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Schultz Commits To Protected Spot For Lead In Bassmaster Elite At St. Lawrence River
WADDINGTON, N.Y. — A patient approach to what Bernie Schultz described as a slow area rewarded the Gainesville, Fla., pro with a five-bass limit that weighed 25 pounds, 5 ounces to lead Day 1 of the Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River.
Bernie Schultz, of Gainesville, Fla., is leading after Day 1 of the 2021 Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with 25 pounds, 5 ounces.
Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.
“I found a spot near where I fished last year,” Schultz said of his upriver area, near Chippewa Bay. “I haven’t seen another tournament boat in two years and I hope I don’t — unless it’s a camera boat.”
Schultz, whose best finish on the St. Lawrence was sixth place in 2013, described his spot as a flat approximately 200 yards long with depths of 3 to 8 feet. Starting on one end of the flat in practice, he quickly caught a 4-pounder, and by the time he’d completed his drift, he had another 4- and two 3-pounders.
“It’s a really good area and it’s protected,” Schultz said. “That’s what I like about it — it has everything the fish want and it has everything I need to fish, no matter what the weather does.
“There are numerous islands and I’m cradled right in the middle of them. I decided to start there today and it was a good call. It started quickly and I left them biting.”
Despite an impressive performance, which included the day’s Phoenix Boats Big Bass — a 6-2 — Schultz said the spot he fished required such a laborious effort that he believes most anglers would have abandoned it.
“It’s a precise drift that I’m making,” he said. “It’s slow enough that if anyone practiced there, they probably would have gotten discouraged.
“The fish are in certain sections of the flat and I had to locate them today because they moved a little bit. I had a 5, that 6-2 and a 3-pounder pretty quickly, but after that I had to move around on the flat to find them.”
Schultz fished a diverse arsenal of baits including a 1/2-ounce Hildebrandt Drum Roller spinnerbait, a Shimano jerkbait (debuting next week at ICAST), a 1/8-ounce black Marabou jig, a drop shot with a green pumpkin Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm and a Ned rig with a 3-inch green pumpkin watermelon laminate Yamamoto Senko.
It is a well-known truth that two of the biggest obstacles to winning on the St. Lawrence share the same last name. Today, brothers Chris and Cory Johnston, of Peterborough and Cavan, Canada, respectfully, strengthened that lore by catching identical 23-pound, 7-ounce limits and sharing second place.
Adding to the statistical oddity, the Johnstons nearly matched one another’s top fish. Chris caught a 5-5, while his older brother had a 5-4.
Chris Johnston, who won last year’s St. Lawrence River Elite, started his day by running upriver to the Clayton, N.Y., area and targeting fry guarders — male bass that hover near the spawning bed to protect recent hatchlings — on flats in 8 to 10 feet. He found a handful of these fish early in practice but noticed Wednesday that a couple of them had left.
“I was a little disappointed yesterday, so today I thought I’d better go catch the ones that are left in that area,” he said. “That gave me a good start to the day, so I could relax a little bit.”
Around midmorning, Johnston left this area and added a few keepers, including a 5-8, in Lake Ontario’s Cape Vincent area. Contrasting his 2020 victory, he said the fish are significantly less concentrated this week.
“They’re not set up good like they were last year,” he said. “They’re scattered anywhere from 5 feet to 25 feet. I don’t have a spot that has a big group of them so I’m looking and trying to find random fish.
“The reason is that there are still fish spawning. There are fish that are guarding fry and fish that finished spawning a month ago and they’re already making their way out. There are fish up shallow trying to do their thing, and they’re everywhere in between.”
Cory Johnston devoted his day to the river and fished a hodgepodge of locations. Covering a 90-mile stretch from Waddington to Lake Ontario, he fished traditional rock reefs and shoals from 5 to 35 feet.
“I just kind of ran all over the place, wherever the wind allowed me to go,” he said. “I caught all of my fish in the river; I didn’t weigh a fish out of the lake.
“I didn’t have any specific area, I just hit 30 spots. I have a game plan and I have something in my back pocket where if I need a fish I can grab one quick in a couple of little areas. I needed a couple today and that’s what I did.”
Seth Feider of New Market, Minn., maintained his lead in the Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings with 795 points. With a 66-point margin over Chris Johnston (729), Feider just needs a decent showing Friday to conclude his best professional season with an AOY title.
