PARK FALLS, Wis. (April 10, 2023) – The St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series rolls into Many, Louisiana this week for the first Division 2 Opens event of the 2023 season. A field of 225 boats, pros, and accompanying co-anglers will compete on 185,000 acres of water on storied Toledo Bend Reservoir along the Louisiana-Texas border. At stake is a total payout of over $250,000, an invitation for the pro-division tournament winner to the 2024 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, as well as EQ points that could result in an invitation to fish the coveted 2024 Bassmaster Elite Series. The competition will take place April 13-15.
This season’s new Elite Qualifiers (EQ) format means only anglers that commit to all nine Opens events — three divisions, three events each — will be eligible for one of nine Elite Series invitations, based on EQ standings at the end of the season.
Current conditions on Toledo Bend are stable, with water levels approximately 2 feet below pool and water temperatures in the lower 70’s. Look for anglers to target some remaining spawners and fry-guarders along favorable shoreline areas and the backs of the lake’s abundant creek channels, as well as post-spawn females fattening up on spawning shad. Expect big bags of Toledo Bend largemouth bass with some kicker fish in the mix approaching or even exceeding ten pounds.
St. Croix Rewards Program
St. Croix wishes to remind all pros and co-anglers fishing in any 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open event that they can win even more with St. Croix Rewards, as long as they are fishing at least one St. Croix rod.
The St. Croix Rod Rewards Program pays an extra $1,000 to any registered pro angler who wins a St. Croix Bassmaster Open tournament fishing St. Croix rods, OR $500 to the highest-finishing registered top-10 pro angler fishing St. Croix rods.
Similarly, the program awards an extra $500 to any registered co-angler who wins a St. Croix Bassmaster Open tournament fishing St. Croix rods, OR $250 to the highest-finishing registered top-10 co-angler fishing St. Croix rods.
Anglers must register during the on-site registration prior to the tournament to be eligible to win St. Croix Rewards.
Anglers to watch
Kenny Mittelstaedt of Minnetonka, Minnesota has been fishing the Opens since 2018 and has committed to fishing all nine events this season in hopes of qualifying for the 2024 Elites. “I’ve never been to Toledo Bend and don’t have much experience fishing in that region, so I don’t really have any preconceived notions,” Mittelstaedt says. “It’s looking like it’s going to be a post-spawn/spawn transition deal, but we’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Mittelstaedt says he plans to keep an eye out for the shad spawn. “I’m guessing there will be a shallow post-spawn topwater bite, but I have a lot of confidence offshore and am not opposed to fishing deep,” he says. “Offshore strategies will depend on where I find them, but I’ll probably do some deep cranking with a DT14 on my St. Croix Legend Glass 7’4” medium-heavy, moderate (LGC74MHM). Up shallow, my comfort zone will be throwing a chatterbait on the Mojo Bass Glass 7’2” heavy, moderate (MGC72HM) or a Keitech 4.8” Flash swimbait on my Legend Elite 7’6” medium-heavy, moderate-fast (EC76MHMF). I’m a big finesse guy too, so the dropshot may be in play. It’s one of my confidence presentations so I’ll have my 7’ medium, fast Legend Elite (ES70MF) on the deck in case I find concentrations of bass on isolated cover offshore.”
Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Illinois is another St. Croix hammer to watch. The Junior State, National, and World Champion has proven he’s a threat to catch winning bags in any tournament he enters. This season, he’s committed to fishing all nine opens to meet his objective of qualifying for the 2024 Bassmaster Elites. “I’m excited about Toledo Bend. A lot of fish and a lot of big fish live there. Any cast could be a 9 or 11,” he says. Like Mittelstaedt, McKinney expects to see a shad spawn of some sort and will take advantage of it if it happens. Regardless, he’ll be ready to throw a topwater. “The topwater bite can be better with a shad spawn, but it can be good without it. It just seems like post-spawn bass are always looking up,” McKinney says. “And suspended bass looking up are eager to come up and eat.”
He also expects solid bites farther offshore. “A handful of guys will find them offshore,” he says, “but I think more will be fishing the grass in the creek arms that have it. There’s going to be a lot of competition in those areas though. A new moon phase started on the 7th, so a few bass will still be spawning, too.”
