Judd overcomes mishap to top day one at Lake Champlain in TBF Eastern Divisional
Nonboater’s performance leads Vermont to first place in team standings
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Despite some very anxious moments on the water as well as a costly delay, nonboater J.J. Judd of Sheldon, Vt., recovered and caught a 16-pound, 4-ounce limit en route to topping the day-one leaderboard at The Bass Federation Eastern Divisional tournament Wednesday at Lake Champlain’s Malletts Bay in Colchester, Vt.
Paired with boater Thomas Derocher of Bridgewater, Ma., Judd found himself in rough shape around 9:30 a.m. when Derrocher’s bilge pump failed and the boat started taking on water. The competitors limped to the nearest ramp, all the while gravely concerned about the lake’s rough conditions.
“We were bailing water and trying to fight through the 5-foot waves,” Judd recalled. “It was pretty scary. We called for (a friend) to bring my boat down to the ramp. We transferred all the gear and the fish into my boat, and we got back out around noon.”
Despite losing a big chunk of fishing time, Judd said he refused to yield an inch of optimism. “I can’t control the uncontrollables, so I don’t let that bother me,” he said.
“You can’t do anything about someone fishing your spot, and you can’t do anything about having something break. You have to stay mentally strong and keep focused, and that’s what I did today.”
Once they were back in action, the anglers headed to a midlake area in which Judd had located good numbers of smallies. They targeted bait balls around structure in 22 to 35 feet.
“Right now there’s a lot of bait out there, but the key is to find the bait with the rock structure,” Judd said.
Carolina rigging with a green-pumpkin lizard on a 3/0 hook produced a trio of smallmouths for Judd, including a chunky 4-plus-pounder. He used a 1-ounce tungsten weight to sink his rig quickly in the deep water.
When the smallies slowed down, Judd finished off his limit with two largemouths that he caught while flipping a homemade 1-ounce jig around milfoil in about 10 feet. With much of the shoreline vegetation dying off, Judd looked for late-season weeds in deeper water.
Of the day’s rainy, chilly conditions, he said: “We got soaked; it was brutal today. But you have to have the confidence that the fish will be there and that you can catch them. You just stay focused and pay attention to your line.”
Looking ahead to day two, Judd said: “I got lucky today, because my boater let me fish my water. I hope that whoever I draw tomorrow lets me fish my boat again.”
Dave Andrews of Bolton, Mass., took second place with 15 pounds, 9 ounces, while David LaBlanc of Springfield, N.H., finished third with 15-2. Tim Austin of Williston, Vt., placed fourth with 15-1, and Steve O’Keefe of Shrewsburg, Mass., was fifth with an even 15 pounds.
Team standings update
In the team standings, Vermont leads with 115 pounds and holds nearly a 7-pound edge over second-place New Hampshire’s 108-4. Massachusetts sits in third place with 90-7, while Maine holds the fourth-place spot with 65-2. Rhode Island, with 61 poounds, 8 ounces, and Connecticut, with 52-13, are in fifth and sixth, respectively.
The event, which runs Sept. 13-15, is presented by The National Guard.