2019 Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake

oh yes it's the Bassmaster Elite Series where we started out this 2019 season a long long time ago down in Florida seems like a long time ago because it was but guess what now the end is in sight this is the eighth of nine regular season tournaments all our points races are coming down to it everything is on the line making it to the classic and so forth and we are going to Lake Cayuga the Finger Lakes in New York we've been there twice before welcome to the Toyota Bassmaster studios mark zona here with Tommy Sanders and Lake Hyuga in those two times has not failed to electrify here's what we've learned from going to kuegel Lake in the past is when you think of the hallowed ground of largemouth bass fishing you think Florida Alabama Texas the one thing we've learned whenever we go to this Finger Lake it is absolutely at the top of the list at largemouth bass fishing and the other side is big ones and many of them New York is an awesome place that was proved at our last stop of here before we get going on Cuba let's take a look at our Yamaha unlock the link oh and this is a monster of a New York Lake 38 miles long 435 feet deep but here's the amazing thing every time we go to cube the lake it fish is very small the reason why giant flats on the north end and the south end that's where they spawn flats where they live really the in-between area it is a basin right off of the bank and one of the anglers that is utilizing really the midsection of kuegel a come to this tournament very outspoken set fighter [Music] beggin beggin oh god still freaking giant dude oh my God look at him how fat is he give me a hug give me a hug look at that Russ freaking Kong look at him it's like a pretty spawner dude we'll set fighter with maximum confidence coming in here didn't wind up in the top five with 21:8 he's gonna be in ninth place to start day number two the hashtag autumn Tommy Sanders and that's what you better be in this tournament after the day one way and Scott Canterbury all over it all season long sitting in third place with 22 pounds and 14 ounces some of the favorites for both the st. Lawrence before this event and this event on cayuga lake were Canadian here's the Canadian that showed out on day number 123 pounds and 11 ounces for Jeff Gustafson exactly not to be outdone from Texas with yet another big start to an event Chris Alvin with a monstrous day one stringer looking for 23:12 take the lead 24 [Applause] [Applause] the elites have been here two times before 2014 it was an 85-pound winning weight in the end and this one is more than on track to equal that at least on day number one Chris Salle they knock it out of the park with 24 5 Jeff Gustafson right behind Scott Canterbury solid all year long you can't find a place where he cannot excel and if you look at the average size largemouth here you're gonna have to bring it this time around and really the one thing the one thing to notice every single time we've been to Cuba Lakes the mornings the first hour of daylight this lake is absolutely on fire that's a big one yeah it's a jumbo little boy yes who I'm out doing Seth's hug from yesterday haha alright to down to the right ones that's awesome and really the morning flurries are the key to Jeff Gustafson's game and here's the biggest thing about it is getting a five pound average here is almost unheard of especially on the second day of competition and looking what Gussie has done early here on day number two he is right on track for that average well as strong as he was on day number one with 23 11 his 25 6 on day number 2 more than enough to snatch that lead away from Chris Sale day and its really been a one-two punch Gustafson concentrating with the jig and then backing it up with finesse but if you notice really targeting largemouth there's a lot of big smallmouth in this lake but going off a history you are gonna win with largemouth well you mentioned it at the top of the shows e this playset does not fish large its small so there's a lot of pressure on those special spot spots like this place that Jeff Gustafson has found but he has found a way to be on top after three days the site one Bassmaster Elite to Cayuga Lake is brought to you by Yamaha Skeeter boats power pole and by hummingbird [Music] we have reached at the finals a championship Sunday on the site one Bassmaster Elite at Cayuga Lake through a union Springs New York gorgeous place great great summertime destination fantastic bass fishing destination is borne out by our scores over the first three days and Jeff Gustafson despite a drop-off in production a little bit on day number three still managing to hold down a healthy lead over Chris Salle vain but we look at the whole of this field of top ten who are in it on this final day and we've learned our lesson in the past two events you don't count anybody out and this is one of those tournaments going into the final day and you rarely see this at an Elite Series event every one of these anglers feels that they have a legitimate shot to win this tournament but the one thing that we did see on day number three a lot of your leaders a lot of the guys that were at the top of the leaderboard slipping a little bit and possibly opening the door for somebody lower championship Sunday I'm stoked definitely definitely happy to be here I'm in my home state of New York hey you go lake first one two twenty three twenty four pounds is gonna win this thing today so hopefully it's me I'm just gonna go fishing and you know we've been doing this my whole life so it's it's I'm ready I'm ready to do it gonna get right on the water on championship Sunday now and here is a very dynamic map are you