WADDINGTON, N.Y. — Hailed as one of the best bass tournaments over the past couple years, the St. Lawrence River really showed out producing impressive numbers of huge smallmouth bass.
Early on in the event, pundits were anticipating near 100-pound four-day limits, and big fish nearing the 7-pound mark. Both predictions came up a little short, but that doesn’t take away from what did happen.
As the Bassmaster Elite Series regular season came to an exciting close, Josh Bertrand bested Justin Lucas for his first title, and he finished up as the best overall pick at this event.
Interestingly, Bertrand and Lucas finished first and second respectively, but they are now first and second in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with Lucas in the lead heading into the Championship next month in Georgia.
The AOY title likely won’t be determined until the final whistle blows at that tournament, ending a very exciting season for Bassmaster anglers, fans and Fantasy Fishing players.
You have one last chance to make up some ground in Fantasy Fishing at the Championship taking place at Georgia’s Lake Chatuge. It’s time to put it all on the line and bet on anglers who you think have momentum on their side to end their season on a high note.
Below are the results from the St. Lawrence River.
St. Lawrence Fantasy Winner: “Breauxman49” with 8,643 total points
Rank: No. 3,607
Bucket A: Josh Bertrand, 305 points
B: Seth Feider, 260
C: Keith Combs, 268
D: Brandon Lester, 295
E: David Walker, 290
Total: 1,418
Fantasy Points Leader: “Jay3000” with 9,950 total points
Rank: No. 1
Bucket A: Jacob Wheeler, 165 points
B: Seth Feider, 260
C: Alton Jones, 207
D: Dave Lefebre, 193
E: Jason Williamson, 167
Total: 992
St. Lawrence River’s Perfect Team:
Bucket A: Josh Bertrand, 305 points
B: Brett Hite, 275
C: Keith Combs, 268
D: Brandon Lester, 295
E: David Walker, 290
Total: 1,433
BUCKET A: BERTRAND
Arizona’s Josh Bertrand scored his first Elite Series in exciting fashion. It’s been a long time coming, the support he had from the anglers showed out as many of them hung around to see him win it all. Bertrand earned his 5.5-percent ownership 305 points. Three hundred for the win, and five bonus points for leading the final day.
Second-best choice: Justin Lucas was the second-best selection in Bucket A. He earned his 4.3-percent ownership 295 points for a solid second-place finish.
Worst choice: Surprisingly, Greg Vinson was the lowest scoring angler in this bucket having earned his ownership only 65 points after a tough 105th-place finish.
BUCKET B: HITE
Fellow Arizona pro Brett Hite caught the events big bass, a giant 6-pound, 12-ounce smallmouth that earned him $1,500 extra dollars, and if you chose him in your Fantasy lineup, a bonus 40 points. Hite earned his 0.6-percent ownership 275 points in total after a solid 20th-place finish.
Second-best choice: Seth Feider was the second-highest scoring angler in this bucket having earned his strong 18.3-percent ownership 260 points after finishing in 10th place.
Worst choice: The lowest scoring angler in Bucket B was Chad Pipkens who produced only 87 points for his 5.7-percent ownership after a difficult 94th place.
BUCKET C: COMBS
Traditionally, Combs does well on smallmouth fisheries, and he did once again scoring a solid Top 12 finish. Combs earned his 4.1-percent ownership 268 points after an impressive eighth-place finish.
Second-best choice: Chris Lane was the second-best selection in this bucket having earned his 2.7-percent ownership 248 points after a strong 14th-place finish.
Worst choice: John Crews was the lowest scoring angler in this bucket. He earned his 11.1-percent ownership 85 points after a tough 95th-place finish.
BUCKET D: LESTER
Brandon Lester put on a tremendous showing at St. Lawrence, and by all accounts likely lost the winning fish on the final day of the event. Lester earned his 11.6-percent ownership 295 points for a solid third-place finish.
Second-best choice: Mike McClelland was the second-best choice in this bucket. He earned his 2.7-percent ownership 280 points after finishing in fifth place.
Worst choice: Brandon Card was the lowest scoring angler in this bucket. He produced only 71 points for his 2.1-percent ownership after a difficult 102nd-place finish.
BUCKET E: WALKER
Coming out of Bucket E, Tennessee pro David Walker enjoyed a tremendous showing. He earned his 17.6-perecnt faithful 290 points after a stellar fourth-place finish.
Second-best choice: Rick Morris was the second highest scoring angler in Bucket E after earning his 12.3-percent ownership 276 points after a solid sixth-place finish.
Worst choice: Tommy Biffle was the lowest scoring angler having earned his 2-percent ownership only 61 points after a tough 107th-place finish.