Winding in the wind

Champlain throws more blow at EverStart Northern finale

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – It almost seems that Lake Champlain knows most of the top-10 field will make the long run down to Ticonderoga, as a strong south wind had already reached the “uncomfortable” level by the 6 a.m. takeoff for the final day of the EverStart Northern Division even on Lake Champlain.

With the lake still rocked from two days of southerly blow, today’s more-of-the-same will make anglers earn their bites. Those heading south to Ti will really feel the wind’s influence as the lake’s prominent tapering greatly diminishes the space across which the waves disperse. With water essentially sloshing against the banks in tight proximity, Champlain will feel like a washing machine today.

After leading the field for two days, New Jersey pro Adrian Avena will brave the waves and return to the shallow grass he’s been fishing in the south end. Although the EverStart field has been cut to 10, Avena knows he’ll see many more boats at his southern destination.

“Hopefully, I can get there in one piece – yesterday, I broke a lot of things,” Avena said. “I’m going to try to get down there really quick because there’s a big tournament out of there today and another big tournament tomorrow, so there will be a lot of guys down there. I’m just hoping I can get to the areas I want to fish.”

Avena’s 21-pound, 3-ounce day-one limit was the event’s only bag over 20, but his productivity dropped off yesterday as he weighed 16-10. Today, he’s hoping to rustle up the kicker fish that eluded him on day two.

“I spent a little too much time in one area (yesterday) because my co-angler caught a 5-5,” he said. “I’m going to try and get 15-16 pounds there and then go a try to find a kicker somewhere else.’

Avena will throw a mix of flipping baits and Senkos on the inside grass edges to secure a solid limit as quickly as possible. Once he has five good fish, he’ll move to the outside edges and throw a swimbait on a 6/0 hook with a 3/16-ounce nose weight.

Top co-angler Emily McLeod of Williston, Vt. holds a slim lead over second-place Myron Worona, but she’s optimistic about her day. McLeod will stick with the same wacky-rigged green pumpkin Senkos she’s used for two days.

“I feel great,” she said. “I have a great partner today and we’re gonna kill `em.”

Starting the day in second place, Joe Lucarelli, of Center Harbor, N.H. will also run south to Ti where he’ll work on his limit with a shallow running crankbait and then seek bigger bites on deeper spots with a Strike King football head jig and 6 XD crankbait. Lucarelli said that time management will be critical today, as the lake conditions will limit mobility.

“If I can get to my fish, I can catch them,” Lucarelli said. “It’s not like I have to wait for my bite until 11 or 12 o’clock, so I’ll have a pretty good idea in the hour about what’s going to happen. With the weather the way it is this morning, I don’t think I’ll have the chance to run around much and look at my deep stuff.

“Everyone knows what they’re doing at this point. It’s going to be the decision making on the water and not wasting time.”

In third place, New York pro Glenn Babineau had to borrow a boat after his broke down at the end of day two. He’ll fish about 70 miles south and plan on using the same jig and swimbait he’s thrown for two days. Babineau said he’ll evaluate the conditions and remain flexible, in case he needs to adjust his technique.

“I’ve been slow rolling the swimbait, but with today’s conditions, it may be more of a reaction strike, so maybe I’ll work it a little differently through the grass and see what happens,” he said.

Craig Townsend begins the day in fourth place and plans to flip the same plastics he’s been using. He’ll join the Ti party and fish Zoom Brush Hogs, Reaction Innovation Beavers. Fifth-place pro Michael Wolfenden will work the mid-lake area and target bed fish on transitional banks in about five feet with tubes, grubs and dropshots.

Logistics

Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Walmart located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh starting at 3 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.

The EverStart Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of four tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the Strike King Angler of the Year title along with $5,000 for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler. The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each respective division will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship that will be held on Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, Tenn., Oct. 27-30.

The EverStart Series tournament on Lake Champlain is being hosted by the City of Plattsburgh.

Saturday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 5:09 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 59 degrees

Expected high temperature: 67 degrees

Wind: SE 10-15 mph

Humidity: 84 percent

Day’s outlook: Cloudy, rainy