PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa., saved his best for last Saturday, making up more than three pounds on the competition to claim his first BASS win at the Bassmaster Northern Open bass fishing tournament on Lake Champlain. The 27-year-old was able to hold off veteran Frank Scalish of Cleveland, Ohio, and Elite Series pros Mike Iaconelli and Ish Monroe with his three-day total of 56 pounds, 3 ounces.
Knapp took a scattershot approach on Thursday that netted him more than 17 pounds, which left him more than three pounds off the lead. His approach was to grab a limit of smallmouth bass early, then focus on the larger largemouth bite to anchor his limit. On Saturday, he switched gears to eliminate his deficit and focused primarily on largemouth. He says his ability to adjust to the conditions was paramount in his win. "The first two days I got a limit of smallmouth casting a black 1/2-ounce Deps football head jig in about 15 feet of water," he said. "I did the same thing Saturday but then I went flipping. That's what won it for me.
"Since I culled most of my smallmouth, I fished slow and focused on getting a big (largemouth) bite," he said.
Knapp's flipping approach was different than most of the field's and it was cultivated based on a few key bites in practice.
"I had one good bite there in practice but didn't get to expand on it, and the second day I went up there and my co-angler caught two four pounders so I knew there were good fish there."
Saturday Knapp flipped a Mizmo creature bait in three to four feet of grass in a shallow bay 22 miles from the launch ramp. Knapp plans on re-investing most of his victory check - more than $45,000 -- into his fishing career which he hopes will lead to the Elite Series. At 31st in the points standings, Knapp will need a good showing at the final Northern Open event on Lake Erie to qualify. The top seven in the points standings will qualify for the Elites.
Frank Scalish blamed his poor performance Friday for missing out on his second consecutive Northern Open victory.
"I really dropped the ball yesterday because after a 20 pound day, you've got to come back with another good day," he said of his 16-9 Friday weight. "I lost some ground. I really wanted to win."
Despite not winning, Scalish leads the Northern Opens points race, and with the final event schedule in his backyard at Lake Erie, he has a good shot at one of the two berths to the 2010 Classic, set for Birmingham, Ala., on Lay Lake Feb. 19-21.
Rounding out the top five pros were Dana Perrotte of Winooski, Vt., in third with 53-12. Mike Wolfenden or Warwick, R.I., took fourth with 53-5 while Todd Glover of Orion, Mich., was fifth with 52-11.
In the co-angler division, Friday leader Christopher Hall was able to hold on and take home his first BASS win. With the win, Hall takes home a brand new Triton/Mercury package worth more the $32,000.
Up next is the final stop in the Northern Open division, the Sept. 24-26 event on Lake Erie out of Sandusky, Ohio.
FINAL STANDINGS- BASSMASTER NORTHERN OPEN- LAKE CHAMPLAIN
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jason Knapp Uniontown, Pa. 15 56-03 305 $46,543.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 22-00
2. Frank Scalish Cleveland, Ohio 15 53-13 295 $20,686.00
Day 1: 5 20-08 Day 2: 5 16-09 Day 3: 5 16-12
3. Dana Perrotte Winooski, Vt. 15 53-12 290 $17,583.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 18-10
4. Mike Wolfenden Warwick, R.I. 15 53-05 285 $12,929.00
Day 1: 5 19-01 Day 2: 5 18-00 Day 3: 5 16-04
5. Todd Glover Orion, Mich. 15 52-11 280 $10,343.00
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 19-10 Day 3: 5 15-06
6. Ish Monroe Hughson, Calif. 15 52-07 276 $9,309.00
Day 1: 5 19-09 Day 2: 5 15-04 Day 3: 5 17-10
