Drew Cook Wins 2025 NPFL St. Lawrence River!

Cook delivered a commanding wire-to-wire performance, taking the lead early and never letting go.

NPFL Press Release

 It took three days and nearly 700 miles of running, but Drew Cook conquered the mighty St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, going wire to wire to earn his first NPFL victory and a cool $100,000.

With three calm and sunny days—something rare this spring and summer in New York—the NPFL arrived in Massena at the perfect time, and the anglers capitalized on it. Many chose to make the long run to the mouth of the lake, with some venturing into Ontario, setting new records in the process.

Running nearly the furthest and fishing a different area each day to stay on fresh fish, Drew Cook’s three-day total of 77-6 gave him a 2-11 margin of victory. In second place, Kyle Welcher fought to maintain his Progressive Angler of the Year lead. He spent the first two days in third place before moving up to second today, extending his lead from 5 to 7 points, unofficially, over Patrick Walters, who dropped to fourth. Andrew Upshaw capped off his event with his biggest bag on the final day, finishing in third.

South Carolina angler Patrick Walters finished in fourth with 71-13 and Alabama pro Justin Atkins finished fifth with 71-3.

Both Drew Cook and Jesse Wise shared the big bass honors, each landing a massive 6-pound, 10-ounce smallmouth on day two.

Cook Goes Wire-to-Wire

Committing to Lake Ontario and the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, Georgia pro Drew Cook earned his first NPFL victory with a three-day total of 77-6. He took the Day 1 lead with 27-2, the biggest bag of the tournament, and when most struggled to catch big bags on Day 2, he added 25-8 and extended his lead.

On the final day, Cook returned to the big lake and fished another new area, but it took a bit of time to get going. Once he settled around lunchtime, he got into a “newish” area and started catching fish.

“Today was a grind,” he said. “I had a few good fish, but I had to really keep moving to find bigger ones than the high 3s, low 4-pounders I was around. I fished different areas each day, but today I fished a new area I hadn’t been to yet, and caught three of my weigh fish from it.”

2025 NPFL St. Lawrence River Day 2: Drew Cook Leads with 27-07lbs!

Cook Expands NPFL Lead at St. Lawrence River, Welcher Maintains Narrow AOY Lead.

NPFL Press Release

With launch in Massena, New York, the top anglers continue to make the long run toward Lake Ontario, battling big smallmouth cruising the shallow sand flats.

Leading the charge for two consecutive days, Georgia pro Drew Cook has extended his lead at Stop Five of the 2025 NPFL Season at the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York to 3 pounds, 2 ounces.

South Carolina angler Patrick Walters, who started in second place, remains there with 22-8 on a tougher Day Two, keeping him in contention. Alabama pro Kyle Welcher stayed consistent with 24-3 on Day Two, maintaining third place and, more importantly, holding onto his lead in the Progressive Angler of the Year race. All three anglers are making significant runs and have relied on mild weather conditions to catch better-than-average-sized bass.

Robert Wroblewski led the big bass race on Day One with a 6-7 lunker, but Drew Cook took over the big bass honors with a 6-10 smallmouth today.

Cook Cruising in New York

With a two-day total of 52-10, Drew Cook is one day away from earning his first NPFL victory. He started on Day One with a solid 27-2 limit and followed it up on Day Two with 25-8, anchored by a 6-10 big bass. His consistent performance has him 3 pounds, 2 ounces ahead of second-place Patrick Walters.

Like the other top anglers, Cook is focusing his efforts around the mouth of Lake Ontario, and several spots further up the river, rotating through flats where smallmouth are both spawning and roaming. As the tournament goes on and anglers spread out, the pressure is making things tougher.

TOP 10 BELOW

2025 NPFL St. Lawrence River Day 1: Drew Cook Leads with 27-07lbs!

Drew Cook jumps out on top after day one on the St. Lawrence River.

