Big Largemouth Lift Lineberger, Lehtonen To Lead At Bassmaster Southern Open On Hartwell
October 6, 2022
ANDERSON, S.C. — It is a battle of the Carolinas at the top of the St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open at Lake Hartwell presented by Mossy Oak Fishing.
With 17 pounds, 13 ounces, North Carolina pro Shane Lineberger and South Carolina’s Derek Lehtonen are tied for the top spot after one day. The two anglers hold a 1-pound advantage over Michigan boater Jon Jezierski.
On top of having an extensive history on Lake Hartwell, Lineberger said it sets up exactly like his home waters of Lake Norman which has helped him find success. He targeted largemouth, anchoring his bag with a 5-3, although he did weigh one spotted bass.
“I started out throwing some topwater around. I think I’m doing something different than everyone else,” he said. “The fish I am fishing for are a lot less pressured than these brushpile, canepile fish.
“It sets up just like Lake Norman. Everyone is so keyed in on the offshore stuff that they leave the other stuff alone. I hope it stays that way for two more days.”
Lineberger used two primary baits as he ran through several areas. Three of his five bass were caught before 8:30 a.m., and he made several key culls.
“I kind of backed off what I was doing when my small fish was a 2 3/4-pounder,” he explained. “It is kind of pointless to sit here and catch 2 1/2-pounders and throw them back when you are going to need them later in the week. Hopefully, I can get another lucky 5-pounder. If not, we are going down swinging.”
As many of the other boaters in the field are focusing on spotted bass, Lineberger is committed to his largemouth game plan. With the largemouth in their fall feeding phase, he has found his bass are keying in on a particular type of forage.
“I tell everyone, it doesn’t matter where you are at this time of year, the biggest fish in the lake eat bream,” he said. “And that is what I am fishing for, the ones that are up there eating bream. This place is full of fish and one of the best fisheries in the Southeast. This lake patterns so well.”
Lehtonen is also mostly targeting largemouth in an area where he’s found success in the past. Fishing in a crowd, his local knowledge helped him secure a better quality bite while anglers around him struggled.
“It was very slow,” Lehtonen said. “I caught my first fish around 10 a.m. From there I slowly started upgrading. I was targeting brush and hoping for a bite.”
With such a slow start, Lehtonen ventured offshore and fished for spotted bass, one of which made the final tally. He filled his limit around 1 p.m. while his biggest bass, a 5-3 largemouth, came with about 10 minutes to go before check-in.
Similar to Lineberger, two baits produced most of Lehtonen’s weight. While he is tied for the lead, Lehtonen said the lake has turned over and that has made the fishing a lot more difficult than it was even a week ago. Last weekend, he caught just over 17 pounds in a local tournament and that resulted in a ninth-place finish.
“The turnover has ruined it and the drawdown from where they are pulling water,” Lehtonen said. “It has moved these fish big time. They are sucking it out every day. There are less and less filtering in where I am fishing.”
Lehtonen hopes the calm conditions on Day 1 will continue into Day 2, saying cloud cover will hurt his bite even more.
Anchoring his bag with a 6-6 largemouth that earned him the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, Jezierski caught 16-13 to land in third place. After spending most of his practice attempting to fish for spotted bass offshore, he went back to his Michigan roots and targeted largemouth on tournament day.
“I caught one 3-pound largemouth in practice and I told my co-angler we would go for some spots in the morning to get a limit and then target largies later,” he said. “My co-angler told me that the largemouth would probably bite in the morning. So, we went largie fishing.”
Jezierski landed the big bass in the first 30 minutes on a Z-Man Evergreen JackHammer before filling his limit around 10 a.m. and then wrapping up his bag before noon. His final limit had four largemouth and one spot. Fishing around wood, the JackHammer produced big bites, as well as a Berkley Power Hawg flipping bait.
With very little fishing pressure around him, Jezierski feels confident he can catch another limit Friday.
