Florida’s Martin leads Day One of Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Champlain
Jun 23rd, 2016 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jun 23rd, 2016 at 12:00 AM
Pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 5 ounces to take the lead after Day One of the Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Champlain presented by General Tire.
Martin targeted areas on the northern end of Champlain, catching a limit consisting entirely of largemouth bass to lead the field of 160 anglers in the four-day tournament that features top bass-fishing anglers from around the world competing for a top cash award of up to $125,000.
Canadian angler Chris Johnston of Peterborough, Ontario, is in second place with 21-2, while Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, is in third place with 19-13.
Martin, who won the coveted Angler of the Year title last season, is seeking his third career win at Lake Champlain in FLW Tour competition. He won previously in 2004 and 2009 visits and has earned more than $450,000 on Champlain in his 17-year professional career.
“This lake has been good to me over the years and I had a really good day again today,” said Martin. “I caught them off of five different areas and bounced around a bit. I’m doing something a little different than I usually do here bait wise, and it played a big part today.”
Martin said that he mixed it up and caught fish on four different baits, but wasn’t ready to divulge any specifics. He said that he caught around 15 fish throughout the day.
“I’m not catching a ton of fish, but they are very healthy,” Martin said. “They are fat and don’t look beat up. I had 17 pounds in my livewell by mid-morning. The different lure seemed to be getting bit better than everything else.
“It’s hard to say what is going to happen tomorrow,” Martin continued. “I didn’t have to share any of the areas that I was fishing today, so I hope I’ll be able to do the same tomorrow. There are a lot of fish up there and I think I might have something special figured out.”
The top 10 pros after Day One on Lake Champlain are:
1st: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 22-5
2nd: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 21-2
3rd: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 19-13
3rd: Walmart pro David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 19-13
5th: Blake Nick, Adger, Ala., five bass, 19-3
6th: Jason Meninger, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 19-2
7th: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., five bass, 18-14
8th: Curtis Richardson, Belleville, Ontario, Canada, five bass, 18-12
9th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., five bass, 18-9
10th: Strike King Lures pro Michael Wooley, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 18-6
For a full list of results visit FLWFishing.com.