DETROIT – With most of the contenders (but not all) making the trek to Lake St. Clair on Day 1 of the MLF Invitational at the Detroit River, the standings are packed tight, as you’d expect in a smallmouth event. Leading the way, Keith Carson of DeBary, Fla., tallied 22 pounds, 15 ounces, and pro Alec Morrison of Peru, N.Y., is an ounce back with 22-14. Behind the leaders, Jon Canada, Jacob Wheeler and Jesse Wiggins all weighed more than 22 pounds, which has set the stage for a fantastic weekend of action.
Notable Friday, with both tournament-specific and Angler of the Year implications on the line, Morrison was assessed a 2-pound penalty for making a cast with six fish in the livewell. Though he doesn’t have much higher to climb in the standings, you never know when 2 pounds could come in handy.
The full field of pros will conclude the two-day opening round on Saturday, with only the Top 30 based on their two-day cumulative weight advancing to the final round on Sunday.
Running to St. Clair and hunting smallmouth with Lowrance ActiveTarget, Carson put together a fantastic day of smallmouth fishing.
“I found in practice that the big ones seem to be all by themselves,” explained Carson. “If you get in schools, you’re catching 3s and 4s; if you get out and see one every once in a while, they’re all over 4, every one of them. I’m just out there roaming around. I don’t have a single spot anywhere. I’ve got an area where there’s some perch, and there seems to be bass around them. But you really have to search and move a lot. I’m only seeing one fish every 20 minutes or so.”
Culling multiple 4-pounders on the day, Carson did most of his damage with a dropshot and a Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm or a minnow.
While some folks reported that the fish were very difficult to trick in practice, Carson ran pretty good percentages on Day 1.
“I love smallmouth fishing. There’s something about them, I’ve been able to find bigger ones and figure out the structure almost everywhere,” said Carson. “Every day in practice and today, I’ll get a flurry where I catch three in a row, and then I’ll get three in a row that won’t bite it or will nip it or get the tail. So, it’s about 50 percent, I’d say.”
Carson is mired in a pretty tough rookie season on the Bass Pro Tour, but his Invitationals performance has been strong, as it usually is. With a couple more good days, he could be heading to the BPT season finale at the St. Lawrence River with some serious smallmouth mojo.
Here’s a look at the Top 20 after Day 1:
1st: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 22-15
2nd: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., five bass, 22-14
3rd: Jon Canada, Helena, Ala., five bass, 22-12
4th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., five bass, 22-6
5th: Jesse Wiggins, Logan, Ala., five bass, 22-3
6th: Scott Dobson, Clarkston, Mich., five bass, 21-15
6th: Matteo Turano, Puryear, Tenn., five bass, 21-15
8th: Connor Cunningham, Springfield, Mo., five bass, 21-14
9th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., five bass, 21-12
9th: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Mich., five bass, 21-12
11th: Brad Jelinek, Lincoln, Mo., five bass, 21-10
12th: Colby Dark, West Monroe, La., five bass, 21-9
13th: Jeremy Gordon, Rutledge, Tenn., five bass, 21-8
14th: Adrian Avena, Marmora, N.J., five bass, 21-7
14th: Robby Lefere, Jackson, Mich., five bass, 21-7
14th: Brock Reinkemeyer, Warsaw, Mo., five bass, 21-7
17th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 21-5
18th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., five bass, 21-4
19th: Chris Groh, Spring Grove, Ill., five bass, 21-0
19th: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, five bass, 21-0
19th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, S.C., five bass, 21-0
Anglers launch at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from Elizabeth Park, located at 202 Grosse Ile Parkway in Trenton, Mich. Weigh-ins are also held at the park and begin at 2:30 p.m.