“I found this area last year with a buddy of mine,” he said. “I went back there this year and there was just baitfish everywhere and fish busting. It was just the backend of a creek as far as you can go, and I caught the big one in a foot and a half of water.”
Sakae Ushio leads the co-angler division with 10-0 followed by Clifton Overstreet in second with 9-5 and Thomas Crosswhite in third with 8-13. Overstreet also landed the Big Bass of the day on the co-angler side, a 5-10 largemouth.
With two days left in the Southern Opens season, Arkansas pro Joey Cifuentes leads the Southern Division standings with 556 points while Tennessee pro Brandon Lester is second with 555. California pro Bryant Smith is third with 539, followed by Kayden Tanner with 533 and Cooper Gallant with 521.
Alabama pro Keith Poche remains atop the overall standings with 1,350 points. He is followed by Alabama’s David Gaston in second with 1,280 points and Oklahoma’s John Soukup is third with 1,275.
The full field will launch from Green Pond Landing starting at 7:15 a.m. ET and will return for weigh-in at 3:15 p.m. The co-angler champion will be crowned at the end of Friday’s weigh-in.
The Top 10 boaters after Day 2 will earn a spot on Championship Saturday and compete for a potential berth in the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic scheduled for March 24-26 in Knoxville, Tenn.
The tournament is being hosted by Visit Anderson.
2022 St. Croix Bassmaster Southern Open #3 Lake Hartwell presented by Mossy Oak Fishing 10/6-10/8
Lake Hartwell, Anderson SC.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Derek Lehtonen Woodruff, SC 5 17-13 200
Day 1: 5 17-13
1. Shane Lineberger Lincolnton, NC 5 17-13 200
Day 1: 5 17-13
3. Jon Jezierski Troy, MI 5 16-13 198
Day 1: 5 16-13
4. Tyler Williams Belgrade, ME 5 16-07 197
Day 1: 5 16-07
5. Matt Pangrac Bixby, OK 5 16-04 196
Day 1: 5 16-04
6. Tristan McCormick Burns, TN 5 16-02 195
Day 1: 5 16-02
7. Hunter Sales Blaine, TN 5 16-01 194
Day 1: 5 16-01
8. Kayden Tanner Tolar, TX 5 16-00 193
Day 1: 5 16-00
9. Adam Neu Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 15-13 192
Day 1: 5 15-13
9. Blake Sylvester Plaquemine, LA 5 15-13 192
Day 1: 5 15-13
11. Paul Marks Cumming, GA 5 15-07 190
Day 1: 5 15-07
12. David Gaston Sylacauga, AL 5 15-05 189
Day 1: 5 15-05
13. John Garrett Union City, TN 5 15-03 188
Day 1: 5 15-03
14. Lucas Murphy West Columbia, MI 5 14-15 187
Day 1: 5 14-15
15. Bryant Smith Roseville, CA 5 14-11 186
Day 1: 5 14-11