Drew Cook makes long run to Lake Ontario (Photo: NPFL)

NPFL Press Release

Long runs and giant smallmouth – that’s the story of Day One and, frankly, the entire event. Launching in Massena, New York, about 95 miles from Lake Ontario, the early summer conditions are perfect for catching big bass. Drew Cook leads the pack with a 27-2 bag, anchored by a 6-pound smallmouth.

In second place by just 2 ounces, South Carolina angler Patrick Walters weighed in 27-0 and capitalized on a strong start this morning. Kyle Welcher sits in third place with 24-13, while Andrew Ready and Andrew Upshaw are tied for fourth with 24-8.

Robert Wroblewski leads big bass with a 6-7 lunker. Progressive AOY leader Kyle Welcher is in third place with 24-13 on Day One. Greg Hackney, who started the event in second place for AOY, is in 13th, keeping the top anglers tight in contention. Coming into the event, Cook was in 8th place and is now looking to climb the leaderboard with a strong performance this week.

Cook Crushes Day One

Fully committed to fishing “near the mouth” of Lake Ontario, Drew Cook decent run and bounced between several spots, catching better-than-average smallmouth at each. With no forward-facing sonar in the NPFL, he kept things simple—targeting hard structure and keeping a bait around fish.

“It took me a little while to get to my fish, but I stopped and hit a couple of places on the way,” he said. “I’m not doing anything special—just fishing typical smallmouth stuff and targeting areas where they’re setting up.”

He caught his leading limit in about three hours and feels confident heading into Day Two, with similar conditions in the forecast.

“The hardest part is getting there, getting back, and being efficient with my time,” he said. “Yesterday, the forecast showed clouds and rain, but now it looks like tomorrow might be similar to today—and I’m good with that.”

Walters Off to Strong Start

Making a strong start, South Carolina angler Patrick Walters kicked off his day in the river, quickly putting a couple of keepers in the well. Staying true to his style, he bounced between multiple spots around the river mouth, landing big smallmouth along the way.

TOP 10 BELOW

2024 Humminbird Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence Day 2: Gee & Cory Johnston Tied for Lead!

Canadians Gustafson 14th, Chris Johnston 31st & Gallant 84th

By David A. Brown

BASS Press Release

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — He knows where the giants live, and that hard-earned insight rewarded Cory Johnston in a big way.

Sacking up a 27-pound, 7-ounce limit, the Canadian superstar from Otonabee, Ontario, matched rookie Robert Gee with a two-day total of 52-7 to tie for the lead on Day 2 of the Humminbird Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River.

“I had one big pod of fish that I could catch one off of every once in a while, and I’d have to leave it alone and go back to it,” Johnston said. “It could’ve been one of those special days; I had a 6-pounder in my hand, and it got off.”

Johnston, who claimed his first blue trophy by dominating the season’s fourth Elite Series event at the St. Johns River, placed fourth on Day 1 with 25-0 and has been fishing in open water and targeting an 80-yard stretch of bottom in about 40 feet. The spot holds a smattering of giant smallmouth, but they’re extremely sensitive.

“I’ll catch one and then they shut down,” Johnston said.

When this happens, time and distance seem to be the best remedy.

“I’m making a big run away from the spot (between catches),” Johnston said of his dual-purpose strategy. “I don’t want to be seen on this spot. There were locals out there fishing all around me. It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Johnston said he’s using a four-bait rotation. All have produced quality fish. As Johnston explained, picky smallmouth have required a diverse and strategic approach.

“This place just gets the hell beat out of it,” Johnston said of how the smallmouth have shown a marked response to increasing pressure. “It’s like night and day from even two years ago.”

2023 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River Day 3: Patrick Walters Take Control; Welcher Wins Angler of the Year!

