Wet and willing

Stren anglers face rough weather at day three start on Champlain

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – It was a veritable fashion show for foul weather gear as anglers zipped up, snapped down and tugged on Velcro straps in preparation for what would be a soaking start to day three of the Stren Northern Division event on Lake Champlain.

How prophetic the words of day-two leader Jason Ober, who summarized the lake’s fickle nature: “On Champlain, everything changes every day, so you just have to be ready to change with it.”

Indeed, day one brought dry, cloudy and windy conditions. Day two countered with sunny and nearly flat calm weather. Now, the deck shuffles again and anglers got a good rinsing even before their first cast.

As competitors lined up for boat check dark clouds advanced from the northwest and flags danced in the wind. At the takeoff, most boats headed south to Ticonderoga – no doubt a bumpy journey. Those who stayed in the north end endured the strength of the storm, and with the day’s forecast calling for more of the same, there’s little respite in sight.

Good news is that there’s plenty of action on Lake Champlain, as voluminous schools of yellow perch and shad – often driven by marauding white bass – are attracting largemouth and smallmouth attention. Sixth-place pro, Scott Lakey described “wolf pack smallies” – groups of highly aggressive brown bass following the bait and feeding hardily.

On top of that, the lake has offered an oddball pattern that a handful of anglers have uncovered. A severe winter maintained an icy grip for longer than normal and that fiddled with seasonal patterns. Bottom line: reports of bedding bass.

Pennsylvania pro Randy Yarnall found this pattern late on day two when he noticed a 4-pound largemouth sitting on the shoreline. A closer inspection confirmed that she was on a bed, and spotting another bass guarding fry told Yarnall that he’d found the maternity ward.

“I found that with half an hour to go,” he said. “I caught four largemouth with half an hour to go and I was in the first flight, so that killed me,”

Ober holds nearly a 2-pound lead and he said he has plenty of fish in open water areas at the lake’s north end. With day three conditions more closely matching those of day one, he’ll probably spend more time with the Craig Powers custom-painted crankbait he threw in the opening round than his day-two topwaters. Then again, cloudy days often yield consistent surface action, so he and the rest of the field will have to feel their way through what the Champlain bass prefer.

Day one leader Chris Baumgardner also has a solid pattern and lots of fish. He’s working lay downs at the north end, mostly with a chatterbait.

Others to watch: Terry Baksay of Easton, Conn. (fourth, 36-3) and Chad Pipkens of Holt, Mich. (fifth, 33-12), who weighed bags of 19-5 and 19-4, respectively. If either can find the right fish to scale a 20-pound bag today, they’ll make a serious run at the top spot.

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

Friday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 5:26 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 72 degrees

Expected high temperature: 80 degrees

Water temperature: 69-70 degrees

Wind: from the south at 6-8 mph

Humidity: 64 percent

Day’s outlook: scattered afternoon thunderstorms