Champlain Midday Update Day 1

Wind making the north end tough to handle

Takeoff was placid enough, with a beautiful sunrise and a light breeze in the slightly protected corner that is Plattsburgh. By about 6:30 a.m., day one of the Rayovac FLW Series presented by Plano on Lake Champlain was already beginning to get rough.

A strong southwest wind pushed waves in excess of 3 feet northward throughout the morning and made fishing the more exposed parts of the north end extremely difficult. Though the run south to Ticonderoga was likely rough, once anglers got there they found the lake plenty manageable.

Early returns have Ti showing out. Glenn Browne reported catching about 22 pounds in his first two stops, and Chad Grigsby has a limit of 3-pounders and a 5-pound kicker to go with it. Word is that the morning bite was hot, and things appear to have tapered off as the day has worn on.

Up north, the reports are a lot more mixed. Though there is plenty of time left and we didn’t cover the entire lake, the majority of the anglers that headed north seem to be struggling. Bryan Labelle was off to a good start with three solid smallmouth early, and Ralph Blasey was in much the same situation. Unfortunately, the early rule of the day on the north end seems to be partial limits or just small ones.  

There is plenty of time left up north, but some of the early flights may have already started the long trek from Ti back to Plattsburgh. Besides the waves, the main afternoon complication is a massive front that is bringing steady rain and possible storms to nearly the entire lake. By the looks of it, whoever takes the early lead at weigh-in will have really earned it, and you can see it happen on FLW Live right here at 2 p.m. ET.