This week we finish up the Bassmaster Elite Series regular season on the HUK Bassmaster Elite St. Lawrence River presented by Black Vevet out of Waddington, N.Y. I’ve fished here twice before, in 2015 and last year, with my best finish being 32nd last year. The town and the fishery are phenomenal, and they really roll out the red carpet for us.
The fishing in practice has been awesome. You’ve probably seen some pictures of big smallmouth on social media. Last year coming into this event we all heard how high the water was going to be from all the recent rain they have gotten in this part of the country so none of us really knew what to expect. This year the water is back down and maybe that’s why the fishing is so good.
The St. Lawrence River itself is known as a great smallmouth fishery, and I have no doubt you’ll see some big ones here this week. It seems as though finding those 5-pound fish that you really need to do well here will be the key. I haven’t heard anyone crying about a lack of bites because the river is full of solid fish. It’s just a matter of putting your bait in front of the big ones.
In the past a wild card has been largemouth, but this year it’s all smallmouth. I’ve just got a few spinning rods at the ready to throw: a drop-shot rig, a ned rig and a neko rig. The drop shot will be the major player though.
My drop-shot setup starts with an MHX-EPS-81-MLXF. It’s 6 foot, 9 inches and is super-light with plenty of tip action to wear these big smallmouth down. I pair it up with a 2500-size spinning reel spooled with 10-pound Vicious Hi-Vis yellow braid with an 8-pound Vicious fluorocarbon leader. My bait is the Slammer from X Zone Lures. It’s a very well-known bait up here and smallmouth love it. It is hand-poured and very lifelike.
The right hook is critical when drop-shotting and there is no better option than the Mustad Titan X Wacky Neko. Size 4 works amazing for drop shots and a ton of the Elite guys are now using them.
Y’all stay tuned and see what happens. If you like big smallmouth this event is for you!