Jason Ober of Johnstown, Pa., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces Friday to recapture the lead in the FLW Series Eastern Division tournament on Lake Champlain. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 58-13, he now holds a solid 3-pound, 8-ounce lead over his closest competitor, Shinichi Fukae of Palestine, Texas heading into the final day of competition.
“There is a good chance I will zero tomorrow,” said Ober, who has one win and two top-10 finishes on Lake Champlain in the past two years. “I have been using a drop-shot in the same area all week long, on one rod. I hope the fish last, but there is a chance they won’t be there tomorrow. The bite has been tough for me all week, I have really had to work hard to get my fish, but in this game quality and quantity are two very different things and I have definately been on some quality fish.
“I think I understand this lake; I don’t get discouraged and I try to grind it out. Yesterday I left my area prematurely which might hurt me tomorrow. I probably could have gotten a 20 pound bag if I would have stuck it out.”
Lake Champlain is a lake that is known for its large smallmouth bass, however, many have said and believe that a tournament on Lake Champlain is won on largemouth.
Ober is a smallmouth bass angler and all of his fish this week have been just that. Ober is hoping for a lot of sunshine and no wind tomorrow, which is exactly what is predicted, so he can bring in the winning bag of smallmouths.
Fukae caught a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 55-5, all smallmouth, to advance to the final round as the No. 2 seed.
“I have been using a drop-shot in deep water all week long,” said Fukae, who has two top-10 finishes on Lake Champlain and is looking for his first win on the lake. “I will do the same, same tomorrow.”
Fukae believes that the bait fish in 10 feet of water have been key to his fishing.
The remaining top-five pros who will fish the final day at Lake Champlain are:
| 3rd: | Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi | Prosperity, S.C. | 15 bass | 55-4 |
| 4th: | David Wolak | Wake Forest, N.C. | 15 bass | 53-12 |
| 5th: | Andy Montgomery | Blacksburg, S.C. | 15 bass | 53-6 |
The remaining pro anglers in the top-10 are:
| 6th: | Michael Wolfenden | Warwick, R.I. | 15 bass | 52-14 | $8,389 |
| 7th: | Jim Gildea | Weston, Mass. | , 15 bass | 51-12 | $7,896 |
| 8th: | Jason Knapp | Uniontown, Pa. | 15 bass | 51-1 | $7,402 |
| 9th: | Scott Parker | Londonderry, N.H. | 15 bass | 50-11 | $6,909 |
| 10th: | Lancen Halbert | Enoree, S.C. | 15 bass | 50-7 | $6,415 |
Overall there were 623 bass weighing 1,680 pounds, caught by 146 pros Friday. The catch included 112 five-bass limits.
In FLW Series competition, pros are competing for a top award of $50,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
Christopher Hall of Clarks Summit, Pa., won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motor Friday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 47 pounds, 8 ounces followed by Tony Bushey of Champlain, N.Y., in second place with 15 bass weighing 47-7 worth $4,918.
Hall opened the tournament in second place Wednesday with five bass weighing 17-12 while fishing with pro Mark Melnyk of Toronto, Ontario. On Thursday he stayed in second place on the strength of a five-bass catch weighing 14-13 while fishing with pro Stephen Sykas of Plainfield, Vt. He sealed the win Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 14-15 while fishing with pro Scott Canterbury of Springville, Ala.
“Pairing and execution are key to any co-anglers success,” said Hall, who got his first victory as a co-angler. “I was paired with three excellent partners and that is half of the equation. You need to get with guys that keep you on fish and then you need to be able to execute. I was fortunate enough this week to execute almost perfectly.
“I had the spinning rod glued to my hand all week working the drop-shot; I just filled my bag with drop-shot baits like the 5 inch wacky senko and was able to adapt with each pro.
On the first day of competition Hall indicated that he and his partner were fishing the N.Y. arm of the lake, the second day he was taken on a run to Ticonderoga, and today he and his partner were near the Inland Sea.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
| 3rd: | Jeff Gengler | Tulsa, Okla. | 15 bass | 44-13 | $3,688 |
| 4th: | Chester Williams | Shavertown, Pa. | 15 bass | 44-9 | $2,459 |
| 5th: | Edward Pecore | Plattsburgh, N.Y. | 15 bass | 42 | $1,967 |
| 6th: | National Guard co-angler Dr. Michael McGhee | Blackstone, Va. | 15 bass | $1,475 | |
| 7th: | Kurtis Michaux | Clermont, Fla. | 15 bass | 40-15 | $1,229 |
| 8th: | Anthony Brooks | Cornelia, Ga. | 15 bass | 39-9 | $984 |
| 9th: | Blaine Bucy | Follansbee, W. Va. | 15 bass | 38-14 | $861 |
| 10th: | Richard Rhodes | Calvert City, Ky. | 15 bass | 38-2 | $738 |
Co-anglers are also competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Overall there were 542 bass weighing 1,230 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 146 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 71 five-bass limits.
The remaining five pros will take off at 6:30 Saturday morning from Dock Street Landing located at 5 Dock Street in Plattsburgh. Saturday’s final weigh-in will also be held at the marina beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at the Dock Street Landing prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela’s gift card and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a boat simulator and National Guard obstacle challenge. All activities are free and open to the public.
Coverage of the Lake Champlain tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors”, will air Oct. 24 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.By: Julie Huber,