Former AOY (2017) Brandon Palaniuk of Rathdrum, Idaho, is in third place with 702 points, followed by Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., with 676 and Caleb Sumrall of New Iberia, La., with 669.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at Whittaker Park. The weigh-in will be held back at the park at 3:15 p.m. After Friday’s weigh-in, only the Top 45 anglers will advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.
Live coverage for each day of the event can be streamed on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms. FS1 will also broadcast live with the tournament leaders beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.The Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River is being hosted by the Village of Waddington and St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. This tournament is supported by a Market New York grant from I LOVE NY/New York State’s Division of Tourism awarded as part of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative. The tournament and all associated festivities are being planned to ensure the safety of anglers, marshals, staff and fans.
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Berkley, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Bass Pro Shops, Garmin, Huk Performance Fishing, Marathon, Rapala
2021 Bassmaster Elite Series Conservation Partner: AFTCO
2021 Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River Local Hosts: Village of Waddington, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
2021 Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River 7/15-7/18
St. Lawrence River, Waddington NY.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 5 25-05 100 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 25-05
2. Chris Johnston Otonabee Ontario CANADA 5 23-07 99
Day 1: 5 23-07
2. Cory Johnston Cavan CANADA 5 23-07 99
Day 1: 5 23-07
4. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 22-02 97
Day 1: 5 22-02
5. Seth Feider New Market, MN 5 22-00 96
Day 1: 5 22-00
6. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 5 21-12 95
Day 1: 5 21-12
6. Clark Wendlandt Leander, TX 5 21-12 95
Day 1: 5 21-12
8. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 21-06 93
Day 1: 5 21-06
8. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 21-06 93
Day 1: 5 21-06
10. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 5 21-01 91
Day 1: 5 21-01
11. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 5 20-13 90
Day 1: 5 20-13
12. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 5 20-11 89
Day 1: 5 20-11
13. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 20-10 88
Day 1: 5 20-10
14. Marc Frazier Newnan, GA 5 20-05 87
Day 1: 5 20-05
15. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 20-00 86
Day 1: 5 20-00
16. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 19-10 85
Day 1: 5 19-10
17. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 19-07 84
Day 1: 5 19-07
17. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 5 19-07 84
Day 1: 5 19-07
19. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 5 19-05 82
Day 1: 5 19-05
19. Joshua Stracner Vandiver, AL 5 19-05 82
Day 1: 5 19-05
21. Bob Downey Hudson, WI 5 19-04 80
Day 1: 5 19-04
22. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 19-03 79
Day 1: 5 19-03
23. Chris Groh Spring Grove, IL 5 19-02 78
Day 1: 5 19-02
24. Chad Pipkens Dewitt, MI 5 19-01 77
Day 1: 5 19-01
25. Derek Hudnall Denham Springs, LA 5 18-14 76
Day 1: 5 18-14
26. Bill Weidler Helena, AL 5 18-09 75
Day 1: 5 18-09
27. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 5 18-08 74
Day 1: 5 18-08
28. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 18-07 73
Day 1: 5 18-07
29. Jay Yelas Lincoln City, OR 5 18-06 72
Day 1: 5 18-06
30. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 5 18-05 71
Day 1: 5 18-05
30. Jeff Gustafson Keewatin Ontario CANADA 5 18-05 71
Day 1: 5 18-05
30. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 5 18-05 71
Day 1: 5 18-05
33. Micah Frazier Newnan, GA 5 18-03 68
Day 1: 5 18-03
33. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 5 18-03 68
Day 1: 5 18-03
35. Bryan New Belmont, NC 5 18-02 66
Day 1: 5 18-02
36. Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL 5 18-01 65
