CITGO BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES PREPARES TO VISIT BASS PARADISE
Lake Champlain’s Abundant Smallmouth, Largemouth Await Pros
CELEBRATION, Fla. — The basic foundation of the inaugural CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series is to put the nation’s best anglers on the country’s top bass lakes at prime times of the year. Nothing epitomizes that more than visiting New York’s Lake Champlain in the summertime.
Season after season, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States usually creates more excitement and anticipation among pros than any body of water. And that is particularly true of the ninth stop on the Elite Series season, the Champion’s Choice, July 13-16.
“It’s going to be phenomenal,” said Michael Iaconelli, leader in the CITGO Bassmaster Angler of the Year race and a veteran of more than a dozen tournaments on Lake Champlain, including a 1999 BASS victory. “It’s going to be classic Champlain.
“I don’t know of another lake in the country where you can catch that many fish of a good size and have both species. You can have a 60-fish day with 30 smallmouth and 30 largemouth and they’re all 3 to 4 pounds. There are not very many lakes in the country where you can do that.”
Lake Champlain begins on the Canadian border near Quebec and stretches 110 miles south to the Ticonderoga area. In the process, it splits New York and Vermont by 12 miles at its widest point, covers more than 300,000 surface acres and has a maximum depth of about 400 feet. Its 585 miles of picturesque shoreline is still largely undisturbed by developers.
Iaconelli expects Lake Champlain to be its usual cooperative self during the Elite Series event.
“The guys really caught them this week (in a national tournament) with a lot of 15- to 20-pound bags,” he said. “Right now when the bass are in the spawning phase, they’re spread out a lot. More than half of the top-10 in that tournament was sight-fishing exclusively for smallmouth this week.”
But the pros likely won’t be able to rely on the same techniques and locations that produced during past BASS visits to the lake.
“Every time BASS has been there, it’s been in the fall,” Iaconelli said. “Things are going to be different because those tournaments relied on a fall feed, which is when the smallmouth get shallow and start gorging themselves on bait before the winter.
“But this time we’re going to have fish in their summertime pattern, which is what I call deeper-thicker. The smallmouth will be focused on the bait, but they’re going to be a lot deeper on isolated stuff. And then the largemouth are going to be in the thicker cover.”
Joe Lucarelli of New Hampshire won the last BASS tournament on Champlain with a three-day total of 56 pounds, 7 ounces in 2005.
Iaconelli, the 2003 Bassmaster Classic champion, emphasized that the winner will need to catch a combination of species to prevail. In fact, Iaconelli couldn’t recall a major tournament on Oneida won exclusively on smallmouth or largemouth.
Smallmouth, he said, will be caught by anglers power fishing deep with Carolina rigs, dragging a tube and drop-shotting as well as jerkbaits and spinnerbaits. Largemouth will fall for baits that can probe thick cover, like a 1-ounce weight with a craw, a jig or a weedless soft-plastic stickbait.
In addition to the $100,000 top prize, at stake are valuable points toward the 2007 CITGO Bassmaster Classic on Lay Lake in Birmingham, Ala. The Elite Series is a top-tier circuit featuring highly credentialed tournament pros who have earned the opportunity to compete in 11 high-profile events.
Daily launches and weigh-ins are free and open to the public at Plattsburgh Boat Basin, 5 Dock Street, in Plattsburgh. Anglers launch at 5:30 a.m. ET and weigh in at 3 p.m. ET.
Fishing fans can catch the action from the Champion’s Choice on the CITGO Bassmasters on Saturday, July 22 at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN2.
Local sponsors include the City of Plattsburgh.
Sponsors of the CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series include CITGO Petroleum Corp., Toyota, Busch Beer, Purolator, Triton Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide, Advance Auto Parts and Theraseed®.
BASS is the worldwide authority on bass fishing, sanctioning more than 20,000 events through the BASS Federation Nation annually. Guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans, BASS sets the standard for credibility, professionalism, sportsmanship and conservation, as it has for nearly 40 years.
BASS stages bass fishing tournaments for every skill level and culminates with the CITGO Bassmaster Classic. Through its clubs, youth programs, aquatic resource advocacy, magazine publishing and multimedia platforms, BASS offers the industry's widest array of services and support to its nearly 550,000 members. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.
For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit http://www.bassmaster.com.
