If results of the Kingston Canadian Open last weekend are any indication, BassFans could see someone bring in 100 pounds of smallmouth bass at the upcoming St. Lawrence River Elite Series. It'll take some good fortune and likely some calm winds, but it's possible.
Chris Johnston, of Peterborough, Ont., won the 3-day Kingston Open with a total of 69.3 pounds, including a tournament-best final-day stringer of 26 pounds even that catapulted him from 8th place after day 2 to the $20,000 victory.
The event was staged out of Kingston, Ont., located on the north shore of Lake Ontario near the mouth of the St. Lawrence at the doorstep of the Thousand Islands.
Johnston, who has two career Top-10 finishes in EverStart Series events at the Thousand Islands, mixed jerkbaits and dropshot presentations to catch his fish out on Lake Ontario. While the Elite Series event will launch out of Waddington, N.Y., it's expected some pros will make the long run to the lake next week in hopes of finding fish similar to what Johnston caught.
Here's a quick rundown of his winning gear:
> Dropshot gear: 6'10" medium-action G. Loomis NRX spinning rod, Shimano Sustain 2500 spinning reel, 10-pound PowerPro braided line, unnamed 8-pound fluorocarbon (leader), unnamed 1/2-oz. dropshot weight, unnamed #1 dropshot hook, Jackall Crosstail Shad (unnamed color).
> Jerkbait gear: 6'10" medium-action Shimano Crucial spinning rod, same reel, same line, Jackall Squad Minnow 115 (matte white).
To read more about Johnston's victory, click here.
