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Josh Bertand has told people for years that the St. Lawrence River is his favorite fishery. And even though he resides in Queen Creek, Arizona, a lot of Bertrand’s family heritage can actually be traced to the French who settled along the New York-Ontario shoreline that granted the sixth year pro his first Bassmaster Elite Series win.

The always even-keeled Bertand also earned a cash bonus from the Toyota Bonus Bucks program because he was the highest finishing registered Bonus Bucks angler in the field, and he’s purchased three Tundras during his impressive young career.

“The biggest reason I love a Toyota Tundra is for its reliability,” says the 29-year-old Bertand. “The last thing I want to worry about as a pro angler while making super long drives, is a mechanical failure with my tow vehicle. But I also love the comfort my Tundra affords on those long commutes, and it has a pretty tight turning radius that helps a lot too when you’re towing a 21-foot Nitro.”

Fans who watched the final day weigh-in showcasing Bertrand’s win couldn’t help but be impressed with the amount of class, character, and friendship shown to him by fellow competitor, Justin Lucas.

Lucas finished second to Bertrand by barely more than a pound, but because he drives a Tundra and registered for Bonus Bucks, he will win the second highest finisher’s cash bonus from Toyota.

Next up, a battle between the two longtime friends and Western U.S. natives for a shot at the 2018 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title at Chatuge Lake, Georgia. And no matter who wins the coveted year-long points title during the September week along the mountainous GA-NC border, one thing’s for sure – it’ll be a really good guy towing with a Tundra.

You don’t have to be an Elite Series pro to win the “Bonus Bucks” – you just have to be a registered participant in the Toyota Bonus Bucks Program, and be the highest-placing participant in any of the dozens of tournaments supported by the Program. To learn more and get signed-up, please visit www.toyotatrucksbonusbucks.com or phone (918) 742-6424, and ask for Kendell and she can also help you get signed-up.

Brandon Lester might want to move to New York each summer. Not only is the weather far less suppressive than late summer tends to be near his home on the Tennessee- Alabama border, but Top 12 Bassmaster Elite Series finishes, and subsequent “Cover Cash” bonus checks from Leer truck caps and tonneau covers are also becoming the norm for Lester in New York-based tournaments each August.

The Toyota driving pro took home Leer “Cover Cash” last summer after a top finish on Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh, NY, and again this past week when he nearly won on the St. Lawrence River at Waddington, NY on the strength of a 6 pound 8 ounce bronze bomber that was his first keeper smallmouth on Championship Sunday.

Sadly, that 6.8-pounder was smaller than an even bigger potentially game-changing behemoth that Lester was unable to land Sunday, which may have been the tournament winning fish. He battled both beasts with a 6’ 9” MHX rod from his title sponsor Mud Hole Custom Rods, while fishing in 25 to 40’ of water.

Obviously, Lester would have loved to win the Elite Series tournament, but the great thing about participating in Leer’s “Cover Cash” program is you don’t have to claim victory to get paid. You simply have to be the highest finishing registered participant in any number of “Cover Cash” affiliated amateur and pro tournament trails.

“I keep everything from my boat cover, to spare fishing tackle, plus extension cords and outboard oil in my Leer, and it’s been trouble-free, dry, and secure for several seasons on tour,” says Lester.

Leer’s “Cover Cash” program pays cash bonuses to registered Leer anglers in Bassmaster Opens, FLW, BFL, A.B.A, as well as numerous top regional bass fishing teams trails, and several walleye fishing trails too. To make sure you’re registered, check out https:/leercovercash.com or phone (918) 742-6424, and ask for Kendell or Jarrett, and they’ll be happy to help you get signed-up.

WADDINGTON, N.Y. — After what he claimed was a tough day, Josh Bertrand of San Tan Valley, Ariz., mastered the New York smallmouth bass and produced a giant five-bass limit that weighed 23 pounds, 1 ounce to take home his first Bassmaster Elite Series championship today.

                                                                                          
Bertrand’s four-day total was 95-3, which earned him an impressive $100,000 payday in the Huk Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet and valuable Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points.

The derby was the final regular-season event before the Top 50 pros in the points race advance to the AOY Championship at Georgia’s Lake Chatuge in mid-September.

Bertrand will begin the championship in second place in points, but taking home the coveted blue Bassmaster trophy at Waddington is a great way to cap off an extraordinary season.

“It’s hard to put into words how I feel right now,” he said. “I am so happy to have finally won one of these, and I’m excited to extend my season into the AOY Championship. But right now I’m going to let this victory sink in.”

The 29-year-old angler said the fishing on Championship Sunday was tougher than the previous three days.

“As it usually does, things were more of a struggle today, despite weighing over 23 pounds,” Bertrand said. “The key for me was confidence in my presentation. All week I’ve been catching my fish on a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm, and I knew it was going to keep on producing — I just had to stick with it until the final minutes.”

That’s exactly what he did, and it paid off big time.

His rod all week was a 7-foot medium action Abu Garcia Premier spinning rod paired with an Abu Garcia Premier size 30 spinning reel filled with 8-pound Berkley Nonoil tipped with a Berkley Trilene 100 Percent Fluorocarbon leader.

“The business end was a No. 1 Berkley Fusion19 drop-shot hook above a 3/8-ounce drop-shot weight,” Bertrand said. “The baits were a 3-inch Gulp! Minnow in an emerald shiner pattern, and the 4-inch Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm was in a green pumpkin color. I can’t say enough about how effective those two presentations were this week.