ready looking at our top ten anglers nine of them Tommy Sanders are fishing with a couple miles of our take off on the north end the reason why giant giant flat bluegill spawn their bass spawn there a lot of fish in this lake a population of bass in this lake live their entire life right there where nine of our anglers are act let's start it out with our leader we mentioned the four pound six ounce lead over Chris al Dane and second place and Jeff Gustafson despite some luck some shortcomings yesterday fell a little short trying to make up for it early today oh yeah it's a good one come on baby oh that's a start and one common thing that's gone on this time around though that north platte once you find a bass generally you find a school lot of the years passed the grass was real high the fish would scatter out and really guys would concentrate on sand spots in this grass this time around there have been monster schools to be located that one feels better maybe two and three quarters come on let's get five here well I don't know about that second fish the first fish Oh Jeff Gustafson would probably like to call it out of get rid of that one before he goes to the weigh-in this afternoon let's go short distance across the way and find Chris Salle Dane two seconds already you're in 2019 and he'd like to overtake it and get a win this time hey for four and a half pounds out we need a big day I've been fishing this giant flat that comes to an edge right here hundreds of feet of water out here ledge big flat with grass so they're trying to target little rock piles where the bass fit on I just want it to be a just a relaxed comfortable day of fishing oh look at that one Gus stay on there stay on there brownie no no small mouth we'll start off the hard fighter a couple down there with it Griselda a doing a lot of bouncing around early this morning and the one thing that's transpired for Zeldin his numbers have drastically gone down through the event unlike this guy coming off a big win earlier in the season Jamie Hartman there this is I mean I am ticking the top of this grass it's short grass but if it wasn't so darn slow you know like yesterday I've got two big ones the 475 and a five and a half in in the parks Oh be a bass yeah that's a bass that's a big bass we hooked up baby no no no [Music] that's a six and a half baby hold man let's get it started yes oh my god that's a six and a half we are on the right track baby one hook but you know it had the right hook and that's that owner SXT short shank treble oh my god has that made a difference for me this week 100% those treble hooks right there are absolutely amazing you can't get anywhere near and look at us without him sticking in you and that's what I'm talking about whoo Jamie Hartman starting in fourth place hate to events ago he came from 10th place at Lake Guntersville to notch his win his single win so far for this season let's take it over to Seth fighters head fighter who was a told you that this is very much like fishing at home for him exactly right growing up on the shores of Lake Minnetonka said coming into this event really said the entire season if there's one Lake that sets up for a victory this is it and not only that set fighter said he had one of the best practices of his life there we go it's decent - oh yeah well it's a big one dude stay on baby yeah already started who knows who knows go every time carry flies left your own over may I get a nice not really every time three and a half yeah good fish let's go good one there early in the day for set fighter and we don't try to deny it we love these pick your poison type tournament set fighter making a move up the leaderboard hey even pick your species in case Chris Sal Dane he's hanging in there but he has been unseated by Brandon Lester Jaime Hartman and Seth fighter things are changing around on the leaderboard and will continue to do so it's going to be pretty volatile on the final day it is championship Sunday someone's gonna win it today here in the Finger Lakes Cayuga Lake the site won Bassmaster Elite Jeff Gustafson of Canada still holdin on to that lead by a very slim margin Jeannie Hartman making a good positive mood today and there you see in third that's Brandon Lester Brandon Lester still searching for his fifth fish and a pretty successful day so far today and he'll detail that for us on today's Skeeter boats taste the bait it's been a good morning so far I've been starting every morning just throwing a I bladed jig I'm throwing a half-ounce played a jig a little exon crawl on the back of it something looks like a bluegill but and what there is I don't know if you can see it right there but they're scattered eelgrass out on these flats it's been good man just there all my chatter made around hope to catch three more than big hammers make this thing interesting but I'm trying not to think about that and off freaking me old staying on baby god that's a bigoted dude I don't know what's happening right now but I'm liking it oh my gosh yes mm are you freaking kidding me look at that that's the biggest one I've caught all week [Music] five and a half maybe a 6 pounder get in there baby yes we'll look out Lester started the day in 10th place the last two events won by someone who started 10th on the final day currently now in second place Jeff Gustafson I'm ready to get a big bite whoops little hop in here it's a little bit stressful I want to just like catch a couple big ones and shut the door on this feels decent hopefully it's a boss yeah it's a good one not good but three he's marking a few down there I'm right on the end of a intake pipe here I just fished the whole way out and in practice they were up kind of near the base of it and