Day 1: 5 18-01
37. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 18-00 64
Day 1: 5 18-00
38. Taku Ito Chiba JAPAN 5 17-15 63
Day 1: 5 17-15
39. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 5 17-14 62
Day 1: 5 17-14
40. Kyle Welcher Opelika, AL 5 17-14 61
Day 1: 5 17-14
41. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 5 17-12 60
Day 1: 5 17-12
42. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 5 17-11 59
Day 1: 5 17-11
43. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 17-10 58
Day 1: 5 17-10
44. Koby Kreiger Alva, FL 5 17-06 57
Day 1: 5 17-06
45. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 17-05 56
Day 1: 5 17-05
46. Buddy Gross Chickamauga, GA 5 17-03 55
Day 1: 5 17-03
47. Jason Williamson Wagener, SC 5 17-02 54
Day 1: 5 17-02
48. Luke Palmer Coalgate, OK 5 16-14 53
Day 1: 5 16-14
49. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 5 16-13 52
Day 1: 5 16-13
50. Ray Hanselman Jr Del Rio, TX 5 16-11 51
Day 1: 5 16-11
51. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 5 16-07 50
Day 1: 5 16-07
51. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 16-07 50
Day 1: 5 16-07
51. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 16-07 50
Day 1: 5 16-07
54. Randy Sullivan Breckenridge, TX 5 16-04 47
Day 1: 5 16-04
55. Yusuke Miyazaki Forney, TX 5 16-03 46
Day 1: 5 16-03
56. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 16-02 45
Day 1: 5 16-02
57. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 5 16-01 44
Day 1: 5 16-01
58. Carl Jocumsen Queensland AUSTRALIA 5 15-13 43
Day 1: 5 15-13
59. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 5 15-12 42
Day 1: 5 15-12
60. Cliff Prince Palatka, FL 5 15-09 41
Day 1: 5 15-09
61. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 5 15-08 40
Day 1: 5 15-08
62. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 5 15-07 39
Day 1: 5 15-07
62. David Fritts Lexington, NC 5 15-07 39
Day 1: 5 15-07
64. Wes Logan Springville, AL 5 15-06 37
Day 1: 5 15-06
65. Quentin Cappo Prairieville, LA 5 15-03 36
Day 1: 5 15-03
66. Destin DeMarion Grove City, PA 5 15-02 35
Day 1: 5 15-02
67. Matt Arey Shelby, NC 5 15-00 34
Day 1: 5 15-00
68. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 5 14-15 33
Day 1: 5 14-15
69. Ed Loughran III Richmond, VA 5 14-14 32
Day 1: 5 14-14
70. Brian Snowden Reeds Spring, MO 5 14-13 31
Day 1: 5 14-13
71. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 5 14-12 30
Day 1: 5 14-12
71. Skylar Hamilton Dandridge, TN 5 14-12 30
Day 1: 5 14-12
73. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 14-09 28
Day 1: 5 14-09
73. Jake Whitaker Fairview, NC 5 14-09 28
Day 1: 5 14-09
75. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 5 14-04 26
Day 1: 5 14-04
75. Chad Morgenthaler Reeds Spring, MO 5 14-04 26
Day 1: 5 14-04
77. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 5 14-01 24
Day 1: 5 14-01
78. Mike Huff London, KY 5 13-14 23
Day 1: 5 13-14
78. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 5 13-14 23
Day 1: 5 13-14
80. Matt Herren Ashville, AL 5 13-13 21
Day 1: 5 13-13
81. Chris Zaldain Fort Worth, TX 5 13-11 20
Day 1: 5 13-11
82. Cody Hollen Beaverton, OR 5 13-10 19
Day 1: 5 13-10
82. Paul Mueller Naugatuck, CT 5 13-10 19
Day 1: 5 13-10
84. Jamie Hartman Newport, NY 5 13-09 17
Day 1: 5 13-09
85. Scott Martin Clewiston, FL 5 13-02 16
Day 1: 5 13-02
86. Randy Pierson Oakdale, CA 5 13-01 15
Day 1: 5 13-01
87. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 5 12-11 14
Day 1: 5 12-11
88. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 5 12-09 13
Day 1: 5 12-09
89. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 4 10-08 12
Day 1: 4 10-08
90. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 09-14 11
Day 1: 5 09-14
91. Patrick Walters Summerville, SC 3 09-01 10
Day 1: 3 09-01
92. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 4 09-00 9
Day 1: 4 09-00
93. Dale Hightower Mannford, OK 3 06-15 8
Day 1: 3 06-15
94. Drew Benton Blakely, GA 1 02-03 7
Day 1: 1 02-03
———————————————————————–
PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Bernie Schultz Gainesville, FL 06-02 $1,000.00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 89 460 1573-03
———————————-
89 460 1573-03
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New from Daiwa!
