08/21/2026
The Hooked Bassmasters crew was on Lake Champlain out of Ticonderoga for our 6th and 7th tournaments of the year. One of the most cherished annual tournaments, Ti proved to be difficult this year for much of the trip. With water heights down 3 feet, the conditions were drastically different than our last few trips where water was high. Normally accessible spots where fish would move into on the high water became dry land, pushing fish out further. While there was plenty of grass around, it just seemed so hard for anyone to find that right grass to get on the key bite. Combine the tournament days overlapping with the pressure of the Elite Series event, as well as a large Open tournament on Saturday, and there was TONS of pressure. One of the oddities this year seemed to be more than typical smallmouth in the Ti region this year. Day one was evident of this, taken by Mike Iannuzzi with a 5 fish bag of all smallmouth caught south of the bridge for a solid 18.5 lb bag. 2nd place was John "only catches at champlain" Carey with a solid 17 lb bag. 3rd was was the great Gary Hughes, with just under 17 lbs. Lunker for the day was Jim Browne, with a 4.85 lb largie. On the rider side, Jan Jan Baran took it with just over 10 lbs despite having 4 fish! Day 2 was on the boater side taken by Randy Sr Baran, with 16 lbs, and our lunker with a 4.44 lb largie. 2nd place, again was John Carey with 15 lbs. Randy Jr squeaked in JUST behind john with 14.8 lbs for 3rd place. Jan Jan doubled up, winning the rider side again, with 5 fish for 9.7 lbs. While not terrible weights, this years results did not come close to previous years, where it was usually a lock for 20 lbs range to win, and no fish over 5 lbs were weighed in, an extreme oddity for Ti. Great work to all fighting through a tough bite to persevere! Next month, the crew will be hitting a new lake to us, Lake Onondaga, a spot that has been heralded for its great largemouth fishing! Lets see who finishes strong to push for the classic! Mark Lindsay and Son Plumbing & Heating, Inc. N&B Marine Supply Bizz BaitsKeitech USAJim Schmucker's Fiberglass & Gelcoat Repair
Day 1 Results:
Boaters
1st Mike with 5 bass for 18.59
2nd John with 5 bass for 17.34
3rd Gary with 5 bass for 16.98
4th Randy Sr. with 5 bass for 16.26
5th Jim with 5 bass for 15.33 with a 4.85 which took lunker for the day!
6th Randy Jr. with 5 bass for 14.78
7th Bruce with 5 bass for 10.05
8th George with 4 bass for 7.74
Riders
1st Janet with 4 bass for 10.08
2nd Steve with 5 bass for 9.70
3rd Joanna with 5 bass for 7.90
4th Ed with 2 bass for 3.19
Day 2 Results:
Boaters
1st Randy Sr. with 5 bass for 15.99 with a 4.44 which took lunker for the day!
2nd John with 5 bass for 14.98
3rd Randy Jr. with 5 bass for 14.83
4th Mike with 5 bass for 13.14
5th George with 5 bass for 10.23
6th Jim with 3 bass for 8.45
7th Bruce with 4 bass for 5.85
8th Gary with 2 bass for 5.66
Riders
1st Janet with 5 bass for 9.67
2nd Joanna with 3 bass for 5.12
3rd Steve with 2 bass for 3.53
4th Ed with 1 bass for 3.20
Congratulations to all of our winners!!
For the next derby we are off to Lake Onondaga on September 11th and 12th
The points standings after this tournament are as follows:
Boaters
1st Mike I- 245
2nd Randy Jr. - 217
3rd Randy Sr. – 203
4th John– 201
5th Gary –180
6th Jim – 172
7th Bruce – 110
8th George – 66
9th Ray - 62
Riders
1st Steve - 229
2nd Janet - 218
3rd Joanna – 180
4th Ed – 171
5th Gordon – 92
6th Billy – 56
Current Lunker of the Year Leader-
Jim Browne- 7.16 lbs