Przekurat warms up to Florida’s cold for St. Johns lead
Feb. 20, 2025
PALATKA, Fla. — Jay Przekurat of Plover, Wis., was just happy to finally hit the water, but his winter-weary enthusiasm lead him to a five-bass limit of 24 pounds, 15 ounces that leads Day 1 of the 2025 FXR Pro Fish Bassmaster Elite at St. Johns River.
Przekurat, who won the 2022 Dakota Lithium Elite Series Rookie of the Year title, leads Texan Lee Livesay by 2-2.
Not the least bit intimidated by takeoff temperatures in the upper 40s, or Friday’s forecast for 34 degrees at sunrise, Przekurat ignored the traditionally gloomy outlook associated with cold fronts and notoriously weather-sensitive Florida bass. The result was a nearly flawless day far surpassing his expectations.
“What a day; I couldn’t do any wrong today,” Przekurat said. “All I have to say is ‘I’m so happy to be fishing in Florida.’ At home yesterday they cancelled school because it was so cold. Whatever tomorrow is, I know everybody at home will be watching me fishing in Florida, wishing they were fishing in Florida.
“I’m just happy to be fishing. Prior to this tournament, I hadn’t wet a line since before October, so I was really anxious to get out.”
Growing up around weedy Wisconsin fisheries, Przekurat’s solid on the skill sets that equally fit Sunshine State waters.
“I’m fishing shallow; that’s what I like to do in Florida,” he said. “I’m not much for fishing past about 8 feet in Florida. I like a flipping stick, and I like to use a spinning rod with a wacky worm.
“It’s a lot like back home in Wisconsin. The only difference is this place has 8- to 10-pounders and we have 4-pounders.”
Indeed, Przekurat anchored his bag with an 8-4 — his first catch, which ate a Strike King Baby Z-Too. He caught several other fish on that bait and also fished a wacky-rigged Strike King Ocho.
“I was looking for flats and places where the fish are going to pull up to spawn,” Przekurat said. “We had a really warm week (before the cold front) and I think a lot of fish had pulled up to where they were spawning, and now they’re kinda getting that push back. But they’re still lingering in those areas; they’re not going to swim a mile away.”
Notably, the past several years have seen the lush eelgrass meadows that once carpeted much of the St. Johns sadly absent. Hurricanes and the sunlight-choking high water that followed rendered much of the historically productive patterns and places irrelevant.
Starting his fourth Elite Series season, Przekurat said he’s unhindered by changes that preceded his pro career.
“I wasn’t able to fish here when they had eelgrass, so I’m not even familiar with how good the fishing used to be, which maybe is an advantage for me,” he said. “I think (the lack of eelgrass) makes areas a lot smaller, and it makes you concentrate on areas where you know there’s fish instead of running around.”
Despite his clearly productive efforts, Przekurat admitted to a pleasantly casual day where all the pieces simply fell into place. Spending most of his time in the Lake George area, he went into the day without a defined target list.
“There wasn’t a specific spot that I thought was going to be the deal,” Przekurat said. “I’m kinda playing this tournament day by day. I thought I had an area that I could catch fish in today, but I don’t know if I can catch fish there tomorrow.
“Today looked great, but tomorrow might be a completely different area and a completely different style of fishing. I didn’t expect to catch 24-15 today, not in my wildest dreams. I was hoping for 15 pounds. Tomorrow I’ll be really happy with 15 pounds.”
Lee Livesay of Longview, Texas, is in second place with 22-13. Making a big run paid off, in terms of jump-starting his day, but returning to waters closer to the tournament site proved most productive.
“I ran an hour south to Lake Astor, fished some shellbeds and caught a limit really quick,” Livesay said. “It was maybe 7-8 pounds, but it got me comfortable. Then I went and fished some new water and caught a 6-pounder on a Chatterbait in some pads.
“I caught a nearly 3-pounder on a 6th Sense Provoke 97X jerkbait, then I came back (downriver) toward Palatka and caught a 7, a 4 and a couple of 3s just flipping a black/blue-tip 6th Sense Clout (stick worm). I made the right decisions today.”
Contemplating Day 2, Livesay said he’s planning to repeat the shallow power-fishing game plan.
“It kinda feels like I can’t do it again, but at the same time, I had them fairly early and it felt pretty good,” Livesay said. “I kinda laid off some areas where I think maybe I could duplicate today.”
Bill Lowen of Brookville, Ind., is in third place with 21-5. Enjoying a fast start to his day, Lowen drew on his vast experience fishing the Ohio River’s shallow, muddy water and relied on tactics with which he’s deeply familiar.
“I ran to my primary area where I had kinda figured out a little deal with a swimming technique, but they were just nipping at the bait,” Lowen said. “I figured out a flipping bait to get bit on, and my first bites this morning were a 5 and a 4. That’s a good way to start the morning.
“I’m just fishing shallow wood, and I don’t have any company in my area, so hopefully, what I have going on will hold out. I have two other areas that I didn’t even look at today, because I have my weight pretty quickly.”
John Cox of Debary, Fla., is in the lead for Phoenix Boats Big Bass honors with his 8-13.
Friday’s takeoff is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET at the Palatka City Boat Ramp. The weigh-in will be held at the Palatka Riverfront Park at 3 p.m.
Bassmaster LIVE will be streaming on Bassmaster.com all four days, and coverage will also be available on FS1 on Saturday from 8 a.m.-noon and Sunday from 8-11 a.m. Stay up-to-date on all tournament coverage at Bassmaster.com/how-to-watch/.
Florida’s Putnam County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event.
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Bass Pro Shops, Dakota Lithium, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Progressive Insurance, Ranger Boats, Rapala, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha
2025 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: AFTCO, Daiwa, Garmin, Lew’s, Lowrance, Marathon, Triton Boats, VMC
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