Last-cast blast

Richardson nabs Stren co-angler win with day-ending gift

CLAYTON, N.Y. – When Harrison, Ohio, co-angler James Richardson Sr. made one last cast, his persistence paid off with the fish that sealed his victory in the Stren Series Northern Division event in New York’s 1,000 Islands.

Adding to the memory, Richardson said the timing was classic. In a simple summary of the facts, his bait had just settled when the call of nature required his attention. During the maintenance operation, a fish bit his bait and caused a tense moment of scrambling.

“I was able to pick up another pound off that fish that I caught literally on the last cast of the day, while I was going to the bathroom,” Richardson said.

Fishing with Joseph Sancho, who finished second in the Pro Division, Richardson caught his fish on drop-shots with Berkley Gulp fry in watermelon color over a deep flat. With wind and strong river current pushing the boat at a peppy pace, Richardson found it challenging to get his bait into the strike zone.

“It was really difficult to get that little bait down there and keep it on the bottom,” he said. “I would just pitch it out there, leave the bail open and let it fall with no resistance at all.”

Entering the event in ninth place, Richardson was the second co-angler to weigh, and his performance earned him a lengthy spell in the tournament leader’s hot seat. Anglers typically start with their smallest fish and work their way up to the crowd-popping kicker. With Richardson’s limit, it was just kicker after kicker after kicker. His five whopping smallies totaled 22 pounds, 6 ounces – the tournament’s heaviest stringer.

Richardson, who totaled 62 pounds, 11 ounces for the event, said his final-round catch typified the impressive fishery he had experienced throughout the tournament.

“I think we exceeded our expectations this week.”

Edwards secures second

Dustin Edwards of Ellington, Conn., entered the final round as the leader, but slipped a spot when he weighed just 12 pounds, 5 ounces – his lightest stringer of the event. Paired with pro winner Mike Desforges, Edwards fished a blue Lucky Craft jerkbait mostly around Kingston, Ontario, near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River and ended with a 61-13 total.

Edwards, who described many years of visiting his grandparents in Clayton, N.Y., carried an emotional burden through most of the tournament: “I fished with a heavy heart because my grandmother passed away Wednesday night. I’ll miss coming up here to visit her, but she was out there with me, making sure I didn’t lose any fish.”

Hiccup lands Zeisner in third

One of Jeff Zeisner’s five fish weighed about a pound and a half, while the others ran approximately 4 pounds each. Lamenting an opportunity lost, the Arva, Ontario, angler said, “When you’re working on a 20-pound bag, you can’t have a hiccup like this.”

Fishing in Lake Ontario, Zeisner used drop-shots with Berkley Gulp fry and Strike Zone gobies. He caught 18 pounds, 12 ounces for a total of 61-1.

“You had to feel the bottom and try not to fall out of the boat,” Zeisner said. “There were 4- to 5-foot (waves) out there, so you had to lean on something to keep from falling out.”

Best of the rest

Mark Keniston of Camden, N.Y., placed fourth with 56-9, and Zackery Seal of Eldred, Pa., took fifth with 54-14.

Rounding out the top 10 co-angler leaders at the Stren Series 1,000 Islands event:

6th: Jerry Thompson of Bemidji, Minn., 54-7

7th: Richard McCrory of Point-Clare, Quebec, 51-11

8th: Scott Keefe of Hinesburg, Vt., 50-7

9th: Tim Elliott of Kenbridge, Va., 45-3

10th: Cory Leonard of Castalia, N.C., 41-2