Mueller, Johnston Continue Blistering Pace

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Who needs Canadian waters, anyway? There are plenty of big smallmouth to be caught on the Stars and Stripes side of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

Paul Mueller and Chris Johnston, the leaders after Thursday's opening round, stayed on pace to catch 100 pounds over the four-day Bassmaster Elite Series event as the derby reached its midway point. Mueller boxed 25-01 on day 2 for a 52-02 aggregate and Johnston is just 6 ounces back after a 24-12 haul.

It was anticipated that weights might be down this year from past events on the venue due to the elimination of approximately half the playing field – Canadian waters are off limits because of COVID-19 restrictions. So far, it hasn't worked out that way.

"I think I'm around the caliber of fish to do it, certainly, but I just have to execute," Mueller said. "I haven't had perfect execution on either day, but that's going to happen with smallmouth – you're not going to fish totally clean in a multi-day event. I just hope I don't lose too many."

Johnston expects another big-weight round on day 3, when the wind will shift from the northeast to the southwest and blow in the direction of the river's current, which he said generally improves the bite.

"Guys are going to catch them again tomorrow," he said. "I was thinking I'd need 22 or 24 pounds, but after seeing the weights today I think I'm going to need 24 to stay in the hunt. I won't pull off tomorrow unless I've got over 24."

Clark Wendlandt maintained his hold on the No. 3 slot by catching 21-10 for a 47-13 total. Chad Morgenthaler moved up two positions with a 24-01 bag for a 47-07 total and Clifford Pirch slipped one spot to 5th with 44-02 (19-06 on day 2).

The remainder of the top 10 consists of Brock Mosley with 43-15 (19-13 on day 2), Japanese rookie Taku Ito with 43-08 (23-00), defending champion Micah Frazier with 42-09 (19-13), Mike Huff with 41-00 (19-08) and Greg DiPalma with 40-07 (20-07).

Ito and DiPalma were the only competitors who moved inside the top 10 on day 2. One of the two anglers whom they supplanted, Hunter Shryock, dropped only to 11th after an 18-06 sack as the 86-angler field was reduced to the top 40. The other, Derek Hudnall, plummeted all the way to 68th after he managed just two fish for 5-09.

Defending Angler of the Year and current points leader Scott Canterbury missed the cut in 43rd place, but made a huge move on day 2 with a 20-pound stringer after starting the day in 76th. Buddy Gross, his closest pursuer on the points list, ended the day in 34th and will get a chance to gain more ground on day 3.

Partly cloudy skies with a daily high temperature of 83 degrees are predicted for the remaining two days of the tournament. A southwest wind will pick up some steam on day 3, then is expected to blow stiffly during Sunday's final round, which could make fishing on Lake Ontario an adventure.

Mueller's bag was topped by a fish that was close to 6 pounds. He caught everything on a dropshot rig with a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm.

"That's a special bait for Great Lakes fish," he said. "I fished some new stuff today and one of the places I still feel good about, but maybe I was there at the wrong time of day because they were suspended and finicky.

"The biggest thing for me was I got off to a slow start and that could've easily spun me out, but it didn't. I was able to keep focused."

Johnston started on the same locale in the river where he'd begun day 1 and boated three fish that he ended up weighing before moving to the lake. He went through more than a dozen keepers on the day and didn't lose anything that would've helped him.

His biggest fish, a 6-04, came from the lake. He'd pulled off his best stuff by noon.

"There were two other boats on the place I started, but I only ran into one other boat on the lake," he said. "Mueller was about 700 yards away from one of my spots."

Wendlandt said he caught more keepers (at least 15 and maybe 20) than he had the previous day. All were in the 4- to 5-pound range.

"I found a couple of places toward the end of the day where I didn't even try to catch them," he said. "I could see some, but I was just thinking that if I caught a 5-pounder it would be a 1-pound cull, but I might need those fish tomorrow. Whether it was a good decision or not I have no idea right now."