Canadians: Christ Johnston 3rd, Cory Johnston 7th  & Gallant 18th

Patrick Walters of Summerville, S.C., is leading after Day 3 of the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with a three-day total of 80 pounds, 6 ounces.  (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

CLAYTON, N.Y. — Patrick Walters had a solid game plan, but calling a Day 1 audible ultimately allowed him to reach the three-day total of 80 pounds, 6 ounces that leads the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River.

 

“I threw back a 5-2 and a 5-3 today,” said Walters, a Summerville, S.C., native vying for his fifth B.A.S.S. win. “When I culled those fish, I knew I’d have a great day and it was time to head to the hill.”

 

Walters started strong with a Day 1 limit of 24-14, then added 27-3 on Friday. Semifinal Saturday saw him catch 28-5 — his best bag so far and the event’s second-heaviest catch. He heads into Championship Sunday with a 1-1 advantage over Kyle Welcher.

 

Hailing from Opelika, Ala., Welcher locked up the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year title Saturday. The award comes with a $100,000 first-place prize.

 

“I really can’t even believe it’s true just yet,” Welcher said in his trademark measured tone. “This is going to be my proudest moment in fishing for a long time.”

 

Days 2 and 3 saw Walters making an hour-long run into Lake Ontario, where he targeted unpressured fish over shoals on the Canadian side. When Day 1 brought strong southerly winds and 6- to 8-foot waves, Walters decided to forgo the rough ride and fish at the mouth of the St. Lawrence.

 

Doing so gave his spot a rest and when Walters fished there the next two days, he caught his fish quickly. That allowed him time to locate other spots, some of which contributed to his limits.

2023 Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River Day1: Bryant Smith Smashes Smallmouth Tournament Record!

Canadians: Chris Johnston 2nd, Gallant 3rd, Cory Johnston 51st  & Gustafson 55th  

Bryant Smith set a new B.A.S.S. record when he put five smallmouth bass on the scale that weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces (Photo: BASS)

BASS PRESS RELEASE

CLAYTON, N.Y. —Elite Series rookie Bryant Smith set a new B.A.S.S. record when he put five smallmouth bass on the scale that weighed 29 pounds, 5 ounces, Thursday. That broke a 25-year-old record set by Chuck Economou of 29-1 at Pickwick Lake in 1988.

And here’s the thing, Smith said he caught and released a heavier best five, unofficially, in practice on Wednesday.

“On my scale, it was almost 32 pounds,” Smith said. “That scared the crap out of me because usually when I have a day like that, I get so locked in that I struggle the next day or in the tournament. I don’t like having a good practice.”

Smith’s record-setting smallmouth limit was the headliner on the first day of the Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River. But there were plenty of other accolades on a day when Lake Ontario’s rough water made fishing conditions less than ideal.

Chris Johnston weighed-in what is now the fourth-biggest smallmouth bag in Elite Series history with 28-3. His brother Cory’s 28-8 last year is the only other heavier one, after Smith’s and Economou’s.

If this was just the opening fireworks show, it could really get spectacular if lesser winds make more of Lake Ontario accessible the next three days. While this year’s Day 1 when 48 anglers weighed limits of 20 pounds or better, didn’t match last year’s Day 1 total of 61, it created some high anticipation for the next three days when the 2023 Elite Series season comes to an end.

Chris Johnston Wins Toyota Series Northern Division with 77-15lbs!

Johnston brothers score 1st and 2nd on giant smallmouth!
(Photo: MLF) 

JODY WHITE • TOYOTA SERIES

MASSENA, N.Y. – Getting the monkey off his back in style, Chris Johnston plopped 27 pounds, 6 ounces on the scale on the final day of the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Northern Division event on the St. Lawrence River for the win. With a 77-15 total, Chris Johnston lead wire-to-wire and beat his brother Cory Johnston by more than 7 pounds. Taking home $39,048, he also qualified for this fall’s Toyota Series Championship on Pickwick Lake.

Though he’s an FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. Elite Series champion, Chris Johnston has been foiled by Toyota Series events on the St. Lawrence and the associated waters too many times over the last several years. After running hundreds of miles over the last three days, going from Massena to Lake Ontario each day, he finally got it done.

