PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – After a sweltering practice, which saw the Plattsburgh International Airport record its hottest temperature since 1956 (100 degrees for June 23), the weather has thankfully broken for the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division event at Lake Champlain. Now, taking off under more seasonable conditions, or even cool conditions, the anglers should have solid weather for the first two days of the event, although Championship Saturday does look a little breezy.
Late June on Champlain is always an interesting time of year, and lately, it’s been a bit of a toss up when it comes to prospective patterns. In 2024, the lake kicked out a whole variety of winning patterns, and according to some of the best on the lake right now, it’s possible to catch 18 pounds of whatever species you want, almost however you want.
What’s at stake?
The last division to start, the Northern Division is important for the anglers who exclusively fish this division, as well as anglers still trying to put together a Wild Card qualification to the Toyota Series Championship. Held in the fall this year on Grand Lake, the Toyota Series Championship pays out up to $235,000 to the winning boater, and it’s a can’t-miss event.
In this event in particular, the pro winner will take home around $75,000 if they’re qualified for the Phoenix MLF Bonus, and the co-angler winner will earn a new Phoenix 518 Pro. On the season, Fishing Clash Angler of the Year in the Northern Division will earn $5,000 for their performance.
The lake has a lot to offer right now
Running south to north for more than 100 miles, Champlain is a gem of a fishery – tournaments have been won in nearly every corner of it (and smack in the middle of some areas), and both largemouth and smallmouth bass are abundant. South of the Champlain Bridge, largemouth are the predominant species – north of the bridge, the species mix depends on where and what you’re fishing, and it’s possible to catch a 4-pound largemouth and smallmouth on back-to-back casts in some parts of the lake.
In this event, there should be plenty of spawning smallmouth, some spawning largemouth, and lots of postspawn smallmouth and largemouth as well. For the win, expect an average around 20 pounds – with room for it to be a little higher. As for how it will be won, we’ll need to wait until Saturday rolls around to find out.
The current conditions on the lake are a little challenging – practice has been fairly breezy, and there is a mix of clear and dirty water sections all over the lake. Plus, the water is about half a foot higher than average, which can be a good or bad thing depending on what an angler is looking for. Additionally, the hot weather in practice has caused surface temperatures to shoot up dramatically, from the upper 60s to the low 70s in some places, which is a significant rise to see in just a handful of days on such a large lake.
Practice reports are all over the board
Brett Carnright is perhaps the preeminent spawning smallmouth angler on the lake, and though Stop 5 Presented by 7Brew Coffee cost him some practice time, he has a handle on the situation.
“I don’t have a single fish on bed that I can see,” he said. “The visibility is really bad. I haven’t really been able to see deeper than 8 feet. So, I don’t think that it’s going to be won through a cone.
“People are still catching bed fish that are shallow, where you can actually see, but the quality is not there,” the New York pro went on to say. “It’s too late in the spawn, and you’ve got to be deeper, and, without being able to see, it’s pretty tough. I have fish on beds, but I just don’t know how big they are. I’m just relying on past history that if there’s one on the bed in that area, there’s a good chance some of them are going to be pretty big ones. I haven’t pre-caught a single one. So, I’m just going to sample it in the tournament, see what I can catch and then go from there. It could be really good, or it could be really bad.”
Always a threat on Champlain, Bryan Schmitt also thinks the smallmouth spawn could set up well, though, he’s not planning on running with that pattern.
“I know there’s a ton of smallies on bed,” Schmitt said. “I did not bring a flogger, and I didn’t look much. But, it got slick yesterday, and we were just fishing in the Inland Sea and saw several, so I know that’s going to be a big thing.”
Beyond the smallmouth spawn, Carnright is adamant that there will be a lot of ways to catch fish.
“There’s a good chance if it’s calm, we could see a big postspawn topwater bite happen,” he said. “It definitely seems like it’s going to be a majority postspawn deal, but it’s not as far along as it was for the Invitational last year.”
Last year, in the Tackle Warehouse Invitations event in mid-June, Jacob Walker won fishing for postspawn smallmouth on alewives. That was the name of the game for Nick Hatfield and Alec Morrison as well, who finished second and third.
“It’s not like you can go out and just smash them on LiveScope,” Carnright said. “I could see the mixed bag being even more of a big deal. You know, somebody who can catch a couple largemouth mixed in. But it definitely doesn’t seem like it’s going to be won doing one particular thing unless somebody finds, like, a mega school of them out on LiveScope that is just pulling out.”
From a variety standpoint, some of the reports from Ticonderoga should excite folks. Even just sampling Ti on the last day, Schmitt likes what he sees enough to turn and burn.
“I’m liking it for sure,” he said. “I think the wind is favorable, right now, I’m planning on coming down here tomorrow.”