By B.A.S.S. Communication Staff
Leveraging a Bass Fishing 101 concept, rookie Jay Przekurat caught a Day-2 limit of 25 pounds, 8 ounces and took over the lead St. Lawrence River Bassmaster Elite Series with a two-day total of 52-05.
Hailing from Stevens Point, Wis., the first-year Elite pro heads into day 3 with a margin of 1-13 over Canadian Cory Johnston.
Returning to Lake Ontario where he caught 26-13 on Day 1, Przekurat fished a dropshot and a marabou jig to put together his second-round weight. Finding his bass in what he termed a mid-depth range, Przekurat said the postspawn zone held an obvious attraction.
“This is an area where postspawners are trickling out,” Przekurat said. “The only difference between that area and other areas I have is there’s bait there. You can see it on the graph; it’s all over the place.
“The fish come up and jump and eat bait. It’s crazy.”
Przekurat said his area is rich with big bass, but the abundance of food – a typical postspawn priority – is making them difficult to catch. Competing with nature’s seasonal buffet is always challenging, but Przekurat said lure selection is not his only consideration.
“Baits don’t matter; it’s all about time of day and when the wind picks up,” he said. “This morning, I couldn’t do anything wrong. I’d throw (a bait) in there and they’d bite it.”
An early wind blowing onto his spot also benefitted Przekurat’s effort.
“Once it slicked off, it got really hard to get a bite,” he said. “This morning, when we turned the corner (out of the river), all of a sudden the wind was blowing. When I got there, it was instantly bang, bang, bang.
“Once 10 o’clock came around, it got really tough. They’d follow a bait down, look at it, touch it, but they wouldn’t bite it. I probably had 50 fish that did that. You could try every bait in the house, but you’re not going to get a bite.”
Przekurat said he enjoyed a good morning bite, but the midday doldrums tested his patience. The afternoon saw a resurgence, but Przekurat made a strategic decision to relocate.
“I got out of there because I wanted to start making my way back at noon,” he said. “I actually have another area where I caught a 5 1/2 and a 4 1/2 by 12:30.
“That’s my secondary area that I was going to save, but I had to go to it today. I was only at, like, 23 pounds and I knew I needed to get up there again.”
After boosting his bag in that second spot, Przekurat started making his way back to the weigh-in site. He made a stop in the St. Lawrence River and missed a final upgrade opportunity when a 5-pounder bit but came unbuttoned.
Johnston, who makes his home in Cavan, Ontario, added 24-05 to the 26-03 he weighed on Day 1 and gained a spot from 3rd to 2nd with a two-day total of 50-08. Johnston, winner of last year’s Bassmaster Northern Open on the St. Lawrence River, started his day fishing familiar spots on Lake Ontario.
“I ran straight to the lake and then I finished off in the river today,” Johnston said. “I just had some specific spots in the lake I wanted to get to before other guys got to them.
“I have a lot of spots in the lake that I haven’t even gotten to. I don’t know what I (might be) saving, because I don’t know what’s on a lot of them.”
Johnston said the fishery currently has fish in spawning and prespawn mode, so he’s leveraging both options. He threw a wide array of finesse presentations and caught his limit on several different baits.
Austin Felix of Eden Prairie, Minn., has turned in a remarkably consistent performance by matching the 25-pound bag he weighed on Day 1 exactly on Day 2 for an even 50-pound total. Despite his success, Felix said he’s planning to adjust his game plan for Day 3.
“I’ve been starting shallower each day because I figured the shallow fish would be heartier and I wouldn’t have to worry as much about fish care,” Felix said. “But it seems like the shallower fish are not as far along in the spawn, so they’re actually weaker.
“I’ve been culling out most of my bag with deep fish, so tomorrow I think I’m just going to go straight to the deep fish.”
Noting that he’s fishing a group of islands south of the river mouth, Felix threw dropshots and Ned rigs in 25 to 40 feet. He mostly targeted rock spines, high spots and sandy spots he had marked in previous tournaments.
Saturday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at the Antique Boat Museum. The weigh-in will be held at the museum at 3 p.m. Only the Top 10 anglers will advance to Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.