16. Zach Goutremout Chaumont, NY 5 14-09 185
Day 1: 5 14-09
17. Rob Digh Denver, NC 5 14-07 184
Day 1: 5 14-07
17. Tucker Smith Shoal Creek, AL 5 14-07 184
Day 1: 5 14-07
19. Danny Lavoie Franklin, GA 5 14-05 182
Day 1: 5 14-05
19. John Soukup Sapulpa, OK 5 14-05 182
Day 1: 5 14-05
21. Jamie Bruce Kenora Ontario CANADA 5 14-03 180
Day 1: 5 14-03
21. Keith Poche Pike Road, AL 5 14-03 180
Day 1: 5 14-03
23. Joey Nania Cropwell, AL 5 14-02 178
Day 1: 5 14-02
24. Darold Gleason Many, LA 5 13-15 177
Day 1: 5 13-15
25. Joey Cifuentes III Clinton, AR 5 13-14 176
Day 1: 5 13-14
26. Brandon Lester Fayetteville, TN 5 13-12 175
Day 1: 5 13-12
27. Hunter Shryock Ooltewah, TN 5 13-10 174
Day 1: 5 13-10
28. Justin Margraves Diana, TX 5 13-09 173
Day 1: 5 13-09
28. Shannon Poore Walhalla, SC 5 13-09 173
Day 1: 5 13-09
30. Cole Drummond Effingham, SC 5 13-08 171
Day 1: 5 13-08
30. Todd Goade White Pine, TN 5 13-08 171
Day 1: 5 13-08
32. Chris Beaudrie Princeton, KY 5 13-07 169
Day 1: 5 13-07
32. Jacob Walker Springville, AL 5 13-07 169
Day 1: 5 13-07
34. Drew Cook Cairo, GA 5 13-04 167
Day 1: 5 13-04
34. Austin Cranford Moore, OK 5 13-04 167
Day 1: 5 13-04
34. Marshall Harrelson Clarksville, GA 5 13-04 167
Day 1: 5 13-04
34. Logan Parks Auburn, AL 5 13-04 167
Day 1: 5 13-04
34. Jason Williamson Aiken, SC 5 13-04 167
Day 1: 5 13-04
39. Kyle Cortiana Broken Arrow, OK 5 13-02 162
Day 1: 5 13-02
39. Cooper Gallant Bowmanville Ontario CAN 5 13-02 162
Day 1: 5 13-02
39. Joe Mitchell Martin, GA 5 13-02 162
Day 1: 5 13-02
39. Matt Robertson Kuttawa, KY 5 13-02 162
Day 1: 5 13-02
39. Frank Talley Temple, TX 5 13-02 162
Day 1: 5 13-02
39. David Williams Newton, NC 5 13-02 162
Day 1: 5 13-02
45. Kyle Monti Okeechobee, FL 5 12-15 156
Day 1: 5 12-15
46. Jeremy Gordon Rutledge, TN 5 12-14 155
Day 1: 5 12-14
47. Austin Felix Eden Prairie, MN 5 12-12 154
Day 1: 5 12-12
48. Tom Frink Southside, AL 5 12-08 153
Day 1: 5 12-08
48. Logan Shaddix Cummings, GA 5 12-08 153
Day 1: 5 12-08
50. John Hunter Jr Shelbyville, KY 5 12-05 151
Day 1: 5 12-05
50. Dustin Williamson Aiken, SC 5 12-05 151
Day 1: 5 12-05
52. Destin DeMarion Harborcreek, PA 5 12-04 149
Day 1: 5 12-04
52. Danny Ramsey Trinidad, TX 5 12-04 149
Day 1: 5 12-04
54. Jeff Bauler Chapin, SC 5 12-04 147
Day 1: 5 12-04
55. Cole Sands Calhoun , TN 5 12-03 146
Day 1: 5 12-03
56. Logan Johnson Jasper, AL 5 12-01 145
Day 1: 5 12-01
56. Cody Stahl Barnsville, GA 5 12-01 145
Day 1: 5 12-01
58. Matty Wong Honolulu, HI 5 12-00 143
Day 1: 5 12-00
59. Jerry Gallogly Jr North Tazewell, VA 5 11-15 142
