Joe Adam’s 6-Pound Smallmouth Anchors a 20-Pound St. Joe River Win
Adam’s 20.42-pound limit leads the Maple Bassmasters through a rainy day on the St. Joe River
By Paul Switzer
The Maple Bassmasters visited the St. Joseph River on September 20, where steady rain greeted anglers throughout the tournament. Joe Adam handled the wet conditions with a strong performance, bringing five fish to the scale for 20.42 pounds.
Adam’s catch included a 6.02-pound smallmouth, the tournament’s biggest bass and his personal best. He said he caught about eight keepers using a green pumpkin goby TRD on a ¼-ounce jig head. Most of his fish came in 8 to 10 feet of water, though some were as deep as 18 feet.
Adam Finds the Right Depth
[PHOTO: Joe Adam with his smallmouth — caption: “Adam – 1st Place, 6 lb Smallmouth”] The St. Joe offered anglers several depth ranges and different ways to find fish. Adam focused on deeper water and stayed with a presentation that produced enough bites to build a winning limit. His five-fish bag topped the field by more than six pounds. The 6.02-pound smallmouth secured the big-bass honor.“I caught that 6 lber under a boat dock in 8 feet of water on a Ned TRD green pumpkin goby in pouring rain. It was a beauty!” — Joe Adam
Utermark and Lopez Round Out the Top Three
Mike Utermark finished second with four fish weighing 14.36 pounds. He fished in 10 to 18 feet of water with a drop shot rigged with a green pumpkin Dream Shot, along with a green pumpkin Chigger Craw. His biggest fish weighed 4.85 pounds.“Anytime you can’t win big bass with a 4.85 is a sad day. But a happy day for Joe,” Utermark quipped.Ed Lopez placed third with five fish weighing 10.22 pounds. Most of his fish came on a ChatterBait while he fished the back of a cove. Lopez said bass were pushing baitfish toward the back. He caught his 4.43-pound smallmouth near shore by a brush pile. [PHOTOS: Mike Utermark and Ed Lopez — captions: “Utermark – 2nd Place” / “Lopez – 3rd Place”]
Wieda Uses Two Presentations
[PHOTO: Casey Wieda — caption: “Wieda – 4th Place”] Casey Wieda finished fourth with five fish weighing 10.11 pounds. He caught most of his fish beneath a bridge in about four feet of water using a Megabass jerkbait. Wieda’s biggest fish came while flipping shoreline structure with a Biffle Head and Chigger Craw. His results showed how anglers found bites at different depths and with different presentations despite the rainy conditions. Zoe Blackwell finished fifth with two fish weighing 4.56 pounds. Ric Stanczak followed with one fish weighing 1.43 pounds.The Pattern
Despite steady rain, anglers found success with a mix of deeper-water and shallow-cover presentations. A few themes stood out:-
- The top two finishers worked deeper water: Adam caught fish from 8 to 18 feet, while Utermark focused on 10 to 18 feet.
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- Green pumpkin presentations produced for both Adam and Utermark, including a goby TRD, Dream Shot, and Chigger Craw.
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- Shallow targets also held quality fish. Lopez worked the back of a cove and a near-shore brush pile, while Wieda caught fish beneath a bridge and along shoreline structure.
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- Boat docks, brush piles, bridges, and shoreline cover all produced bites during the rainy tournament.
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- Quality smallmouth set the pace, with Adam’s 6.02-pounder followed by Utermark’s 4.85-pound fish and Lopez’s 4.43-pounder.
Full Results Snapshot
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- 1st – Joe Adam – 5 fish – 20.42 lbs
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- 2nd – Mike Utermark – 4 fish – 14.36 lbs
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- 3rd – Ed Lopez – 5 fish – 10.22 lbs
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- 4th – Casey Wieda – 5 fish – 10.11 lbs
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- 5th – Zoe Blackwell – 2 fish – 4.56 lbs
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- 6th – Ric Stanczak – 1 fish – 1.43 lbs