McKinney expects his St. Croix Victory 7’4” heavy, fast (VTC74HF) to be a big player in his arsenal this weekend. “It’s just so versatile for big-fish presentations and you can throw it anywhere… football jigs or big worms offshore… pitching, flippin’, or skipping up shallow… swim jigs… you name it. I’m looking forward to using it to cross the eyes of some big ones!”
Tournament anglers are always fearful of a guy like Bobby Lanham. The St. Croix pro from Cave Creek, Arizona has 43 years of tournament-fishing experience. This is Lanham’s first full season in the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens, and he’s fishing all nine events in pursuit of one of the nine EQ spots for next season’s Bassmaster Elite Season.
“I’m expecting the spawn to be over and done with, but the shad spawn should kicking into high gear,” Lanham says. “I plan to chase that first thing in the mornings with topwater baits, then move out to deeper grass lines to look for post-spawn females. The water levels are good. It looks like we may have some rain during practice, but then some sunshine and 80-degree weather during the tournament.”
Lanham says he plans to target bass keyed in on the shad spawn with select topwater baits delivered on a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass medium-heavy power, moderate-fast action rod. He’ll target post-spawn females set up on deeper transition areas with DT10s and similar cranks on the 7’1” Mojo Bass Mid Carbon Cranker rod (MJC71MM), and swimbaits and contact baits on a Victory 7’1” medium-heavy (VTC71MHF). “I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun on Toledo Bend,” he says. “There are definitely going to be some big fish caught.”
Maple Grove, Minnesota angler, Chad Grigsby, has been fishing full-time on the national level for 20 years – 18 on the FLW/MLF tour and two seasons in the Bassmaster Elites. The St. Croix pro says he has two basic goals fishing the Opens this season. “I’m fishing all nine events in hopes I can finish in the top nine in points and re-qualify for the Elites,” he says. “The other goal would be to win one of the nine events to get into the Bassmaster Classic.”
“I haven’t been to Toledo Bend in four years or so,” Grigsby says. “I fished there back-to-back years with the Elites, but not this time of year and I don’t remember a whole lot, which is actually good because I’ll have a fresh mindset.” Grigsby says he expects some spawners, some shallow bass in the grass, and post-spawn fish set up in key, midrange transition spots. “You’re going to see all three tiers… on the bank, shallow, and deep, so the lake should fish a lot bigger, not that it needs to; it’s a huge body of water. Still, the fish are going to be pressured. The spawn is winding down and they’ll have been hammered, and now we’re going to be running hundreds of boats over their heads.”
Grigsby says he’ll definitely keep an eye out for active spawners. “It’s Texas, so they spawn in waves. There was a pretty serious cold front late last week, so there might be another wave,” Grigsby predicts. He says he’ll also be looking for unmolested pockets of post-spawn bass. “I’ll be trying to find some unassuming points and pockets where they are staging – coming or going. It should be a really fun tournament and I’ve got to assume the weights will be up. I’m just going to try to catch more than anyone else.”
When it comes to rods, Grigsby expects to be throwing a bit of everything. “A spinning rod at times for sure, though,” he reports. “This place gets a lot of pressure, so power finesse is going to play. St. Croix’s Legend Tournament Bass 7’3” medium, extra-fast spinning is an ideal rod that I can use to throw wacky worms, jigs, swim jigs, or any finesse stuff. It’s really versatile. Of course, I’ll also have my favorite Legend X 7’6” medium-heavy rod in my hand for pitching and flipping.”
Follow all of the action of the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series at bassmaster.com/opens.
2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Schedule
Division 1
March 2-4, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, AL
May 18-20, Wheeler Lake, Decatur, AL
Oct. 12-14, Harris Chain of Lakes, Leesburg, FLA
Division 2
April 13-15, Toledo Bend, Many, LA
June 15-17, Lake Eufaula, Eufaula, OK
Sept. 22-24, Lake of the Ozarks, Osage, MO
Division 3
May 3-5, Buggs Island Reservoir, Clarksville, VA
July 20-22, St. Lawrence River, Waddington, NY
Sept. 14-16, Watts Bar Reservoir, Kingston, TN