Day 1: 5 11-15
60. Dustin Wilkey Durant, OK 5 11-13 141
Day 1: 5 11-13
61. Michael Cooper Mobile, AL 5 11-12 140
Day 1: 5 11-12
62. Ben Stone Iva, SC 5 11-11 139
Day 1: 5 11-11
63. David Kilgore Jasper, AL 5 11-10 138
Day 1: 5 11-10
63. Caleb Sumrall New Iberia, LA 5 11-10 138
Day 1: 5 11-10
65. Zack Birge Blanchard, OK 5 11-09 136
Day 1: 5 11-09
65. Michael Kinard Concord, NC 5 11-09 136
Day 1: 5 11-09
65. Julius Mazy Phoenix, AZ 5 11-09 136
Day 1: 5 11-09
65. Scott Pellegrin Chippewa Falls, WI 5 11-09 136
Day 1: 5 11-09
69. Jake Maddux Birmingham, AL 5 11-07 132
Day 1: 5 11-07
69. Trevor McKinney Benton, IL 5 11-07 132
Day 1: 5 11-07
71. Kyle Austin Ridgeville, SC 5 11-06 130
Day 1: 5 11-06
71. Jon Canada Helena, AL 5 11-06 130
Day 1: 5 11-06
71. JT Thompkins Myrtle Beach, SC 5 11-06 130
Day 1: 5 11-06
74. Cody Hoyle Rutherfordton, NC 5 11-05 127
Day 1: 5 11-05
74. Kyle Patrick Cooperstown, NY 5 11-05 127
Day 1: 5 11-05
76. Chris Blanchette Charleston, SC 5 11-04 125
Day 1: 5 11-04
77. Jacob Bigelow Cecil, WI 5 11-03 124
Day 1: 5 11-03
77. Bailey Boutries Springfield, MO 5 11-03 124
Day 1: 5 11-03
77. Gary Clouse Winchester, TN 5 11-03 124
Day 1: 5 11-03
80. Brandon Ackerson Afton, OK 5 11-02 121
Day 1: 5 11-02
80. Joey Sabbagha Prosperity, SC 5 11-02 121
Day 1: 5 11-02
82. Derek Freeman Anderson, SC 5 11-01 119
Day 1: 5 11-01
82. Allan Nail Sand Springs, OK 5 11-01 119
Day 1: 5 11-01
84. Chris Keeble Lenoir City, TN 5 11-00 117
Day 1: 5 11-00
84. Billy McDonald Greenwood, IN 5 11-00 117
Day 1: 5 11-00
86. Caden Acree Powder Springs, GA 5 10-15 115
Day 1: 5 10-15
86. Brent Crow Hartselle, AL 5 10-15 115
Day 1: 5 10-15
86. Tommy Guthke Townville, SC 5 10-15 115
Day 1: 5 10-15
89. Charlie Hartley Grove City, OH 5 10-13 112
Day 1: 5 10-13
89. Andrew Upshaw Hemphill, TX 5 10-13 112
Day 1: 5 10-13
91. Garrett Paquette Canton, MI 5 10-12 110
Day 1: 5 10-12
92. Lonnie Cochran Section, AL 5 10-11 109
Day 1: 5 10-11
92. Tim Frederick Leesburg, FL 5 10-11 109
Day 1: 5 10-11
92. Keith Nemcek St Charles, IL 5 10-11 109
Day 1: 5 10-11
95. Cameron Smith Wareham, MA 5 10-10 106
Day 1: 5 10-10
96. Denny Fiedler Wabasha, MN 5 10-09 105
Day 1: 5 10-09
96. Darryl Halbert Enoree, SC 5 10-09 105
Day 1: 5 10-09
98. Justin Atkins Florence, AL 5 10-08 103
Day 1: 5 10-08
98. Hugh Cosculluela Spring, TX 5 10-08 103
Day 1: 5 10-08
98. Bryan New Saluda, SC 5 10-08 103
Day 1: 5 10-08
98. Jayme Rampey Liberty, SC 5 10-08 103
Day 1: 5 10-08
102. Robbie Latuso Gonzales, LA 5 10-07 99
Day 1: 5 10-07
