If he had it to do over, Reese would have mixed into his bait choices a Berkley Havoc Money Maker, a 4 1/2-inch worm that Brandon Palaniuk designed. “It hit me (on Sunday),” Reese said. “These fish were up on the flats, spawning and milling around. Smallmouth bass love wacky style worms. In hindsight, I probably could have crushed them on it.”
Photo: James Overstreet - If he had it to do over, Reese would have mixed into his bait choices a Berkley Havoc Money Maker, a 4 1/2-inch worm that Brandon Palaniuk designed. “It hit me (on Sunday),” Reese said. “These fish were up on the flats, spawning and milling around. Smallmouth bass love wacky style worms. In hindsight, I probably could have crushed them on it.”
<b>Brandon Card – 4th, 72-6. </b><BR>Card, like Greg Hackney who finished one place above him, concentrated on largemouth bass in the shallow lily pads, reeds and duckweed of Goose Bay. And he had a blast, primarily fishing Spro Bronzeye Frogs in various colors. Color didn’t seem to make any difference, as he threw some with white bellies and some with dark bellies –- all on 65-pound Spiderwire braid. Card did catch a few bass while punching mats with a jig, but it was primarily a topwater bite for him, and a memorable one for all four days, but especially the final hour Sunday.
Photo: James Overstreet - Brandon Card – 4th, 72-6. Card, like Greg Hackney who finished one place above him, concentrated on largemouth bass in the shallow lily pads, reeds and duckweed of Goose Bay. And he had a blast, primarily fishing Spro Bronzeye Frogs in various colors. Color didn’t seem to make any difference, as he threw some with white bellies and some with dark bellies –- all on 65-pound Spiderwire braid. Card did catch a few bass while punching mats with a jig, but it was primarily a topwater bite for him, and a memorable one for all four days, but especially the final hour Sunday.
“It was an absolute whack-fest,” Card said Sunday. “I should have made a run at Edwin (Sunday). I should have put 20 pounds in the boat. On my last cast I lost a 4 1/2- to 5-pounder. I had it hooked and it was coming, then it came off.
Photo: Seigo Saito - “It was an absolute whack-fest,” Card said Sunday. “I should have made a run at Edwin (Sunday). I should have put 20 pounds in the boat. On my last cast I lost a 4 1/2- to 5-pounder. I had it hooked and it was coming, then it came off.
“That’s kind of the name of the game with frogs, but I usually have a really good hook-up ratio with frogs. I left them biting. If we could have checked in at 4:00, I might have won this thing. I had to leave at 2 o’clock to make check-in time. That last one bit me at 2 o’clock. I made one more cast, and it just swiped at the bait. I knew I’d missed my chance on that one.”
Photo: Garrick Dixon - “That’s kind of the name of the game with frogs, but I usually have a really good hook-up ratio with frogs. I left them biting. If we could have checked in at 4:00, I might have won this thing. I had to leave at 2 o’clock to make check-in time. That last one bit me at 2 o’clock. I made one more cast, and it just swiped at the bait. I knew I’d missed my chance on that one.”
<b>Greg Hackney – 3rd, 72-11.</b> <BR>Hackney entered the final day in 11th place, but surged to third with his biggest bag of the tournament, 19-0, which included a 5-1 big bass of the day. Like Card, he concentrated on largemouth bass in the Goose Bay area.
Photo: Garrick Dixon - Greg Hackney – 3rd, 72-11. Hackney entered the final day in 11th place, but surged to third with his biggest bag of the tournament, 19-0, which included a 5-1 big bass of the day. Like Card, he concentrated on largemouth bass in the Goose Bay area.
Hackney used a combination of topwater baits and punching over four days. His surface lures included a Strike King Poppin’ Perch, a new version of a popping frog, and an unnamed hollow body frog, both thrown on 65-pound-test Gamma braid
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal - Hackney used a combination of topwater baits and punching over four days. His surface lures included a Strike King Poppin’ Perch, a new version of a popping frog, and an unnamed hollow body frog, both thrown on 65-pound-test Gamma braid
When punching the grass, he used a Strike King Rodent with 1 1/4-ounce Strike King Tungsten weight on a 6/0 Hack Attack Heavy Cover Flipping hook, also fished on 65-pound Gamma braid, with a Quantum 7-11 Hack Attack flipping Stick.
Photo: Seigo Saito - When punching the grass, he used a Strike King Rodent with 1 1/4-ounce Strike King Tungsten weight on a 6/0 Hack Attack Heavy Cover Flipping hook, also fished on 65-pound Gamma braid, with a Quantum 7-11 Hack Attack flipping Stick.
<b>Alton Jones – 2nd, 73-15.</b> <BR>Like Evers, Jones concentrated in the lower St. Lawrence River tournament waters, around Long Sault Parkway. He relied on two baits. His primary lure was a green-pumpkin Yum Warning Shot, a 3 3/4-inch soft plastic drop shot bait “that’s a real good imitation of a goby,” Jones said. “That’s what I caught most of my fish over 4 pounds on.”
Photo: Shaye Baker - Alton Jones – 2nd, 73-15. Like Evers, Jones concentrated in the lower St. Lawrence River tournament waters, around Long Sault Parkway. He relied on two baits. His primary lure was a green-pumpkin Yum Warning Shot, a 3 3/4-inch soft plastic drop shot bait “that’s a real good imitation of a goby,” Jones said. “That’s what I caught most of my fish over 4 pounds on.”
He used it in both deep and shallow water, casting to specific targets in the shallows. Jones said he varied his drop-shot weights from 1/8 to 3/16 to 1/4 ounce, depending on the depth, wind and current.
