Despite Slow Start, Mueller Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Elite On St. Lawrence River  

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Paul Mueller, of Naugatuck, Conn., is leading after Day 2 of the 2020 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with a two-day total of 52 pounds, 2 ounces. 

                                                                                                                                                   Photo by Seigo Saito/B.A.S.S.

July 24, 2020

Despite Slow Start, Mueller Maintains Lead At Bassmaster Elite On St. Lawrence River
CLAYTON, N.Y. — After sacking up 27 pounds, 1 ounce during Thursday’s opening round, Connecticut pro Paul Mueller added 25-1 Friday and maintained the lead in the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River with a two-day total of 52-2.

Committing his day to the massive waters of Lake Ontario, Mueller started on rock transitions in about 40 feet, but he seemed to struggle in the early going.

“Some of the places I had, they really suspended and those fish got tougher to catch,” Mueller said. “I realized I had to get away from that and once I found fish on the bottom, those fish were easier to catch.

“The fact that the shallower fish didn’t suspend is kind of intriguing, but I also think the deeper fish were feeding on something else other than gobies.”

Mueller got things moving in the right direction around 11:30 a.m. when he boated a 4 1/2-pounder, the first of four big fish he’d catch in about an hour. Moving into shallower areas and fishing rock structure in 20 to 26 feet proved to be the key decision.

He caught all of his fish on a drop shot with a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm in the natural shad and goby colors. Noting that his fish seemed much spookier in the day’s clear, calm conditions, Mueller said he had to transition from vertical drops to a cast-and-drag presentation.

“The fish definitely got a little more finicky, and they definitely got a little more boat shy,” Mueller said. “I think boat shadow, livewell noise and the pinging transducer all contributed to that. The big thing for me today was keeping away from the fish.

“I lost a big fish today because he didn’t eat the bait that well. I marked him under the boat and dropped down to him. If I stayed off of them, they were a lot easier to catch.”

Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, is in second place with 51-12. After starting his morning in the St. Lawrence River, Johnston plucked three of his better fish off the rocky point he fished Thursday. When that bite slowed, he again moved to the small rockpiles and breaks in Lake Ontario. Drop shotting produced his bites in both scenarios.

Johnston’s day-maker came during a late-morning move. En route to his next spot, he made a quick detour to a rockpile in 6 feet of water. He was looking for a big fish he’d spotted in practice and caught the 6-5 giant on his third cast with a 1/8-ounce black hair jig.

“The rockpile is 300 yards long, so I can’t throw the drop shot because it’s too slow,” Johnston said. “I can cover water faster with the hair jig, that’s the main thing. They’ll eat that drop shot if I put it in front of them, but I can cover more water with the hair jig.”

Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, is in third place with 47-13. Returning to the same general area in Lake Ontario, Wendlandt started strong with a couple of good fish early but faced a midmorning dry spell before making an adjustment that allowed him to fill out a solid limit.

“I actually went to some new areas that I didn’t fish the first day and caught some there,” Wendlandt said. “I just kind of winged it because I had trouble with my trolling motor and I was struggling earlier. I was trying to fish some ways that were a little easier.”

Mueller is still in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with the mammoth 7-13 smallmouth he caught Thursday. The fish is believed to be the biggest smallmouth ever caught in Elite Series competition.

The tournament will resume Saturday with the Top 40 remaining anglers taking off at 6:45 a.m. ET from the Clayton Antique Boat Museum. The weigh-in will be back at the museum at 3 p.m., with only the Top 10 anglers advancing to Championship Sunday with a chance to win the $100,000 first-place prize.

Live coverage of the event will be available starting at 8 a.m. on Bassmaster LIVE at Bassmaster.com with simulcasts on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Check local listings for ESPN2 times.

The tournament is being hosted by Jefferson County in cooperation with the Village of Clayton and the 1000 Islands Clayton Chamber of Commerce.

2020 SiteOne Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River 7/23-7/26
St. Lawrence River, Clayton  NY.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler                   Hometown              No./lbs-oz  Pts   Total $$$

