McKinney’s record-breaking day carries him to the lead at St. Lawrence River
CLAYTON, N.Y. — “This is a day I will never forget, that is for sure.”
A 16-minute flurry, plus another 6-pounder not long after, lifted Trey McKinney to Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series history on Day 2 of the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at the St. Lawrence River. His limit of smallmouth weighing 30 pounds, 11 ounces is the heaviest sack of all brown fish in B.A.S.S. history.
Not only that, but it also vaulted the pro from Carbondale, Ill., into the lead with a two-day total weighing 57-3 with two days left in the Elite Series season. His lead over second-place Evan Kung is just over 2 pounds while his lead over Cory Johnston in Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year is five points.
“I was so excited, I didn’t even know what to do,” McKinney said. “The whole way back, I was staring at the sky because I knew the Good Lord was watching over me today.”
At the current pace, the record for a four-day winning weight in smallmouth country could very well be shattered. It was again a day full of 25-, 26- and 27-pound bags of strictly smallies and anglers needed more than 23 1/2 pounds per day just to make the Top 50 cut. A mere 20 pounds a day resulted in an 87th place finish.
McKinney’s mighty Friday performance wouldn’t have been possible had he not returned to his starting area, and the location that yielded his 26-8 Day 1 total. With camera boats and other anglers around, he managed to land 23 pounds, but all the pressure from the crowd had the smallmouth spooked.
He culled up to 25 pounds in another area, but ultimately, he knew that wouldn’t be enough to keep pace.
“I had to catch more,” McKinney said. “I was throwing back 3-pounders. I got stubborn today and went and went. The fish were all broke up, and I was getting nervous early on.”
Knowing his starting area still had the capability to produce big ones, he returned to find far less pressure and smallies that were willing to bite. Switching to a different presentation took the afternoon from great to fantastic.
“I casted to one with a drop shot and it kind of nipped it. I could tell it was a big one, and it looked like a minnow fish,” McKinney explained. “I threw my minnow out there, it came up and thumped it. That was a 6-2.
“It was game on from there.”
Once he put that in the box, McKinney saw another smallie on his forward-facing sonar. That turned out to be a 6-13, his biggest of the tournament so far. A couple minutes later, another 6-pounder at his minnow, lifting his daily total over 29 pounds.
Finally, after a short lull, he wrapped up his limit with a 6-3.
“I looked in my livewell and there was one 5-pounder, and I said, ‘What are the odds I can catch another one,’” McKinney recalled. “I casted out and caught a 6-3. I didn’t even know what to do. I was so pumped up.”
In his best area, McKinney is targeting a 500-yard stretch of a deep sand flat with subtle rock veins where the smallmouth can hide and feed. During the first day, a drop shot rigged with a small bug-style soft plastic bait generated all his strikes in 7- to 8-foot waves. In the afternoon hours on Day 2, switching to the 5-inch minnow was an important adjustment.
For the drop shot, he uses 10-pound Seaguar Gold Label fluorocarbon leader while he bumps it up to a 12-pound test for his minnow.
“You can tell with smallmouth. When they hunt, they change in the water column,” he explained. “They go up and down and sideways. You have your crawfish eaters, and you have your minnow eaters. There’s a big difference between what they do and where they sit.”
Kung jumped up to second-place with a two-day total of 55-2 by catching limits weighing 26-9 and 28-9. The Pickering, Ontario native entered this event fighting for his Elite Series life, but now has his eyes set on a blue trophy. He’s landed one 30-pound bag out of Ontario, and he knows the potential is there to make it happen in this tournament too.
“I’m around them, but the big ones are really hard to get to bite unless you have an area to yourself,” Kung said. “I’m fishing around a lot of people, I just know some little sneaky spots in the area. Tomorrow I’m going to try and fish around a lot of those big fish areas and put five in the boat.”
Using two baits, Kung has been targeting smallmouth in 20 to 40 feet of water setting up on boulders or ledges. Most of the bass he sees on FFS are singles but will occasionally find wolf packs of two or three. As the day proceeds, Kung can move up shallower and sight fish as long as it’s calm.
He opened Day 2 by catching 25 pounds before 8:30 a.m. and made several culls throughout the day, including one with 5 minutes left in his fishing day.
The wind is expected to pick back up tomorrow, which Kung believes improves the bite even if it makes life difficult on anglers.
