A 30-pound five-fish tournament limit is a big deal in bass fishing. It’s usually enough to win the day on even the lunker largemouth lakes of the southern United States. When it’s a 30-pound sack of smallmouth bass, it’s an even bigger deal. It was a record-breaking deal at the Jack Link’s Lake Simcoe Open in Ontario, Canada on Oct. 28.
Niagra Falls anglers Jason Clay and Matt Belzil weighed in a 31.80-pound limit of smallmouths to win the 47-boat tournament, and they also set a new Canadian record, according to B.A.S.S. Each fish in their limit weighed more than 6 pounds.
Lake Simcoe is one of Ontario’s largest lakes at 279 square miles. It is also a hot-bed for big smallmouth bass. The previous record of 31.55 pounds was caught during the 2010 Simcoe Open. Like many lakes that boast of giant smallies, gobies are part of a menu that allows for spectacular growth of predatory species at Simcoe.
According to the B.A.S.S. report, Clay and Belzil spent practice and tournament days watching their electronics and dropping underwater cameras to locate pods of big bass. Fish were holding on boulders, flats, points and transition areas in 20 to 45 feet of water. Catching them was a matter of rotating through bladebaits, crankbaits, tubes and dropshots.
On a lake where half the field has been known to zero, this year’s Simcoe Open produced three sacks heavier than 30 pounds, including Clay and Belzil’s record breaker. The duo took home a $7,800 cash prize, which will be followed by a $20,000 bonus once the catch is officially verified.