Rank Name Total Weight Average Weight Power Index (Avg. Weight)
1 Hackney, Greg 574 lbs 8 ozs 47 lbs 14 ozs 100.00 %
2 Iaconelli, Michael 529 lbs 12 ozs 44 lbs 2 ozs 92.17 %
3 VanDam, Kevin 514 lbs 4 ozs 42 lbs 14 ozs 89.56 %
4 Crews, John 511 lbs 14 ozs 42 lbs 11 ozs 89.16 %
5 Rojas, Dean 507 lbs 8 ozs 42 lbs 5 ozs 88.38 %
6 Evers, Edwin 483 lbs 0 ozs 40 lbs 4 ozs 84.07 %
7 Quinn, Jason 469 lbs 1 ozs 39 lbs 1 ozs 81.59 %
8 Wirth, Kevin 460 lbs 14 ozs 38 lbs 7 ozs 80.29 %
9 Jordon, Kelly 457 lbs 1 ozs 38 lbs 1 ozs 79.50 %
10 Martens, Aaron 454 lbs 15 ozs 37 lbs 15 ozs 79.24 %
11 Reese, Skeet 450 lbs 6 ozs 37 lbs 9 ozs 78.46 %
12 Swindle, Gerald 445 lbs 2 ozs 37 lbs 2 ozs 77.55 %
13 Wurm, Mike 442 lbs 1 ozs 36 lbs 13 ozs 76.89 %
14 Omori, Takahiro 413 lbs 0 ozs 34 lbs 7 ozs 71.93 %
15 Scroggins, Terry 412 lbs 15 ozs 34 lbs 7 ozs 71.93 %
16 Reed, Matt 410 lbs 6 ozs 34 lbs 3 ozs 71.41 %
17 McClelland, Mike 402 lbs 12 ozs 33 lbs 9 ozs 70.10 %
18 Thliveros, Peter 401 lbs 9 ozs 33 lbs 7 ozs 69.84 %
19 Reynolds, Jeff 394 lbs 13 ozs 32 lbs 14 ozs 68.67 %
20 Brauer, Denny 393 lbs 4 ozs 32 lbs 12 ozs 68.41 %
21 Shimizu, Morizo 392 lbs 9 ozs 32 lbs 11 ozs 68.28 %
22 Lane, Russell 385 lbs 2 ozs 32 lbs 2 ozs 67.10 %
23 Clark, Preston 384 lbs 5 ozs 32 lbs 0 ozs 66.84 %
24 Jones, Alton 381 lbs 11 ozs 31 lbs 13 ozs 66.45 %
25 Howell, Randy 379 lbs 4 ozs 31 lbs 10 ozs 66.06 %
26 Klein, Gary 377 lbs 1 ozs 31 lbs 7 ozs 65.67 %
27 Murray, John 371 lbs 6 ozs 30 lbs 15 ozs 64.62 %
28 Hite, Davy 371 lbs 1 ozs 30 lbs 15 ozs 64.62 %
29 Tucker, Mark 364 lbs 15 ozs 30 lbs 7 ozs 63.58 %
30 Horton, Timmy 364 lbs 13 ozs 30 lbs 6 ozs 63.45 %
31 Monroe, Ishama 361 lbs 9 ozs 30 lbs 2 ozs 62.92 %
31 Bailey, Lee 361 lbs 9 ozs 30 lbs 2 ozs 62.92 %
33 Rowland, Zell 357 lbs 7 ozs 29 lbs 13 ozs 62.27 %
34 Clunn, Rick 352 lbs 13 ozs 29 lbs 6 ozs 61.36 %
35 Biffle, Tommy 349 lbs 4 ozs 29 lbs 2 ozs 60.84 %
36 Kriet, Jeff 348 lbs 4 ozs 29 lbs 0 ozs 60.57 %
37 Mize, Jimmy 345 lbs 14 ozs 28 lbs 13 ozs 60.18 %
38 Butcher, Terry 343 lbs 0 ozs 28 lbs 9 ozs 59.66 %
39 Rook, Scott 340 lbs 13 ozs 28 lbs 6 ozs 59.27 %
40 Faircloth, Todd 334 lbs 7 ozs 27 lbs 14 ozs 58.22 %
41 Menendez, Mark 330 lbs 7 ozs 27 lbs 9 ozs 57.57 %
42 Ponds, Pete 329 lbs 13 ozs 27 lbs 8 ozs 57.44 %
43 Gutierrez, Greg 329 lbs 5 ozs 27 lbs 7 ozs 57.31 %
44 Hill, Kenyon 325 lbs 4 ozs 27 lbs 2 ozs 56.66 %
45 Chapman, Brent 316 lbs 0 ozs 26 lbs 5 ozs 54.96 %
46 Miyazaki, Yusuke 313 lbs 13 ozs 26 lbs 2 ozs 54.57 %
47 Elias, Paul 312 lbs 12 ozs 26 lbs 1 ozs 54.44 %
48 Browning, Stephen 312 lbs 6 ozs 26 lbs 1 ozs 54.44 %
49 Cook, Ken 311 lbs 9 ozs 25 lbs 15 ozs 54.18 %
