EQs

Top lures at Lake Champlain EQ 2025

Check out the lures the top finishers used at the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Lake Champlain presented by Bass Pro Shops.

Posted on
Photography by
Dalton Tumblin
Photography by
Chase Sansom
West Virginia
Photography by
Andy Crawford
Captions by
Christopher Decker
Lake Champlain provided a stunning backdrop for the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier presented by Bass Pro Shops opener. Summer-like conditions quickly turned into fall, with the leaves on the trees seeming to turn more colorful every day. The 105 anglers gathered in Plattsburg, N.Y., with hopes of either earning a spot in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour or earning points towards Elite Series qualification.
With all of the beauty comes a little kick. The wind howled across the lake the first two days of the tournament, creating rough and bumpy conditions on much of the fishery. Despite those conditions, the EQ anglers enjoyed spectacular days of smallmouth fishing. During the two full-field days, 83 bags of 20 pounds or better hit the scales.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Emil Wagner caught impressive quality on Lake Champlain and took home his first ever Bassmaster victory, bringing in a total of 69 pounds, 2 ounces. He outlasted Kentucky’s Matt Messer and fellow Georgia pro Paul Marks.
Fall smallmouth fishing can be some of the most exciting days on the water, and finding the right gear is essential for turning a good day into an unforgettable day. Bass Pro Shops has all the lures and terminal tackle needed for a successful autumn adventure, including all of the baits used by the pros last week at Lake Champlain. Visit Basspro.com to make your selections.
Russ Lane (10th; 60-9): Lane rotated between smallmouth and largemouth areas to notch his second Top 10 of the season.
When it came time to smallmouth, he pitched a Big Bite Baits Scentsation Thresher Worm on a 1/2-ounce drop shot and a No. 1 Gamakatsu drop-shot hook.
For largemouth, Lane flipped a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog on a 3/8-ounce Texas rig with a 4/0 Gamakatsu Aaron Martens G-Finesse Heavy Cover Hook.
Garrett Paquette (9th; 62-9): Paquette targeted both smallmouth and largemouth at Lake Champlain.
This 4-inch Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow was key for landing suspended smallmouth. Paquette rigged it on a Gamakatsu Horizon Head and adjusted the size based on the conditions and depth.
When he fished for largemouth, Paquette skipped this Big Bite Baits BSE under marina docks. He rigged it weightless on a 5/0 Gamakatsu Hybrid Worm Hook.
Aaron Jagdfeld (8th; 62-13): Jagdfeld utilized two different presentations to claim a Top 10.
His best bait was a 6-inch Deps Sakamata Shad rigged on a 1/2-ounce tungsten jighead.
To trigger some reaction strikes, Jagdfeld winded a Rapala DT16 Series crankbait.
Grae Buck (7th; 62-13): Buck utilized three baits for both species of bass to notch his second Top 10 of the season.
When the bass were less active, he threw a Carolina rig built with this Z-Man Fuzzy BugZ, a 2/0 Hayabusa WR 956 hook and either a 1/2-ounce or 3/4-ounce barrel weight from Angler Tungsten.
Buck generated several of his better bites with this Black Talon Custom Baits Muscle Hamster.
He also tossed this 5/8-ounce Bill Lewis Hammer Trap.
Christian Nash (6th; 63-15): Two jighead minnow setups helped Nash secure a Top 10 finish.
This Bertek Wrangler 5.7 rigged on a 5/8-ounce Queen Tackle jighead was his best producer.
Nash also mixed in a Rapala CrushCity Freeloader rigged on the same jighead.
Buy the tackle used by the pros on Lake Champlain at Basspro.com
Sam Hanggi (5th; 64-7): Hanggi went all-in on smallmouth at Lake Champlain using one bait.
The Tennessee native pitched a Deps Sakamata Shad to smallmouth he could see on forward-facing sonar. He switched between a 1/2-ounce and a 3/8-ounce Queen Tackle tungsten jighead.
Cody Stahl (4th; 64-14): Stahl moved back and forth between smallmouth and largemouth areas, using one primary bait for each species.
For smallmouth, Stahl utilized an unnamed jighead minnow setup.
For largemouth, Stahl flipped a Beaver-style bait like this Berkley MaxScent PB Creature Hawg. He rigged it on a 4/0 straight shank hook and a 1/2-ounce flipping weight.
Paul Marks (3rd; 64-15): The Elite Series rookie used one primary setup to notch a Top 10 in New York.
A 5-inch Zoom Winged Fluke rigged on a Gamakatsu Horizon Head produced all of his biggest bites.
Matt Messer (2nd; 68-5): Targeting smallmouth with a jighead minnow was the key to a top five finish for Messer.
The Kentucky native pitched a Berkley MaxScent Flatnose Jerk Shad rigged on a 3/16-ounce Berkley Fusion 19 jighead with a 3/0 hook.
Emil Wagner (1st; 69-2): Wagner pitched a jighead minnow to smallmouth this week at Lake Champlain.
His best setup was a Berkley MaxScent Jerk Shad rigged on a 1/4-ounce head.

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