Notable

> Day 2 stats – 86 anglers, 77 limits (6 fewer than day 1), 6 fours, 2 threes, 1 two.

Weather Forecast

> Sat., July 25 – Partly Cloudy - 83°/70°
- Wind: From the SW at 5 to 10 mph

> Sun., July 26 – Partly Cloudy - 83°/73°
- Wind: From the SW at 10 to 20 mph

Day 2 Standings

1. Paul Mueller -- Naugatuck, CT -- 10, 52-02 -- 100
Day 1: 5, 27-01 -- Day 2: 5, 25-01

2. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, ON -- 10, 51-12 -- 99
Day 1: 5, 27-00 -- Day 2: 5, 24-12

3. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, TX -- 10, 47-13 -- 98
Day 1: 5, 26-03 -- Day 2: 5, 21-10

4. Chad Morgenthaler -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 47-07 -- 97
Day 1: 5, 23-06 -- Day 2: 5, 24-01

5. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, AZ -- 10, 44-02 -- 96
Day 1: 5, 24-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-06

6. Brock Mosley -- Collinsville, MS -- 10, 43-15 -- 95
Day 1: 5, 24-02 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13

7. Taku Ito -- Chiba, JAPAN -- 10, 43-08 -- 94
Day 1: 5, 20-08 -- Day 2: 5, 23-00

8. Micah Frazier -- Newnan, GA -- 10, 42-09 -- 93
Day 1: 5, 22-12 -- Day 2: 5, 19-13

9. Mike Huff -- Corbin, KY -- 10, 41-00 -- 92
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 19-08

10. Greg DiPalma -- Millville, NJ -- 10, 40-07 -- 91
Day 1: 5, 20-00 -- Day 2: 5, 20-07

11. Hunter Shryock -- Newcomerstown, OH -- 10, 39-14 -- 90
Day 1: 5, 21-08 -- Day 2: 5, 18-06

12. Jeff Gustafson -- Keewatin, ON -- 10, 39-08 -- 89
Day 1: 5, 16-06 -- Day 2: 5, 23-02

13. Brandon Palaniuk -- Rathdrum, ID -- 10, 39-07 -- 88
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-15

14. Brian Snowden -- Reeds Spring, MO -- 10, 39-06 -- 87
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 20-02

15. Steve Kennedy -- Auburn, AL -- 10, 39-01 -- 86
Day 1: 5, 21-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-14

16. Chad Pipkens -- Dewitt, MI -- 10, 38-15 -- 85
Day 1: 5, 17-08 -- Day 2: 5, 21-07

17. Brad Whatley -- Bivins, TX -- 10, 38-14 -- 84
Day 1: 5, 19-06 -- Day 2: 5, 19-08

18. David Mullins -- Mt Carmel, TN -- 10, 38-10 -- 83
Day 1: 5, 20-02 -- Day 2: 5, 18-08

19. Cory Johnston -- Cavan, ON -- 10, 38-10 -- 82
Day 1: 5, 19-07 -- Day 2: 5, 19-03

20. Chris Zaldain -- Fort Worth, TX -- 10, 38-08 -- 81
Day 1: 5, 17-10 -- Day 2: 5, 20-14

21. Seth Feider -- New Market, MN -- 10, 38-08 -- 80
Day 1: 5, 19-05 -- Day 2: 5, 19-03

22. Bernie Schultz -- Gainesville, FL -- 10, 37-13 -- 79
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 21-01

23. Cliff Prince -- Palatka, FL -- 10, 36-09 -- 78
Day 1: 5, 18-06 -- Day 2: 5, 18-03

24. Matt Herren -- Ashville, AL -- 10, 36-08 -- 77
Day 1: 5, 18-11 -- Day 2: 5, 17-13

25. Garrett Paquette -- Canton, MI -- 10, 36-05 -- 76
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-05

26. Ed Loughran III -- Richmond, VA -- 10, 36-02 -- 75
Day 1: 5, 18-04 -- Day 2: 5, 17-14

27. Carl Jocumsen -- Queensland, AUS -- 10 -- 35-11 -- 74
Day 1: 5, 13-13 -- Day 2: 5, 21-14

28. Drew Benton -- Blakely, GA -- 10, 35-09 -- 73
Day 1: 5, 15-14 -- Day 2: 5, 19-11

29. Bob Downey -- Hudson, WI -- 10, 35-04 -- 72
Day 1: 5, 17-05 -- Day 2: 5, 17-15

30. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, WI -- 10, 34-07 -- 71
Day 1: 5, 18-10 -- Day 2: 5, 15-13

31. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, MN -- 10, 34-02 -- 70
Day 1: 5, 20-05 -- Day 2: 5, 13-13

32. Frank Talley -- Temple, TX -- 10, 34-00 -- 69
Day 1: 5, 14-02 -- Day 2: 5, 19-14

33. Skylar Hamilton -- Dandridge, TN -- 10, 33-15 -- 68
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 19-10

34. Buddy Gross -- Chickamauga, GA -- 10, 33-13 -- 67
Day 1: 5, 19-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-01

35. Randy Sullivan -- Breckenridge, TX -- 10, 33-11 -- 66
Day 1: 5, 18-13 -- Day 2: 5, 14-14

36. Bill Lowen -- Brookville, IN -- 10, 33-11 -- 65
Day 1: 5, 15-02 -- Day 2: 5, 18-09

37. Jamie Hartman -- Newport, NY -- 10, 33-08 -- 64
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 17-08

38. Brandon Card -- Salisbury, NC -- 10, 33-06 -- 63
Day 1: 5, 18-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

39. Ray Hanselman Jr -- Del Rio, TX -- 10, 33-01 -- 62
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 18-12

40. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, AL -- 10, 33-00 -- 61
Day 1: 5, 19-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-12

The following anglers did not make the cut and will not fish on day 3.

41. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, AR -- 10, 32-15 -- 60 -- $7,500
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 5, 14-07

42. Matt Arey -- Shelby, NC -- 10, 32-09 -- 59 -- $7,500
Day 1: 5, 20-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

43. Scott Canterbury -- Odenville, AL -- 10, 32-06 -- 58 -- $7,500
Day 1: 5, 12-06 -- Day 2: 5, 20-00

44. Keith Combs -- Huntington, TX -- 10, 31-15 -- 57 -- $7,500
Day 1: 5, 19-01 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

45. Hank Cherry Jr -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 31-14 -- 56 -- $7,500
Day 1: 5, 19-00 -- Day 2: 5, 12-14

46. Jason Williamson -- Wagener, SC -- 10, 31-09 -- 55 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 16-08 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

47. Patrick Walters -- Summerville, SC -- 10, 31-03 -- 54 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 14-05 -- Day 2: 5, 16-14

48. Brandon Lester -- Fayetteville, TN -- 10, 31-01 -- 53 -- $5,000
Day 1: 5, 16-02 -- Day 2: 5, 14-15

49. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 10, 31-00 -- 52 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 18-05 -- Day 2: 5, 12-11

50. Koby Kreiger -- Alva, FL -- 10, 30-15 -- 51 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-12

51. Jake Whitaker -- Fairview, NC -- 10, 30-13 -- 50 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-14 -- Day 2: 5, 17-15

52. Kelley Jaye -- Dadeville, AL -- 9, 30-11 -- 49 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 18-08 -- Day 2: 4, 12-03

53. Destin DeMarion -- Grove City, PA -- 10, 30-08 -- 48 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 18-00 -- Day 2: 5, 12-08

54. Luke Palmer -- Coalgate, OK -- 10, 30-08 -- 47 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-14 -- Day 2: 5, 15-10

55. Chris Groh -- Spring Grove, IL -- 10, 30-07 -- 46 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 18-07

56. Wes Logan -- Springville, AL -- 10, 30-01 -- 45 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-12

57. Tyler Carriere -- Youngsville, LA -- 10, 29-09 -- 44 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-12 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

