Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division Headed to Lake Champlain
OutdoorHub 07.08.14
The Rayovac FLW Series is headed to Lake Champlain July 17-19 for a tournament presented by Plano when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the second of three stops in 2014 in the Northern Division.
“My favorite part about Champlain is the challenge,” said Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre, who finished second in the Rayovac FLW Series event there last year. “It brings in a lot more strategy. If you go into Champlain set in your ways you can really be disappointed. You never know how it will turn out and you have to adjust to all the variables it offers.
“Champlain is one of the rare fisheries where you can win by fishing any technique you want to, for largemouth or smallmouth,” explained the 12-year FLW Tour pro. “The main thing this year is that it will be postspawn. The fish spawn longer up north.”
Lefebre said Champlain’s largemouth would be found around the plentiful grass in the north end of the lake as well as in the south end near Ticonderoga. He said that good largemouth baits would not be any surprise – jigs, frogs and flipping soft plastics. The Pennsylvania pro predicted that the smallmouth could be caught on drop-shot rigs, topwater baits or tubes around main-lake structure.
“You have to prepare your boat and tackle for some pretty rough stuff,” said Lefebre. “Whether you fish north or south you’re probably looking at anywhere from a 60- to 160-mile run round trip, and the weather up there can be very rough.
“Last year I fished half up north and half down south during practice,” continued Lefebre. “The tournament can be won north or south. If you can feel good about fishing up north you’re doubling or tripling your fishing time. I always start up north and if I’m uncomfortable I migrate south.
“Weather is a big factor in if I run north or south,” Lefebre added. “It’s hard for me not to make the run south on a calm day. There are a lot more fish down south and it fishes bigger than the north end.
“I think if you catch about 18 pounds a day you’ll have a definite shot at winning,” Lefebre said. “I think 16½ pounds per day will get you a pretty strong finish.”
Anglers will take off from Dock Street Landing located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh, N.Y., at 6 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins will be held daily at the launch site beginning at 2 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2014 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 on Wheeler Lake in Rogersville, Ala.
The Rayovac FLW Series tournament on the Lake Champlain is being hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Rayovac FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