“I was thinking about it running back up the river, thinking ‘If I get back, I’ve finally got this off my back,’” Chris Johnston said. “It’s pretty good. I’ve obviously won tournaments, but this place is special to me. To win this one here, it means a lot. They’ve bit me in the ass too many times, always something has gone wrong. Today I jumped off a 6 before I had a good one in the boat, and my co-angler had like three good ones. Then, I broke a 6 ½ off, I was like ‘Oh no, this is gonna happen again.’ Then I finally got some in the boat, but it was going through my mind, I was sweating a little bit today.”

Catching 25-pound bags each of the first two days, Chris Johnston mixed in a river bass or two both times. On Day 3, he sent it straight to the lake to close things in style.

“It was good, but I didn’t have a lot of time,” he said. “People think it’s easy to go out there and catch a big bag, but it’s really not. I don’t have a spot that’s loaded, I only hit two spots today, but they’re not loaded, I had to work for them. I needed all four hours to catch them. Today, my starting spot never had a bass on it. On Day 2, I hit two that were dry. That’s what’s scary, when you’re making that run, if you hit two spots in a row that don’t have them, you don’t have enough time to be running around.”

Chris Johnston Wallops 25-7 on Day 1 at Toyota Series Event o!n St. Lawrence River

Chris Johnston doesn't make the run to Lake Ontario. 
Brother Cory is sitting in 3rd. (Photo: MLF)

By Jody White 

MLF Press Release

For the second stop of the Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Northern Division on the St. Lawrence River, there didn’t seem to be much doubt that the smallmouth factory would show out. With Canadian waters and Lake Ontario in play, the field had plenty of room to work and work they did.  

After Day 1, 28 bags weighing 20 pounds or more hit the scale, and Canadian superstar Chris Johnston set the pace with a whopping 25-pound, 7-ounce limit. Behind him, three other pros cracked the 23-pound mark and four bested 22 pounds.

Electing not to make a giant run into Ontario for his fish, Johnston stayed in the river to get off on the right foot.

“Not that I don’t want a part of it, but I didn’t want to go today, because I had something else lined up,” Johnston said. “I’m probably going to go fish it again tomorrow and see if there’s anything left. Tomorrow is supposed to be windy, so it’s not going to be a great day for the lake. If I need to I might go out there for an hour or so, but we’ll see what the wind is like, it might be a river day for me.”

One of the best at the 1000 Islands, Johnston’s worst finish since 2016 on the fishery is third. Typically, he’s done his best work out in the lake. This time, it sounds like he has a chance to keep the river train rolling.

“I’ve been practicing the river because I keep getting burned here when the lake is off-limits,” he said. “I’ve got a few spots in the river, I don’t know if I can get 25 again, but there’s some fish left.”

Plying a drop-shot with a secret bait, it sounds like Johnston is on a roll.

“It was all deep, anywhere from 20 to 45 feet,” he said. “I caught a ton of fish, it was hard to get a big one. I never really had a kicker, they’re all clones. Out here now, a 5-pounder is honestly kinda average, you need a 6-pounder to get up and over.”

Top 10 Pros

1. Chris Johnston – 25 – 07 (5)           

2. Justin Atkins – 23 – 15 (5)  

2. Cory Johnston – 23 – 15 (5)

4. Matt Becker – 23 – 06 (5)   

2021 Tackle Warehouse Pro Tour St. Lawrence River Day 2: Cifuentes Claims Lead with 43-03lbs!

Canadian Erik Luzak 9th

Consistency key to Cifuentes climb into the lead. 
(Photo: MLF)

TACKLE WAREHOUSE PRO CIRCUIT

Press Release

Many anglers figured it’d take at least 20 pounds a day to compete for the win in the Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Presented by Bad Boy Mowers event on the St. Lawrence. And after Day 1, 14 anglers had eclipsed the mark, with nine more within a pound of it to get the Savage Arms Stop 6 Presented by Abu Garcia off to a rollicking start.

