LCI Derby

Before we start, I just want to let you know that the date on the pictures is wrong, the camera's date was not set.  As you can see it's like three years off.

Once again, my brother and I teamed up for the LCI Father's Day Derby.  Our target was Smallmouth Bass and the Champlain Islands were where we focused our attention.  Saturday morning a storm front came through and poured rain on my Escape and the boat.  Fortunately we had not launched already as some poor chaps had.  They must have been soaked.  For over an hour we waited out the storm until it finally broke around 5 a.m.  Boat in the water, let the fun begin.

About two hours in, my brother boated this very nice Smallie.


4.10 pound Smallmouth

  A great start to the derby.  A four pounder in the livewell before the weigh stations even opened.  So we weigh in the fish and go to head back out when my motor will not start.  DEAD STARTING BATTERY!  Well, to say that I was in a panic would be an understatement.  So I switched the leads over to my deep cycle to get the motor started, and headed back to the launch.  Two hours later, and after a trip to a local boat mechanic, it turns out that my starting battery is not taking a charge anymore, and it is not the voltage regulator or rectifier in the motor.  Crisis averted, and $90 later we're back on the water with a new starting battery.  Unfortunately, we couldn't stay where we wanted because of very high waves, so we were forced to move.  We caught many other smaller fish, but nothing worthy of weighing in.  End of Day 1.

Day 2 began with a check of the area we wanted to fish, but the waves were still too violent in that location, so we had to go to plan B.  We caught many smaller fish throughout the day until I finally got ahold of a good sized Smallmouth on a Senko.  The fish weighed in at 3.49 pounds, but unfortunately we overlooked taking a picture of it, so you'll have to take my word on that one.  Back out on the water and as it started getting later in the evening, the wind died down and we decided to go back to our favorite fishing spot.  This was a good decision as we bagged another three Smallmouth that weighed 3.0, 3.2, and 3.3 pounds.  Weigh stations were closed for the night, so we decided to keep the largest two to weigh in on Monday.  End of Day 2.



Devin with his 3.0 and 3.2 pound Smallies




My 3.3 pound Smallie

Day 3 saw us fishing a completely different area in the central part of the lake, and this was a bad move.  We didn't get a bite all day.  We were planning on weighing in our 3.2 and 3.3 pound fish, but for some reason we didn't and it was a bad decision. My brother would have been in second place in the coolwater angler of the year if we had weighed in our fish on the last day.  Wouldn't have won anything, but it would have been nice to get the recognition.  Oh well, we know what we did that weekend and that's enough for me.  Well get em again  next year.  It was a fun weekend brother, and I look forward to fishing it again with you next year.    Check out these beautiful fish.



Scouting for LCI

My Brother came down for a scouting trip of a few spots before we fish the LCI Father's Day Derby next weekend.  Glad we did because the fish were few and far between.  But, that's why we scout an area.  Anyways, water is still high, debris is everywhere, and water is cold. 

Devin with an odd colored smallie

I fear for many boaters who are going to partake in the LCI who are not familier with Lake Champlain.  The lake is dangerous right now with breakwaters underwater and logs adrift everywhere.  I'll be fishing the tournament, but I'll be especially cautious this year.  Good luck to everyone that's fishing it.  Let's hope for good weather.



Smallies love crawfish!

 Tight lines.

Enough already!

Well, it has been a looooong time since I posted, but that is because I have been on standby due mostly to the swelling waterways and lake champlain.  Last week I went down to mallets bay to launch, only to find that the water was lapping into the parking lot.  So, my boat waits in anticipation, but luckily I was able to fish a puddle in the Northeast Kingdom this weekend with my mentor.  The Smallmouth were certainly getting ready to spawn as they were moving up onto the large shallow flat from deeper water.  There were four of us in the small pontoon boat and we managed to put over 30 smallmouth in the boat in about three hours.  Most were hovering just below three pounds with a few small ones here and there and a 3lb. 4oz. being the largest.  It was the first time this year I have had my rod bend and reel scream under the pressure of a fighting fish.  I want to thank Mark, my mentor, for taking me out and knowing exactly what the bass were doing on this particular puddle.  I am now determined to get my boat in Champlain and check my smallmouth spots for some serious action.  Oh, and 5 inch senkos were the ticket all day long.  Devin, wish you could have been there.  You and I soon, Champlain, mark it on the calendar.