103. Wesley Gore Clanton, AL 5 10-05 98
Day 1: 5 10-05
103. Jordan McDonald Jackson, GA 5 10-05 98
Day 1: 5 10-05
105. Jason Borofka Lavon, TX 5 10-05 96
Day 1: 5 10-05
106. Matt Green Cartersville, GA 5 10-04 95
Day 1: 5 10-04
107. Corey Lindsey Marion, OH 5 10-03 94
Day 1: 5 10-03
108. Parker Mott Winter Garden, FL 5 10-02 93
Day 1: 5 10-02
108. Nic Rand Kalamazoo, MI 5 10-02 93
Day 1: 5 10-02
110. Andrew Mlotek Indianapolis, IN 5 10-00 91
Day 1: 5 10-00
111. Bradley Hallman Edmond, OK 5 09-15 90
Day 1: 5 09-15
112. Bradford Beavers Summerville, SC 5 09-14 89
Day 1: 5 09-14
112. Zeke Gossett Pell City, AL 5 09-14 89
Day 1: 5 09-14
112. Chad Smith Minnetonka, MN 5 09-14 89
Day 1: 5 09-14
115. Cody Bertrand Dyer, IN 5 09-12 86
Day 1: 5 09-12
115. Adam Rasmussen Sturgeon Bay, WI 5 09-12 86
Day 1: 5 09-12
115. Trey Swindle Cleveland, AL 5 09-12 86
Day 1: 5 09-12
118. Harvey Horne Bella Vista, AR 5 09-11 83
Day 1: 5 09-11
118. Douglas Reed Bridgeton, NJ 5 09-11 83
Day 1: 5 09-11
118. Blake Smith Lakeland, FL 5 09-11 83
Day 1: 5 09-11
121. Daisuke Kita Ohtsu Shiga JAPAN 5 09-09 80
Day 1: 5 09-09
122. Joel Willert Prior Lake, MN 5 09-06 79
Day 1: 5 09-06
123. Randy Blaukat Springfield, MO 5 09-05 78
Day 1: 5 09-05
123. Tommy Williams Shepherdsville, KY 5 09-05 78
Day 1: 5 09-05
125. D.J. Ellis Crestview, FL 5 09-04 76
Day 1: 5 09-04
125. Brad Leuthner Independence, MN 5 09-04 76
Day 1: 5 09-04
125. Colby Robertson Summerfield, FL 5 09-04 76
Day 1: 5 09-04
128. Stacey James Campobello, SC 5 09-03 73
Day 1: 5 09-03
128. Chancy Walters West Des Moines, IA 5 09-03 73
Day 1: 5 09-03
130. Ben Ballou Dickson, TN 5 09-03 71
Day 1: 5 09-03
131. Todd Harris Lexington, NC 5 09-02 70
Day 1: 5 09-02
132. Scott Allgood Fair Play, SC 5 09-01 69
Day 1: 5 09-01
132. Jacob Foutz Charleston, TN 5 09-01 69
Day 1: 5 09-01
134. David Perdue Wirtz, VA 5 09-00 67
Day 1: 5 09-00
135. Brian Post Janesville, WI 5 08-14 66
Day 1: 5 08-14
135. Carl Whitfield Anderson, SC 5 08-14 66
Day 1: 5 08-14
137. Griffin Heffington Cumming, GA 5 08-13 64
Day 1: 5 08-13
138. Joe McClosky Swanton, MD 5 08-12 63
Day 1: 5 08-12
138. Bryden Mugleston Mount Juliet, TN 5 08-12 63
Day 1: 5 08-12
140. Matt Mollohan Batesburg, SC 5 08-11 61
Day 1: 5 08-11
141. Jeff Fellows Orlando, FL 4 08-10 60
Day 1: 4 08-10
142. Jim Dillard West Monroe, LA 5 08-09 59
Day 1: 5 08-09
143. Jason Casteel Ocoee, FL 4 08-09 58
Day 1: 4 08-09
144. Lucas Bradley Flippin, AR 3 08-09 57
Day 1: 3 08-09
145. Kenta Kimura Osaka JAPAN 5 08-07 56
Day 1: 5 08-07
