What looked like it might be a slower day on the St. Lawrence River at the midway point turned into anything but for the leaders. Between the locks, barge traffic, and changing conditions, Northern New York (and Canada) continues to throw plenty of challenges at the field during the MillerTech NPFL Stop Five.
Among the top anglers, only five have topped 20 pounds on both days. Eight anglers carry more than 40 pounds into the final day, and half of the top 10 improved on their Day One weight. At the top once again is Oklahoma pro Zack Birge, who continues his career season and is now one day away from another national victory.
Birge opened the event with the tournament's biggest limit at 25 pounds, 5 ounces. Despite calling Day Two "more of a grind," a pair of late culls pushed him to 21-8, giving him a two-day total of 46-13 and a 3-pound, 7-ounce lead heading into Showdown Saturday.
Wesley Gore sits in second with 43-6 after another consistent day. Like many of the leaders, Gore is locking through and making the run toward Lake Ontario, rotating between several shallow and offshore areas within one productive section of the river.
North Carolina pro Josh Hooks moved into third after adding 23-5 to his Day One weight of 18-15 for a two-day total of 42-4. John Cox sits fourth with 42-6, while Work Sharp Angler of the Year leader KJ Queen rounds out the top five with 41-13.
Mike Quinlin continues to hold Berkley Big Bass honors with the 6-pound smallmouth he caught on Day One.
Birge Grinding It Out
Three fish over 5 pounds on Day One certainly wasn't on Zack Birge's bingo card, but after catching a 6-pounder in practice, he knew he was around the right fish to make a run at his second NPFL victory, and third national win of 2026. Despite a tougher second day, he's happy with where he stands entering the final round.
"It was a weird day for me," he said. "They just didn't bite well. I got far fewer bites, especially in places where I know there are some big ones. I think it's a combination of two things: I think I'm catching some of those big resident fish, and I think some of the others are moving out toward their summer areas."
During practice, Birge was dialed in on a crankbait bite over several shoals, but the quality wasn't what he was looking for. That's why he's committed to his shallow bladed jig pattern through the first two days. Tomorrow, however, could be different.
"I think I'm going to have to do some more cranking," he said. "I stuck with the shallow game for two days, and it worked out, but those three big fish on Day One pushed me a lot farther ahead than I expected. As those smallmouth move out and get deeper, I may have to change things up tomorrow."
As the Day Three leader, Birge will again be Boat No. One, but once below the lock, his day will be much the same as everyone else's. With anglers needing to make the afternoon lock window, many are returning early to avoid missing it, making fish closer to Massena increasingly important. Fortunately for Birge, he's on the final flight and spent time practicing that water.
"I caught 18 pounds after locking back through toward Massena on the first day, but none of them helped me," he said. "I can definitely catch fish in those last couple of hours, but they're more 3.5-pound fish than the 4.5-pounders I'm catching closer to the lake. I'm definitely going back, and I also saved one place today where I caught that 6-pounder on Day One."
Overall, Birge likes where he sits. With a lead of more than three pounds, another solid day like Friday should give him every opportunity to close out the win.
Gore in the Hunt
Alabama pro Wesley Gore spent most of practice looking for places where he could drift naturally with the current, and one productive zone has produced all 10 of his weigh fish. Rotating through several stretches ranging from a couple hundred yards to nearly a half mile long, Gore isn't getting many bites, but they're the right ones.
"You know, I've fished around shallow as well, but the bigger fish seem to be offshore," he said. "On Day One I caught 15 keepers and had about 20 bites. Today I only hooked and landed seven fish total, but they were the right ones."
Gore is doing most of his damage with one primary bait while mixing in several finesse and dragging presentations to keep things honest. He saw the potential during practice and knows how quickly things can change on the St. Lawrence.
"There are giant bags here; it's just so hard to get them to bite," he said. "I saw 27-plus in practice, and I've lost some key fish this week. If I can put them all in the boat tomorrow, I've got a shot. All my eggs are in that basket."
Day Two Leaderboard
Zack Birge 46-13
Wesley Gore 43-6
Josh Hooks 42-14
John Cox (FL) 42-6
Kristopher Queen 41-13
Drew Cook 40-10
Jacob Powroznik 40-3
Hank Cherry 40-2
Greg Hackney 39-12
Greg Vinson 39-11
Jared Lintner 39-8
James Niggemeyer 39-7
Rick Clunn 39-7
Scott Hamrick 39-4
Jordan Osborne 39-3
Chad Grigsby 38-12
Nick Brown 38-11
Jon Canada 38-7
Scott Suggs 38-4
Scott Wiley 38-4
Shane Lineberger 38-3
Gary Adkins 38-1
Ron Johnson 37-12
Logan Latuso 37-11
Gerald Swindle 37-10
Patrick Walters 37-7
Jason Wilson 37-6
Joey Bloom 37-3
Bill Lowen 37-2
Andrew Upshaw 37-1
Paul Browning 36-13
Hunter Baughman 36-13
Derek Lehtonen 36-9
Wes Logan 36-6
Christopher Whisenant 35-12
Todd Goade 35-9
Corey Casey 35-5
Pete Ponds 35-4
Dustin Reneau 35-1
Charlie Apperson 35-0
Cliff Crochet 34-15
Quentin Cappo 34-13
Tim Frederick 34-13
JT Russell 34-11
Brad Whatley 34-9
Lendell Martin 33-13
James Watson 33-8
Keith Bardolf 33-8
Garrett Smith 33-5
Darrell Davis 32-14
Randall Tharp 32-12
Kevin Rogers 32-9
Russ Lane 32-9
Troy Roder 32-7
Alex Davis 32-3
Jason Meninger 31-14
Mike Quinlin 31-12
Timothy Wilson 31-12
Darrel Robertson 31-11
David Wootton 31-7
Andy Morgan 31-5
David Williams 30-15
Adam Savage 30-12
Lavoyd Lemmond 30-6
Joseph Lineberry 30-6
Matt Herren 30-6
Rickey Morris 30-5
Bo Collins 30-3
Gerald Spohrer 30-1
Mitchell Webb 30-0
Barron Adams 29-14
Matthew McBee 29-14
Josh Butler 29-12
Dylan Freeze 28-15
Dustin Williamson 28-10
Luke Clausen 28-8
Fred Roumbanis 28-8
J Todd Tucker 27-4
Jamie Pierce 27-2
Buddy Gross 26-14
Todd Auten 26-13
Josh Watkins 26-3
Bob Behrle 26-1
Sean Alvarez 25-0
Jason Reyes 24-11
Austin Garland 24-5
Troy Broussard 23-12
Chad Marler 22-9
Chip Harrington 22-5
Kyle Glasgow 22-3
Richard Cooper 21-11
Alton Wilhoit 20-10
Harmon Davis 19-10
Hunter Sales 19-10
Ryan Satterfield 19-5
Tim Cales 19-4
Johnnie Adams 19-3
Ray Hanselman 18-10
Timothy Reams 17-3
Scott Canterbury 17-0
John Cox (GA) 16-13
Chris Baker 16-11
Jason Williamson 16-6
Stacey James 16-2
Brandon Cobb 12-15
Jason Burroughs 12-5
Brock Mosley 8-5
William Fletcher 6-13
Harry Moore 4-12