After stringing together plenty of high finishes, including more than a dozen top tens, but constantly coming up short of the ultimate prize, Justin Lucas went a grueling 6 years between wins. But as it turns out, all he needed to do to break the curse was head back to the exact body of water where he secured his last national title… Lake Erie.
Lucas’ last victory came in 2020, where he managed to edge out Jacob Wheeler by a single ounce to win. This past weekend, it was the exact same two heavyweights sitting at the top of the leaderboard, but this time, Lucas made sure there was absolutely zero suspense. Long story short… Lucas hammered ’em. While the rest of the field was grinding, he spent Sunday’s Championship Round putting on a smallmouth clinic, hauling in 25 scorable bass for a staggering 98 pounds, 11 ounces.
To put that into perspective, he hauled in 6 smallies over the 5-pound mark and anchored his bag with a 6-pound, 11-ounce absolute unit that took home the Berkley Big Bass honors for the event. He dominated the event, ultimately beating Wheeler by an impressive 19-pound, 6-ounce margin. The definition of dialed in.
The blowout victory earned Lucas a cool $125,000 payday and officially launched him up to third place in the final Fishing Clash Angler of the Year standings. Meanwhile, Zack Birge notched a top 10 finish, securing his first career Angler of the Year. He bested Wheeler by just 4 points in the AOY standings. Dustin Connell and Spencer Shuffield rounded out the top 5, respectively.
It was a great finish to another great year in Major League Fishing at one of America’s premiere smallmouth fisheries, so as always, let’s take a look at how the the Top 10 anglers got it done. Here’s the best baits from the MLF Bass Pro Tour stop at Lake Erie:
10. Zack Birge: 20-12 (6)
Top Lures: 3/8-ounce Hag’s Hurricane Bladed Jig, tube, and a jighead minnow.
The Strategy: Birge had his eyes set squarely on the Angler of the Year title. He started shallow along the south side of the lake, ripping a bladed jig to get some largemouth on the board. Once that bite died, he pushed out to a 12- to 15-foot rock bar loaded with bait. He blind-casted a tube when his screens were off and used his ActiveTarget to snipe roamers with a jighead minnow to officially secure the AOY trophy.
Shop the Hag’s Hurricane Bladed Jig at Tackle Warehouse – $6.99
9. Jesse Wiggins: 22-3 (7)
Top Lures: Jackall Crosstail Shad and Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm.
The Strategy: Wiggins kept things incredibly simple over on the Canadian side, relying entirely on a drop-shot rig around isolated boulders in 15 to 20 feet of water. He dragged the trusty Flat Worm and Crosstail Shad, but when the brutal Erie wind finally died and the water slicked over, he downsized to a 6-pound Seaguar Tatsu leader to finesse the highly-pressured smallies into biting.
Shop Seaguar Tatsu at Tackle Warehouse – $44.99
8. Ott DeFoe: 30-0 (9)
Top Lures: Rapala DT6, 10, and 12 crankbaits, ChatterBait, a jig and a drop-shot.
The Strategy: DeFoe burned more gas than anyone, running from the takeoff all the way to Canada and over to the Detroit River. Because he covered so much water, he threw the kitchen sink at them. He cranked rock jetties with the Rapala DT series, but did his most consistent damage dragging a drop-shot. Thanks to that VMC RedLine hook, he didn’t lose a single fish he pinned all week.
Shop the Rapala DT 10 Crankbaits at Tackle Warehouse – $10.99
7. Marshall Hughes: 33-2 (10)
Top Lures: 3-inch Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm (Natural Shad) and a mid-depth crankbait.
The Strategy: Hughes pulled off an absolute miracle, landing a 16-pound flurry in just seven minutes to make the final day. Fishing the islands along the Canadian border, he targeted steep banks with mixed rock, sand, and grass in 10 to 12 feet of water. He used the crankbait as a search tool to fire up the schools, and once he found them, he dropped the Shad Shape Worm directly on their heads to clean house.