Today, the number hitting the magic 20-pound mark got chopped hard.

Only six bags over 20 pounds crossed the stage today, and only five anglers have averaged that now for two days (six if you count Miles Howe being 1 ounce off).

It was a day of surviving strong, cold-front winds and some fickle smallmouth, and Joey Cifuentes survived the best to the tune of 18-14 today to get him to 43-3 for the event.

“Today was tough with the wind,” said the man many call “Cowboy.” “The fish were not biting really well. You want to bring your bait naturally with the current, but the wind was so bad and going against the current you couldn’t.

“Regardless, I’m on top and fishing Day 3. So, I’m pumped.”

Cifuentes is fishing deep humps in the Clayton area and got off to a strong start this morning with a pair of 4-pounders to get him around 17 pounds by the time he left his main area.

From there, he started trying different things, even going shallow to fish for largemouth at one point. While no green fish helped, he bounced around enough to keep culling up a few ounces at a time.  

Based on the rest of the field, the move shallow was the right call, as the majority of the bigger bags today came up shallow, especially once the sun popped out later in the day. That said, the majority of Cifuentes’ weight has come from those deep humps, and he admits it’ll be hard to leave them the rest of the event.

“I’m kind of zoned in on the deep deal,” Cifuentes said. “I just don’t know if my area is going to replenish. So, I’m going to start there [on Day 3], but I need to expand there. I’m going to have to find some new stuff. That’s just my gut.”

Fortunately, he feels he has plenty of new stuff to hit, as he has a number of areas and patterns from practice that he dabbled in today that produced fish. Still, the potential of his main area will play big in his mind.

TOP 10 BELOW

2021 Bassmaster Elite St. Lawrence River Day 3: Cory Johnston Leads with 68-10lbs!

Chris Johnston 3rd & Gustafson 18th

Cory Johnston ready to score Canadian
hat trick with Elite win!
(Photo: BASS) 

BASS PRESS RELEASE

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — For the past three days, Cory Johnston has mentioned saving certain fish he’d previously located for when he needed a big bite. On Saturday, he started with a trio of those difference-makers and took over the Day 3 lead of the Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with a three-day total of 68 pounds, 10 ounces.

 

Hailing from Cavan, Canada, Johnston tied his younger brother Chris for second place on Day 1 with 23-7. He added 22-2 on Friday and slipped to third before moving into the top spot with Saturday’s limit of 23-1. Heading into Championship Sunday, Johnston leads Alabama pro Justin Atkins by 12 ounces.

 

Johnston said the smallmouth he targeted first were bed fish in about 8 feet. Picking off three solid keepers in short order gave him an early cushion and allowed him to “go fishing.”

 

“I fished a lot of shallow stuff today — 15 feet or less,” Johnston said. “Every spot was different; some were rock, some were sand, some were weed. It was a mix of everything.

 

“The strategy was: hit as many spots as you can and hope you get the right ones to bite.”

 

As he’s done the first two days, Johnston said he fished multiple spots throughout a 90-mile stretch from the take-off area to Chaumont Bay outside the mouth of the St. Lawrence. He caught his fish on a drop shot with an 8- to 10-inch leader.

 

“I had a limit by the noon hour,” Johnston said. “I upgraded a little bit, but not much. I didn’t want to burn too many fish.”

 

Essential to his execution was Johnston’s use of a Flogger — a cone-shaped device with a clear, flat screen that sits at the water’s surface and allows him to view details below. Similar to looking through a dive mask, without the submersion, the Flogger provides key perspective that aids in presentation.

 

2019 Bassmaster Elite St. Lawrence River Day 3: Chris Johnston Slim Lead Over Zaldain.

Johnston in position to become first Canadian Elite Champion.

