Oklahoma pro leads Day One of the MillerTech NPFL Stop Five on the St. Lawrence River

What turned out to be a tougher-than-expected opening day for much of the field, whether due to slower fishing or issues navigating the locks, played right into Zack Birge’s game plan. The Oklahoma pro executed flawlessly, bringing 25 pounds, 5 ounces to the scales to take a 2-pound, 9-ounce lead over Virginia’s Jacob Powroznik.

Powroznik sits in second with 22-12, while Mike Quinlin rounds out the top three with 21-8 and claimed Berkley Big Fish honors with a 6-pound smallmouth. Just one ounce behind, Work Sharp Angler of the Year leader KJ Queen and Derek Lehtonen are tied for fourth with matching limits of 21-7, setting up a tightly packed race heading into Day Two on the St. Lawrence River.

Birge Busts a Bag

After splitting practice on both sides of the Iroquois Dam, Zack Birge had a pretty good grasp on how to catch fish in either direction. Pending weather or any lock issues—which plagued much of the field—Birge was confident he could put together a solid limit.

After locking down and making what he estimated was “about an hour” round-trip run, Birge got into fish quickly, landing four quality smallmouth before 10 a.m. After working through a slow stretch, he eventually found another productive area and filled out his limit.

“I had those four fish and then it got tough,” he said. “I went looking for similar stuff and finally found one. I actually had a 4-pound largemouth at one point, but culled it with a 5-pound smallmouth. That was it down there.”

Working his way back toward the Iroquois Dam, Birge passed fellow angler Alex Davis, who flagged him down. After Birge pulled over roughly 200 yards downstream, Davis motored over to relay an important message about the lock.

“AD saved me today,” Birge said. “He told me he heard there might be some issues, and I decided to head back. It was about 12:30, and I figured I’d lock through as soon as possible just to be safe. Alex came with me, and we both got through and made it back. From there, I was able to monkey around and catch another 18 pounds that didn’t help.”

On his primary area, Birge is doing most of his damage with one main bait. Closer to the ramp, he’s catching fish on a few different presentations. Mixing shallow and deeper water, Birge plans to follow the same game plan on Day Two.

“I plan on doing the same thing tomorrow, but my expectations are a little lower,” he said. “If I can catch two or three of those 4- or 5-pounders, I’ll be good. I’m planning to run those two main stretches and then head back. I think I can catch some good ones along the way and have another good bag. I saved a lot of things for later this week.”

Powroznik Relies on History

Like Birge, Virginia pro Jacob Powroznik spent practice on both sides of the lock to prepare for whatever Day One might bring. When competition began, however, he made the run to the stretch of the St. Lawrence River he has fished for years, and it paid off.

“Today I went, and I caught them all day long,” he said. “I fished history and new spots, and I caught a lot of fish. Just doing what I do here, drifting and dragging. I fished a prototype Yamamoto bait, a Yamacraw.”

Day One Leaderboard

Zack Birge 25-5

Jacob Powroznik 22-12

Mike Quinlin 21-8

Kristopher Queen 21-7

Derek Lehtonen 21-7

Nick Brown 21-5

Wesley Gore 21-5

Scott Hamrick 21-5

John Cox (FL) 21-5

Gary Adkins 21-0

James Niggemeyer 20-14

Scott Suggs 20-10

Jared Lintner 20-5

Hank Cherry 20-4

Shane Lineberger 20-3

Drew Cook 20-3

Corey Casey 20-2

Paul Browning 20-2

Wes Logan 20-1

Rick Clunn 19-13

Greg Vinson 19-11

Greg Hackney 19-10

Jordan Osborne 19-10

Scott Wiley 19-10

Jason Wilson 19-10

Cliff Crochet 19-5

Dylan Freeze 19-2

Andrew Upshaw 19-1

Gerald Swindle 19-1

Alex Davis 18-15

Josh Hooks 18-15

Todd Goade 18-14

James Watson 18-13

Hunter Baughman 18-13

Timothy Wilson 18-12

Kevin Rogers 18-7

Brad Whatley 18-6

Dustin Reneau 18-4

Garrett Smith 18-0

Joey Bloom 17-14

Jamie Pierce 17-13

Pete Ponds 17-11

Tim Frederick 17-10

Jon Canada 17-9

Barron Adams 17-8

Ron Johnson 17-5

JT Russell 17-4

Jason Meninger 17-3

Lavoyd Lemmond 17-3

Charlie Apperson 16-14

Joseph Lineberry 16-14

Chad Grigsby 16-14

Logan Latuso 16-12

Randall Tharp 16-12

Mitchell Webb 16-12

Buddy Gross 16-11

Darrel Robertson 16-9

Keith Bardolf 16-9

Troy Roder 16-6

Bill Lowen 16-5

Christopher Whisenant 16-3

Lendell Martin 16-2

Stacey James 16-2

Quentin Cappo 16-1

Russ Lane 16-1

David Williams 15-6

Matt Herren 15-4

Adam Savage 14-15

David Wootton 14-12

Josh Watkins 14-9

Sean Alvarez 14-4

Darrell Davis 13-15

Rickey Morris 13-13

Bob Behrle 13-4

Josh Butler 13-2

Matthew McBee 13-1

Brandon Cobb 12-15

Chad Marler 12-13

Patrick Walters 12-9

Fred Roumbanis 12-9

Bo Collins 12-3

Troy Broussard 12-1

Austin Garland 11-6

Dustin Williamson 11-3

Richard Cooper 10-11

Chip Harrington 10-9

J Todd Tucker 10-8

Andy Morgan 10-2

Gerald Spohrer 9-11

Luke Clausen 8-12

Brock Mosley 8-5

Johnnie Adams 8-3

Alton Wilhoit 7-9

Todd Auten 6-14

William Fletcher 6-13

Jason Reyes 4-2

John Cox (GA) 2-1