“They usually bite better in the waves,” Kung said. “I casted to a lot of bass that didn’t want to bite today.”
With bags weighing 27-4 and 26-13, California pro Bryant Smith is third with a total of 54-1. Smith returned to the area where he landed most of his Day 1 limit, but with the shift in wind direction from the SSW to the NW, he found the bass scattered out.
“The wind switched and I figured all the fish I found would be gone. And they were,” Smith said. “I went through it just to see, but it wasn’t good. I went to my backup area 10 to 15 miles away and started roaming around. I was able to pick them off throughout the day.”
His secondary area is a big flat with a mix of cover between 10 and 25 feet of water. That region holds the most bait he has seen all week, and the bass are hovering above the bottom, making it easier to catch them with his Lowrance ActiveTarget 2XL. Smith anchored his bag with a 6-15 smallmouth that tied Kyle Welcher and Steve Kennedy’s Day 1 6-15’s for Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Tournament.
That smallie gave him a run for his money.
“She was in grass in 12 feet of water,” he said. “She ate it, and I made three laps around chasing it with the trolling motor. I finally go to scoop her and get it over the gunnel, turn to talk to the camera and she flops and goes back in the water. I was lucky to get her back in the boat.”
McKinney leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 736 points, five points ahead of Canadian Cory Johnston. Georgia’s Drew Cook is third with 674 points followed by South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb in fourth with 651 points and Tennessee’s Cole Sands with 633 points.
Alabama’s Fisher Anaya leads Pro-Guide Batteries Elite Series Rookie of the Year with 619 points followed by Georgia’s Caleb Hudson in second with 601 points and Pake South in third with 571 points.
The Top 50 anglers will launch from Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina beginning at 7 a.m. and return at 3 p.m. for weigh-in. The Top 10 will advance to Championship Sunday and the winner will earn a $100,000 first-place prize, a blue trophy and an automatic bid to the 2027 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
FS1 will carry Bassmaster LIVE on Saturday and Sunday from 8-11 a.m. before coverage moves to Bassmaster.com in the afternoon. Live coverage of the weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. ET on Bassmaster.com.
This tournament is being hosted by the 1000 Islands Clayton Chamber of Commerce.
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
2026 Bassmaster Elite Series
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
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2026 Lowrance Bassmaster Elite Series at St. Lawrence River 8/27-8/30
St. Lawrence River, Clayton NY.
(PROFESSIONAL) Standings Day 2
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Trey McKinney Carbondale, IL 10 57-03 101
Day 1: 5 26-08 Day 2: 5 30-11
2. Evan Kung Pickering Ontario CANAD 10 55-02 100
Day 1: 5 26-09 Day 2: 5 28-09
3. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 10 54-01 99 $1,000.00
Day 1: 5 27-04 Day 2: 5 26-13
4. Cory Johnston Otonabee CANADA 10 53-12 98
Day 1: 5 25-07 Day 2: 5 28-05
5. David Mullins Mt Carmel, TN 10 53-00 97
Day 1: 5 26-14 Day 2: 5 26-02
6. Kyoya Fujita Yamanashi CA JAPAN 10 52-14 96
Day 1: 5 26-08 Day 2: 5 26-06
7. Jeff Gustafson Kenora, ON Ontario CANA 10 52-02 95
Day 1: 5 25-00 Day 2: 5 27-02
8. Tucker Smith Birmingham, AL 10 52-01 94
Day 1: 5 27-05 Day 2: 5 24-12
9. Fisher Anaya Eva, AL 10 52-01 93
Day 1: 5 26-01 Day 2: 5 26-00
10. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 10 51-11 92
Day 1: 5 24-06 Day 2: 5 27-05
11. Pake South Winnsboro, TX 10 51-09 91
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 5 27-12
12. Brandon Cobb Greenwood, SC 10 51-05 90
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 5 27-08
13. Cole Sands Johnson City, TN 10 51-04 89
Day 1: 5 24-14 Day 2: 5 26-06
14. Stetson Blaylock Benton, AR 10 50-15 88