By James Hall

BASS PRESS RELEASE

Johnston ready to gamble for first Elite win.
(Photo: BASS)

The leaderboard is getting interesting at the 2019 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet, as Canadian Chris Johnston maintained the top spot after three days of competition. His 19-pound, 1-ounce limit gave him an impressive three-day total of 66-5. However, his lead is miniscule.

“I had a really tough day,” Johnston admitted. “I started in the same place I have started the past two days. I immediately lost a 5 1/2 pounder. That hurt. I caught only one keeper, a 3-pounder, over the next hour. The cloud cover made it impossible to see the fish, so I couldn’t work them like I needed to. So, I left and went to new water.”

Although most anglers wouldn’t call catching over 19 pounds a tough day, Johnston’s limits have been shrinking since Day 1. He weighed in the event’s largest limit on Day 1 (24-7), and 22-13 on Day 2.

“I was afraid my fish would run out. I have a tough decision to make tonight. I may trash everything I’ve been doing and head toward Lake Ontario. I practiced up there and know that the winning limit can be caught there. I just have to decide whether it’s worth the gamble,” said Johnston.

 If the gamble pays off, Johnston would be the first Canadian angler in history to win an Elite Series event.

A scant 6 ounces distant sits Texas-based pro Chris Zaldain. His monster Day 3 limit of 23-12 gives him 65-15 heading into Championship Sunday.

“I couldn’t hardly sleep last night because I was looking forward to this morning. The wind, the clouds … everything set up perfectly for the area I’m fishing,” he said.

However, his morning started off slowly. “I fished my first three primary spots and didn’t get a bite. However, I made a key adjustment by sliding out just a little deeper and caught the 5-11 and 5-15 on back-to back drops.” Zaldain said the problem was not catching the fish, but finding them.

Todd Currie and Shawn Stenson Win the 2019 Renegade Bass Tour 1000 Island Open with 68.17lbs!

Monster Smallmouth Fest

By Luigi De Rose

Todd Currie and Shawn Stenson's 5.6lb smallmouth
average is just staggering.
(Photo: Andrew Shufelt)

The three-day Renegade 1000 Island Open had perfect conditions to tame the giant bass and the 100 bass teams didn’t disappoint. None fish better than the team of Todd Currie and Shawn Stenson who landed 12 bass for 68.17lbs to claim the title plus $15 384 in prize money. Their 12 bass averaged a whopping 5.6lb average. Second place went to Fab Marchese and Nick Cousivis who scored 62.50lbs and third went to Mike Desforges and Derek Strub who sack 60.42lbs.

The Renegade 1000 Island Open shone a spotlight on the amazing bass fishing to be had in the eastern Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River region. This is giant smallmouth territory but many anglers added big bonus largemouth to help them scale the leaderboard.  

This year, the 2-person team daily limit was set at 4 down from the traditional 5 bass limit. This was enacted to ensure greater success in fish being released healthy; a chore considering the hot weather, long boat rides and fish being caught from deep water common to this event. In light of the recent disaster at the B1 bass tournament on the St. Lawrence where hundreds of fish were killed, the 4 bass daily limit seemed wise and very timely.

The event’s big bass was captured by the team of Cal and Paul Climpson who netted $960 for their prehistoric 7.87 lb bass.

Rob Hyatt and Ray Willick were the lucky anglers to win the “Turn the Key to Win” a fully rigged Bass Cat Bass boat package.

For full results link over to Renegade Bass Tour.

TOP TEN

1 Todd Currie / Shawn Stenson 68.17 LBS.

2 Fab Marchese / Nick Cousivis 62.50 LBS.

3 Mike Desforges / Derek Strub 60.42 LBS.

4 Cal Climpson / Paul Climpson 59.94 LBS.

5 Mitch Griffiths / Ron Griffiths 59.06 LBS.

 6 Brian Hughes / Anais Chaves 58.90 LBS.

7 Roger Tetreault / Pierre Senecal 58.35 LBS.

8 Mat Seeley / Mark Stoughton 58.21 LBS.

9 Phillip Hegarty / Stephan Hegarty 58.15 LBS.

10 Martin Szomolanyi / Chad Wentzell 57.92 LBS.

Kyle Hall Wins 2018 Costa FLW Series Northern Division 1000 Islands with 68-11lbs!

