Emil Wagner got his first Bassmaster victory under his belt at the Bassmaster Elite Qualifier on Lake Champlain, September 18–20, with a monstrous record-breaking 69 pounds, 2 ounces for his three-day total. Making his catch the heaviest three-day winning total in B.A.S.S. history at Lake Champlain. Wagner won a $58,049 prize and proudly hoisted the first Bassmaster Elite Qualifier trophy. While already qualified to fish next year’s Bassmaster Elite series, Wagner came to Champlain not to score points but to fish one of his favorite spots. Driving up 20-plus hours from Georgia, he cruised around the lake fishing for the nomadic smallmouth bass population. Building up confidence and momentum for the next season, where one of the Elite Series tournaments will again be on Champlain. This being Wagner’s 4th time on the lake, he anticipated low water and cooler fall weather to push the fish shallow. While hoping for similar conditions to the topwater fishery back home on Lake Lanier, a few unproductive practice days showed that focusing offshore would be the ticket.
“I absolutely love this lake,” Wagner said. “I wanted to come up and fish for smallmouth, making the long drive from Georgia. It reminds me a little of fishing for spotted bass on Lake Lanier—suspending over deep breaks and figuring out presentations for pressured fish. Champlain has that same challenge, and that’s what makes it so fun, especially in the fall. I knew I needed to get away from the Inland Sea area where much of the pressure typically is, and I focused on finding spots with less pressure, settling into areas that allowed me to locate and catch quality fish.”
Fishing Coverage on OutdoorHub
Emil Wagner started off strong for the event, landing 22-2 on Day One. The next day, he continued to climb the leaderboard with a 23-9 limit on Day Two. Then on the final day of the event, he sealed the deal with a limit weighing in at 23-7, putting him ahead of second place by 13 ounces. Having caught more than 25 bass over the four-pound mark on Friday and over 50 fish each of the first two days of the tourny. Emil Wagner had to make a key adjustment on Saturday to locate new fish to hold his lead.
“I found a couple areas with some fish, and one place had hundreds of smallmouth,” Wagner said. “I focused on deep humps and ledges, targeting areas away from normal pressure. I caught fish on a few different baits—mostly a Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad, but also a 4” Berkley MaxScent General and a couple topwaters.”
Emil Wagner’s main setup included a 7’1” Fenwick World Class medium-action spinning rod paired with a size 30 Abu Garcia Revo Rocket spinning reel, spooled with slightly heavier Berkley X5 braid. For leader material, he used Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon for its clarity and strength for more bits and easier boat flips.
“That final day, it was a ghost town,” Wagner said. “The wind had blown in grass everywhere, and the bait and fish were gone. One of the most memorable moments was deciding to move, finding fish at the end of the day, and on my last cast catching a big one I culled before heading straight to the weigh-in.”
Trending Products
