FLW Series to visit Lake Champlain
Eastern Division tournament to feature top bass anglers from 35 states, Canada
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The FLW Series will visit Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Aug. 25-28 for the third of four stops in the Eastern Division. Hosted by the City of Plattsburgh, the tournament will feature as many as 300 top bass anglers casting for top awards up to $50,000 in the Pro Division and a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard in the Co-angler Division.
“Lake Champlain is such a great place to fish because you can catch both large- and smallmouth bass,” said FLW pro Vic Vatalaro of Kent, Ohio, who is fresh off a Forrest Wood Cup appearance. “I am going to be targeting smallmouth near rock piles in 18 to 22 feet of water; I will be looking for drops and keying in on areas that have deep water near shallow. I am hoping that the fish will be schooling up and getting ready for the winter.
“I will be using tubes and drop-shot baits, trying to mimic feeding fish such as the yellow perch. Anglers should be looking for moving water and really key in on currents.
“Lake Champlain is really two lakes in one. You can fish in deep, clear water or shallow, murky areas. The largemouth can be caught in water anywhere from 1 to 15 feet deep.
Vatalaro went on to say that the smallmouth bass will range in size from 3 to 4 pounds, while the largemouths will weigh in at 3 to 5 pounds. He believes that it will take 18 to 20 pounds per day to win this tournament.
Anglers will take off from Dock Street Landing located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh at 6:30 each morning. All weigh-ins will also be held at the marina. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will begin at 2:30 p.m., and Saturday’s final weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at the marina prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela’s gift card, and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a boat simulator and National Guard obstacle challenge. All activities are free and open to the public.
On Sunday, Aug. 29, the Plattsburgh Bass Club will host the Lake Champlain Open at Dock Street Landing in an event that will support the USO. The National Guard Family Fun Zone will be open from noon to 4 p.m.
In FLW Series competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points to qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
Coverage of the Lake Champlain tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors” will air Oct. 24 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.
About FLW Outdoors
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.