Before flying to Orlando for the ICAST show in mid-July, I spent some time on Lake St. Clair and the Mississippi River where the final two Bassmaster Elite Series tournaments of the year will take place. It was my final opportunity to visit them before the official cutoff began.
Lake St. Clair
I’m excited about Lake St. Clair. I had a good Elite derby there two years ago and finished fourth with almost 90 pounds of smallmouth. If I do as well this time, I’ll garner nearly 100 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year points, which is what I believe I’ll need to qualify for the 2026 Bassmaster Classic.
I pre-fished St. Clair for a week and caught 50 to 60 smallmouth a day. However, I found it hard to catch the 4 1/2-pounders needed to do well in a tournament there. The bass were skinny, and it appeared they haven’t recovered from the spawn. I caught only two smallmouth that looked healthy.
During the last Elite event there, 80% of the bass I caught weighed 4 to 5 pounds. I don’t know what’s going on with the bass this year. I’ve checked tournaments at St. Clair over the past couple of weeks, and the weights seem much lower than normal.
Whoever wins will sack heavy limits because some of the pros always get into quality bass there no matter how tough the fishing is. But the cut weight for a check might be lower this time around. The tournament is still a month away, so that could change.
Mississippi River
I had never been to the Mississippi River, and I’m glad I went there to look around. Although we’re allowed to fish pools 7, 8 and 9 during the tournament, I spent my entire time in Pool 8 where we’ll launch. That will give me the most time to keep a line in the water when competition begins.
Staying in Pool 8 also eliminates the risk associated with locking to another pool. Many tournament anglers have been late for a weigh-in because of a barge tied up in a lock. If I suffered that fate on the Mississippi River, it could ruin my entire year.
Pool 8 is a cool body of water. It doesn’t look big on a map, but I learned it is massive when I got on the water. There are so many backwater creeks and ponds; it’s insane how much there is to fish. I was there six days and saw only a small percentage of it.
My main goal was to learn how to get around safely and efficiently. I spent 50% of my time just idling. The river has loads of largemouth and smallmouth bass, and you can catch them with a variety of techniques. Most of the pros will likely to be fishing in water no deeper than 3 feet.
My focus will probably be on the largemouth, but I really won’t know for sure until I come back and see how my practice goes. I would love to put a frog in my hand for the entire tournament. Whatever I do, I’ll need 15 pounds a day to have a good finish.
Before the competition gets underway, I’ll enjoy my week at ICAST, chatting with fans and representing three of my sponsors who are displaying their fabulous products there — Shimano, G. Loomis and Dakota Lithium. I’m happy to mention that the Rally Shad I designed for Xzone Baits is available at many retail outlets.
