Minn Kota pro Scott Martin gets third win on Champlain
Jul 1st, 2016 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jul 1st, 2016 at 12:00 AM
Photo courtesy of FLW
Racine, WI (June 28, 2016): Legendary FLW pro Scott Martin may be synonymous with Florida bass fishing, but he has a soft spot for New York’s Lake Champlain. It was Champlain where Martin scored one of the first wins of his career, added another in 2009, and topped the field again this June in Plattsburg, New York, on the way to earning over $2.5 million throughout his FLW career.
A massive fishery on the border of the U.S. and Canada, Champlain features endless offshore possibilities for smallmouth anglers, as well as vast shallow grass beds in which to ply for largemouth. Typical of most tournaments held there, it was a combination of green and brown bass that made up the winner’s bag.
Throughout the event, Martin sight-fished for spawning smallmouth in the lake’s clear, open-water areas, then later focused on target-rich, shallow water for largemouths using power-fishing tactics. While the tournament placed high demands on Martin’s equipment, it was the practice period immediately prior in which Martin’s gear pushed him ahead of the competition.
“When you fish this time of year, you have fifteen hours of daylight,” the champ noted. “During practice, I was on the water at 5 a.m. every morning, and didn’t come off until 9:30 p.m. In fact, I found a few key fish in near darkness under a full moon.”
Martin concluded that such an approach would be impossible without his tournament-tested Minn Kota trolling motor and battery combo.
“I run a Minn Kota Fortrex 112, powered by Lithium Pro batteries, and charge with a Minn Kota MK 460PC Precision Charger. Even putting in those hours, the efficiency was amazing. I’d get in late every night, and that charger would charge me up by the next morning – all the way to 100 percent. I was able to maximize my time on the water, and I couldn’t do that without that system.”
Photo courtesy of FLW
Martin noted that his big Ranger, and everything in it, went through the ringer. “We had some pretty windy mornings – and everything took a beating. I had zero failures, and that piece of mind gives me as much confidence as anything. It’s no different than when fishing with a favorite lure: confidence allows for good decisions and breeds success.”
Evidently, Scott Martin makes some pretty good decisions each time he travels to Plattsburgh, New York.
For more information, visit minnkotamotors.com, contact Minn Kota, P.O. Box 8129, Mankato, MN 56002, or call 800-227-6433.