Story by Corey Casey | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
I just got back from the St. Lawrence River in Massena, New York for the 5th stop of the 2025 NPFL season and it was unforgettable. I locked up a ninth place finish against a stacked field of anglers by averaging 23 pounds of smallmouth bass a day in the three-day event. It was a huge learning experience, but I found something that worked and stayed consistent all week.
I’d heard stories about the St. Lawrence for years and it lived up to every bit of hype. Finishing in the top 10 on my first visit is something I will never forget.
The smallmouth are big, mean, and every one of them fights and jumps like they’re mad at the world. I caught my personal best smallmouth in the tournament, and then again, and again. I ended up with a new personal best of 5 pounds, 8 ounces!
My three days of practice were pretty tough. It’s a massive, intimidating body of water, and just learning how to navigate it took a lot of time and energy. Between the sheer size and the current, everything felt new and different. Not to mention I was practicing 85 miles from the takeoff ramp. It wasn’t easy or cheap, but that’s tournament fishing. You’ve got to embrace the tough ones.
The first day of practice was windy and sunny. The sun made all the difference. Smallmouths are sight feeders, and when the sun’s out, they lock onto baits better. More importantly, I could actually see them. That visibility let me locate some key spawning flats and beds to get a better understanding of what stage these fish were in. it wasn’t easy with the wind, but the sunshine gave me the best shot at putting the puzzle together. My first day practice weight was 22-plus pounds.
The second and third days of practice were a different story. Cloud cover shut down the sight game completely. With limited visibility, I couldn’t rely on bed fishing anymore. I just had to go fishing. I bounced around fishing some shallow rock and grass, but it just wasn’t good. My second practice day was good for about 17 pounds, and the third day produced about 16 pounds.
On Day 1 of the tournament, according to my Google maps measurements, I was making an 85 mile run to a gas dock in Clayton, New York. I’d fill up with gas there and then run about 10 more miles to a flat and start fishing. I settled in on that one flat and it paid off. I boxed up 22-13 of smallmouth bass to get things started on the right foot. I was in 17th place.
On Day 2 I went right back to the same flat. The quality was still there and more. With the full moon being on Day 2 of the tournament, my flat had completely reloaded overnight, and I sacked up 23-11 to move up to ninth.
Day 3 was much the same. Back to that same flat to see if more fish had moved in, and they had. I was able to catch another 22-09 to keep me in ninth place overall for the tournament.
In total, I ran over 500 miles in my Phoenix-Mercury rig. My equipment held up through every mile and every cast. I am proud of the decisions and adjustments I made throughout practice and in the tournament. It was a challenging event, but a very rewarding one.
Corey Casey – Angler Profile
