The St. Lawrence River's most underrated smallmouth presentation

The St. Lawrence River's most underrated smallmouth presentation © Vexus Boats

There's a really good chance Vexus angler Darryl Esterly is the only competitive bass angler with a pretzel sponsorship. Yes indeed, Reading, Pennsylvania-based Faller's Pretzels has been a generous supporter of the 5-time Toyota Series Championship qualifier for several years now.

He's shared dozens of bags of the salty baked pastries with fishing buddies around America, and his successful dependence on the often-overlooked Carolina rig has proven to be a savory snack for St. Lawrence River smallmouth too.

"There's no doubt a drop shot has been the most dominant presentation on the St. Lawrence the past 10 years, but I lean far more on a Carolina rig, because it's a different presentation than most are throwing, and thanks to current, it's super-efficient at covering long stretches of the river bottom without making repeated casts. And obviously it catches big ones consistently, or I wouldn't use it so much," reasons the former U.S. Marine and current electrical lineman.

There's an art to it

The Carolina rig often catches a bad rap for being overly simplistic and slow, to the point of being boring, but for anglers like Esterly it's a bit of an art form that delivers Picasso level results.

"Think of it like painting. You're not just slapping it on mindlessly with a roller. Instead, you need to be finessing your Carolina rig across the bottom like you're painting with a 3" brush," he explains.

Ideally you want a west wind on the St. Lawrence, which is blowing the same direction as the current.

6th Sense snags less

A huge reason Esterly advises to finesse your Carolina rig is because you're dragging around rocks and boulders on the bottom that are prone to grab your rig like Bills Hall of Famer Bruce Smith grabbing Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien on third and long.

While Esterly has zero affiliation with Texas-based tackle brand 6th Sense, he swears their pre-rigged Carolina rigs simply hang up less than standard ones he rigs in the boat.

"I bought my first 6th sense pre-rigged versions at Thousand Island Bait Store in Alexandria Bay, and I started noticing they just didn't get snagged as much. I'm honestly not sure why. I just know they add to my efficiency," says Esterly.

His favorite size is the ¾ ounce, but will drop to a lighter half ounce if the current is less, or he's getting snagged more than normal.

"I just want whatever weight allows me to maintain bottom contact without getting hung-up," he adds.

Pay close attention to drift speed on your GPS

Speaking of current speed, Esterly advises paying close attention to your drift speed via the digital mph on your sonar screen. Noting for example, if you're floating along at 1.4 mph and catching fish, a sudden decrease down to 1.0 mph can hinder the bite. So, the goal is to stay in sections of the river that offer the most productive speed, if possible.

Lures of choice

He keeps the lure offerings at the end of a 36" long, 15-pound fluorocarbon leader pretty simple. He uses either a black-gold fleck 3.5" tube from Dry Creek Lures or Zoom's speed craw.

And when asked to name why he runs a Vexus, his answer to that is pretty simple too.

"It's the smoothest boat on the planet in rough water. Other boats sound like the gunnel is being hit by a sledgehammer every time you bust a wave. You just don't hear that with a Vexus. And when I need something, the folks at my dealership, Hall's Marine in Muncy, PA, are always there to help me, just like the incredible folks at the Vexus factory in Flippin, Arkansas," says Esterly.

Pretty straightforward, and hard not to like. Much like a handful of Faller's pretzels paired with a cold beverage at the end of a successful day full of catching big smallies on a Carolina rig in the current of the mighty St. Lawrence.

To learn more about why serious anglers like Esterly place so much trust in the craftsmanship of their Vexus boats, please visit vexusboats.com.