Pundits’ Picks
FLW Outdoors writers present their picks for the Lake Champlain Conseco Fishing Challenge and tell you why.
So where were we? Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it’s time once again to start tackling the latest Conseco Fishing Challenge. However, before we begin, I’d just like to remind my fellow pundits – a former FLW co-angler and top-notch free-lance writer (Newell), the communications director and magazine editor for FLW Outdoors (Washburn) and a sports reporter and editor for FLWOutdoors.com (Schroeder) – that they should give up the prognostication game right now. Because, as they all know, I’ve now reached a point where I am incapable of losing to any of them. Oh, did I forget to say that I won the last Conseco Challenge on Old Hickory with a healthy 1,025 points?
Just for the record, I’ve now participated in five fantasy-fishing challenges against my fellow pundits and have walked away with three titles, including two in a row. In case my fellow pundits are having as much trouble with their math as their picks, I’d like to point out that I now have a 60-percent winning percentage for the year. In fact, like Kevin VanDam, the only way I’m not going to win the year-end title is if I have a major meltdown at Lake Champlain – and that’s just not going to happen.
Now, let’s move on to the task at hand – Lake Champlain. For starters, the lake is absolutely humongous and extremely deep, meaning that there will literally be thousands of different places to fish. The lake also has excellent populations of smallmouth and largemouth bass so versatility will be key. Anglers are predicting that nearly the entire field will bring in healthy limits every day, with 15-pound stringers being commonplace. Here’s a seasonal tip as well: Due to the fact that Lake Champlain fishes like a typical northern lake, largemouth bass will be in the pre-spawn and spawning phases while the smallmouth bass will be in the spawn and post-spawn phases. That means sight-fishing – as well as myriad other techniques like flipping grass, jigs, plastics, spinner baits and crankbaits – will come into play. In short, everything points to one conclusion: The Lake Champlain tournament is going to be a slugfest.
When faced with this scenario, your strategy in the Conseco Challenge should be quite simple: Go with the big guns on Lake Champlain. Because the FLW Tour has never visited Champlain before, many anglers will be new to this lake making it all the more important that you pencil in the proven veterans. Keeping these tips in mind will make picking the Lake Champlain tourney as easy as beating Newell, Washburn and Schroeder on a regular basis. And as we all know, that’s about as easy as it gets.
– Gary
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Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop #6
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
June 19-22
Gary Mortenson
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Last tournament score (Old Hickory): 1,025
Overall score: 4,416
1) Kevin VanDam. VanDam epitomizes the perfect Lake Champlain play. For starters, this guy is THE big gun. Secondly, he has past experience fishing Champlain – as if that even matters. Thirdly, he’s going for his second FLW Angler-of-the-Year title in two years. That title is important to VanDam, and he wants to win it. Oh, by the way, VanDam hails from Kalamazoo, Mich., and is used to fishing northern climes. Need any more reasons to include him on your list? I thought not.
2) Mike Iaconelli. Although Mike has done extraordinarily well on the Bassmaster circuit, his game – at least so far – hasn’t translated as well to the FLW Tour for some reason. However, that should all change next week. Iaconelli, a native of the great state of New Jersey (my former homeland), is a veteran of Lake Champlain. How well does he know Champlain? Well, let’s see: He won a BASS Top 150 tournament there in 1999, he won a BFL tourney there in 1998, and he finished in fifth place on that same lake in 1997. While I normally would be hesitant to include Iaconelli in my picks, on Lake Champlain, it’s a no-brainer.
3) Rick Clunn. I know, I know, Clunn hasn’t had the best of years. He’s in the process of “overhauling” his tournament strategy and tinkering with his Zen-like approach to fishing. And he hasn’t really figured prominently on the FLW Tour all season. However, that being said, I know that Clunn a) LOVES to fish Champlain and b) has done extremely well there. Plus, he’s looking to finish the season on a positive note. End result: Clunn WILL make some real noise next week for the first time all year.
4) Clark Wendlandt. I wasn’t necessarily going to pick Wendlandt until I figured out that there will be plenty of spawning bass to be had. Translation: There will be lots of sight-fishing, and no one, I repeat, no one is better at that game than Wendlandt. I’m actually pretty sure the guy has X-ray vision – that, or some really good sunglasses. In any event, Wendlandt is far too dangerous to leave off your list.
5) Aaron Martens. Martens will be in heaven on Lake Champlain. Not only is he one of the true, bonafide naturalists on the FLW Tour today, but he also possesses one of the most diverse fishing arsenals around. And that could really come in handy next week. While Champlain may stump some anglers, Martens won’t be one of them. He’s mastered water from California to Texas to the Deep South, so the Northeast shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, he hasn’t turned in anything close to a mediocre performance all year. In short, Martens will be a money play this week.
6) Larry Nixon. While it’s true that Nixon has been inconsistent this year, one thing is certain: When there are ample opportunities to catch smallmouth, Nixon can never be ruled out of winning a bass-fishing tournament. Just ask the anglers who competed with him on St. Clair in 2001. In sum, this lake should play to all of his strengths – of which he has many.