50 Kiriyama, Kotaro 307 lbs 13 ozs 25 lbs 10 ozs 53.52 %
51 Edwards, Jarrett 306 lbs 15 ozs 25 lbs 9 ozs 53.39 %
52 Grigsby, Jr, Shaw 306 lbs 1 ozs 25 lbs 8 ozs 53.26 %
53 Sedgwick, Ray 303 lbs 1 ozs 25 lbs 4 ozs 52.74 %
54 Schultz, Bernie 302 lbs 11 ozs 25 lbs 4 ozs 52.74 %
55 Roumbanis, Fred 301 lbs 3 ozs 25 lbs 2 ozs 52.48 %
56 Wolak, David 293 lbs 5 ozs 24 lbs 7 ozs 51.04 %
57 Hartley, Charlie 284 lbs 10 ozs 23 lbs 12 ozs 49.61 %
58 Hamilton Jr, Robert 283 lbs 9 ozs 23 lbs 10 ozs 49.35 %
59 Brauer, Chad 278 lbs 14 ozs 23 lbs 4 ozs 48.56 %
60 Reynolds, Mike 276 lbs 14 ozs 23 lbs 1 ozs 48.17 %
61 Tyler, Mark 276 lbs 7 ozs 23 lbs 1 ozs 48.17 %
62 Daniel, Stephen 275 lbs 10 ozs 23 lbs 0 ozs 48.04 %
63 Morris, Rick 275 lbs 6 ozs 22 lbs 15 ozs 47.91 %
64 Snowden, Brian 273 lbs 15 ozs 22 lbs 13 ozs 47.65 %
65 Rogers, Brooks 272 lbs 1 ozs 22 lbs 11 ozs 47.39 %
66 Scalish, Frank 265 lbs 1 ozs 22 lbs 1 ozs 46.08 %
67 Thomas, Joe 251 lbs 8 ozs 20 lbs 15 ozs 43.73 %
68 Desaro, Bink 248 lbs 8 ozs 20 lbs 11 ozs 43.21 %
69 Gliebe, David 247 lbs 7 ozs 20 lbs 10 ozs 43.08 %
70 Rogers, Mark 241 lbs 6 ozs 20 lbs 2 ozs 42.04 %
71 Stringer, Bradley 235 lbs 6 ozs 19 lbs 10 ozs 40.99 %
72 Stone, Marty 232 lbs 15 ozs 19 lbs 7 ozs 40.60 %
73 Luce Jr, Elton 231 lbs 4 ozs 19 lbs 4 ozs 40.21 %
74 Wilks, Dustin 231 lbs 3 ozs 19 lbs 4 ozs 40.21 %
75 Short, Kevin 226 lbs 8 ozs 18 lbs 14 ozs 39.43 %
76 Velvick, Byron 224 lbs 15 ozs 18 lbs 12 ozs 39.16 %
77 O'Shea, Mike 224 lbs 1 ozs 18 lbs 11 ozs 39.03 %
78 Eaker, Guy 218 lbs 12 ozs 18 lbs 4 ozs 38.12 %
79 Houston, Jimmy 209 lbs 6 ozs 17 lbs 7 ozs 36.42 %
80 Weyer, Charlie 208 lbs 0 ozs 17 lbs 5 ozs 36.16 %
81 Goldbeck, Grant 181 lbs 3 ozs 15 lbs 2 ozs 31.59 %
82 Yarnall, Randy 166 lbs 6 ozs 13 lbs 14 ozs 28.98 %
*** Kennedy, Stephen
*** Lowen, Bill
*** Lintner, Jared
*** Hallman, Bradley
*** Segraves, Terry
*** Connella, Jeff
*** Smith, Jr, William
*** Schwenkbeck, Darrin
*** Langill, Kevin
*** Starks, Jeremy
*** Phillips, Keith
*** Fralick, Jami
*** Smith, Dave
*** Hirosky, Paul
*** Myers, Britt
*** Bondy, Jon
*** Lane, Chris
*** Dove, Kurt
*** Hurtado, Vince
*** Youngers, Charlie
*** Ash, Rick
*** Brodeur, Ken
*** Merkin, Doc
*** Picou, Conrad
*** Perkins, Jerad
*** Brousseau, Chad
***An angler must have fished 12 qualifying events during the last two seasons for his weight to appear. A qualifying event is a Bassmaster Tour tournament, an Elite 50 tournament or Bassmaster Classic. In 2006 and beyond, a qualifying event is defined as a CITGO Bassmaster Elite Series tournament, a Bassmaster Major and a CITGO Bassmaster Classic.