58. Jay Yelas -- Lincoln City, OR -- 10, 29-07 -- 43 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-03 -- Day 2: 5, 17-04

59. Rob Digh -- Denver, NC -- 10, 29-04 -- 42 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-07 -- Day 2: 5, 14-13

60. Kyle Welcher -- Opelika, AL -- 10, 28-07 -- 41 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-00 -- Day 2: 5, 16-07

61. Rick Clunn -- Ava, MO -- 9, 28-04 -- 40 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 21-00 -- Day 2: 4, 07-04

62. Gerald Swindle -- Guntersville, AL -- 10, 28-00 -- 39 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-15 -- Day 2: 5, 15-01

63. Jesse Tacoronte -- Kissimmee, FL -- 10, 27-12 -- 38 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-01 -- Day 2: 5, 16-11

64. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 10, 27-08 -- 37 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

65. Kyle Monti -- Okeechobee, FL -- 10, 27-03 -- 36 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-10 -- Day 2: 5, 12-09

66. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, MD -- 10, 27-00 -- 35 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 17-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-00

67. Shane Lineberger -- Lincolnton, NC -- 10, 26-15 -- 34 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-06 -- Day 2: 5, 13-09

68. Derek Hudnall -- Denham Springs, LA -- 7, 26-13 -- 33 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 21-04 -- Day 2: 2, 05-09

69. Robbie Latuso -- Gonzales, LA -- 10, 26-13 -- 32 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 16-00 -- Day 2: 5, 10-13

70. David Fritts -- Lexington, NC -- 10, 26-12 -- 31 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-01 -- Day 2: 5, 14-11

71. Brett Preuett -- Monroe, LA -- 10, 26-05 -- 30 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 16-12 -- Day 2: 5, 09-09

72. Randy Pierson -- Oakdale, CA -- 10, 26-05 -- 29 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 12-07 -- Day 2: 5, 13-14

73. Lee Livesay -- Longview, TX -- 9, 26-02 -- 28 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 17-11 -- Day 2: 4, 08-07

74. Drew Cook -- Midway, FL -- 10, 25-13 -- 27 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-03 -- Day 2: 5, 11-10

75. Harvey Horne -- Bella Vista, AR -- 10, 25-07 -- 26 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-09 -- Day 2: 5, 10-14

76. Shane LeHew -- Catawba, NC -- 10, 25-00 -- 25 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 11-10 -- Day 2: 5, 13-06

77. Quentin Cappo -- Prairieville, LA -- 10, 24-08 -- 24 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-00 -- Day 2: 5, 11-08

78. Cody Hollen -- Beaverton, OR -- 8, 23-10 -- 23 -- $2,500
Day 1: 3, 09-05 -- Day 2: 5, 14-05

79. Tyler Rivet -- Raceland, LA -- 9, 23-07 -- 22 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 15-10 -- Day 2: 4, 07-13

80. Bill Weidler -- Helena, AL -- 8, 22-06 -- 21 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 14-04 -- Day 2: 3, 08-02

81. Brandon Cobb -- Greenwood, SC -- 10, 22-06 -- 20 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 09-04 -- Day 2: 5, 13-02

82. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, OK -- 7, 22-01 -- 19 -- $2,500
Day 1: 3, 07-08 -- Day 2: 4, 14-09

83. Rick Morris -- Lake Gaston, VA -- 9, 21-12 -- 18 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-04 -- Day 2: 4, 08-08

84. John Crews Jr -- Salem, VA -- 7, 21-05 -- 17 -- $2,500
Day 1: 2, 05-01 -- Day 2: 5, 16-04

85. Gary Clouse -- Winchester, TN -- 8, 19-07 -- 16 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 13-08 -- Day 2: 3, 05-15

86. Caleb Sumrall -- New Iberia, LA -- 9, 18-01 -- 15 -- $2,500
Day 1: 5, 17-13 -- Day 2: 4, 00-00