The DAIWA team is proud to introduce our upgraded and redesigned Steez CT SV TW. A flagship reel deserves the best of the best when it comes to features, and that now includes our Hyper Drive Design. A combination of features in order to improve the precision, alignment and functionality of the gears, housing and internal components- it is the peak of design and refinement. Still complete with a compact 70 size frame, magnesium frame for an ultra lightweight build, T-Wing System for added casting distance, SV Spool for maximum control and now with a 90mm handle so it can function well outside of “finesse only” setups- the new Steez CT SV TW is truly the pinnacle of design and innovation. This reel truly lives up to the flagship Steez name. Coming SOON!
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Swindle: Giraffe Lips and Jerkbaits
At 6’ 4”, bass fishing’s funniest man, Gerald Swindle relates well to giraffes, the world’s tallest land mammal that typically stands 15 to 20-feet high. In fact, his quick wit was fast to compare expected catch rates here on the St. Lawrence River to a giraffe’s smoocher.
“This place is loaded with big fish, we all know that. In fact, you can go ahead and write it down, weights will be just like giraffe lips – real high and real tight,” said Swindle, moments before blast off at the Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite Thursday morning.
When he says high …
When Swindle says high – he means high. Like, 21-pounds a day for a Top 10 says the Alabama pro.
Comparatively, his Team Toyota buddy Brandon Lester projects more like 19-pounds a day for a Top 10, and Bassmaster emcee Dave Mercer is also thinking 19 or 20 pounds a day for a Top 10. So, Swindle is definitely aiming high.
Don’t get impatient
“The biggest key for me is staying patient,” says Swindle. “Because when you know in your mind how much weight you’ll probably need to do well here, you tend to get in a hurry trying to catch 20-pounds in the first two hours of the day,” he says.
“You gotta get that out of your head. You only need 5 – and you’ve got eight hours to catch them — but they better be the right size.”
Jigs and jerks
Unlike many Elite Series events before on the St. Lawrence where deep dropshots ruled the river, Swindle says fish this week are more scattered and shallower.
“In my mind, they’re not all deep and grouped-up. Many of them are fresh off the spawn and still relatively shallow, so I’m going to be throwing a jerkbait and a tiny little hair jig more so than the dropshot,” says Swindle.
Confident, focused, and full of humor, look for the tall bow-legged fella from Alabama to land at giraffe level status on the leaderboard here on the St. Lawrence.
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What is New for 2022?
Yo-Zuri is excited to announce four new fish-catching colors to the 3DB Jerkbait 110 & 110 Deep. These colors were hand picked by our pro staff and executed perfectly by our design team in Japan. We are also excited to be releasing an array of outstanding realistic colors such as “real bluegill” and “real brown craw” to the rest of the 3DB family.
Watch the videos below to learn more about our color additions for 2022.
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Lester Says Largemouth Could be the Wildcard
Brandon Lester warns you’d better keep an eye on guys like Greg Hackney and Brock Mosely this week who aren’t afraid to gamble with “green fish” for the win.
Mosely dang near won here on the St. Lawrence last summer with largemouth before finishing second, and Hackney finished 3rd here at the 2015 Elite with largemouth.
“I haven’t lost my mind. I’m not saying smallmouth on dropshots and Ned rigs won’t win this thing. But because of the current conditions, I do think largemouth are probably more of a meaningful wildcard factor than just about any year that we’ve been here,” says Lester, who nearly won the 2018 Elite on the St. Lawrence.
St. Lawrence smallmouth have been blitzed by pro angling pressure the past three weeks like opposing AFC quarterbacks running from Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest at Gillette Stadium a few years back.
Plus, there is a bit of “post spawn funk” at play, and the Canadian side of the river that historically holds some of the finest smallmouth hotspots is off limits to Elite Series anglers this week.
“Largemouth might only account for 15% of all the bass weighed-in this week, but since we’ve got a few of those key factors hindering the smallmouth bite, it won’t shock me if at least two or three guys that finish in the Top 10 this week, lean mostly on largemouth,” says Lester.
No matter what species you target, he thinks you’d better average at least 19 pounds a day for a Top 10. “This place is phenomenal. I just don’t see 18 pounds a day being enough for a Top 10. Let alone a shot to win,” he concludes.
Joker’s wild. Royal flush. Lester’s predictions make for a pretty strong bet.
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