Elite

A look at St. Lawrence 2022

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After six weeks off, the top pro circuit of B.A.S.S. returns to action for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River, July 14-17. This is the Elites’ sixth consecutive year on the St. Lawrence and the 23rd Bassmaster pro event there.
Anglers have long said they enjoy the Northern Swing. It not only brings relief from the scorching temps in the South, but the St. Lawrence always offers excellent smallmouth fishing and fantastic scenery. The St. Lawrence is the seventh 2022 stop for the Elites, who will head west in August to finish out the season on South Dakota’s Lake Oahe before the Mississippi River out of La Crosse, Wis.
Ranking highly on Bassmaster Magazine’s Best Bass Lakes, the St. Lawrence is part of the 1,900-mile St. Lawrence Seaway that connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. It also serves as part of the international border between the U.S. and Canada.
During the pandemic, Canadian waters were off limits to Bassmaster tournaments, but the 90 Elites, who launch from Clayton, N.Y., will be able to fish both sides this time as well as Lake Ontario. The eastern boundary is the Moses Saunders Power Dam. Anglers may not lock.
Tournament central is the Antique Boat Museum, 750 Mary St., Clayton, N.Y. Takeoffs are scheduled for 7 a.m. ET with weigh-ins set at 3:10 p.m. ET.
St. Lawrence events have drawn great crowds, exchanging Elite attendance records with Orange, Texas. There will be expos on Saturday and Sunday, and expect big doings as the Village of Clayton celebrates its 150th anniversary. For a list of all the Clayton sesquicentennial events, visit www.1000islands-clayton.com.
The St. Lawrence, like many northern waters, are known for hefty smallmouth bass. Paul Mueller landed a 7-pound, 13-ounce smallmouth in the 2020 Elite, and his personal best was touted as the largest brown bass ever caught in Bassmaster competition.
A big reason for the growth of smallmouth are goby, shown here by Jeff Gustafson. The invasive species from Eastern Europe were first discovered in the St. Clair River in 1990, and they quickly became a forage of smallmouth in all the Great Lakes. Studies have shown smallmouth are larger since the goby arrived, but more year-class science is being conducted to determine exact growth increases.
Takumi Ito won last year’s Elite at St. Lawrence with a final day surge to total 90-0 and win by 4 ounces. Ito began the event in 38th place but steadily climbed after finding a massive school in Lake Ontario. The second-year pro from Japan handed out fast passes to the big kids as his Skeeter boat turned into “smallmouth Disneyland.” With 23-3 on Day 3, Ito pulled to seventh.
Ito’s boat was the happiest place on earth on Championship Sunday. He caught two smallmouth around 6 pounds and built the biggest bag of the week at 26-0 to create “Taku time” as he held off Justin Atkins and Clark Wendlandt. Ito laughed on stage with Dave Mercer and, when his dream was realized, cried tears of joy.
Just a few weeks after Ito’s win, many pros returned to the St. Lawrence for a Northern Open. Cory Johnston held off fellow Canadians Cal Climpson, Coop Gallant and his brother, Chris, to win his first Bassmaster tournament. Johnston totaled 78-0 over the three days of competition, on pace to break 100 pounds in a four-day affair. He said this week’s winner might earn a coveted Century Belt.
Chris Johnston almost did that in 2020 when he became the first Canadian to win a B.A.S.S. tournament. The event, moved to Clayton because of the pandemic, was a two-man runaway between him and Mueller. Fishing in the lake, both finished more than 10 pounds ahead of the next closest competitor.
Johnston had limits of 27-0, 24-12, 23-0 and 22-12 for 97-8 to win, narrowly missing the first Century Belt with all smallmouth. The Johnston brothers, who hail from the Canadian side of Lake Ontario, dominate in the region. The only time one has finished outside the Top 10 on the St. Lawrence was in 2019 when Cory had mechanical issues.
Cory Johnston had to borrow boat in the middle of Day 1 but still caught 22 pounds. However, he didn’t realize the electronics weren’t set for daylight savings time until it was too late. His race to check-in left him seven minutes late, incurring a 7-pound penalty and a start in 60th place. He climbed to 36th, just 2 ounces out of the cut, in an event he might have won. Even worse, Cory Johnston finished the season eight points behind the Bassmaster Angler of the Year winner. He’s reminded of it whenever headed back here and said that he wants to win just that much more.
Brandon Palaniuk, who won on the St. Lawrence in 2013, goes into the final three events with the lead in the Progressive Bassmaster AOY standings. He’s 18 points ahead of John Cox, who was disqualified from last year’s Elite here because he had fished another circuit on the St. Lawrence during Bassmaster’s off-limits period. Each competition day, pressure mounts not only in that race but also for those hoping to qualify for next year’s Classic or remain in the Elite field.
Weather, specifically wind, is key at the St. Lawrence as too much makes it difficult to fish. The long-range forecast shows relatively stable conditions this week for the anglers, who hope it’s right that winds won’t blow too hard during competition days.
East winds build large waves on Lake Ontario and make getting into the St. Lawrence River at Cape Vincent treacherous. Clark Wendlandt practically disappeared as he made his way off the lake.
Chris Zaldain bumped into one of the peaks coming in from the lake, showing it gets rough in the funnel. The water level in Lake Ontario is almost 7 feet higher than that of the St. Lawrence River past Waddington.
With Canadian waters open to the Elites, the anglers should find more elbow room this year. The field of 90, lowered once again from season’s start of 94 after Chad Morgenthaler announced his retirement, will battle for the $100,000 first prize and AOY points starting Thursday. Bassmaster LIVE will air all four days on Bassmaster.com and the FOX Sports digital platforms, with FS1 broadcasts on the weekend days.

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