CLAYTON, N.Y. – That was the headline that grabbed the attention of bass anglers everywhere after Dan Miguel and Matt Dobson won a tournament July 1 on the St. Lawrence River – five smallmouth bass totaling 32 pounds, 4 ounces. Their big bass weighed 7-1. Both numbers could have been higher.
“We had a fish on a (spawning) bed in 15 feet of water that looked huge compared to those 6-pounders,” Miguel said. “It looked much bigger than the (7-1). Let’s conservatively call it an 8.”
The fish rocketed straight away from their boat and straightened the hook before Miguel could adjust his drag.
“We felt kind of bummed when we came in,” he said. “We really could have had an insane weight.”
As if 32-4 isn’t insane. The tournament Miguel and Dobson won was limited to the St. Lawrence River, granted it was during the spawn and on the day the fishing season opened on the Canadian side of the river. Is something like that possible during the four-day Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River, which begins here Thursday, and includes Lake Ontario waters?
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 30-plus bag, especially with the lake open,” Miguel said. “They’re deep, and they’re fat. Twenty-eight (pounds) and change is very common now. They’re heavy, and they’re only getting bigger.”
The backstory on Miguel’s career in the bass fishing world runs deep. He lives in Millbrook, Ontario. At 39, he’s the same age as Elite Series pro Cory Johnston. He’s been competing for years in local tournaments against Cory, his younger brother Chris, and lately another Elite Series pro, Cooper Gallant. At one time, he considered a professional bass tournament career.
Then Miguel’s wife, Steph, gave birth to triplet boys, and that dream ended. It’s been said when one door closes, another one opens. That’s what happened for Miguel. He had worked in the fishing industry for several years, including with Rapala. And he saw the opportunity for a “side hustle,” making finesse baits for increasingly lure-shy smallmouth bass.
“The fish were starting to shy away from traditional baits,” Miguel said. “We started using crappie-style lures, but the hooks would straighten out too easy.”
Thus, the dawning of Great Lakes Finesse tackle company.
“I felt like there was a gap in the market that nobody was focused on,” Miguel said. “I started this brand that was super finesse and focused on smallmouth bass.”
Miguel had long been rubbing the shine off traditional soft plastics, using his boat carpet to rough them up. And neutral buoyancy was another important quality he sought in a soft plastic lure.
The 32-pound, 4-ounce bag that Miguel and Dobson caught on July 1 came on four Great Lakes Finesse lures – drop shotting a 2.75-inch Drop Minnow, casting a 3/16-ounce Sneaky Underspin with a Drop Minnow trailer and dragging either a 2.1-inch Snack Craw or a 2.2-inch Flat Cat on a Stealth Ball jighead. The jigheads feature a matte, no-chip finish and either #1 or #1/0 Gamakatsu 604 hooks.
It quickly became apparent that Miguel was on to something. As he said, laughing, “As you know anglers are secretive, but we can’t keep our mouths shut.”
“We just couldn’t keep up with production,” he said. “Orders were getting bigger and bigger.”
That spawned a deal with PRADCO Outdoor Brands, which manufactures such well-known fishing lure brands as BOOYAH, YUM, War Eagle, Bomber, Heddon, Rebel and many more. PRADCO desired a larger presence in finesse bass fishing lures, and Miguel needed the production capabilities of PRADCO.
“We closed the deal on March 1, and I was hired as part of the acquisition,” Miguel said.
Then Miguel and Dobson went to the St. Lawrence River on July 1 and put together the best testimonial possible for Great Lakes Finesse lures – five smallmouth bass, 32 pounds, 4 ounces. No one has come forward with story about a heavier five-fish smallmouth limit. It’s an unofficial record, for now.
“Someone could break our record this week,” Miguel said.
