From “Love at First Sight” to Another Blue Trophy, Schmitt Masters Lake Champlain for His Third Elite Series Title
Some fisheries take years to understand. For Bryan Schmitt, Lake Champlain was almost an instant connection and that relationship once again paid off in spectacular fashion.
The veteran professional angler from Deale, Maryland, captured the SPRO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain with a four-day total of 81 pounds, 7 ounces, edging Canada’s Chris Johnston by exactly one pound to claim the championship and the $100,000 first-place prize.
For Schmitt, the victory was much more than another trophy. It marked his third Bassmaster Elite Series victory at Lake Champlain, further cementing his reputation as one of the most successful anglers ever to compete on the iconic natural lake straddling New York and Vermont.
Schmitt first experienced Lake Champlain roughly a decade ago, and the fishery immediately made an impression.
“I got blessed the first time I went here,” Schmitt explained, recalling how he quickly found big fish and identified key combinations that helped him understand the lake.
That early success created a lasting bond, and over the years, Schmitt has continued to find ways to unlock Champlain's bass.
His latest championship was another example of that special relationship.
A Comeback Built on Adaptability
Schmitt's path to the title wasn't a wire-to-wire domination. He opened the tournament with 19 pounds, 11 ounces, good enough for 10th place after Day 1.
A second-round limit of 19-7 saw him slip to 13th, putting him outside the top 10 heading into the crucial semifinal round.
Then everything changed.
Schmitt brought 23-8 to the scales on Saturday, the kind of massive bag needed to make a championship run. The surge moved him into second place and set up a dramatic final day.
On Championship Sunday, Schmitt delivered another strong margin of 18-13 to finish with 81-7 and secure the victory.
Despite the pressure and the magnitude of the moment, Schmitt admitted he wasn't sure he had enough weight to win.
“I’m speechless right now,” he said after taking the title.
A Lake That Refused to Fish the Same Way Twice
One of the biggest challenges Schmitt faced throughout the event was the constantly changing nature of the fishery.
He caught a mixture of largemouth and smallmouth during the first two days before relying heavily on largemouth during the semifinal round.
On the final day, however, the conditions changed dramatically.
Schmitt returned to an area where he had caught most of his big largemouth the previous day, but a shift in wind direction had changed the current and apparently disrupted the fish.
Instead of forcing the pattern, he adapted.
He moved between isolated hard-cover targets, including small rubble, rock veins, boulders and combinations of rock and grass. His final-round fish came from depths ranging from approximately 2 to 25 feet, with most of his productive fishing taking place deeper.
His winning arsenal included a SPRO Rock Crawler Crankbait, a Neko-rigged Missile Baits Quiver Worm and a drop shot featuring a Missile Baits Magic Worm.
The approach wasn't based on one magical spot.
Instead, Schmitt relied on a collection of isolated locations and adjusted them throughout the day.
Chris Johnston Comes Up Just One Pound Short
Peterborough, Ontario's Chris Johnston delivered an impressive performance of his own, finishing runner-up with 80 pounds, 7 ounces.
Johnston remained near the top throughout the tournament. He opened with 19-14 for eighth place, followed with 21-7 to climb to third and then took the lead after a 21-8 semifinal limit.
On the final day, he weighed 17-10.
His strategy centered on catching enough smallmouth to build a limit before searching for largemouth capable of providing the crucial upgrade. Hard-bottom areas continued to produce, but the bite slowed as the tournament progressed.
Johnston's second-place finish demonstrated just how close the championship battle was, with only one pound separating him from Schmitt.
Seth Feider Rounds Out the Top Three
Seth Feider of New Market, Minnesota, finished third with 79 pounds, 12 ounces.
Feider's four-day weights were 19-8, 22-5, 18-9 and 19-6.
After spending much of the tournament balancing largemouth and smallmouth patterns, Feider made a major adjustment on Championship Sunday by abandoning his smallmouth program and committing entirely to largemouth.
That decision paid dividends as he targeted deep grass with a Z-Man Big TRD on a drop shot and a Texas-rigged craw.
A Championship With Plenty of Additional Winners
Caleb Sumrall claimed the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award with an impressive 6-pound, 10-ounce fish. He also earned the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag award after producing a 24-4 limit on Day 2.
Meanwhile, Trey McKinney took the $1,000 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year award for leading the AOY standings with 635 points, just one point ahead of Drew Cook.
The result leaves the AOY race incredibly tight, with Cory Johnston sitting third at 633 points.
Caleb Hudson currently leads the Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year standings with 538 points.
With another historic victory on Lake Champlain, Bryan Schmitt has added yet another chapter to a remarkable fishing career. His success on the lake continues to demonstrate the importance of experience, confidence and perhaps most importantly the ability to adapt when a proven pattern suddenly stops working.
For Schmitt, Lake Champlain wasn't simply another tournament destination. It was a fishery he fell in love with years ago.
And once again, that love affair ended with a championship trophy.
