Formulating a Champlain campaign
Crossing ‘party lines’ could be ticket to victory at FLW Series Eastern event
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – It’s an election year, and if you do not believe it, turn on almost anything electronic to find politics filling the airwaves and cyberspace.
With the United States being primarily a two-party system, Democrats and Republicans are lined up on both sides of the aisle, pleading their positions on national policies and issues.
Similarly, Lake Champlain in upstate New York has its own two-party system: It’s a lake ruled by both smallmouth and largemouth bass.
This morning, as the third Walmart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event of 2008 began, anglers were deciding who to “cast” their votes for, so to speak: smallmouths or largemouths.
Historically, largemouths have been a winning bet on Champlain. Berkley pro Sam Newby and BP pro Tracy Adams have both claimed past FLW Tour wins on Champlain by focusing on largemouths.
Last year BP pro Guido Hibdon won the FLW Series event held this same week on Lake Champlain with mostly largemouths.
Smallmouths, however, have certainly claimed their fair share of FLW Outdoors payouts on Champlain as well. National Guard pro Scott Martin won an FLW Tour event with all smallmouths in 2004.
As competitors left Dock Street Landing for day-one competition Wednesday morning, there was a decisive split among several pros as to which species they were voting for.
Some, like pro Andy Morgan, are committed to largemouths.
“I have not made a cast for a smallmouth since I’ve been here,” Morgan said.
Hibdon, too, hopes to repeat a win by focusing on largemouths this week.
Others, like pro Trevor Jancasz, are all about the smallmouth ticket.
“This cold front should help the smallmouth bite considerably,” Jancasz said. “So I’m all in for smallmouths.”
Well-known pro Mike Iaconelli of New Jersey is also banking on smallies.
“I think this colder weather will help the smallmouth bite,” Iaconelli said. “Plus, I just could not get those largemouths going in practice.”
No matter which species an angler pursues, both have some positive selling points this week.
For those chasing largemouths, the water is higher than last year, and the wind forecast for the next several days is light.
Increased water depth puts more shallow cover in the water, and calmer conditions allow pros to make long runs to the south more efficiently
For those banking on bronzebacks, a recent cold front is likely to make the smallies more active, as both Jancasz and Iaconelli pointed out.
Perhaps the key to pulling down a win on Champlain this week will be to play bipartisan politics with the two species.
Bagging a nice limit of smallmouths and then culling up with one or two 5-pound-plus largemouths each day sounds like wishful thinking, but on a lake as productive as Champlain, casting across party lines for the best of both worlds is entirely possible.
Logsistics
Anglers will take off from Dock Street Landing located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh at 6:30 each morning.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday’s final weigh-in of the top 10 pros will be held at Trinity Park located at City Hall Place in Plattsburgh beginning at 4 p.m.
Wednesday’s conditions
Sunrise: 6:27 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 51 degrees
Expected high temperature: 61 degrees
Water temperature: 68 degrees
Wind: NW at 5 to 10 mph
Day’s outlook: sunny and cool