PLATSBURGH, NY – A fisherman from Maryland took home the winner’s check for $ 100,000 on Sunday at the Bassmaster Elite Series Guaranteed Rate Tournament on Lake Champlain with a fish he caught within 15 minutes of the end of the four-day competition.

Bryan Schmitt, of Deal, Md., Said the championship was sealed by a small 3½-pound mouth that gave him a 12-ounce improvement in his catch of the day, allowing him to secure his first victory in Elite Series with a time of four days. total of 78 pounds, 5 ounces, depending on Bassmaster.com.

“I approached a buoy wire this afternoon just before it was time to enter and saw two fish on my (Garmin) LiveScope,” Schmitt told Bassmaster.com. “I threw that drop shot in there, I felt the bite and I didn’t really think it was a bass. But it turns out it was a bass – and without that fish, I don’t win.

“When things like that happen, man, it’s a special week.”

And things didn’t always go his way, he said.

On Saturday he had two key fish that broke his line. Then on Sunday he lost several basses because of something he says he should never have allowed to happen.

“Today it took me three lost fish to realize that the tip of my hook had bent,” he said. “It’s not a smart decision. Out of those three I bet you at least one of them was a big one because they were at a spot where I had caught three 4 pounds this week.

“I was able to overcome these kinds of mistakes – one way or another.”

To catch his bass, Schmitt used a Spro Spin John, a Missile Baits Quiver Worm rigged by Neko, and a Missile Baits Ned Bomb on a drop-shot rig. After three good days, the weight of his five fish on Sunday totaled just 16 pounds, 10 ounces, but it was enough to win.

“I caught a few key fish on the spinbait, but the quiver worm produces most of my fish for sure, ”he said. “I was fishing it on a Hayabusa Spin Muscle Guard hook with a little nail weight just to take it down.

“These fish are smart, I guess. You could throw a jig in there and they wouldn’t bite it, but they would eat that quiver worm.

Schmitt held off Texas pro Keith Combs, who finished 77-13 – just 8 ounces behind Schmitt. Chris Zaldain, also of Texas, was third with a total of 76 pounds and 15 ounces over four days. Comb won $ 36,000. Zaldain won $ 30,000.

Jamie Hartman, the only New York State native in the tournament (he now lives in Arkansas), was 73rd. He came home with $ 2,500.

See the final tournament ranking and the money won by the fishermen on Bassmaster.com.

The biggest bass of the tournament was landed by Dale Hightower of Oklahoma. Her large 5-pound, 15-ounce mouth was captured on Thursday, the first day of competition.

From Lake Champlain, the 95 Elite Series anglers are now heading to the end-of-season Farmers Insurance Bassmaster Elite Series tournament on the St. Lawrence River based in Waddington.

This tournament starts Thursday and ends Sunday. Again, the winner’s check will be for $ 100,000, with other cash and prizes at stake.

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