Mississippi River practice with Lester

Brandon Lester was kind enough to let us hop in the boat for day two of practice for the Guaranteed Rate Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River. Currently sitting 37 points behind Brandon Palaniuk in the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race, Lester starts his day off with a tasty waffle, sausage and egg sandwich.

Lester graphs as he idles out to his first area. “You just never know where you may find the bass stacked up this time of year,” he explained.

Lester likes to fish bridges, but these pilings were just too deep.

“I think they are here to warn the fish to stay away,” Lester said with a giggle.

“This point looks like a good place to start the day,” Lester said.

Lester is the only angler left in the Elite Series field that has made the cut in every single Elite event this season, and he hopes to keep the streak alive at the Mississippi River.

This blowdown didn’t produce any bites. Lester stated that it was a bit too deep.

After Lester set the hook a few times with no results, he finally figured out what was pecking at his bait. It was a rock bass, also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye and black perch. The rock bass is a freshwater fish native to this area.

Even after fishing for over an hour, the fog continues to stick around.

Lester fires out a cast.

Lester sticks his first fish that was sitting under some thick vegetation.

Lester flips in his first largemouth of the day.

This part of the Mississippi River is loaded with small largemouth bass, but this is the size that can win you derbies.

Lester is huge advocate of fish care, so he gives this beauty a gentle belly release.

“I sure hope she bites again in a few days,” he said.

Lester makes his way to a bridge.

Lester’s reliable Mercury Pro XS sits quietly as he moves to super shallow water.

Lester gets to his second area for practice and guess who he finds there – none other than Brandon Palaniuk. Palaniuk is the current leader in Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points heading into the final event. Lester is sitting in second place as of now.

Since Palaniuk was fishing that area, Lester decides to move to the next target.

The water on the Mississippi River is super shallow right now due to lack of rain.

His Phoenix boat and Mercury outboard slowly push through water that is just a few feet deep.

Spillways have played huge on the Mississippi River in the past, so Lester gives it a try.

“Fish love to live here because it is constantly bringing nutrients and food to the fish,” he said.

Lester makes his way back out of the extremely shallow water.

The eelgrass is extremely thick in some places, but it gives the baitfish a great place to hide and even better, places for bass to ambush their prey.

Lester is a huge family man. He keeps photos of his family under his tackle lid for inspiration.

More thick coontail vegetation for fish to hide under, especially when the sun gets high.

Cast after cast, Lester gets bit without any success on a hookup. He soon finds out why.

A closer look at two of the many types of vegetation here on the Mississippi River. On the left is coontail, and on the right is eelgrass.

That fish that he kept trying to get to take his topwater was not a bass, but a bowfin. They are also known as mudfish, mud pike, dogfish, grinnel, swamp trout and choupique.