Photo: Shaye Baker - He used it in both deep and shallow water, casting to specific targets in the shallows. Jones said he varied his drop-shot weights from 1/8 to 3/16 to 1/4 ounce, depending on the depth, wind and current.
Jones also used a Yum tube on 3/16- and 1/4-ounce exposed-hook tube heads, drifting and dragging it in the current and casting to specific targets. The color was also green pumpkin.
Photo: Seigo Saito - Jones also used a Yum tube on 3/16- and 1/4-ounce exposed-hook tube heads, drifting and dragging it in the current and casting to specific targets. The color was also green pumpkin.
Jones got a lift in the final hour with a 4 1/2-pounder on a spawning bed, which probably boosted him to second place instead of fifth. “I’d seen this fish in practice,” he said. “It was too windy to see it (Sunday). So I just made a blind cast to a waypoint in about 5 feet of water. It was a difference-maker for me.”
Photo: Bassmaster Marshal Jeremy King - Jones got a lift in the final hour with a 4 1/2-pounder on a spawning bed, which probably boosted him to second place instead of fifth. “I’d seen this fish in practice,” he said. “It was too windy to see it (Sunday). So I just made a blind cast to a waypoint in about 5 feet of water. It was a difference-maker for me.”
<b>Edwin Evers – 1st place, 77-10.</b><BR> He finished 25th at the St. Lawrence River in 2013 fishing deep structure toward Lake Ontario. Evers went the opposite direction this year, going downstream from Waddington, and with a full moon rising on Day 2 of the tournament, Evers was convinced to go shallow. “I just think there’s fish that go shallow on a full moon,” he said. “I can’t explain it. I just think on every full moon from January through December you can catch ’em shallow and usually big ones.”
Photo: Steve Bowman - Edwin Evers – 1st place, 77-10. He finished 25th at the St. Lawrence River in 2013 fishing deep structure toward Lake Ontario. Evers went the opposite direction this year, going downstream from Waddington, and with a full moon rising on Day 2 of the tournament, Evers was convinced to go shallow. “I just think there’s fish that go shallow on a full moon,” he said. “I can’t explain it. I just think on every full moon from January through December you can catch ’em shallow and usually big ones.”
Evers relied on a bunch of different lures, but among the key ones was a 4-inch Megabass Spark Shad swimbait in a “natural color.” It produced some big bites, as well as helping him locate fish in shallow water than he would eventually catch on other lures, like a 6 1/4-inch Zoom Fluke Stick or a 4-inch Zoom Z Drop or a Zoom Speed Craw. Green pumpkin was the color of choice on the soft plastics.
Photo: Steve Bowman - Evers relied on a bunch of different lures, but among the key ones was a 4-inch Megabass Spark Shad swimbait in a “natural color.” It produced some big bites, as well as helping him locate fish in shallow water than he would eventually catch on other lures, like a 6 1/4-inch Zoom Fluke Stick or a 4-inch Zoom Z Drop or a Zoom Speed Craw. Green pumpkin was the color of choice on the soft plastics.
“Sometimes they just wouldn’t commit (to the swimbait), but at least I knew where that fish was,” Evers said. “I’d pinpoint him and start working him over.”
Photo: Steve Bowman - “Sometimes they just wouldn’t commit (to the swimbait), but at least I knew where that fish was,” Evers said. “I’d pinpoint him and start working him over.”
Another key lure was a bone-colored Megabass X-80 Trick Darter, a 3 1/8-inch suspending jerkbait with two treble hooks. Like the Spark Shad swimbait, he caught some important fish on it, and used it to locate others that were in shallow water.
Photo: Steve Bowman - Another key lure was a bone-colored Megabass X-80 Trick Darter, a 3 1/8-inch suspending jerkbait with two treble hooks. Like the Spark Shad swimbait, he caught some important fish on it, and used it to locate others that were in shallow water.
But Evers also caught fish on a War Eagle spinnerbait during the cloudy, rainy conditions on Day 1, and the “secret” 1/16-ounce black marabou jig, which was a key lure for several other anglers, on Day 4.
Photo: James Overstreet - But Evers also caught fish on a War Eagle spinnerbait during the cloudy, rainy conditions on Day 1, and the “secret” 1/16-ounce black marabou jig, which was a key lure for several other anglers, on Day 4.
Evers used braided line with a fluorocarbon leader on all these lures. The fluorocarbon leader was 6-pound test on the shallow stuff and 8-pound test on deeper structure. He fished the Zoom Speed Craw on a 3/8-ounce lead-head jig, rather than a drop shot rig.
Photo: Seigo Saito - Evers used braided line with a fluorocarbon leader on all these lures. The fluorocarbon leader was 6-pound test on the shallow stuff and 8-pound test on deeper structure. He fished the Zoom Speed Craw on a 3/8-ounce lead-head jig, rather than a drop shot rig.
“They’d eat it better than a drop shot,” Evers said. “It was like smallmouth fishing in a stream.”
Photo: Steve Bowman - “They’d eat it better than a drop shot,” Evers said. “It was like smallmouth fishing in a stream.”
And it’s important to keep moving water in mind on the St. Lawrence River, according to Evers. “I think you always need to have current in the equation,” he said. “Those fish are always going to be facing the current to bring food to them.”
Photo: Steve Bowman - And it’s important to keep moving water in mind on the St. Lawrence River, according to Evers. “I think you always need to have current in the equation,” he said. “Those fish are always going to be facing the current to bring food to them.”