PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Alabama pro Matt Lee qualified for his first Championship Round on the Bass Pro Tour on his favorite lake in the country, Lake Champlain for Toyota Stage Six. The Carhartt titled pro dominated his Qualifying Round to earn his spot in the Championship Round for a one-in-ten chance at $100,000 and a Bass Pro Tour trophy.

M. Lee caught a mixed bag to amass the 130-plus pounds of Lake Champlain bass he caught over his first two days of competition, with over 100 pounds of that weight coming during his first day on the water. His primary area was a 30-yard stretch of grass – a “scrape” as he called it – that Lee first discovered in a tournament back in the summer of 2014.

The Quantum pro relied on three techniques that are a staple of his, whether he’s competing in New York or fun fishing around his house on Smith Lake in Alabama; a topwater walking bait, a Texas-rigged Senko, and a wacky-rigged Senko.

“These three rigs will catch bass from New York to Texas and everywhere in between. Smallmouth, largemouth, spotted bass… they all like it,” Lee said with a smile. “The specific area on Lake Champlain was definitely the key to my tournament, but I always have these three setups on the deck of my boat.”

7-foot 6-inch heavy action Vapor Casting Rod paired with a 8:1:1 Smoke S3 baitcasting reel17-pound Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon 1/4-ounce Tungsten weight with a 5/0 Owner Worm Hook4-inch Yamamoto Senko in perch color
7-foot medium heavy Accurist topwater rod paired with a 7:3:1 Smoke S3 reel50-pound Seaguar smackdown braid tied to a Lucky Craft Gunfish Swapped out the stock Gunfish hooks with Owner Stinger ST-36 No. 2 treble hooks (feathered back hook)7-foot Quantum Smoke spinning rod paired with a size 30 Smoke S3 spinning reel
20-pound Seaguar Hi-Vis Braid for his main line and a 12-pound Tatsu fluorocarbon leader line
Wacky or neko-rigged a 4-inch perch colored Yamamato Senko with a 3/32^–ounce nail weight
A #2 Owner Sniper Hook tied to the business end of his setup

Regardless of the final outcome, it’s been a memorable week for Lee on one of his favorite fisheries.

“I had one of the most amazing two-hour stretches of fishing in my life and in a tournament against the best anglers in the world no less,” Lee said. “I’m a blessed dude.”