MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. — Follow the tournament fishing resumes of Brock Mosley, Matt Lee and Bradley Roy and find all three originated from the same place.
All are from the South, where largemouth are king and smallmouth get a respectable second-place vote on the priority list of anglers.
Mosley, Lee and Roy stand first, second and third, respectively, at the Advance Auto Parts Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair after Day 2. Mosley has 45 pounds, 13 ounces, Lee has 45-0 and Roy comes in with 44-12.
Is the fact that three Southern boys, in Michigan, are atop the sport’s premier scoreboard a coincidence?
Qualifying history on the anglers is necessary before hearing the answers.
Roy, 26, has the most B.A.S.S. experience with 88 events. He is the youngest angler to join the Elite Series, which happened in 2010. Ironically, at the age of 13, he won the 11-14 year age group of the 2004 Bassmaster Junior World Championship.
Lee, 28, earned his place from the B.A.S.S. collegiate ranks, where he won a championship in 2012, qualifying the next year for the Bassmaster Classic. Lee was a student at Auburn University, where he competed on the bass fishing team with his brother, Jordan.
Mosley, 29, traces his tournament roots back to the University of Mississippi, where he fished on the Ole Miss bass fishing team. He joined the Elite Series in 2016 after competing in the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open series since 2012.
For all three, clear water at one time was the ability to see the trolling motor running below the surface.
So the short answer to the question is a resounding no. Even with limited experience fishing for northern smallmouth, the top three anglers are quick learners.
How they developed that process is a story worth telling.
Brock Mosley’s crash course
Mosley credits fishing all three Opens divisions in 2014 with jumpstarting his smallmouth education.
“It got me out of my comfort zone, the South, and made me come up here and learn the basics,” he said. “I knew immersing myself in smallmouth water would be the only way to succeed as a pro.”
That included a trip to Lake St. Clair, where Mosley discovered the nuances of the nomadic nature of northern smallmouth.
“They are constantly on the move and I learned you can’t count on returning to a given area, day after day, and milking it for all it’s worth.”
The lesson learned was being prepared to restart each day, or have plenty of other options available should the key area fail to produce.
Mosley also realized tournaments are scheduled during the prime season for smallmouth fishing in the North. He upped his game accordingly.
“My daily goal for these tournaments, no matter where, is catching 20 pounds each day,” he explained. “You’ve got to have it to stay competitive.”
The homework has paid off. Last month, Mosley earned his best career finish, a second-place performance on the St. Lawrence River in New York. He gave the winner, Kevin VanDam, a run for the title.
Matt Lee’s graduate course
Matt Lee’s collegiate experience helped fast track his smallmouth knowledge. Like Mosley, the championship level tournaments forced him outside his comfort zone.
What else helped was getting thrown into the deep end of the swimming pool, also known as the Bassmaster Classic. Lee earned the competitive experience. All he needed was time on the water.
The collegiate championship also came with berths in the Opens. Success came early on, and Lee added all three divisions to his schedule. That included the Northern Opens, where he added smallmouth savvy to his skills.
“Fishing outside the box made a big huge difference,” he said. “You can’t replace time on the water.”
Bradley Roy’s classroom
Ironically, Bradley Roy used St. Clair as his classroom to learn the core fundamentals of catching northern smallmouth.
“I fished an Open here and realized the fishery was so healthy that it would be an ideal place to learn,” he said.
Indeed, because the lake was named best in the country in 2013 by Bassmaster.
Roy learned the distinct differences between northern and southern smallmouth fishing and adjusted accordingly.
“Smallmouth in the South relate to structure, just like largemouth,” he explained. “I had to learn to get that out of my head, erase the notion that smallmouth seek structure and stay there.”
Roy discovered northern smallmouth are very nomadic. Following baitfish in open water is more of a priority.
He also learned to slow down, set up wind drifts and put together the symbiotic relationship between schools of bait and smallmouth.
All are a key to his position on the scoreboard.
It is also worth noting that another Southerner is inside the top 5. He is Matt’s brother, Jordan, who also won the 2017 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
Can Southern boys come up North and dial into smallmouth? You bet. And there could be more to come.