Spring is coming! That means we are closer to summer and closer to being able to swim in the lake rather than walk on it. Summer time does not just mean warmer temperatures and fun in the sun, although those are great things to look forward to (I definitely am!), but it also means that the fishing tournaments are coming!
The 2015 dates have been finalized and released:
June 13ABA Weekend SeriesJune 14NY TBFJuly 18Northern Bass SupplyJuly 30 - August 1 FLW Rayovac SeriesAugust 8Walmart BFL - NortheastSeptember 27Bass Federation Collegiate Cup Challenge The Adirondack Coast hosts up to 6 bass fishing tournaments per year on Lake Champlain and depending upon the year, 1 to 2 of these tournaments are at the professional level; bringing 400 anglers and their families from all over the U.S., Canada, and sometimes even Japan or France, to the greater Plattsburgh area. The week before a tournament you will see bass fishing boats in every parking lot and on every road in town. These anglers spend seven days on the Adirondack Coast and spend their money at grocery stores, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, repair shops and on anything else you may need during a long stay somewhere other than home; leaving an estimated economic impact of well over $1.2 million. Not only do they have a huge impact on our economy, but they are some of the nicest men and women you will ever have the chance to meet.
The pro-level tournaments are usually three day tournaments that have a consistent 2:00pm weigh in every day, with the finals on the third day. If you are going to check out any of the weigh-ins, I recommend the finals! Each tournament is different, but usually it is the top 20-24 anglers and co-anglers competing for top weights and prizes; prizes being thousands of dollars and a brand new bass fishing boat.
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Finals at these tournaments are no joke! You can see the nerves as the anglers wait to go up on stage and weigh the (hopefully) 5 bass limit they caught that day. Each bass is pulled out of the specialty bags one at a time and showed to the audience, allowing the audience to judge whether or not they think that angler will knock out the person that weighed in before them. Now I am new to this bass fishing stuff, but I found myself getting easily sucked in to the “ooohs” and “aahhhs” of the crowd. I even found myself becoming somewhat of a weight expert as I shook my head yes or no in response to seeing each bass…. “nope, that bass is definitely not big enough” or “wowww, yup, he’s got it” were just a few of the statements that I was thinking out loud.
If you can’t make it down to Dock Street Landing for the weigh-ins, they are all streamed live on the tournament’s website. So whether you’re in the front row catching some of the schwag the announcer’s throw out to the audience or in front of your computer screen watching the pressure build, don’t forget to come out, support, and catch the excitement at the Adirondack Coast bass fishing tournaments!