1.  Paul Mueller           Naugatuck, CT           10  52-02  100   $1,000.00
Day 1: 5   27-01     Day 2: 5   25-01
2.  Chris Johnston         Peterborough Ontario CA 10  51-12   99   $1,000.00
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 Ontario CANADA 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 CANADA            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 TN AUSTRALIA 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
41. Stetson Blaylock       Benton, AR              10  32-15   60   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 5   14-07
42. Matt Arey              Shelby, NC              10  32-09   59   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   20-01     Day 2: 5   12-08
43. Scott Canterbury       Odenville, AL           10  32-06   58   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-06     Day 2: 5   20-00
44. Keith Combs            Huntington, TX          10  31-15   57   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-01     Day 2: 5   12-14
45. Hank Cherry Jr         Lincolnton, NC          10  31-14   56   $7,500.00
Day 1: 5   19-00     Day 2: 5   12-14
46. Jason Williamson       Wagener, SC             10  31-09   55   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-08     Day 2: 5   15-01
47. Patrick Walters        Summerville, SC         10  31-03   54   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   14-05     Day 2: 5   16-14
48. Brandon Lester         Fayetteville, TN        10  31-01   53   $5,000.00
Day 1: 5   16-02     Day 2: 5   14-15
49. John Cox               Debary, FL              10  31-00   52   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-05     Day 2: 5   12-11
50. Koby Kreiger           Alva, FL                10  30-15   51   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-03     Day 2: 5   17-12
51. Jake Whitaker          Fairview, NC            10  30-13   50   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-14     Day 2: 5   17-15
52. Kelley Jaye            Dadeville, AL            9  30-11   49   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-08     Day 2: 4   12-03
53. Destin DeMarion        Grove City, PA          10  30-08   48   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   18-00     Day 2: 5   12-08
54. Luke Palmer            Coalgate, OK            10  30-08   47   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-14     Day 2: 5   15-10
55. Chris Groh             Spring Grove, IL        10  30-07   46   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   18-07
56. Wes Logan              Springville, AL         10  30-01   45   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-05     Day 2: 5   14-12
57. Tyler Carriere         Youngsville, LA         10  29-09   44   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-12     Day 2: 5   14-13
58. Jay Yelas              Lincoln City, OR        10  29-07   43   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-03     Day 2: 5   17-04
59. Rob Digh               Denver, NC              10  29-04   42   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-07     Day 2: 5   14-13
60. Kyle Welcher           Opelika, AL             10  28-07   41   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-00     Day 2: 5   16-07
61. Rick Clunn             Ava, MO                  9  28-04   40   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   21-00     Day 2: 4   07-04
62. Gerald Swindle         Guntersville, AL        10  28-00   39   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-15     Day 2: 5   15-01
63. Jesse Tacoronte        Kissimmee, FL           10  27-12   38   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   11-01     Day 2: 5   16-11
64. Todd Auten             Lake Wylie, SC          10  27-08   37   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-10     Day 2: 5   13-14
65. Kyle Monti             Okeechobee, FL          10  27-03   36   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-10     Day 2: 5   12-09
66. Bryan Schmitt          Deale, MD               10  27-00   35   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-00     Day 2: 5   10-00
67. Shane Lineberger       Lincolnton, NC          10  26-15   34   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-06     Day 2: 5   13-09
68. Derek Hudnall          Denham Springs, LA       7  26-13   33   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   21-04     Day 2: 2   05-09
69. Robbie Latuso          Gonzales, LA            10  26-13   32   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-00     Day 2: 5   10-13
70. David Fritts           Lexington, NC           10  26-12   31   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-01     Day 2: 5   14-11
71. Brett Preuett          Monroe, LA              10  26-05   30   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   16-12     Day 2: 5   09-09
72. Randy Pierson          Oakdale, CA             10  26-05   29   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   12-07     Day 2: 5   13-14
73. Lee Livesay            Longview, TX             9  26-02   28   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-11     Day 2: 4   08-07
74. Drew Cook              Midway, FL              10  25-13   27   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-03     Day 2: 5   11-10
75. Harvey Horne           Bella Vista, AR         10  25-07   26   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-09     Day 2: 5   10-14
76. Shane LeHew            Catawba, NC             10  25-00   25   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   11-10     Day 2: 5   13-06
77. Quentin Cappo          Prairieville, LA        10  24-08   24   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-00     Day 2: 5   11-08
78. Cody Hollen            Beaverton, OR            8  23-10   23   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   09-05     Day 2: 5   14-05
79. Tyler Rivet            Raceland, LA             9  23-07   22   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   15-10     Day 2: 4   07-13
80. Bill Weidler           Helena, AL               8  22-06   21   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   14-04     Day 2: 3   08-02
81. Brandon Cobb           Greenwood, SC           10  22-06   20   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   09-04     Day 2: 5   13-02
82. Dale Hightower         Mannford, OK             7  22-01   19   $2,500.00
Day 1: 3   07-08     Day 2: 4   14-09
83. Rick Morris            Lake Gaston, VA          9  21-12   18   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-04     Day 2: 4   08-08
84. John Crews Jr          Salem, VA                7  21-05   17   $2,500.00
Day 1: 2   05-01     Day 2: 5   16-04
85. Gary Clouse            Winchester, TN           8  19-07   16   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   13-08     Day 2: 3   05-15
86. Caleb Sumrall          New Iberia, LA           9  18-01   15   $2,500.00
Day 1: 5   17-13     Day 2: 4   00-00
———————————————————————–

PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1   Paul Mueller             Naugatuck, CT       07-13      $1,000.00
2   Chris Johnston           Peterborough Ontario CANADA06-05      $1,000.00

———————————————————————–
Totals
Day   #Limits    #Fish      Weight
1        83       423      1443-11
2        76       416      1364-13
———————————-
159       839      2808-08