Day 1: 5 24-07 Day 2: 5 26-08
15. Brock Mosley Collinsville, MS 10 50-10 87
Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 25-01
16. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 10 49-15 86
Day 1: 5 25-02 Day 2: 5 24-13
17. Jordan Lee Cullman, AL 10 49-13 85
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 26-05
18. Easton Fothergill Grand Rapids , MN 10 49-12 84
Day 1: 5 23-14 Day 2: 5 25-14
19. Kyle Norsetter Cottage Grove, WI 10 49-08 83
Day 1: 5 24-03 Day 2: 5 25-05
20. Paul Marks Cumming, GA 10 49-06 82
Day 1: 5 24-09 Day 2: 5 24-13
21. Gregory DiPalma Millville, NJ 10 49-05 81
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 24-00
22. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 10 49-04 80
Day 1: 5 25-04 Day 2: 5 24-00
23. Emil Wagner Marietta, GA 10 49-03 79
Day 1: 5 26-03 Day 2: 5 23-00
24. Chris Zaldain Boyd, TX 10 49-03 78
Day 1: 5 23-08 Day 2: 5 25-11
25. Robert Gee Knoxville, TN 10 48-13 77
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 26-15
26. Seth Feider Elko New Market, MN 10 48-10 76
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 25-10
27. Sam Hanggi Knoxville, TN 10 48-10 75
Day 1: 5 24-15 Day 2: 5 23-11
28. Alex Redwine Blue Ash, OH 10 48-09 74
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 23-04
29. Shane LeHew Catawba, NC 10 48-08 73
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 5 24-11
30. Will Davis Jr Sylacauga, AL 10 48-06 72
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 5 24-09
31. John Garrett Union City, TN 10 48-05 71
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 5 25-14
32. Aaron Jagdfeld Rochester Hills, MI 10 48-04 70
Day 1: 5 23-15 Day 2: 5 24-05
33. Andrew Loberg Guntersville, AL 10 48-02 69
Day 1: 5 26-05 Day 2: 5 21-13
34. Jacob Foutz Philadelphia, TN 10 48-00 68
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 22-11
35. Brad Whatley Bivins, TX 10 47-14 67
Day 1: 5 25-15 Day 2: 5 21-15
36. Patrick Walters Eutawville, SC 10 47-12 66
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 25-15
37. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 10 47-12 65
Day 1: 5 23-03 Day 2: 5 24-09
38. Kenta Kimura Osaka OK JAPAN 10 47-12 64
Day 1: 5 23-10 Day 2: 5 24-02
39. Caleb Hudson Lincolnton, GA 10 47-10 63
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 25-12
40. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 10 47-10 62
Day 1: 5 24-08 Day 2: 5 23-02
41. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 10 47-09 61
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 24-12
42. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 10 47-07 60
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 5 25-00
43. Bryan New Leesville, SC 10 47-05 59
Day 1: 5 22-13 Day 2: 5 24-08
44. Cody Meyer Eagle, ID 10 47-05 58
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 23-15
45. Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 10 47-04 57 $500.00
Day 1: 5 23-13 Day 2: 5 23-07
46. Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 10 47-01 56 $500.00
Day 1: 5 25-11 Day 2: 5 21-06
47. Justin Hamner Northport, AL 10 47-01 55
Day 1: 5 25-10 Day 2: 5 21-07
48. Chris Johnston Peterborough Ontario CA 10 47-01 54
Day 1: 5 24-08 Day 2: 5 22-09
49. Brandon Card Salisbury, NC 10 46-13 53
Day 1: 5 24-05 Day 2: 5 22-08
50. Austin Cranford Oklahoma City, OK 10 46-12 52
Day 1: 5 25-07 Day 2: 5 21-05
51. Tristan McCormick Bon Aqua, TN 10 46-12 51
Day 1: 5 22-01 Day 2: 5 24-11
52. Jay Przekurat Stevens Point, WI 10 46-11 50
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 5 26-10
53. Bryan Schmitt Deale, MD 10 46-10 49
Day 1: 5 23-10 Day 2: 5 23-00
54. Beau Browning Hot Springs, AR 10 46-07 48
Day 1: 5 23-07 Day 2: 5 23-00
55. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 10 46-06 47
Day 1: 5 23-06 Day 2: 5 23-00
56. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 10 46-05 46
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 24-03
57. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 10 46-05 45
Day 1: 5 22-04 Day 2: 5 24-01