there's actually some nice weeds up there and stuff too but we're getting there got to get five and then we can do some upgrading but gotta get five solid fish right there for Gustafson but as we've seen a three and a half pounder right now on this lake does not mean a lot and one angler with three big ones in his live well already this morning Jamie Hartman well I decided to start on a spot that I caught the big one at yesterday afternoon I probably was in 20 yards in the waypoint I caught another six and a half and I've caught them all slowing down on the drop shot so actually if you get sunshine they seem to bite the crank bait better that's the best I'm not gonna chance it both hooks on top of the head I'm not chancing it once again Thank You owner hooks see what I mean they're awesome they're insane yeah they're so sticky dude that's close to a three you know it's funny this has been like that all week to both my marshals it was like joke about it let's talk about it and it happens it's crazy yesterday yesterday was the same way oh my god the big bass the big bass yes Thank You owner again look at that bro like I know they're not biting real good but you just get him close just get them close I think they just jump off the crank bait and snagging whoo that's a three and a half come on bro that's a limit right we are pointed in the right direction well I don't know Jamie Hartman said just moments ago said they really bite good if the Sun comes out here I can see what kind of damage he can do done plenty of damage already coming out of the fourth spot all the way to the top Chris Sal Dane still needing to ignite something currently in fifth place and looking at the smallmouth today bluegill some perch there's one small leak that's a big one no it feels big oh my god the five pounder dude Josh hmm that was a giant I was a st. Lawrence River Somali yeah there were more than one and that was big hmm that's a big one stay on there stay on there Oh stay please oh man that's big don't jump don't know don't jump no no no no no oh my gosh stay on there whoa that's a giant brownie gosh that's her twin sister right there man gosh I just had one on this big don't do it don't do it see that one I just had on was just as big giant stay on that big girl oh shoot yeah stay on there please stay stay stay no no state yeah yes that's a big Smalley yes that's a big one dude there were like four or five with it all that big let's win this thing on small mountain look at that thing giant Smalley eerily similar to a tournament earlier in the year crystal vane with a huge Miss and then a giant catch I don't know but that one that got off before that might have been even bigger than that so Chris Sal Dane he says will let's win this one on Smalley's got some work to do though Jamie Hartland coming out of 4th all the way to the top of our leaderboard plenty of time left today [Music] Bassmaster Elite to Cayuga Lake is brought to you by minn kota talent mercury and by nitro boats only a couple of those blue trophies left for regular season excellence this one will be handed out at the end of today it is championship Sunday Geoff Gustafson started the day with the lead while we were away he has been at work lost that lead Jamie Hartman climbed into that spot but now Geoff Gustafson back can keep the momentum going hang on till the very end of this one he's gonna be the first Canadian to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event got one of those small balls finally come on baby just take her easy yes that helps not a monster but every little bit here one we've seen this season so far if the fish are offshore Jeff Gustafson is definitely a player did that last week of the st. Lawrence River around the corner gonna head back down to Kris al vain trying to win his first event of the season stay on there stay on there oh yes look at him down there oh my gosh big small no stay stay on there no no no hole boy good look at that big ol Smalley hmm choked it mark Chad gone again there were three or four with it let's go let's go wait hold on come on let's go a couple of emergencies smallmouth put risks Aldean back up into third place get over to David Mullins well we can we got one given same place we fished yesterday we didn't have a bite come in here and catch one giant after catching that big in us hoping it'd be just bam bam bam but it's not those fish really fed up the first two days I knew that front was coming yesterday so that's reason the weights were so high they fed up real good hmmm and see if we keep grinding around see what happens and here comes one they got it I watched him come out and get it it's a large mouth to do that was cool I watched him come out and get it we go that's the coolest thing dude I'm sitting there watching my crankbait come back on live scoop and I see one tracking and he's like 20 feet behind it and I stop it and the plugs floating up I'm gonna watch him fall and he comes up to it and a jerk at one time and he eats it that's the coolest thing ever like a good Tennessee angler David Mullins showing a good bit of love and devotion to that crankbait now it looks like he's got a little something going on this final you know what really if you look at what's weird about that is a crankbait has played in years past but just a little bit but with the high water and the grass has not topped out like years past that crankbait has been a major major player but the other thing that we've noticed with that crankbait bite it's really played early in the day and not only that if you look at the conditions that these guys have had for crankbait fishing not exactly what you want very slick water with that being said you'd better catch him in that first