Fantasy Fishing: Don't count out bank beaters

Written by

Coy Greathouse

If you asked any of the Elite field to name their top five fisheries in the country, our next stop, Lake Champlain, would be on the majority of those short lists. Not only does this lake fish huge, giving anglers the opportunity to find something special and not have to share it, but it is a pick-your-poison fishery.

There are giant largemouth nestled up in grass mats, under docks and around offshore grass edged. You can also chase monster smallmouth out in the main body of the lake. And even in some cases, you can catch both species together, as was evident during Bryan Schmitt’s performance in 2021 here.

During my research, it seems that despite the last few year’s events here being dominated offshore scanning for smallmouth, that the pressure may have begun to take a toll on those pelagic fish. Don’t get me wrong, you will one-hundred percent still see a bunch of anglers doing the forward-facing thing throughout the event and my instinct still says that it will be won that way, but it may be harder for the majority of the field to be consistently find the better than average smallmouth.

In theory, if the pressured fish in the main lake get tougher to find, the untapped population of shallow bass, including a healthy number of four- to six-pounders will be available for the guys who want to go after them.

My strategy for this event is to have a balance of “gamers” and “bank-beaters” to have the best shot at a solid roster. I’d love to maintain my position in the top 10% to finish the season and maybe even creep up a bit. That would be a huge win after such a dismal start.

Let’s take a look at some picks.

BUCKET A: PRZEKURAT

Bank-Beater: Lee Livesay

I’ll call it like it is – Bucket A is absolutely stacked. There are 10 guys in either camp that could be a solid pick here. One that stands out as a stout shallow-water angler is Lee Livesay. He has built a career finding and catching shallow fish. He doesn’t typically do great when he is forced to catch smallmouth, so if he can fish his strength and target largemouth and still have a shot to win, he will. Numbers certainly won’t be an issue, so he’ll have to specifically go after bigger bites. Techniques like flipping and frogging will certainly get better than average bites.

Gamer: Jay Przekurat

Jay Przekurat has established himself as one of the absolute best FFS fisherman in the world. His win on the St. Lawrence River in his rookie season certainly helped establish that, but his recent tear between the Elites and the Bassmaster Opens will make him lethal in this event. He has stacked up four straight single-digit finishes. His last of those four was a first-place finish in the Bassmaster Open on St. Clair. He’ll carry over all of those skills into this event.

BUCKET B: ITO

Bank-Beater: Kyle Welcher

If you look at Kyle Welcher’s recent results, especially the back half of his season last year, he became a substantially more versatile angler. And with his recent results with other tours, he has become very dialed in on his electronics. Will he choose to go looking for them offshore? Not likely. That is why he is under the bank-beater category. That said, if he did decide that was his best bet, he has the scraps to adjust, making him a solid pick. But, if he has a chance to catch 20-pounds a day in the slop, my money says that’s where you’ll see him.

Gamer: Taku Ito

In three events on Champlain, Taku Ito has a pair of finishes in the 30s and one Top 10. That is definitely worth considering, but the reason Taku is getting my vote is solely on his momentum. Often when an Elite angler wins a tournament, the follow-up tournaments are not always great. I don’t know if that is because of media pressure, or because they just won a huge check, but it happens fairly frequently. Taku won the event on Smith Lake and immediately turned around and finished 6th in the Bassmaster Open on St. Clair. Add in the fact that he will be in smallmouth Disneyland, and he is a great choice.

BUCKET C: SCHMITT

Bank-Beater: Bryan Schmitt

Bank-beater may not the most appropriate title for Bryan Schmitt here. He won the event on Champlain in 2021 fishing specific grass patches in deeper water. He also had a pretty healthy blend of largemouth and smallmouth. Either way, he certainly prefers fishing grass and is not afraid to fish very specific things. His other two Elite trips here saw him finish in 26th and 17th. Feels like a safe pick to me and with so many of the obvious picks being in Bucket A, being a little safer in lower buckets is important.

Gamer: Austin Felix

Bucket C really is a toss-up for me. Austin Felix has a record that is every bit as impressive as Bryan Schmitt’s, if not more. In the last three events here, he has two Top 10s (9th and 5th) and an 18th. He clearly understands Champlain and the patterns of the bait-chasers. The 2024 season hasn’t been his best showing, but he does have some highlights including an 11th at Lake Murray and a 17th at the St. Croix Bassmaster Open at St. Clair.

BUCKET D: SMITH

Bank-Beater: Jason Christie

It has been a few seasons since we’ve seen Jason Christie struggling badly enough to be in Bucket D, but that won’t stop him from fishing as hard as he can. There isn’t any coverage I could find that would have shown how he has caught them on Champlain in years past, but he has never bombed a tournament here, recording two finished in the 30s and a finish in the teens.

Gamer: Bryant Smith

I’m taking a calculated gamble in Bucket D with Bryant Smith. He only has one posted result in top-tier competition, a 4th place in the 2023 Champlain event. In general, he has fished well this year, however a few early-season blunders are causing him to be down in Bucket D. He is far from a local, but has certainly honed in his FFS skills. His record for the heaviest 5-fish stringer of smallmouth at over 29-pounds will stand for a long time.

BUCKET E: CANTERBURY

Bank-Beater: Scott Canterbury

Scott Canterbury is another angler who could probably go in either category simply because he is comfortable on the bank or offshore. He is more of an old-school angler so even if he does find himself offshore, like Bryan Schmitt, he will he fishing specific cover more than casting at individual fish. His past finishes are decent with 11th, 30th and 50th. He should be a safe pick for points.

Gamer: Matt Robertson

Tough tournaments at Lake Fork and the Harris Chain have put Matthew Robertson in a tough spot. He unfortunately isn’t going to be qualified for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic, so at this point, he can go for gusto and fish for the win without a safety net. That’s a scary proposition. Much of his career was built on offshore fishing long before FFS was around. He also rubs shoulders with some of the best smallmouth guys in the industry who have no-doubt sharpened his skillset.