By B.A.S.S. Communications


MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. –— In his first three years as a Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series angler, Trey McKinney has come to realize a northern smallmouth bass is smarter than a southern largemouth. On Day 1 of the Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite at Lake St. Clair, McKinney found the right cadence to trick five big brown fish into biting.

The 20-year-old phenom from Carbondale, Ill., leads the 101 Elite Series field with 24 pounds, 11 ounces, anchoring his bag with a 5-10 smallmouth. McKinney’s lead over second-place Matt Robertson is just 11 ounces while Will Davis Jr. trails by 1-8.

“I’ve never been nervous for a tournament, but I was nervous for this one,” McKinney said. “I think the main thing will be staying consistent on finding new areas as the days go on.”

Despite reports of a tougher than usual bite, Lake St. Clair once again proved why it is one of the best smallmouth lakes in the country. Forty-four anglers landed limits of 20 pounds or better on Day 1 and 100 anglers landed a five-bass limit. Two pounds separates the leader from 16th-place Pat Schlapper.

To prepare for this tournament, the 2024 Dakota Lithium Rookie of the Year spent several days on Lake Michigan. While Lake St. Clair and Lake Michigan are vastly different fisheries, McKinney has learned smallmouth have the same tendencies no matter which body of water they are in.

That realization has helped the young angler quickly get a grip on northern fisheries.

“Smallmouth are smallmouth. They have the same instincts,” he explained. “A lot of it is cadence. They are sight feeders. Everyone says largemouth are smarter, but I think smallmouth are smarter. When you present your bait, it has to look so natural for a big one to eat it. How you present the bait to them is the difference between them eating it and bumping it.”

McKinney’s morning started off with a bang, landing a 4-pounder right off the bat and then the 5-10 smallmouth. He followed that with a 4-12 before moving around and filling out his bag by noon. From there, he went to practice, landing several 4-8’s that didn’t help before calling it quits for the day.

“To compete in this tournament, you have to have all smallmouth over 4 pounds,” McKinney remarked.

Outside of his morning area, McKinney stayed on his trolling motor looking for a specific bottom composition. A mix of tall and short grasses, combined with sand, has been the best combination for him so far. Three baits produced his best bites.

“As long as the bottom looks right with the grass and the sand, I’ll keep going,” he said.

While the way he is fishing can be inconsistent, McKinney caught enough fish on Day 1 to feel confident about his chances moving forward. His goal is to catch as many bass over 4 1/2 pounds as he can the next three days.

“If I can catch 22 1/2 pounds from here on out, I still have a shot,” he said.

Robertson, meanwhile, anchored his 24-pound Day 1 limit with a 5-14 smallmouth, the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the Day. The Kuttawa, Ky., pro opened the morning by landing 17 pounds before moving to an area he felt had better quality bass and making several upgrades using two different baits.

“I took a chance and tried to get two or three big ones the rest of the day,” Robertson said. “It was good enough and I’m going to do it all day tomorrow.”

Two different baits produced his weight, but one bait has been key to getting his bigger bites in his best area.

“It is a day-by-day thing, one area is definitely keyed in on one bait,” he explained. “It is a little different from what most people are fishing. So, I mean, that deal I’ve got it dialed.”

Davis Jr., meanwhile, caught the majority of his 23-3 in an hour flurry around mid-morning. Around 9:30 a.m., he drifted through an area and landed two 4-pounders before boating a 5-8 and a 5-4 on back-to-back casts. He landed one more 4-pounder before the bite died.

“That was it,” he said.

A Big Bite Baits Thresher Worm on a drop shot and a Big Bite Jerk Minnow on a Davis Bait Company jighead were his best producers. Late in the day, the Sylacauga, Ala., native said he found a bait that better quality smallmouth would bite and lost two good ones before coming to weigh-in.

McKinney leads the Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 690 points followed by Canadian pro Chris Johnston with 662 points. Wisconsin’s Jay Przekurat is third with 651 points followed by Kyoya Fujita in fourth with 646 points and Davis Jr. in fifth with 646 points. Patrick Walters, Taku Ito, Bill Lowen, Shane LeHew and Paul Marks round out the Top 10.



Here's how the top 10 looks after day 1:

1. Trey McKinney: 5, 24-11
2. Matt Robertson: 5, 24-00
3. Will Davis Jr: 5, 23-03
4. Dakota Ebare: 5, 23-01
5. Easton Fothergill: 5, 22-14
5. Caleb Sumrall: 5, 22-14
7. Kyoya Fujita: 5, 22-13
7. Bryan Schmitt: 5, 22-13
9. Paul Mueller: 5, 22-07
10. Kyle Norsetter: 5, 22-06