Co-anglers
Alabama
Hill, James – Ozark
Howell, Roger – Clayton
Jones, James – Pinson
Mealer, Frank – Irondale
Mize, Sam – Muscle Shoals
Parten, Harry – Columbiana
Potts, Harry – Ozark
Raia, Charlie – Gardendale
Sparks, Jimmy – Tuscumbia
Stringer, Walter – Tallassee
Swindle, Tommy – Cleveland
California
Adams, Bill – Exeter
Frink, Tom – Simi Valley
Haraguchi, Gary – Brentwood
Martens, Justin – Lancaster
Pratt, Tony – Paso Robles
Tosh, Steve – Modesto
Connecticut
Kish, Louis – Goshen
Paul, David – New London
Delaware
Dick, Andrew – Wilmington
Florida
Barberee, Glenn – Crestview
Delgado, Mary – Tampa
Ezell, Tim – Key West
Frazier, Mike – Orlando
Illinois
Luszcak, Jason – Palos Hills
Indiana
Jenkins, Andy – Elkhart
Massachusetts
Benham, David – Lenox
Foster, John – Everett
Kyriacos, George – Rockland
Maryland
Freeman, Bruce – Street
Vogelsang, Robert – Jessup
Maine
Staszewski, Jim – West Gardiner
Michigan
Frickman, Mark – Grand Ledge
Gould, Stephen – Kalamazoo
Matteson, Eddie – Farmington
Suhr, Robert – Roscommon
Vandam, Jonathan – Kalamazoo
North Carolina
Hauser, Wayne – Winston-Salem
New Hampshire
Guichard, David – Nashua
New Jersey
McCullough, John – Woodbine
Pitlak, Ed – Norwood
Townsend, Craig – Mount Holly
New York
Barth, Detlef – Bolivar
Bergman, Ron – Phoenix
Bigford, Derrick – Cicero
Cook, Karl – Watertown
Cunningham, Kevin – Farmingdale
Cusano, Michael – Clay
Daino, Craig – Central Square
Dence, Jim – Pulaski
Digirolamo, Dominic – Belmont
Dirado, Peter – Holland
Faraci, Tony – Troy
Fiore, John – Groton
Fiorille, George – Moravia
Garlock, Richard – Alexandria
Graham, Mike – Jamestown
Green, Richard – Greenfield Center
Herbert, Jesse – Pennellville
Kaproth, Mike – Ithaca
Knapp, Bill – Lee Center
Laclair, Lawrence – Hannibal
Lafaver, Larry – Watertown
Livingston, David – Scottsville
Luther, Carl – Rochester
Martin, Matthew – Lafayette
Mathews, James – Camden
Mclaughlin, David – Massapequa
Monica, Thomas – Bridgeport
Nels, Craig – Baldwinsville
Nolan, Richard – Ballston Spa
Pavlot, Tom – Utica
Popp, Bob – Oswego
Pratt, Steve – Corfu
Prichard, Charles – Brewerton
Putnam, Scott – East Chatham
Renfrew, Ian – Phoenix
Rice, Pete – Gansevoort
Rodriguez, Alvaro – Clarence
Savino, Anthony – Marlboro
Scott, Daren – Liverpool
Sheffield, David – Amherst
Terpening, Craig – North Syracuse
Tierney, James – Lock
Ohio
Smith, Del – Castalia
Thomas, Rich – Mansillon
Pennsylvania
Bean, Dick – Sayre
Billman, Rick – Williamsport
Bishop, Donald – Verona
Carl, Michael – Bethlehem
Harris, Timothy – Tyrone
Kashuba, Jeff – Stroudsburg
McTamney, Marty – Philadelphia
Nagle, Daniel – Pine Grove
Norton, David – Athens
Wright, Jack – Philadelphia
South Carolina
Huston, Bill – Sunset
Stephens, Howard – Columbia
South Dakota
Logue, Thomas – Tyndall
Virginia
Hood, Wes – Annandale
Vermont
Butler, Larry – New Haven
