Corey Johnston Wins Bass Open at St. Lawrence River

Two baits helped Goutremout finish second on his home waters. His primary presentation was a Missile Baits Spunk Shad rigged on a 1/4-ounce Missile Baits Eye Roller jighead. He also used this Missile Baits Mini Football Jig with a Ned-style bait for a trailer.

Two baits helped Luzak achieve a top three finish. His primary presentation was this Lunkerhunt Twitch Witch on a 1/4-ounce tungsten jighead. A Lunkerhunt Blackline Finesse Jig paired with a Lunkerhunt Finesse Worm worked when the jighead minnow didn't.

Murphy rotated between three different finesse baits. A Strike King Z Too on a 1/4-ounce custom jighead was a key player. He also rigged the new Strike King Tumbleweed on a drop shot. And a Strike King Half Shell on a drop-shot rig produced several important strikes.

Lachniet stayed shallow and caught big smallmouth on one primary bait. This Megabass Vision 110+1 Junior produced the majority of his bites. To improve his landing percentage, he used braid split rings with size 5 Gamakatsu G Finesse treble hooks.

Austin used two drop-shot baits to claim his top finish. A Strike King Half Shell was his primary bait. He rigged it on a No. 2 Gamakatsu G Finesse hook, and depending on the strength of the wind, he would use either a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce weight. A Strike King Baby Z Too also produced important bites. With both setups, Austin used a longer leader, which he said kept the bait out of the rocks and more visible to the bass.

Hudson claimed his first Top 10 of the season with two primary presentations. Hudson tossed a Hide Up Coike on a drop shot with a Gamakatsu G Finesse hook. He soaked it in Nories Bite Powder, which he believed helped trigger more strikes. A Greenfish Tackle Bad Little Jig paired with a Zoom Micro Speed Craw also landed several key fish.

Neal continued his hot streak in Upstate New York by using one primary presentation. He rigged a Big Bite Baits Fuzzy Stick on a Gamakatsu G Finesse Stinger and a 1/2-ounce Denali Kovert tungsten drop-shot weight.

Fujita used one unique presentation to finish in the Top 10. Fujita cut down a Jackall Yammy worm to about 2 inches and rigged it on a 1/4-ounce drop shot with a Diawa Steez Worm Hook SS.

Two baits helped Hunter achieve his best finish of the Division 1 slate. A minnow on a 1/4-ounce tungsten jighead produced key bites during his three days on the St. Lawrence River. The Bass Mafia Shot Caller Deep jerkbait also landed several smallmouth.