By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Bryan Schmitt already had victories at Lake Champlain at the triple-A (2016 Bassmaster Northern Open) and double-A (2019 BFL) levels. Now he's got a big-league win from the renowned venue that straddles the New York/Vermont border.

The 40-year-old pro from Maryland picked up his first Bassmaster Elite Series trophy and 100 much-needed Angler of the Year (AOY) points by compiling 78-05 over 4 days in the second-to-last event of the 2021 campaign. He took over the lead on day 2 and never relinquished it, holding off runner-up Keith Combs by half a pound.

To hear him tell it, a lot of things just fell his way. For instance, he weighed a lot more smallmouths than he'd anticipated – his cumulative haul was nine of those, along with 11 largemouths.

"I was getting some really lucky bites and stuff like that," he said. "The whole time, I felt like my fish were running out."

Grass Prevailed

Schmitt targeted the healthiest milfoil he could find in 8 to 10 feet of water. The grass in most of the 20 or so places he discovered in practice grew to within a couple of feet of the surface. Those locales were in different parts of the lake, with perhaps 20 miles of water separating those at the two extremes.

His primary bait was a Neko-rigged Missile Baits Quiver worm (6 1/2 inches, green-pumpkin). He enticed a few key specimens with a SPRO Little John Spin Bait (real perch).

His daily totals were 21-11, 21-05, 19-04 and 16-01. He made a late cull in the closing minutes of day 4 that improved his stringer by approximately 12 ounces, and that fish likely secured the win.

"I thought I was going to catch almost all largies," he said. "I had one spot where I got a really nice bite from a smallmouth in practice and I went there on day 1 and caught three big ones off it – that was like a blessing because I wasn't expecting that.

"That was the only day I got any weigh fish off that spot. The other smallmouth I caught were lucky bites while I was fishing for largemouth."

One of the most surprising aspects to his program is that he never encountered another angler on any of spots.

"That was the crazy thing; everything I wanted to fish, I had to myself. That was the real key to winning.

"All the stuff I fished in that tournament was new (to him). I'd fished a few tournaments there in the past and had some success, but nothing I'd ever fished was good this year. The lake was low – it was about 3 feet down – and it was just fishing different."

Work Left to Do

The win moved Schmitt up to 39th place in the AOY standings, which is right where the cut line for the 2022 Classic will fall (pending double-qualifiers). He figures he can secure his initial berth in the event with a finish of 50th or better in this week's regular-season finale at the St. Lawrence River.

His season has been extremely mercurial with a trio of Top-10s along with finishes of 69th, 82nd and 90th. That last one will go by the wayside, as Elite competitors will drop their worst finish for the purpose of Classic qualification.

"I either figure it out or I don't," he said. "I've gotta really tighten up on those bombs.

"I've had some weird things happen this year, man. There were a couple of tournaments where I was making substantial runs, but something would happen and the fish would change. Things have happened quick and I've gotten spun out a little bit."

He has a fair amount of experience on the St. Lawrence and has posted some strong finishes on various circuits.

"I've done well a couple of times and there was one I didn't do too good in, but I'm comfortable with it. I've just got to figure out the deal. The Top 50 is where I'm at mentally and I can't go out and bomb."

Following the first two practice days, his takeaway was that the smallmouth are "in a funk." He said he might spend today seeking out green fish.

"I've never largemouth-fished on this pond yet, but there's always a first."

Winning Gear Notes

> Neko-rig gear: 7'2" medium-action Fitzgerald Aqua Dream rod, Fitzgerald Stunner spinning reel, 10-pound P-Line Ultimate Fluorocarbon line, 1/0 Hayabusa Spin Muscle Weedless Wacky hook, Missile Baits Quiver Worm (green-pumpkin with 3/32-ounce Reins Tungsten Nail Sinker).