The vibe surrounding the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River is one of confusion. The world renowned smallmouth factory has been a little stingy for much of the 217-boat field during the five-day practice period, with bass reportedly being caught in all depth zones.
“There are fish in 2 feet of water to 50 feet of water. They are in complete transition in my opinion,” New York pro Casey Smith said. “Getting bites didn’t seem to be overly difficult, but catching big ones seemed to be.
“It is not normal, in my opinion.”
Smith, who competed in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota, has fished the St. Lawrence River much of his life and many of the big fish areas he has locked in his memory have not produced the same quality he is used to seeing. Elite Qualifier pro Garrett Paquette, also with ample experience on the fishery, voiced a similar feeling.
“The numbers are as good, if not better, but the size is slightly down,” the Michigan pro said. “There are a lot of 2- to 4-pound fish but that 5- or 6-pound bite has been a little tougher to come by.
There isn’t a simple reason for this. The smallmouth are largely in a postspawn phase and scattered. The river has also received a tremendous amount of pressure from local anglers as well as out-of-state visitors wanting to experience the hype for themselves.
“We are in the postspawn funk, but this place has seen the most pressure it has ever seen this past spring, and I know it has taken a toll. The fish are still there, but when the fish were on beds they were caught more than ever,” Elite Series pro Jonathon Kelley said.
Don’t fear however, big smallies will still be caught in this event. During his first ever trip to the St. Lawrence, Canadian stick Jamie Bruce landed a bass that measured 6 pounds, 2 ounces on his scale and saw several more like it during the warm-up period.
“These are the deepest bellied bass I have ever seen in my life,” he said. “They are a different breed. The first big one I caught this week was the tallest bass I’ve ever seen.”
This Open is also a couple weeks after the Douglas Bass Open, where Dan Miguel and Matt Dobson caught a 32-4 limit that is believed to be the heaviest bag ever caught in tournament competition on the fishery.
“That came from the river (not Lake Ontario),” Smith remarked.
While that performance will be difficult to repeat, Smith believes 25- or 26-pound bags aren’t out of the question. Bruce went as far as to say a 30-pound bag is possible. But staying consistent will be incredibly important, especially when so much is on the line in the Elite Qualifier race.
Figuring out the funk
As experience has shown him, Kelley said this time of year dictates the St. Lawrence River is not the easiest place to fish. After sampling different sections of the river throughout practice, the Pennsylvania pro has noticed most of the river is in the same stage.
“It’s a lot tougher than normal, but it isn’t unexpected,” he said. “This time of the year, it is always a little tougher fishing. They get in this phase where they don’t want to bite. They are there, but in that weird funk. I don’t know how long they have been in that funk. I don’t know if we are coming out of it or coming into it, and that is the hardest part.”
Paquette has noticed the same thing. He has seen bass in all depth ranges, which has made it difficult to find groups of smallmouth. The Michigan pro has found an area that is better than others, however.
“It seems like there is 10% of the fish in every depth range. It is kind of tricky to find a group of fish anywhere, and it is almost like smallmouth junk fishing,” he said. “There is one area of the river and one depth range where there is a better class of fish.”
The Ontario factor
While Lake Ontario is off limits in this event, a good percentage of the field will make the 80-mile run down to the Clayton area. That is where Bruce has felt most comfortable this week.
“I came in, with where I am sitting in EQ points, I figured I would have a layup and that I could stay close to takeoff and not have to worry about the run,” Bruce said. “It did not work out that way. I spent a lot of time near Waddington and couldn’t make it work to a comfortable enough weight. I spent two days right near the cutoff and had two good days down there. The Lund is full of gas, and I will take it all the way down.”
Others, meanwhile, will stay close to takeoff in Waddington and maximize their fishing time. Which prevails?
“The big decision comes down to, do you stick in one spot and ride it out or run around like crazy and try to catch seven or eight fish by the end of the day and hope you have 20-plus pounds. Decision making will be the most critical thing when it comes to winning this tournament,” Kelley said.
Weather watch
Rounds of showers and storms moved through the area during practice, and while Thursday is expected to be quiet, storms return to the forecast during the final two days of competition. Interestingly, the wind is forecast to remain relatively light throughout the event. High temperatures, meanwhile, are only expected to reach the mid 70s on Friday and Saturday.
Light winds will make it easier to navigate, but Smith believes the sunny conditions on Day 1 will make the biggest difference.
“We are supposed to get no wind really, which is nice,” Smith said. “But the sun is a big deal here, and we are supposed to get rainy conditions for two days. That is a big deal. These smallmouth are sight feeders, and they want the lights on.”
Spawners an x-factor
While it’s not a large number, there are smallmouth still on bed, and Paquette believes an angler can still find five of the right ones to achieve a quick, quality limit to build off of.
“It is an easy way to get a big, quick limit. There are fish on beds,” he said.
Bruce added, “You will see big bags deep and big bags shallow.”
Anglers to watch
Cory Johnston: Not a lot of explanation needed here. His only B.A.S.S. win came on his home waters in the 2021 Open, and he finished second with over 100 pounds of smallmouth in last year’s Elite event.
Tyler Williams: Coming off a Top 10 at Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma, Williams returns to his northern roots. The 20-year-old from Maine nearly qualified for the Elite Series in 2021 in the Northern Opens and now finds himself in 19th in the EQ standings. He can make a big jump with another Top 10 this week.
Joey Cifuentes III: Cifuentes signed up to fish Division III of the Opens largely to fish this event. The Arkansas pro nearly won an FLW Tour event at the St. Lawrence River and has proven he can catch smallmouth with the best of them.
Casey Smith: An upper New York standout, Smith won the Northern Open on Oneida last year and will no doubt be looking to notch his second Classic qualification at the St. Lawrence. He already has a Top 10 finish in Division III at Buggs Island.
Kyle Patrick: If the season ended before this tournament, Patrick would be the last man invited to the Elite Series. Sitting 10th in points, Patrick has a chance to make a jump into a more comfortable position in the EQ race.
Jamie Bruce: This might be the first time Bruce has ever been to the St. Lawrence River, but the Canadian definitely knows his way around the brown bass. Given how well he’s fished on southern lakes, a tournament where Bruce is actually comfortable is not what the rest of the field needs to see right now. Expect Bruce to put on a show.
Louis Monetti: It has been a tough go so far this year for the 2022 College Classic Bracket champion, but Monetti has plenty of experience on the St. Lawrence River. A late season surge could start for Monetti at this event, but a back injury will make it more challenging.
