PLATTSBURGH, New York – For Caleb Sumrall, it all boils down to this week on a northern lake nearly 1,600 miles from his hometown of New Iberia.

How effective he is at catching bass on the St. Lawrence River will determine if he reaches his goal to fish another Bassmaster Classic. The Minn Kota Bassmaster Elite field fishes the last stop of the 2023 Bassmaster Elites tour there starting Thursday, Aug. 24.

Sumrall’s going in on a high note that gives him a fighting chance at the end of a year wrought with too many disappointing tournament results for him.

But after his three days on the water last week in the Bassmaster Elite tournament at Lake Champlain, Sumrall’s 401 points have him in 62nd-place in the Angler of the Year standings that determine who goes and who doesn’t go to the 2024 Bassmaster Classic on March 22-24 at Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He inched closer to qualifying for a berth in the next Classic with his performance Aug. 17-21.

He hitched up his Xpress X21 Pro aluminum bass boat to his pickup truck and drove 166 miles southwest of Plattsburgh for the regular-season finale on the St. Lawrence River at Clayton, New York. He’s pleased to get back to the St. Lawrence River, where he consistently smacks the smallmouth bass.

He is hopeful of a clutch finish that vaults him into next year’s Classic.

Before the last three tournaments of the season, Sumrall was in 75th-place in the Angler of the Year standings with 255 points. The all-around outdoorsman has climbed the ladder steadily down the stretch despite catching the fire out of the bass at Lake St. Clair, where he made the cut but finished 45th in the tournament July 27-30 at Macomb County, Michigan.

Sumrall also made the cut to fish Semifinal Sunday of the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament at Lake Champlain. The semifinal was held on Sunday rather than the traditional Saturday because Day 2 on Friday was postponed by stormy weather, including high winds.

The New Iberian didn’t miss a beat after the one-day delay by checking in with his biggest limit of the tournament – 20 pounds, 11 ounces, on Day 2 to make the cut in 17th-place. On Semifinal Sunday, he rose as high as second on the Basstrakk board and wound up 19th with 19 pounds, 2 ounces, for a three-day total of 58 pounds, 9 ounces, and $10,000.

He missed qualifying for the Top 10, which was held Monday, by a little more than 1 pound. Jacob Foutz of Charleston, Tennessee, grabbed that 10th and last spot for Championship Monday with 60 pounds, 13 ounces.

It was Sumrall’s 19th Top 20 finish of his five-year career as a Bassmaster Elite and brought his career winnings to $414,555.

His many, many supporters across Acadiana, Louisiana and the country are pulling for him to boat the right smallies Thursday through Sunday on the St. Lawrence River. I’ll join them in saying, “Geaux Caleb Sumrall Fishing.”