hour seen a little bit of that from Jamie Hartman as well another fellow who will tell you got to do a lot of great work early in the morning and we watched Jamie Hartman of course we watched him back at Lake Guntersville right here coming from 10th place in this special spot making the right decision this is eerily similar to what actually happened down at Lake Guntersville we we always say it oh yeah you know some guys in the top 10 have a chance but rarely do you look at the guy that is down in 10th place and that's exactly what Jamie Hartman did on Lake Guntersville earlier this season we'll look at his art the performance throughout this tournament here a steady trackable improvement all the way through the four days of fishing here and now right on track mark zona here he's got a definite change I'm gonna say that's our mercury move of the day I'm gonna say that's the mercury move of the week and here's what's been impressive with Jamie Hartman throughout this event knowing when to switch techniques every day of this tournament is accounted for one or two big ones for Jimmy Hartman just can't get in the line I worm dropping constantly 13 feet of waters over and over and over it gets gets twisted up see how it's all blocked out with grass that's the that's the high grass I was talking about so it changes right here in this area I mean I'm sitting on one of the spots where I call them the big ones yesterday and I think I got if I remember right I did swing on another one to actually you know what Oh [Music] this right here is walk throw the drop shot senior that fish is pegged and this is what I see in my seminars right here this is why I feel a drop shot says it's like a hundred percent if nothing else goes wrong you're gonna land that fish nothing going wrong for Jamie Hartman today that is for sure everything is clicking everything is falling into place for this native New Yorker who really had not much love for Cayuga Lake he may have a lot of love by the time it's all over they'll keep battling it out [Music] number eight of nine regular-season events for the Bassmaster Elite Series 2019 we're in beautiful Finger Lakes area here in New York State big race going on tight competition out there grab that blue trophy also well not so tight a competition in the Dick's Sporting Goods Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race rookie for Florida drew cooked without a substantial lead 63 points ahead of young Patrick Walters who had the lead for the first three events of this season exactly right through cook having a big a fan tear a lot of eyes were on him down in the southeast resides from northern Florida but he has shown all season long he has got power all over this country drew cook having a great finish here on cayuga fantastic season for drew cook cliffs prints for black de Florida that's where we started our year down at the st. Johns River a little short down there on his home waters but to have a pretty good tournament here currently in 10th place he's gonna go top ten at the very least today exactly we've seen multiple win tournaments this year from certain anglers and one angler looking to put two notches under his belt Stetson Blaylock having a big time best year ever for Stetson Blaylock no doubt about that on the Bassmaster Elite Series Corey Johnston from Canada boy he had a rough go of it last time out at the st. Lawrence River would wish that on anyone a perfect storm of trouble today's weight 13 pounds 8 ounces not too shabby but more work yet to be done Jamie Harman like you said Tommy Sanders lives right down the road from here but he would not call this his home lake well he's been right at home here on this final day and he knows there's only one or two good bites from putting this tournament away we're only looking for like one guy to stumble today pretty bad he's got the big lead I've got like ounces on second and third Gussie's I mean I would think he'd catch him today four days long of grinding out fish that's a lot of fish being caught ah come on look at that what'd I tell you making headway baby making headway Jimmy Hartman do it a little speculating but the main thing he's done is great work especially to start his day off with quality he's been on quality all day long definitely has and we're gonna rewind a little bit week or two ago with Chris al Dane up on the st. Lawrence River voted the number one body oval water for smallmouth bass and Chris all day and one of the most powerful on that species had a huge tournament up there and is doing the exact same thing here that effort by Chris Salle Dane last stop st. Lawrence River part of a monster season he has had yes he's absolutely part of the conversation for Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the year our Dick's Sporting Goods Rookie of the Year leader in second place drew cook but Scott Canterbury out of Alabama coming up here to New York and doing so very well has really solidified his lead [Music] stay on there giant stay on there no no stay oh my gosh oh my gosh stay baby oh come here come here come here come here no no no stay stay oh stay don't put slack in that line Z whatever you do don't put slack in it oh come here oh come here yeah baby yeah that's a big old brownie look at that spark there's more down there - ha well lake are we off yes Chris Haldane with yet another giant smallmouth and from one technique to another gonna get out with a set fighter remember just remember this Tommy Sanders this is a big big lake okay okay Wow ain't heard nothing said I ain't hurt nothing rich people are awesome I'm gonna have to be in front of somebody's dock it's like a hundred feet deep 50 yards off the banks I'm gonna have to ruin someone's