Another Champlain beauty
Day two dawns on Northern Division finale
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Three things to key on as the second half of opening-round competition ensues at the EverStart Series tournament at Lake Champlain: amassing a cut-worthy weight, winning the points title and, of course, enjoying the weather.
And if that doesn’t suit you, there are also plenty of wagging tongues over Western pro Byron Velvick’s debut as America’s most eligible “Bachelor” on ABC Wednesday night.
As for the weight, anglers know they’re going to need a lot of it Thursday to have a shot at making the cut. Eighty-two percent of the pro field caught five-bass limits Wednesday, and nothing short of another good limit will advance the pros into Friday. The 20th-place weight on day one was 17 pounds, 6 ounces, so look for the cut weight to come in over 30 pounds or so.
The co-anglers won’t really have it any easier, with over 25 pounds as the projected cut weight.
With a fourth-place performance on day one, Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn., appears to have taken a decided advantage in the pro standings race. He came into the event ranked fifth in Northern Division points, and the four pros above him stumbled a bit on day one at Champlain. Strader’s biggest challenge – besides landing another leading limit of fish today – will come from Charlie Hartley of Grove City, Ill., who currently has a 21-point lead over Strader but ended up 23 places behind him after the first day here. Also in the mix are Art Ferguson of St. Clair Shores, Mich., and Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., both of whom are in the standings top 10 and placed eighth and ninth, respectively, on day one here at Champlain.
As for the weather, it’s in full Indian summer mode in upstate New York. Temperatures will climb into the 70s, the sun is shining and the wind is behaving. In short, it’s a great day for fishing on beautiful Lake Champlain.
If Velvick were here, he’d probably want to save a rose for this place. That’s how sweet it has been so far.
Day-two weigh-in festivities begin at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time at Mooney Bay Marina, located at 15 Mooney Bay in Plattsburgh. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh beginning at 4 p.m.
The full field is competing for two days to determine the top 20 pros and 20 co-anglers who will advance to Friday’s semifinal round based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for the semifinal round, and anglers compete for one day to determine who will advance to Saturday’s final round. Only the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers compete Saturday, and the winner is determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
Thursday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:43 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 61 degrees
Expected high temperature: 73 degrees
Water temperature: 62-65 degrees
Wind: from the north at 10 mph
Maximum humidity: 60 percent
Day’s outlook: mostly sunny
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