The NY BASS Chapter Federation (NYBCF) held their second event of the season on Lake Champlain July 28th with Ticonderoga NY as their base of operations. The tournament drew 210 anglers all vying for their share of the $21,000 prize money along with a $5,000 bonus paid to the highest finishing registered Skeeter boat owner sponsored by Towne Marine of Bloomsburg, PA.
Boater Division:
Ken Golub (Allstate Insurance Pro), Pittsford NY took top honors with a weight of 20.37 lbs. that paid $2,500. During the official practice Golub developed a run and gun approach junk fishing. He stayed with that pattern during the tournament fishing whatever felt right in depths of 1 to 12 ft. looking for wood, rocks and weed edges as he bounced around between the Crown Point Bridge and South Bay. Golub relied on two techniques to catch his winning fish; flippin soft plastics by Dirty Burd lures and cranking square bills over submerged weed beds. For his flippin duties Golub used a Rapsody MaestroA 8′ heavy power flipping stick to present a Mud Bug by Dirty Burd and for his square bill fishing he used a Rapsody 6’8″ Medium Heavy action MaestroA. Golub chose that particular rod because the heavy action provides a great sense of feel and power for ripping the prototype crankbait through the weed tips. Golub also cashed in on a few contingency programs winning the BASSCAT Quest, T&H Marine and Rapsody’s Fish Red-Win Green program good for another $400.
Second place went to Randy Lamanche, Marcellus NY, with 18.97 lbs. earning $1,903. Lamanche reports focusing his efforts in the middle section below the Crown Point Bridge in 3-6 ft depths targeting select grass and wood cover areas. His primary technique was flippin two baits; a Bass Pro Shop tube or a Berkley Chigger Craw (green pumpkin), both plastics were T-rigged on 1 oz. tungsten and a 5/0 hook.
Brad Brodnicki, Amherst NY took third place with a weight of 17.71 lbs. good for $1,285. Brodnicki reports fishing mainly south of the Crown Point Bridge flippin Berkley Havoc baits to weed beds in the 8-10 ft zone. Brodnicki used Abu Garcia Veritas rods and Revo reels spooled with Trilene fluorocarbon line to present three Havoc baits, a craw fatty, devil spear and the flat dawg stick.
Rounding out the top five were James Schneider 17.56 lbs receiving $976 and Joseph Valerio with 17.42 lbs. good for $667 in place money; however, Valerio’s real payday came as the highest placing Skeeter owner winning a $5,000 bonus courtesy of Towne Marine of Bloomsburg, PA.
The Boater Division Lunker winner was Mike Schmitt with a massive 6.91 lb. largemouth bass earning $464
Non-Boater Division
Matt P. Jones, Delmar NY captured 1st place with a 16.77 lb. limit that paid $1,500 and he anchored his winning limit with non-boater lunker a stout 4.77 lb. fish good for another $473. Jones reports catching his winning fish on soft plastics pitched into weed beds near the paper mill in 2-6 ft of water. Jones used a Duckett Mirco Magic rod, 7’10’ extra heavy action, and 25 lb. Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line.
Taking 2nd place was Vince D. Lawyer, Webster NY with a weight of 15.51 lbs. that paid $1,103. Lawyer used a Raspody rod to present jigs and a Dirty Burd Mud Bug on a 1/2 oz weight to weed beds in the 10 ft. zone. Lawyer won a brand new Rapsody Hot Rod Series rod ($99 value) for being the highest finisher in the Fish Red-Win Green program on the non-boater side.
John W. Stoughtenger, Waterloo NY secured third place with a limit weighing 15.05 lbs. earning a check for $735. Stoughtenger reports catching his fish South of the Crown Point Bridge on three different baits. When fishing over submerged vegetation he used a Spro frog (black), for ledge fishing he used a Bass Treatz black shad rigged on a drop shot and around hard wood cover he employed Senko (Christmas color) or a Bass Treatz 1/2 oz. jig (black/blue) with a MF Baits trailer.
Rounding out the top five were Andre Frazier, Mt Vernon NY with 14.26 lbs. Frazier reports using a Missel D-Bomb and dropshot with a Keitech Swing Impact to catch his fish and earn $551. And Ron Kozell, Depew NY earned $368 with a 14.22 lb. limit.
Trail Format
Boaters and Non-boaters are randomly paired for eight hours of fishing with the boater maintaining control of the boat the entire day. Each angler competes against only their respective division the boater entry fee is $125 and non-boaters $75.
Contingency Programs
The NYBCF tournament trail provides anglers several contingency program opportunities. PAA payday, Skeeter Real Money, Bass Pro Shop Tournament Rewards, Basscat Quest, B.A.S.S. Nation Alliance Program and T&H Marine and Towne Marine Skeeter cash. Program enrollment is required, for complete details go to their websites.
Sponsors
Bass Pro Shops, Minnkota, Humminbird, Lowrance, Rapsody Rod, All State Insurance, Ticonderoga Chamber of Commerce, Anderson Boats, Team E Outdoors, SFTackle.com, Aztec Bass Fishing, North Jersey Marine, Adirondack Reel Service, Triton Boats and Mercury Motors, Power Pole and Towne Marine.
The next tournament is the annual six-man Club Team Championship (CTC) August 16 & 17 on Oneida Lake launching out of Oneida Shores Park Brewerton NY. This event pits eligible NYBCF affiliated clubs against each other for two days of competition. It’s a combined weight format that determines the winning team with a slight twist where the number one angler on the 1st and 2nd place teams earns a slot on 2014 NYBCF Eastern Divisional Team. For additional information on NYBCF tournaments contact tournament director Peter Knight at 315.598.2971 or [email protected]: Burnie Haney