Shop the Yamamoto Shape Shad Worm at Tackle Warehouse – $4.79
6. Jeff Sprague: 34-0 (11)
Top Lures: Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm.
The Strategy: Sprague went all-in on the Canadian side and fully committed to the drop-shot. After idling for days in practice, he realized the biggest smallmouth were actually sitting on subtle, flat spots with tiny rocks that barely showed up on his sonar. Much like Hughes, he fed them the Shad Shape Worm all week, heavying up to a 1/2-ounce weight to maintain bottom contact when the wind started howling.
Shop the Yamamoto Shape Shad Worm at Tackle Warehouse – $4.79
5. Brent Ehrler: 53-14 (17)
Top Lures: 3-inch Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm, Yamamoto Fuzzy Nut, and Lucky Craft 1.5DD and 2.5DD crankbaits.
The Strategy: Ehrler camped near the mouth of the Detroit River, hunting for spots where the grass and rock mixed. He did a lot of damage dragging the Shad Shape Worm and Fuzzy Nut on a drop-shot, but his secret weapon was using his Garmin SideVü to look behind his boat. When he saw fish trailing him, he’d spin around and blind-cast to them, or burn a Lucky Craft crankbait as fast as he could turn the handle.
Shop the Yamamoto Fuzzy Nut at Tackle Warehouse – $9.49
4. Cole Floyd: 64-9 (25)
Top Lures: 3/8-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket with a Strike King Rage Bug trailer, and a Strike King Rage Thumper Worm.
The Strategy: While everyone else was chasing brown bass, the Ohio native put on an absolute clinic on Erie’s largemouth population, breaking a BPT record with an 87-pound period earlier in the week. He completely ignored the edges and instead hunted for small holes inside the thick grass beds where the largemouth were heavily grouped up, blasting them with the Thunder Cricket.
Shop the Strike King Thunder Cricket at Tackle Warehouse – $12.99
3. Michael Neal: 68-7 (24)
Top Lures: Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm (Natural Shad) and #1 Gamakatsu Aaron Martens G-Finesse Drop-Shot Hook.
The Strategy: Neal ran the exact same playbook that won him a St. Clair trophy back in 2021. He posted up near the mouth of the Detroit River in 12 to 16 feet of water, hunting for anything that looked different on the bottom—an isolated rock, a patch of sand, or a hole in the grass. He simply dragged a drop-shot rig, with yet another Yamamoto Shape Shad, right over those sweet spots to load the boat.
2. Jacob Wheeler: 79-7 (27)
Top Lures: Rapala CrushCity Mooch Minnow, CrushCity Cleanup Craw, CrushCity Salted Ned Roll, and Rapala DT12, DT14, and DT16 crankbaits.
The Strategy: Wheeler was one of the few guys who successfully weighed in both big largemouth and big smallmouth. He hit the largemouth on the shallow grass edges using a ChatterBait paired with a Mooch Minnow and a jig. When he pushed deep for smallies, he cranked rock seams with the Rapala DTs as fast as possible to force reaction strikes, and finessed them with the Salted Ned Roll on a drop-shot. Wheeler wound up finishing second in the tournament and second in the Angler of the Year standings.
Shop the Crush City Salted Ned Roll at Tackle Warehouse – $5.99
1. Justin Lucas: 98-11 (25)
Top Lures: Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm (Black, Green Pumpkin, Smoke Black Purple).
The Strategy: Lucas snapped a six-year drought on the exact same body of water, beating the exact same guy (Wheeler), and using the exact same bait as his last national win. He put on a masterclass on Championship Sunday, bagging six smallmouth over 5 pounds. He targeted visible cover near the mouth of the Detroit River, dragging the Flat Worm on a drop-shot to seal the deal and hoist the trophy.
Shop the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Flat Worm at Tackle Warehouse – $9.99
*This post contains links through the Tackle Warehouse Affiliate Program. While all products are independently selected by our expert Riff Outdoors team, if you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a commission.
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