Art Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Mich., is predicting to see gobs of plump limits brought to the scales when the EverStart Series Northeast Division heads to Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., for its season finale Sept. 14-17.
“Champlain is an awesome fishery, and it is always a great tournament when the wind lets us fish,” said Ferguson, who finished fifth in last year’s event. “It is one of those places where you can win by targeting smallmouths or largemouths.”
Ferguson said anglers can boost their chances by staying on the move and hunting for tight schools of bronzebacks. The fish should be bunched up around rock structure at water depths of 10 feet or less. Largemouths will be relating more to cabbage grass and milfoil stands at similar depths.
Try using a spinnerbait, jerkbait, Fluke, Senko or topwater to pinpoint high-traffic areas, then switch to a soft plastic to work the hot spots thoroughly. Ferguson advises anglers to have standby locations that offer protection in case of high winds.
Ferguson’s call: 31 to 32 pounds to make the top 10; 32 to 34 pounds to win.