WADDINGTON, N.Y. — As expected, the St. Lawrence River did not disappoint. Five-bass limits exceeding the 20-pound benchmark were regular occurrences during each of the four official days of competition. And the anglers with northern smallmouth experience were in the thick of it, with a few surprises.
Knowing the prowess of Canadian pros Cory and Chris Johnston, it was no surprise to see at least one of them in charge of most of the event, (36th and second, respectively). Chris led for three of the four days, and Cory would have been a much bigger factor if not for some unforeseen mechanical issues on Day 1. And it’s no surprise that the third Canadian pro Jeff Gustafson finished strong as well (12th).
And while they really aren’t surprises, seeing Scott Canterbury fish so strong in a northern smallmouth tournament on a body of water he had little to no experience on was a bit of a surprise. However, considering his dominance in the Toyota Angler of the Year race, it’s really no surprise at all.
And factor Micah Frazier in, too. He’s been very consistent since joining the Elite Series in 2016, but remained win-less until this past week in Waddington. He’s a quiet guy who doesn’t seek attention or the spotlight, but when in the front of his boat standing on the trolling motor pedal, you can bet he’s as serious as any contender out there.
It was Frazier’s time. No doubt. If you didn’t have him in your Fantasy line-up, you certainly should have.
Let’s look at the Fantasy Fishing statistics for this event.
St. Lawrence Fantasy Winner: “Redleggs” with 1,447 points.
Rank: No. 2,834
Bucket A: Chris Zaldain, 264 points
B: Micah Frazier, 345
C: Greg DiPalma, 268
D: Jeff Gustafson, 254
E: Steve Kennedy, 316
Total: 1,447
Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing’s current points leader: “daveyboy” with a total of 9,766 points.
St. Lawrence Perfect Team:
Bucket A: Chris Johnston, 310 points
B: Micah Frazier, 345
C: Greg DiPalma, 268
D: Jeff Gustafson, 254
E: Steve Kennedy, 316
Total: 1,493
BUCKET A: CHRIS JOHNSTON
Either Johnston brother was a strong favorite coming into this event, and for good reason. They built and maintain their reputations on northern waters chock-full of big, angry smallmouths. Chris Johnston had the better angle at St. Lawrence and his loyal fans reaped the benefits by putting him in their St. Lawrence Fantasy Fishing rosters. Chris Johnston earned his 10.2-percent ownership 310 points for a stellar second-place finish. His points breakdown are 295 points for second, and five bonus points per day (3) of leadership for a total of 310.
Second-best choice: Scott Canterbury is the current Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points leader with two regular-season events remaining. Canterbury earned his 0.8-percent ownership 290 points for a solid third-place finish.
Worst choice: The lowest scoring angler in Bucket A was a surprising Patrick Walters who only produced 161 points for his 0.5-percent ownership.
BUCKET B: FRAZIER
It’s really no surprise at all to see the young Georgia angler at the top. Not only has he been ultra consistent for the past few years, he’s a finesse specialist, which was a major factor at this event. He’s been long overdue, and finally finished as the best of them all. Frazier earned his loyal 6.5-percent ownership 300 points for the win and 45 bonus points (345 points total) for bringing in the heaviest bag of the event at 25 pounds, 9 ounces for a four-day total of 87-4.
Second-best choice: South Texas native Ray Hanselman Jr. was the second-highest scoring angler in this bucket having earned his 0.3-percent ownership 272 points after a strong seventh-place finish.
Worst choice: The lowest-scoring angler in Bucket B was Alabama pro Clent Davis who earned his 0.8-percent ownership 133 points after a tough 71st-place finish.
BUCKET C: DIPALMA
Elite Series rookie Greg DiPalma enjoyed a tremendous showing at St. Lawrence River having earned his 5-percent ownership 268 points after a solid eighth-place finish. His finish has moved him into Classic contention with a current AOY position of 31st place.
Second-best choice: The second-best selection in this bucket was veteran angler Brian Snowden who earned his 2-percent ownership 260 points after a 10th-place finish.
Worst choice: The lowest scoring angler in this bucket was Yusuke Miyazaki who earned only 139 points after a difficult 68th-place finish.
BUCKET D: GUSTAFSON
Canadian newcomer Jeff Gustafson has continued to stay consistent, and climb the AOY leaderboard — currently in 36th. As expected, he did well at St. Lawrence having earned his dominating 49.2-percent ownership 254 points for a solid performance and a 12th-place finish.
Second-best choice: Louisiana angler Derek Hudnall was the second-best choice in this bucket having earned his 3.3-percent ownership 225 points after finishing in 25th place.
Worst choice: Ed Loughran was the lowest-scoring angler in this bucket having earned his 0.9-percent ownership only 125 points after a tough 75th-place finish.
BUCKET E: KENNEDY
Steve Kennedy led an impressive campaign at the St. Lawrence River, which included the Phoenix Boats Big Bass thanks to a big 6-2. Kennedy was also the top pick in this bucket. He earned his 14.9-percent ownership 316 points for his sixth-place performance at St. Lawrence, which included the 45 bonus points earned for the tournament’s big bass.
Second-best choice: Former Classic Champ Jay Yelas was the second-best choice in this bucket having produced 280 points for his 11-percent ownership after a strong fifth-place finish. He was one spot ahead of Steve Kennedy, but due to Kennedy’s bonus points for big bass, Yelas was the second-highest producer in this category.
Worst choice: Quentin Cappo was the lowest scoring angler in this bucket with a rough 73rd-place finish that only produced 129 points for his 0.5-ownership.
