NORTH EAST, Md. — Since he was a little kid, Dillon Falardeau has dreamed of crossing the Bassmaster Classic stage. He’s now five quality bass away from making that dream a reality.
The Hixson, Tenn., pro caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces on Day 2 of the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at Upper Chesapeake Bay presented by SEVIIN, increasing his two-day total to 41-9 after landing a tournament-best 22-7 on the first day of competition.
“It has always been a dream,” Falardeau said. “I wouldn’t even know what to do (if I win). It will be an emotional event if I do walk away with it. I knew today if I hunkered down and got three or four bites they would be good ones, and that is what happened.”
Falardeau will open Championship Friday with a 1-15 lead over Georgia’s Tyler Campbell, who climbed to second-place with a total of 39-10. Alabama’s Lucas Lindsay is third with 39-3.
A stronger than expected south wind blew through the Chesapeake Bay on Thursday, adding another challenging layer to a less than ideal tide cycle. Areas dirtied up and water levels rose during the high tide cycle in the morning before holding the low tide back in the afternoon.
Combine that with the fishing pressure in the Susquehanna Flats, Day 2 turned out to be a much tougher day for much of the field. Only three bags over 19 pounds crossed the stage and 18 fewer limits were caught by the 154 boat field today than yesterday.
Throughout the first two days of the tournament, Falardeau has focused on two main areas. His primary region is a half-mile circle located on the massive Susquehanna Flats. Within that circle, he has located three or four sweet spots with mixtures of vegetation in 4 to 6 feet of water and baitfish which have produced his best bites of the tournament, including a nearly 6-pound largemouth on Day 1.
The outgoing tide, which started late in the morning and lasted until after official tournament hours both days, has been Falardeau’s best bite window so far.
A Z-Man JackHammer paired with a 4.5 Hog Farmer Spunk Shad has triggered many of his better largemouth as well as an unnamed squarebill crankbait.
He has thrown those same two baits around his secondary area, a grassline in 2 to 4 feet of water he feels isn’t influenced nearly as much by the tide cycle.
“It is protected and has three types of grasses,” Falardeau explained. “I focused my whole practice on finding areas with three or four different types of grass.”
While he has landed close to 10 bass in that area, including his initial limit on Day 2, Falardeau’s bigger largemouth have all come from the flat.
Falardeau started Day 2 on the flat, but with the incoming tide and the wind blowing over his best spots, he quickly realized he needed to move to his secondary area. Once there, the Chickamauga Lake guide proceeded to fill out a limit within an hour and made one cull before moving back out to the flats.
“I had to at least try where I caught my big bag yesterday, but I could tell right away it wasn’t happening,” he said. “I went to my limit spot, caught a limit and a good one, and then bounced around waiting on the tide. Once the tide was right, I showed back up and hunkered down.”
When he returned to his best spots around 1 p.m., Falardeau found the bass biting and landed four 4-pounders to cull up to his final tally for the day. Still, he feels like his day could have been even better if the conditions were different.
“Just quality bass, and that's what lives on that spot,” he said. “The wind was pushing so much water into that area. You want it as low as possible. It makes them easier to find and catch. Even though the tide is going out, the wind got stronger and stronger and kept pushing more and more water in.”
After landing 17-15 on Day 1, Campbell jumped from 20th to second on Day 2 with a 21-11 limit of largemouth, the biggest stringer of the day. The Emmanuel University angler now finds himself in contention to qualify for his second-straight Bassmaster Classic after earning a spot in the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic at Ray Roberts presented by Under Armour after winning the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship.
Mixtures of grasses, star grass and hydrilla, have also been the key to success for Campbell this week. On Day 1, he caught his limit in deeper grass. Due to the wind, that spot was even deeper on Day 2, and Campbell was forced to move shallower into a more crowded area. That move paid off in a big way.
“I woke up this morning and thought I was going to be in trouble. Where I caught them yesterday was in 12 feet of water all day today. I knew I had to make some adjustments today. I slid up into a little area where I had some bites in practice. Once I settled in I got my first bite, and it was hot and heavy for the next hour.”
Without touching his trolling motor, Campbell caught the bulk of his weight between 8 and 9 a.m. using one specific technique he feels no one else is using. His area consists of three sweet spots, all within a cast of each other.
“I caught seven, and six of them were over 4 pounds. They were all cookie-cutter-butterballs,” he said. “I caught my last keeper almost at the crest of high tide.”
Lindsay has been the most consistent angler thus far, landing limits of 19-13 and 19-6 to finish Day 2 in third place with 39-3. The former Auburn University angler has also spent the majority of his time in the flats, finding success around shorter grass. Several baits helped him achieve his Day 1 limit, but a bladed jig was by far his most productive today.
Lindsay enjoyed a short flurry early in the day, landing three largemouth before 9 a.m., including a 5-pounder. After a long lull, he finished out his limit. Unfortunately, he was forced to head back to weigh-in early to preserve the health of his bass. He did suffer an 8-ounce dead-fish penalty, keeping him out of second-place.
Pitman, N.J.’s Richard Leadbeater claimed Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day honors with a 6-5 largemouth he landed on Day 2, unseating Christian Nash’s 5-13 largemouth from Day 1 for Big Bass of the Tournament honors.
Through eight competition days, Lindsay leads the St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN Division I points race with 569 points followed by Alabama’s Matt Adams in second with 563 points. Virginia’s Ryan Lachniet is third with 560 points, Campbell is fourth with 553 points and Georgia’s Cody Stahl is fifth with 553 points. The Top 50 in points after next week's St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Lawrence River presented by SEVIIN event will advance to the Elite Qualifier Division, where 10 anglers will receive an invite to the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series roster.
The day 3 weigh-in will being at 2 p.m. EST. The winner will earn a spot in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour, given he has fished all four events in Division I.
Here are the top 10 anglers who will be competing in the final round:
1. Dillon Falardeau: 10, 41-9
2. Tyler Campbell: 10, 39-10
3. Lucas Lindsay: 10, 39-3
4. Josh Bragg: 10, 36-6
5. Dave Frost: 10, 36-1
6. Duke Nave: 10, 35-13
7. Easton Lindus: 10, 35-5
8. Steve Dimatteo: 10, 34-14
9. Matt Messer: 10, 34-6
10. Trey Richardson III: 9, 34-4