Dave Washburn
Executive Editor, FLW Outdoors
Last tournament score: 1,012
Overall score: 4,104
1) Kevin VanDam. This Chevy pro is the hottest angler on tour. He is going to win his second consecutive Land O’Lakes Angler-of-the-Year title in grand fashion on Lake Champlain. He’s also going to win his first Wal-Mart FLW Tour event, which is an accomplishment that is long overdue. Champlain is his kind of fishery. Look for solid stringers of smallmouth bass to carry him into the finals for the fifth time in two years.
2) Clark Wendlandt. He may not be number one in the standings this year, but this Kellogg’s pro is certainly number one in the hearts of fishing fanatics nationwide. Besides, he’s just a few dollars short of setting a new all-time Wal-Mart FLW Tour earnings record, and you would be foolish to bet against him. While VanDam is hauling in smallmouth bass, Wendlandt will be plucking largemouth bass from the beds. That’s right, conditions in portions of the vast lake are still right for spawning fish, and we all know that when bass are on the beds, Wendlandt is almost unbeatable.
3) Larry Nixon. Remember Lake St. Clair? This Chevy pro certainly does. He’s an all-around tactician, but the prospect of catching loads of quality smallmouth bass seems to give him a competitive edge. Throw in a little fishing pressure to unnerve the rest of the field, and he is a lock for a top-three finish. Fishing pressure on Lake Champlain will not come from Wal-Mart FLW Tour competitors, but it will come from an estimated 6,500 competitors in the 21st annual Lake Champlain International Tournament over Father’s Day weekend.
4) David Dudley. Like Larry Nixon, this Castrol pro has a history of doing well in tournaments dominated by smallmouth bass. He is also a saltwater fishing guide, so Lake Champlain’s vastness won’t be intimidating. By winning the Ranger M1 and pocketing $700,000, Dudley proved that he is at his best when the pressure is on. Watch for him to crack the top five.
5) Koby Kreiger. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Kreiger is one of the most versatile anglers on tour. He is also having a fantastic season in the EverStart Series. The former college place-kicker is equally confident targeting largemouth and smallmouth bass. Whichever direction the pendulum swings on Lake Champlain, he will be ready with a solid plan.
6) Aaron Martens. How could you not pick a guy who has finished in the top 30 in every Wal-Mart FLW Tour event he fished this season? The answer is you can’t, at least not if you want to sleep well before the tournament. He’s young, aggressive and extremely talented. This Chevy pro is certainly worthy of a No. 6 pick. If he stays sharp through the off-season, he’s a prime candidate for Angler of the Year in 2003.
Jeff Schroeder
Editor, FLWOutdoors.com
Last tournament score: 994
Overall score: 4,071
1) Kevin VanDam. The Big V will be looking to establish his legacy in grand style by becoming the first FLW pro to win back-to-back Angler-of-the-Year titles, which is almost a lock. However, the best angler on tour has never won an FLW tournament, and he wants one bad. Lake Champlain is smallmouth central, so this is VanDam’s tournament all the way.
2) Larry Nixon. Did I mention Champlain’s smallmouth? The General will march and make a push for his second trophy of the year.
3) Aaron Martens. Consistent, consistent, consistent. Martens hasn’t finished worse than 30th place all year and has made at least the semifinals in the last three FLWs he’s fished. He’s going to like the deep, clear water at Champlain.
4) Clark Wendlandt. Champlain bass are moving around all over the place right now, most notably up to spawn. There are going to be sight-fishermen in contention, most notably Wendlandt.
5) Jimmi Leuthner. He’s ranked 109th, and he hasn’t finished better than 132nd in the last three tourneys. But Champlain will see some of the northern guys put on a clinic, and Leuthner, from Connecticut, is just what the doctor ordered. He’s a big Champlain guy. A solid sleeper pick.
6) Jay Yelas. Because he’s Mr. Consistent, too. Worst finish all year: 38th place. Extra incentive: He has the best shot to topple VanDam for Angler of the Year.
Rob Newell
Contributing Editor, FLW Outdoors
Last tournament score: 923
Overall score: 4,250
1) Clark Wendlandt. If there is one type of fishing that Wendlandt enjoys more than sight-fishing, it would have to be catching big smallmouth in the Northeast. He is crazy about those bronzebacks.
2) Rick Clunn. I have not picked Clunn much this year. As many bass-fishing fans know, Clunn’s remarkable string of 28 consecutive Bassmaster Classic qualifications came to an end this season. Sometime in the near future, Clunn is going to get in his zone and wreak havoc on bass somewhere. Champlain is the exact kind of fishery where Clunn might find one of those remote stretches of shoreline loaded with 5-pounders.
3) Kevin VanDam. If you don’t pick VanDam, you get slaughtered by other pundits. When you get slaughtered by other pundits, you have to lick shoes. I know about these things from experience.
4) Peter Thliveros. Peter T maybe from Florida, but he knows a thing or two about northeastern fisheries. Champlain is perhaps the best bass fishery in America, but sometimes an angler has to slow down to get the quality bites. While other anglers are fishing at a blistering pace, Pete can slow down for the big ones.
5) Mike Iaconelli. Iaconelli has won a major on Champlain before. When Iaconelli figures fish out, his confidence soars. Second-guessing will not work at Champlain; pros will have to commit to big fish to do well. Iaconelli is in that category: confident and committed.
6) Bernie Schultz. Schultz is another Floridian that has a knack for northeastern waters. Schultz excels at reading grass beds and mining the sweet spots. Plus, Schultz has had a solid year on the FLW Tour.
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