EQ Analysis Lake Champlain – Day 2

You want to be an Elite? You gotta beat an Elite.

That’s what the stacked field of EQ anglers are learning this week, two days into their three-event quest to get to the sport’s highest echelon. Of the ten anglers who will fish the third day of the  2025 Nitro Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Lake Champlain presented by Bass Pro Shops, two are current Elite pros fresh off their rookie seasons, and two more are past Elites looking to get back into the limelight.

Both leader Emil Wagner (1^st, 45-11) and Paul Marks (3^rd, 44-2) live on Lake Lanier. Both are already qualified for the 2026 Classic and to fish the Elites next year. It would make at least one current Elite angler very happy if either of them were to win, because that would open up another spot in March in Knoxville.

It’s far from guaranteed, though. Everyone who lived to fish another day has a shot to take home the title, as the gap between 1^st and 10^th is less than 3 pounds. Here’s what I saw today, as some anglers saw their dreams buoyed, and more than a few commented, “I guess I’ll have to top ten in the next two events.”

Geography Lesson – As noted above, two of the top three anglers are from the Lake Lanier area of Georgia, with a Pennsylvanian former Classic competitor sandwiched in between them. There is not a single New Yorker in the top ten, with Alex Morrison falling from 4^th to 11^th. In fact, there’s not a single New Englander, either. The only two anglers from the north who remain are Garrett Paquette and Aaron Jagdfeld of Michigan. All year long, I feel like I’ve been writing about northern anglers doing well down south, but they’ve struggled here: three of the top ten are from Georgia and two are from Tennessee.

Russ Lane – “I want another chance at this school that I found….I think there’s a mega bag to be had where I am.” He added 20-9 to his Day 1 weight of 22-9 and held his position in 5^th place. Lane is the only Alabama resident in the top ten, which wouldn’t mean much except for the fact that the next EQ is in his home state. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll have success there, but he has to like his chances. In his lone past Bassmaster event on Wheeler, he was 26^th in a 2016 Elite.

Double Twenties – Thirty nine anglers averaged 20 or more pounds per day, but not all of them did that with the same caliber of bags. Twenty four of them had at least 20 pounds each day. Grae Buck was the only angler in the top ten who did not have at least 20 pounds both days. He fell short today by 3 ounces. 

Bigger Bags – Wagner and Matt Messer (2^nd, 45-9) are the only anglers who’ve topped 22 pounds both days. Three other members of the top ten have topped 21 both days. While five anglers outside the top ten averaged over 21 pounds each day, none of them had at least that amount both days.

Cut Weight – Tenth place after Day 1 was 21-13, which could arguably translate into a two-day cut weight of 43-10. Perhaps due to the tougher conditions – there were certainly fewer 20-pound bags today – they fell short of that mark as it took “only” 42-13.

Marking His Territory – With 20-7 yesterday, rising Elite sophomore Paul Marks was tied with past Classic qualifier Aaron Yavorsky in 33^rd. Today, Marks turned in the best bag of the tournament so far, 23-11, and jumped up 30 spots.

Winning and Holding On – Trey Schroeder (24^th, 40-12) was the highest finisher among this year’s Open winners, with none of the others finishing better than 60^th.

Seth Feider’s Green Dreams – “I caught one smallmouth each day but I caught ‘em on a jig under a dock, so I’m counting ‘em as bucketheads.” The Llama, who finished 2^nd in 2017 and 2020 Elite events on Champlain, and 4^th in 2021, finished 20^th this week.

Game of Inches and Ounces – Five anglers missed the cut to Championship Saturday by 9 ounces or less. 

Consistency at the Top – While the weights were tight after Day 1 and highly susceptible to change, seven of yesterday’s top ten held onto a spot in that coveted group. Wagner did the most damage, rising from 8^th to 1^st, along with Marks, who rose from 33^rd to 3^rd. Meanwhile, Matt Adams fell the most, from 10^th to 47^th. Alec Morrison (4^th to 1th) and Ethan Fields (7^th to 23^rd) were the other two who dropped out.

Tightly-Packed International Anglers – All five of the international competitors – one from Japan, one from Australia and three from Canada – finished between 55^th and 64^th.

Bryan Schmitt – “I felt bad for Hank. He’s been lifting all those big bags.” Schmitt, a two-time BASS Champion at Champlain, caught 15-4 today and fell to __ place.

Western Aspirants – Of the competitors looking to become the next great western Elite Series pro, Ty Faber of Colorado did the best, finishing in 30^th. Tai Au of Arizona was 2 sots behind him and Riley Nielsen is in 43^rd.

Grae Buck – “Those green ones didn’t want to show up for me again today.” He was in 2^nd yesterday with 23-8, but could add “only” 19-13 today and fell to 4th. The Pennsylvania angler, who will turn 36 in a few weeks, finished 20^th in the 2020 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville.

A Tough Road Back – While two past Elite pros looking to return to the tour are in the top ten, three more – Stephen Browning, Casey Scanlon and Brandon Coulter – all finished 93^rd or worse.

Emil Wagner – “I want to go tomorrow, just to fish again.” He’ll have a prime opportunity to earn his first BASS victory. His best finishes so far were twin 4^th place results at a 2021 college event on Hartwell and a 2024 Open on Logan Martin. His best Elite finish was 9^th on Hartwell earlier this year. There are no bluebacks in Champlain, but so far that doesn’t seem to have fazed him.

Back at it tomorrow, on what is generally expected to be a calmer day on the big pond. A 24-pound bag could allow any of the top ten to win. It’s still wide open.