Bad weather forces anglers to river only. 

by Kyle Wood

FLW PRESS RELEASE

With the top 10 confined to the St. Lawrence River for the final day of the Costa FLW Series Northern Division event at the 1000 Islands, the fishing was much tougher than days one and two. That didn’t matter much to Kyle Hall, who weighed another 18 pounds, 10 ounces to finish off a wire-to-wire win with a total of 68-11. Presented by Navionics, the last event of the Northern Division season paid the young Rio Vista, Texas, pro $45,700 for his efforts.

Hall’s summer vacation up north couldn’t have worked out any better. After fishing in the Bassmaster Open a month ago at Champlain, his friend Dakota Ebare convinced him to stay north and hop in the FLW Series event. Now, the 1000 Islands is his new favorite place.

“I can’t believe that happened,” Hall says of the win. “I put a lot of work in for this tournament and it feels awesome to win.”

While Hall’s extended time in the north country no doubt helped him find the juice, it was also pivotal for learning how the fish set up in the river.

“I put most of my time in on the river,” says Hall. “I knew there would likely be a day like today where the lake would be off-limits and I really thought the river was more consistent. I could get bit on the lake and it would be a 5-pounder, but the rest of the school would leave. On the river, I could catch a 5-pounder and there’d be more with it.

“Learning how the fish would set up in the current was huge,” continues Hall. “I found a school of fish in practice and I would go back to them every day to see how they set up in different wind directions and different weather. It showed me they wouldn’t leave the spot, but they may slide deeper or shallower.”

Current breaks along the main river channel in anywhere from 20 to 40 feet were the deal for Hall. He fished about 20 different breaks, sometimes hitting certain ones multiple times throughout the day. Additionally, he says he hit at least 15 spots in the lake on day two – which can be chalked up to nerves getting the best of him.

Neil Deleeuw & Brent Cescon Win 2018 1000 Island Open with 75.40lbs!

1000 Island Region true winner of this smallmouth fest.

By Luigi De Rose

True champs of the smallmouth.
(Photo: Renegade Bass)

Place - Team	Weight	BF	Weight	BF	Weight	BF	Total	From First
1-Neil Deleeuw / Brent Cescon	24.91	5.56	26.74	6.19	23.75	0	75.4	0
2-Paul Shibata / Curtis Richardson	27.08	6.04	23.61	0	23.59	0	74.28	1.12
3-Mike Desforges / Derek Strub	24.42	0	25.65	0	24.41	5.74	73.98	1.42
4-Neil Farlow / Tom Streek	22.38	0	25.37	5.67	25.01	0	72.26	3.14
5-Erny Janzen / Franklin Janzen	24.91	5.65	22.72	0	24.58	0	71.71	3.69
6-Bob Izumi / Darren Izumi	24.23	0	23.73	6.36	22.76	0	70.72	4.68
7-Wayne Cooper / Steven OReilly	20.1	0	24.34	5.52	26.4	6.02	70.34	5.06
8-Andy Kinstler / Dave Roy	26.48	5.68	22.29	0	21.51	0	70.28	5.12
9-Mitch Griffiths / Ron Griffiths	23.43	5.82	20.63	5.58	25.32	6.66	69.38	6.02
10-Jeff Kerr / John Yancoulis	23.24	0	25.19	5.97	20.33	0	68.76	6.64

Interview with winners

https://www.facebook.com/renegadebass/videos/10157070032541874/UzpfSTg2NjE2NTE5MDoxMDE2MDc3Mjk2OTg4NTE5MQ/?id=866165190