FISHING HISTORIC LAKE CHAMPLAIN

The MLF5 Pro Circuit Event #6 on Lake Champlain will launch from Plattsburgh, NY July 29th, but for this historic Lake that has witnesses many events that have shaped our national history, it's just another big battle. Champlain is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes that is not a Great Lake in the northern part of the country. It is almost entirely within US boundaries with just the northern most portion extending into Quebec- which also had a lot to do with its history. A lot of the NY waters are within the Adirondack Park and with only a few exceptions, like the Burlington and Plattsburg areas, the shoreline is relatively undeveloped. At 490 square miles it is the thirteenth largest lake by area in the US. It is 107 miles long and 14 miles across at its widest point. The lake drains north into the Richelieu River and then into the St. Lawrence River. It receives waters many mountain creeks on both sides, and from the 32-mile-long Lake George. It is connected to the Hudson River by the Champlain Canal.

The lake has long acted as a border between indigenous nations much as it is today between the states of New York and Vermont. The lake is located at the frontier between Abenaki and Mohawk territories. The lake was named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it in July 1609. Important battles were fought at Fort Ticonderoga at the Southern end of the lake during the French & Indian and Revolutionary Wars. During the Revolution, the Americans conducted a frenetic shipbuilding race through the summer of 1776, at opposite ends of the lake, and fought a significant naval engagement on October 11 at the Battle of Valcour

Island. Shortly after the battles of Lexington and Concord, Ethan Allen, accompanied by 200 Green Mountain Boys, captured Fort Ticonderoga and General Henry Knox moved the artillery to the Dorchester Heights outside of Boston, driving the British out of that city. During the War of 1812, British and American forces faced each other in the Battle of Lake Champlain, also known as the Battle of Plattsburgh. This ended the final British invasion of the northern states during that War just prior to the signing of the peace Treaty of Ghent. The American victory denied the British any leverage to demand exclusive control over the Great Lakes or territorial gains against the New England states.

We expect anglers will copy past year’s strategy of targeting mixed bags. Techniques often used are topwater walking baits for smallmouth and frogs for largemouth, flipping soft plastics and jigs for largemouth, and hair jigs and drop shots for smallmouth. The Pro Circuit field will fish days 1 and 2 with the Top 50 advancing to the semifinal round. Only the Top 10 will advance to the Championship. Watch live coverage all four days on Majorleaguefishing.com