58. Nick Trim Galesville, WI 10 46-04 44
Day 1: 5 25-04 Day 2: 5 21-00
59. Luke Palmer Atoka, OK 10 46-01 43
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 24-09
60. John Cox Debary, FL 10 45-12 42
Day 1: 5 20-13 Day 2: 5 24-15
61. Brock Reinkemeyer Warsaw, MO 10 45-12 41
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 5 24-02
62. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 10 45-11 40
Day 1: 5 21-15 Day 2: 5 23-12
63. Drew Benton Panama City, FL 10 45-10 39
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 23-13
64. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 10 45-08 38
Day 1: 5 24-15 Day 2: 5 20-09
65. Taku Ito Dalton GA JAPAN 10 45-07 37
Day 1: 5 23-11 Day 2: 5 21-12
66. Brandon Palaniuk Rathdrum, ID 10 45-06 36
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 23-04
67. John Crews Jr Salem, VA 10 45-05 35
Day 1: 5 25-04 Day 2: 5 20-01
68. Pat Schlapper Eleva, WI 10 45-05 34
Day 1: 5 23-12 Day 2: 5 21-09
69. Tyler Williams Barnett, MO 10 45-01 33
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 25-08
70. Wes Logan Springville, AL 10 44-09 32
Day 1: 5 25-06 Day 2: 5 19-03
71. Carl Jocumsen Queensland TN AUSTRALIA 10 44-08 31
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 25-04
72. Cody Huff Ava, MO 10 44-08 30
Day 1: 5 21-12 Day 2: 5 22-12
73. KJ Queen Catawba, NC 10 44-03 29
Day 1: 5 25-05 Day 2: 5 18-14
74. Tyler Rivet Raceland, LA 10 44-01 28
Day 1: 5 20-11 Day 2: 5 23-06
75. Russ Lane Prattville, AL 10 43-09 27
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 21-00
76. Dakota Ebare Brookeland, TX 10 43-02 26
Day 1: 5 21-14 Day 2: 5 21-04
77. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 10 42-11 25
Day 1: 5 20-10 Day 2: 5 22-01
78. Bob Downey Detroit Lakes, MN 10 42-10 24
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 20-05
79. Randy Howell Guntersville, AL 10 42-03 23
Day 1: 5 21-09 Day 2: 5 20-10
80. Clifford Pirch Payson, AZ 10 42-02 22
Day 1: 5 21-03 Day 2: 5 20-15
81. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 10 42-01 21
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 20-04
82. Caleb Kuphall Mukwonago, WI 10 41-12 20
Day 1: 5 22-05 Day 2: 5 19-07
83. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 10 41-01 19
Day 1: 5 22-02 Day 2: 5 18-15
84. Hank Cherry Jr Lincolnton, NC 10 40-15 18
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 23-02
85. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 10 40-07 17
Day 1: 5 20-07 Day 2: 5 20-00
86. Jacob Powroznik North Prince George, VA 10 40-06 16
Day 1: 5 22-07 Day 2: 5 17-15
87. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 10 40-01 15
Day 1: 5 21-08 Day 2: 5 18-09
88. Jason Christie Dry Creek, OK 10 39-13 14
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 19-13
89. Jake Whitaker Hendersonville, NC 10 39-04 13
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 20-07
90. Matt Messer Warfield, KY 10 39-01 12
Day 1: 5 24-01 Day 2: 5 15-00
91. Cliff Pace Ovett, MS 10 37-12 11
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 17-04
92. Lee Livesay Longview, TX 10 36-07 10
Day 1: 5 16-12 Day 2: 5 19-11
93. Scott Canterbury Odenville, AL 10 34-05 9
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 16-14
94. Mark Menendez Paducah, KY 10 33-05 8
Day 1: 5 23-04 Day 2: 5 10-01
95. Bill Lowen Brookville, IN 9 30-11 7
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 4 12-04
96. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 8 28-00 6
Day 1: 4 14-10 Day 2: 4 13-06
97. Blake Capps Muskogee, OK 6 25-06 5
Day 1: 5 23-02 Day 2: 1 02-04
98. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 5 21-10 4
Day 1: 5 21-10 Day 2: 0 00-00
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PHOENIX BOATS BIG BASS
Day
1 Steve Kennedy Auburn, AL 06-15 $500.00
1 Kyle Welcher Valley, AL 06-15 $500.00
2 Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 06-15 $1,000.00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 97 489 2267-02
2 94 479 2213-01
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191 968 4480-03