“My main pattern was drifting rock humps with the river current,” he said. “Most of my fish came from [depths of] 40 to 50 feet, and that program held all week. On the final day it was critical to fish some fresh spots I had checked out during practice.”

Second by less than a pound was Justin Lucas of Guntersville, Ala., with 94-6. He and  Brandon Lester of Fayetteville, Tenn., each brought in heavy, 24-3 limits, but Lester finished third with 94-1; David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., the leader going into Championship Sunday, fell to fourth with 92-11 after weighing in a subpar 20-6 limit. Mike McClelland of Bentonville, Ark., with 90-1 for fifth place.

McClelland earned the Power-Pole Captain’s Cash Award of $1,000 for being the highest-placing angler who is registered and eligible and uses a client-approved product on his boat.

Brett Hite of Phoenix, Ariz., received $1,500 as the winner of the Phoenix Boats Big Bass award. He had the largest bass of the tournament with a 6-12 smallmouth on Thursday’s opening round.

Lucas wrested the lead for the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title from Bradley Roy, the frontrunner going into the Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence. He has a 9-point edge over Bertrand. Lucas was awarded $1,000 for the leading the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race at the end of the event.

Bertrand earned the Toyota Bonus Bucks Award of $3,000 for being the highest-placing eligible entrant in the program. The second-highest-placing eligible entrant, Lucas, received $2,000.

2018 Huk Bassmaster Elite At St. Lawrence River Title Sponsor: Huk

2018 Huk Bassmaster Elite At St. Lawrence River Presenting Sponsor: Black Velvet

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Platinum Sponsor: Toyota

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Premier Sponsors: Triton Boats, Yamaha, Abu Garcia, Berkley, Huk, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Power-Pole, Skeeter Boats

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Phoenix Boats, T-H Marine, Academy Sports + Outdoors,  Carhartt

2018 Bassmaster Elite Series Elite Partner: Black Velvet

About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Academy Sports + Outdoors B.A.S.S. Nation Series presented by Magellan Outdoors, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

I knew the first time I borrowed Matt Lee’s bathroom inside the college rental home he shared with a handful of other anglers on Auburn’s campus that I was dealing with a special dude.

Oh sure, there were empty pizza boxes on the kitchen counter, bass fishing posters stuck on the wall, and copies of Bassmaster Magazine tossed on the coffee table, but just beyond the upper level engineering text books in his bedroom, were Post-it notes stuck to his bathroom mirror. They contained Bible verses the 2013 Carhartt College Series Bassmaster Classic qualifier had written to remind himself how his young life should be best lived.

That was nearly six years ago, and I’ve had the good fortune of working with Matt Lee ever since. So seeing him vault to the top of the Bassmaster Elite Series leaderboard here on the St. Lawrence River with a nearly 28 pound limit of record-setting smallmouth became special on a personal level.

Frankly, the dude is easy to cheer for. He loves Jesus. Still makes notes of his Bible readings. Holds dual engineering degrees from Auburn. Wears Carhartt britches. Fishes with Quantum reels. Tows with a cool Toyota Tundra. And he love, loves, loves to pick on me. I mean straight-up makes fun of me, right to my face.

The guy is a class act and a joy to work with. He always returns texts and emails. He grants fantastic, articulate interviews. Heck, he knows more about the science of social media than 83% of the marketing folks I know. Maybe 84%.

Plus, he has a smoking hott new wife with an RN degree, who might be smarter than him. His in-laws think he invented the Internet, ranch dressing, and fantasy football. And amid his convictions, still lives a man willing to drink a 96-calorie beer and sing Kenny Chesney’s, “Flora-Bama” aloud in a really bad harmony.

All that while constantly wearing an insulin pump strapped to his hip. “It’s really not a big deal when you think of the way worse problems other people have,” he’ll tell you about the pump.

See why I love the guy? And I’m not the only one. Just ask bass fishing’s funniest man, 2-time Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year, Gerald Swindle about Matt Lee.

“Let me tell you something about Matt – he may be the shortest Elite Series pro on tour, but along with Terry Scroggins, he may have the biggest heart out here too,” says Swindle. “And as an angler, Matt is underrated, overshadowed, and deadly. He’s a freakin genius when it comes to using his electronics,” warned Swindle en route to a boat launch port-a-john with a pocket full of Dude Wipes just before Day 2 blast off.

Heck, even Matt Lee’s mother-in-law loves him. “If I’d have tried to find a better man to marry our daughter Abby, I’ll promise ya, I’d have messed the whole thing up,” grins Cindy Myrex, a real estate agent on gorgeous Smith Lake, Alabama. “Matt is very genuine. He puts God first in he and Abby’s new marriage. He’s fun no matter what we’re doing as a family. There’s no drama with Matt Lee. I tell Abby if she ever decides to leave him – I’m staying with Matt,” she laughs.

But this week, everybody is together in Waddington. Cindy actually flew into Syracuse from Northern Alabama just in time to see her son-in-law soar to the top of the Day 1 leaderboard.

Now all she can do is keep Abby from looking at BASSTrakk dozens of times each day, and take comfort knowing that a lot of people are cheering for Matt, who believes as much as all of us that his life is under the guidance of something way bigger than a smallmouth’s willingness to bite his drop shot rig.

Just check his Post-it notes.