Feeling light headed

Stren anglers looking to maximize calm day on Lake Champlain

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – At 6:20 a.m., boaters and co-anglers stood for the national anthem and fixed their eyes on a nearly motionless American flag at the start of day two in the Stren Series Northern Division event on Lake Champlain.

Unlike the first day’s bumpy start and bumpier conclusion, day two dawned placid and sunny. Clouds will overtake the sky by mid-morning and late afternoon thunderstorms appear likely. However, the National Weather Service forecasts winds of only 3 mph from the northeast, then east-southeast.

Light wind will encourage many to make the approximately 60-mile run south to Ticonderoga where grassy bottom yielded many day-one limits. Calmer water will also allow more fishing time – a factor boding well for those banking on the afternoon bite.

On the tactical side, light breezes reduce the predictability of baitfish, which get pushed in discernable directions by stronger winds. Also, as Florida pro Matt Greenblatt notes, avoiding rushed presentations will be important. He’ll throw primarily a dropshot and back that up with a tube – green pumpkin and watermelon seed colors for both baits.

“With the lack of wind today, I think real light, slow presentations are going to be the key to catching the bigger bags,” he said. “Yesterday, the wind stirred up in that afternoon and that made holding your spot a little tough, but it’s dead calm today so we’ll see.”

With a 19-pound, 13-ounce day-one effort, top pro Chris Baumgardner leads by a pound and 7 ounces. Flipping a Zoom Brush Hog and working a chatterbait near laydowns and logs at the lake’s north end was his formula for success – one he hopes to repeat on day two.

“I’ve got a few spots that I didn’t hit (on day one), but I hit some of my other spots pretty hard, so we’ll have to see,” Baumgardner said.

Several anglers reported having to stay mobile to find fish. A lot of the bass are following schools of yellow perch that are constantly relocating as they settle into their summer patterns. Food on the move means predators on the move, so one-spot days are rare.

West Virginia pro Dan Welch will leverage the current forage trends with a perch imitating swimbait sporting a golden triangular head that dangles a small willow blade.

“The yellow perch are like candy to these bass and the smallmouth devour them,” Welch said. “That head just helps it come through the grass better and the willow blade makes it look like a yellow perch is chasing something to eat. It’s just something to get their attention.”

Second-place pro John Voyles said he actually found a few groups of fish that have stayed put since practice. Working soft plastics in grass beds around Ticonderoga at the lake’s south end, Voyles found the afternoon bite best for his slow presentations.

“Once the sun gets up, the bite (improves),” he said. “I think that puts them down in the grass more – it makes them want to hide.”

Baumgardner said he’s hoping to add 15-16 pounds to his total on day two.

Tournament logistics

The Stren Series event, which runs July 16-19 kicks off the Northern Division’s schedule of four regular season tournaments. The total purse for the Lake Champlain event is $275,225. The winning pro could earn as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes if various contingencies are met, and the winning co-angler could earn as much as $35,000.

Action continues at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) at Dock Street Landing, located at 5 Dock Street, Plattsburgh NY

Thursday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 5:25 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 70 degrees

Expected high temperature: 81 degrees

Water temperature: 69-70 degrees

Wind: from the ESE at 3 mph

Humidity: 45 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy, scattered afternoon thunderstorms