Day 2 Standings
1. Jay Przekurat -- Stevens Point, WI -- 10, 52-05 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 26-13 -- Day 2: 5, 25-08
2. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, ON -- 10, 50-08 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 26-03 -- Day 2: 5, 24-05
3. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 10, 50-00 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 25-00 -- Day 2: 5, 25-00
4. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 10, 49-10 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 21-15 -- Day 2: 5, 27-11
5. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 10, 49-04 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 24-07 -- Day 2: 5, 24-13
6. Greg Hackney -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 49-00 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 24-04 -- Day 2: 5, 24-12
7. Chris Johnston -- Otonabee, ON -- 10, 49-00 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 24-10 -- Day 2: 5, 24-06
8. Bob Downey -- Detroit Lakes, MN -- 10, 48-08 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 22-13 -- Day 2: 5, 25-11
9. Taku Ito -- Chiba, JAPAN -- 10, 48-06 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 22-05 -- Day 2: 5, 26-01
10. Jacob Foutz -- Charleston, TN -- 10, 48-01 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 27-15 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02
11. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 10, 47-14 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 25-02 -- Day 2: 5, 22-12
12. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 10, 47-12 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 25-07 -- Day 2: 5, 22-05
13. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 47-03 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 25-09 -- Day 2: 5, 21-10
14. Matt Robertson -- Kuttawa, KY -- 10, 47-01 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 23-14 -- Day 2: 5, 23-03
15. Drew Benton -- Blakely, GA -- 10, 46-15 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 20-15 -- Day 2: 5, 26-00
16. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 10, 46-13 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 23-06 -- Day 2: 5, 23-07
17. Drew Cook -- Cairo, GA -- 10, 46-12 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 27-06
18. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, ON -- 10, 46-09 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 22-07 -- Day 2: 5, 24-02
19. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 46-06 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 25-03 -- Day 2: 5, 21-03
20. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 10, 46-01 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 21-15 -- Day 2: 5, 24-02
21. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 10, 45-14 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 21-07 -- Day 2: 5, 24-07
22. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, AL -- 10, 45-11 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 22-01 -- Day 2: 5, 23-10
23. Justin Atkins -- Florence, AL -- 10, 45-10 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 22-04 -- Day 2: 5, 23-06
24. Kenta Kimura -- Osaka, JAPAN -- 10, 45-10 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 22-15 -- Day 2: 5, 22-11
25. KJ Queen -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 45-09 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 23-01 -- Day 2: 5, 22-08
26. Alex Redwine -- Blue Ash, OH -- 10, 45-07 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 23-04 -- Day 2: 5, 22-03
27. Derek Hudnall -- Denham Springs, LA -- 10, 45-06 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 25-02 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04
28. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 10, 45-03 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 23-11
29. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 10, 44-15 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 21-05 -- Day 2: 5, 23-10
30. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 10, 44-14 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 22-09 -- Day 2: 5, 22-05
31. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 44-11 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 23-04 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07
32. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 44-11 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 23-03
33. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 44-09 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 19-10 -- Day 2: 5, 24-15
34. Hunter Shryock -- Ooltewah, TN -- 10, 44-07 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 20-13 -- Day 2: 5, 23-10
35. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 44-06 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 18-13 -- Day 2: 5, 25-09
36. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 43-11 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 22-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-03
37. Pat Schlapper -- Eleva, WI -- 10, 43-06 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 23-02 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04
38. Cody Huff -- Ava, MO -- 10, 42-13 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-05
39. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 10, 42-10 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 20-11 -- Day 2: 5, 21-15
40. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 10, 42-06 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 21-11 -- Day 2: 5, 20-11
41. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 42-04 -- 60
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 21-11
42. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 10, 42-01 -- 59
Day 1: 5, 21-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-08
43. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 10, 41-15 -- 58
Day 1: 5, 21-10 -- Day 2: 5, 20-05
44. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 10, 41-14 -- 57
Day 1: 5, 23-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06
45. Jacob Powroznik -- North Prince George, VA 10 -- 41-11 -- 56
Day 1: 5, 21-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-15
46. Masayuki Matsushita -- Tokoname-Shi, JAPAN -- 10, 41-10 -- 55
Day 1: 5, 19-03 -- Day 2: 5, 22-07
47. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 10, 41-09 -- 54
Day 1: 5, 19-13 -- Day 2: 5, 21-12
The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.
48. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 10, 41-07 -- 53 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 21-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-11
49. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 41-01 -- 52 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-06 -- Day 2: 5, 20-11
50. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 10, 41-00 -- 51 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 21-04 -- Day 2: 5, 19-12
51. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 10, 40-13 -- 50 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-09 -- Day 2: 5, 20-04
52. Josh Douglas -- Isle, MN -- 10, 40-10 -- 49 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-11 -- Day 2: 5, 19-15
53. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 40-09 -- 48 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 21-13
54. Gregory DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 10, 40-03 -- 47 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02
55. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 10, 40-02 -- 46 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-00 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02
56. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 10, 39-14 -- 45 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 20-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-02
57. Buddy Gross -- Chattanooga, TN -- 10, 39-10 -- 44 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 22-06 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04
58. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 10, 39-09 -- 43 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-01
59. Bryan New -- Saluda, SC -- 10, 39-08 -- 42 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-15 -- Day 2: 5, 23-09
60. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 10, 39-02 -- 41
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07
61. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 10, 39-02 -- 40
Day 1: 5, 20-11 -- Day 2: 5, 18-07
62. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 39-02 -- 39
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 20-06
63. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 39-01 -- 38
Day 1: 5, 19-14 -- Day 2: 5, 19-03
64. Mike Huff -- London, KY -- 10, 39-00 -- 37
Day 1: 5, 20-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08
65. Marc Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 38-11 -- 36
Day 1: 5, 22-04 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07
66. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 10, 38-11 -- 35
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-03
67. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 10, 38-06 -- 34
Day 1: 5, 20-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06
68. Michael Iaconelli -- Pittsgrove, NJ -- 10, 38-03 -- 33
Day 1: 5, 21-01 -- Day 2: 5, 17-02
69. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 38-03 -- 32
Day 1: 5, 20-10 -- Day 2: 5, 17-09
70. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 38-02 -- 31
Day 1: 5, 20-08 -- Day 2: 5, 17-10
71. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 10, 37-14 -- 30
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06
72. Jason Williamson -- Aiken, SC -- 10, 37-06 -- 29
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13
73. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 37-05 -- 28
Day 1: 5, 18-12 -- Day 2: 5, 18-09
74. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 10, 36-07 -- 27
Day 1: 5, 22-00 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07
75. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 10, 36-00 -- 26
Day 1: 5, 20-04 -- Day 2: 5, 15-12
76. Joshua Stracner -- Vandiver, AL -- 10, 35-12 -- 25
Day 1: 5, 19-08 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04
77. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 10, 35-09 -- 24
Day 1: 5, 16-15 -- Day 2: 5, 18-10
78. Matty Wong -- Honolulu, HI -- 10, 35-02 -- 23
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 16-12
79. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, PA -- 10, 35-02 -- 22
Day 1: 5, 17-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-15
80. Justin Hamner -- Northport, AL -- 10, 34-06 -- 21
Day 1: 5, 19-02 -- Day 2: 5, 15-04
81. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 33-00 -- 20
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 18-02
82. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 32-15 -- 19
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 14-09
83. Daisuke Aoki -- Minamitsurugun, JAPAN -- 10, 32-09 -- 18
Day 1: 5, 16-07 -- Day 2: 5, 16-02
84. Gary Clouse -- Winchester, TN -- 10, 31-14 -- 17
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12
85. Darold Gleason -- Many, LA -- 10, 31-05 -- 16
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12
86. Mark Menendez -- Paducah, KY -- 10, 30-06 -- 15
Day 1: 5, 14-01 -- Day 2: 5, 16-05
87. David Williams -- Newton, NC -- 10, 30-02 -- 14
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-08
88. Joseph Webster -- Hamilton, AL -- 10, 28-15 -- 13
Day 1: 5, 17-09 -- Day 2: 5, 11-06
89. Jake Whitaker -- Hendersonville, NC -- 10, 28-10 -- 12
Day 1: 5, 17-02 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08
90. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 10, 26-15 -- 11
Day 1: 5, 15-08 -- Day 2: 5, 11-07
Big Bass
> Day 1: Kyle Welcher -- 6-12 -- $1,000
> Day 2: Stetson Blaylock -- 6-11 -- $1,000
