Story by Justin Brouillard | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
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.
“It took me about 15 minutes to get dialed in, but the fish are doing exactly what I wanted,” he said. “This afternoon, on my way back, I hit a spot and caught some bigger fish than I expected. I might start there tomorrow.”
With a couple of upgrades at the end of the day, Walters is considering a change in strategy for Day Two. He may skip the long run and stick to fishing the river, where he feels he can make the most of his time.
“I’m doing what I always do—this is the St. Lawrence, there are fish everywhere. I’m fishing a bunch of different finesse baits, including a Hatch Match Goby-style bait and several Zoom plastics,” he explained. “Just bouncing around and catching big old smallies.”
Top Ten After Day One – St. Lawrence River:
Drew Cook 27-2
Patrick Walters 27-0
Kyle Welcher 24-13
Andrew Ready 24-8
Andrew Upshaw 24-8
Jesse Wise 24-4
Cole Harris 24-0
Justin Adkins 23-13
Shane Lehew 23-12
Jason Christie 23-7
