From 75th to 46th to 12th to 7th.
That was Steve Kennedy's daily progression in the standings at last week's St. Lawrence River Bassmaster Elite Series. It was an amazing feat considering how tight the weights were throughout the 99-angler field.
His day-2 sack (19-10) was nearly 5 pounds heavier than the one he caught on day 1 (14-12), and that allowed him to slip inside the 50-cut. He improved by more than 4 pounds again on day 3 (23-14), and that got him a spot in the Top 12. He finished with a 19-12 stringer that bumped him up another 5 places.
"I was pretty tickled," he said. "I've got a Classic spot locked down now (he's up to 11th in the points), and that certainly wasn't the case after day 1 or day 2.
"It felt good to do it, I promise you."
He started day 1 on a place where he'd gotten a high quantity of bites during practice, but the best five of the 20 fish he caught there that morning weighed only 13 pounds. He spent the final 30 minutes in a shallow-water area where he'd caught a 5-pounder on a swimbait on one of the practice days and landed just one of his four bites – the smallest one (2-14).
That latter place would be the key to his success the rest of the way. He downsized his line and went to a smaller swimbait for day 2, which produced great results. He expanded on the area the following day, when he boxed the massive quintet that was headed by a 5-13.
He caught a 5-04 on the swimbait that day, but his other weigh-in fish were enticed by either a goby imitation or a Kinami Flash on a dropshot rig. He caught everything on the swimbait on the final day.
Many of the big fish in his honey hole were relating to zebra mussel beds in 6 feet of water or less and he saw them prior to casting to them.
"I felt like I was on the best fish in the river and there was nobody else around," he said. "If I'd caught on day 1 what I averaged the last 3 days, I could've finished 2nd."
His immediate goal is to remain among the Top 15 in the points through the season finale at Lake St. Clair next week. That would qualify him for two Toyota Texas Bass Classics – the first this fall and the second next spring.
"I really hope my wife paid my (PAA) dues," he said.
The Sunline Strong Performer, which focuses on the angler who makes the most significant single-day move in the standings at each tour-level event, is brought to you by the great people at Sunline.