145. Bart Stanisz Wichita Falls , TX 5 08-07 56
Day 1: 5 08-07
147. Rodney Jones Anderson, SC 5 08-06 54
Day 1: 5 08-06
147. Gerald Swindle Guntersville, AL 5 08-06 54
Day 1: 5 08-06
149. Kibbee Mccoy Knoxville, TN 5 08-05 52
Day 1: 5 08-05
150. Noah Boyett Mountain Home, AR 5 08-03 51
Day 1: 5 08-03
150. T-Roy Broussard Port Arthur, TX 5 08-03 51
Day 1: 5 08-03
150. Ron Ryals Jr Live Oak, FL 5 08-03 51
Day 1: 5 08-03
150. Dave Turner Crystal River, FL 5 08-03 51
Day 1: 5 08-03
154. Allen Brooks Canton, GA 5 08-02 47
Day 1: 5 08-02
155. Chris Neau Gretna, LA 5 07-15 46
Day 1: 5 07-15
155. Brady Vernon Birmingham, AL 5 07-15 46
Day 1: 5 07-15
157. Carter McNeil Abbeville, SC 4 07-15 44
Day 1: 4 07-15
158. Drew Coker Murrayville, GA 5 07-14 43
Day 1: 5 07-14
158. Aaron Digh Denver, NC 5 07-14 43
Day 1: 5 07-14
160. Randy Elliott Severn, MD 5 07-13 41
Day 1: 5 07-13
160. Hermilo Salgado-Zavaleta Artemus, KY 5 07-13 41
Day 1: 5 07-13
162. Jacob Moore Wake Forest, NC 4 07-13 39
Day 1: 4 07-13
163. Daniel Smith Blountsville, AL 4 07-12 38
Day 1: 4 07-12
164. Teb Jones Yalaha, MS 5 07-10 37
Day 1: 5 07-10
165. Tim Malone Kodak, TN 5 07-07 36
Day 1: 5 07-07
165. James Meers Rome, GA 5 07-07 36
Day 1: 5 07-07
167. Brandon Edel White House, TN 5 07-00 34
Day 1: 5 07-00
168. Seiji Kato Outsu Shiga JAPAN 5 06-10 33
Day 1: 5 06-10
169. Garrett Rocamora Lithia, FL 5 06-08 32
Day 1: 5 06-08
169. Sean Torgrude Jacksonville, FL 5 06-08 32
Day 1: 5 06-08
171. Connor Neal Hoover, AL 5 06-04 30
Day 1: 5 06-04
172. Bailey Fain Lenoir City, TN 5 06-02 29
Day 1: 5 06-02
173. Hayden Newberry Jonesboro, IL 5 06-00 28
Day 1: 5 06-00
174. Dan Geurtsen Fletcher, NC 4 05-12 27
Day 1: 4 05-12
175. Greg Secord Salem, SC 4 05-11 26
Day 1: 4 05-11
176. Wayman Coleman Abbeville, SC 5 05-00 25
Day 1: 5 05-00
177. Johnny Bigger II Spring Hill, FL 3 04-13 24
Day 1: 3 04-13
178. Gary Ginter Bellefontaine, OH 5 04-09 23
Day 1: 5 04-09
179. Randall Carter Maplesville, AL 3 04-06 22
Day 1: 3 04-06
180. Michael Harter Westminster, SC 3 04-00 21
Day 1: 3 04-00
181. Ronnie Mccoy Lamar, SC 2 03-14 20
Day 1: 2 03-14
182. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, SC 3 03-06 19
Day 1: 3 03-06
183. Craig Cavanna Spring Hill, FL 2 03-05 18
Day 1: 2 03-05
184. Michael Hall Annandale, VA 3 03-04 17
Day 1: 3 03-04
185. Chris Kingree Inverness, FL 2 02-00 16
Day 1: 2 02-00
186. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 5 01-05 15
Day 1: 5 01-05
187. Tony Dumitras Winston, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
