PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Pro Aaron Wessels of Watervliet, N.Y., caught a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 10 ounces to lead day three of the Stren Series Northeast Division event on Lake Champlain presented by Yamaha.
Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 and valuable points that could qualify them for a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Ranger owners’ tournaments for bass fishing’s first $1 million top award.
After canceling day two due to high winds and rough waters, the top 21 boaters and co-anglers went out on a lot calmer Lake Champlain today. The only weather force they had to contend with was a steady downpour of rain for the majority of the day. With an overnight drop in temperature, the fish were scattered and hard to catch but the anglers prevailed and caught numerous limits of bass showcasing what the Stren anglers are made of.
“Today was much better although I did have some ups and downs” said Wessels, who was in eighth place after day one and charged to finish first today with a quality sized limit of bass. “I broke off a few fish first thing this morning and had to sit down, re-spool my reel and get my head back into the game. Fortunately, I was able to overcome it and I put some good sized fish in the livewell.”
Wessels was targeting largemouths in and around submerged grass in four to five feet of water close to a channel break. He was throwing an array of soft plastics and spinnerbaits to catch his bass.
Rounding out the top five pros are Dave Lefebre of Union City, Pa. (five bass, 16 pounds, 7 ounces); Pete Gluszek of Franklinville, N.J. (five bass, 15 pounds, 10 ounces); Kevin Bishop of Hilton, N.Y. (five bass, 15 pounds, 10 ounces); and Gregg Seal of Eldred, Pa. (five bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces).
Fred Hunter of Canton, Ohio, leads the Co-angler Division in the chase for a top award worth as much as $35,000, including a 519VX Ranger Boat if contingency guidelines are met. He caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces while fishing with pro David Cioppa of Hopkinton, Mass.
“Today was great, I had a great partner and we caught several fish,” said Hunter, who had a quality limit of all smallmouth today. “We “hop scotched” all over the lake today, we went shallow and deep and caught fish in both places.”
The majority of Hunter’s fish came from deeper water on a drop-shot targeting smallmouth on offshore structure.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Andy Coffman of Campbell, Texas (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces); Tim George of Kittanning, Pa. (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces); Scott Leppanen of Byfield, Mass. (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces); and John Shultz of Trucksville, Pa. (five bass, 13 pounds, 13 ounces).
Anglers will take off from Plattsburg Boat Basin located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh at 7 each morning. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Friday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
This Stren Series tournament is hosted by the Champlain Shores Visitors and Convention Bureau and I Love NY. For more information, visit goadirondack.com and iloveny.com.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most-respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.