day what a nice lady Megan Megan yeah yeah yeah random boat docking I guess that's the deal nice one no we're just boat docking the rest of the day two more great big uns Oh big big yeah come on inside grass line what what is going on let's go let's go this is it we're turning it around right here mama I'm just I'm still caught up on it being such a big lake what a what a treat yeah apparently did need to be at that dock because this is severely severely good upgrade right there for set fighter moves on up into fourth place he is just right behind the leaders as it stands right now but the time is getting short we're gonna have the final moments when we return [Music] the site one Bassmaster Elite to Cayuga Lake is brought to you by anbu Garcia Berkeley [Music] Triton boats and by night rowboats [Music] the beautiful beautiful destination our fantastic host City Union Springs New York like the sign says unbeautiful Yuga Lake it's a beautiful blue trophy that will belong to someone not too long from now we are running out of fishing time out here on the lake we have a great great contest going on here on championship Sunday you see almost a virtual tie between Jamie Hartman and Jeff Gustafson Chris Salle Dane could join it very easily it's been unbelievable fishing here this time around on cayuga and Jeff Gustafson literally he has put on a display looking for oh well top what's awesome here exactly right Jeff Gustafson looking to do one or two more calls in the last final minutes this little bit of change in weather may be a small most will be back on the little spots I found hopefully saw that one on the screen feels good oh yeah that's a real one come on baby come on baby we need this one oh come on yes that's a helper oh sweet all right beautiful that was a nice bonus couple more of those and we'll have a chance here cause is stressful Jeff Gustafson of course does not know the standings at this point but he rightly recognizes that he's gonna have to keep upgrading she wants to stay in and have a chance to win ditto for this guy right here Chris Albie one more got plenty of time dude I got I got 20 minutes we've got 20 whole minutes there's plenty of fish there [Music] let's do this hey I don't know what those guys did but then to come in with five giant Smalley's oh my gosh Oh stay on there giant dude oh gosh that's the big one oh oh stay on there please stay on there stay on their biggest one yet dude ah so nervous right now don't you change directions on me another good one we got time one more call unbelievable final day here for Chris al Dane a huge stringer of smallmouth here on Keoghan a lot of people said you could not contend on this final day with smallmouth Chris al Dane has found himself in the hunt but he knows he's gonna have to upgrade well one other angler needs one or two more bites Jamie Hartman that's right come on come on big girl another six and a half baby come on oh my god all your stuff is in the way oh no big blue bag hurry up lick lick lick lick lick ain't getting off of there anyways yes whoa he wasn't getting off of there good one right there for Jamie Hartman and we literally have seen this two championship Sundays this year with this man Jamie Hartman Jamie Harbor this is just the way we love at the final minutes of the final day guys very very close together and some do-or-die clutch catches at the end of the question now for Jamie Hartman a good work he did at the start of the day what was able to do in the last fish of the day would it be enough we're about to have that all resolved right now with the wait [Applause] came from 10 to the top just to go Elite Series champion Jamie the hammer Hartman [Applause] started today with 58 pounds and 9 ounces each 17-6 to take the lead New York [Applause] 22:22 far but Jamie the haver [Applause] our final angler your day 3 leader let's get side-by-side guys at 64 pounds 5 ounces to start the day he needs 69 to make history if not Jamie you know what guys this is not just for me like I said this is for everybody everybody in New York [Applause] and a New Yorker wins it this time around and Jamie Harmon really didn't get his chance to interact with the crowd at Guntersville the weather was so bad so threatening so he's taking full advantage of this great great opportunity right now and how rare is it to win two Bassmaster Elite Series events in the course of a single season and not only that to have such comebacks averaging his comeback from seventh place we had a fourth and a 10th place so Jamie Hartman has done it and done it in fine fashion today all about decisions that's what he said at Guntersville and you can pretty much bet he's gonna say that about this one - he did the right moves at the right time stayed when he should have stayed everything fell into place exactly and it was one of those weird tournaments that throughout the entire event his weights just kept getting better and better and hey look at it like this this guy was laid up with a back injury basically a year ago could not get off of a couch has turned it around and and truly is fishing better now than he has in an entire career yeah I told us early in the season know I've never done well at Keuka Lake I just don't expect much from here Jamie Hartman takes this one congratulations all respect due to Jamie heartland for that and one more event left on the Bassmaster Elite Series for 2019 the next time we will see you will be at Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma

Channel: Bassmaster

Views: 79,169

Rating: 4.8407493 out of 5

Keywords: BASS, B.A.S.S., Fishing, bass fishing, Bassmaster

Id: I958LZ7xplU

Length: 45min 30sec (2730 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 18 2019