7. Michael Iaconelli Runnemede, N.J. 15 51-13 272 $8,274.00
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 14-05
8. Scott Parker Londonderry, N.H. 15 51-12 268 $7,240.00
Day 1: 5 19-10 Day 2: 5 17-07 Day 3: 5 14-11
9. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 15 51-06 264 $6,206.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 22-02 Day 3: 5 15-06
10. Thomas Lavictoire West Rutland, Vt. 15 51-06 260 $5,171.00
Day 1: 5 15-02 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 18-00
11. Pete Gluszek Mount Laurel, N.J. 15 51-04 257 $4,137.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 15-05
12. Gary Gaussiran Lachute, Canada 15 51-04 254 $3,620.00
Day 1: 5 18-03 Day 2: 5 18-04 Day 3: 5 14-13
13. Chad Morgenthaler Coulterville, Ill. 15 50-11 251 $3,103.00
Day 1: 5 19-02 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 5 13-12
14. Terry Baksay Easton, Conn. 15 50-09 248 $2,586.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 16-01
15. J Todd Tucker Moultrie, Ga. 15 49-15 245 $2,327.00
Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 17-15 Day 3: 5 16-12
16. Steve Oleksyn Rochester, N.Y. 15 49-09 243 $2,069.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 12-15
17. Jimmy Kennedy Plainfield, Vt. 15 48-15 241 $2,017.00
Day 1: 5 15-07 Day 2: 5 21-04 Day 3: 5 12-04
18. Ken Cook Lawton, Okla. 15 48-09 239 $1,965.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 16-05 Day 3: 5 15-04
19. Marty Stone Fayetteville, N.C. 15 48-07 237 $1,913.00
Day 1: 5 18-13 Day 2: 5 13-12 Day 3: 5 15-14
20. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 15 48-02 235 $1,862.00
Day 1: 5 17-11 Day 2: 5 16-03 Day 3: 5 14-04
21. Mark Hickory St Albans Bay, Vt. 15 46-13 233 $1,810.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 20-08 Day 3: 5 12-04
22. Phil Colarusso Stillwater, N.Y. 15 46-12 231 $1,758.00
Day 1: 5 17-07 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 5 13-06
23. Steve Lucarelli Meredith, N.H. 15 46-11 229 $1,707.00
Day 1: 5 19-03 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 13-04
24. Mike Elkins Kalamazoo, Mich. 15 46-04 227 $1,655.00
Day 1: 5 15-13 Day 2: 5 17-00 Day 3: 5 13-07
25. Jason Dudek Excelsior, Minn. 15 45-13 225 $1,603.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 5 13-03
26. David Andrews Bolton, Mass. 15 45-07 228 $1,551.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 19-07 Day 3: 5 7-04
27. Joe Lucarelli New Hampton, N.H. 15 45-00 221 $1,500.00
Day 1: 5 19-00 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 5 9-05
28. Brian Gates Rutland, Vt. 15 44-10 219 $1,448.00
Day 1: 5 17-14 Day 2: 5 17-03 Day 3: 5 9-09
29. Leo Reiter Goshen, Ind. 14 39-05 217 $1,396.00
Day 1: 5 17-05 Day 2: 5 15-08 Day 3: 4 6-08
30. Daryl Biron South Windsor, Conn. 12 37-09 215 $1,345.00
Day 1: 5 19-08 Day 2: 5 14-05 Day 3: 2 3-12
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 157 849 2333-04
2 138 761 2067-00
3 28 146 418-02
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323 1756 4818-06
FINAL STANDINGS- CO-ANGLER- BASSMASTER NORTHERN OPEN- LAKE CHAMPLAIN
2009 Northern 2 - Plattsburgh, NY NB 08/20-08/22 Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh N.Y.
(NON-BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Christopher Hall Clarks Summit, Pa. 15 48-04 305 $32,000.00
Day 1: 5 17-02 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 5 18-02
2. David Shively Butler, Pa. 15 45-01 295 $5,171.00
Day 1: 5 12-06 Day 2: 5 16-07 Day 3: 5 16-04
3. Mike Morson Aurora, Canada 15 43-14 290 $4,137.00
Day 1: 5 16-15 Day 2: 5 9-01 Day 3: 5 17-14
4. Larry Baer Elizabethtown, Pa. 15 42-10 290 $3,103.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 15-13 Day 3: 5 10-04
5. Douglas Hammond South Westerlo, N.Y. 14 42-01 280 $2,586.00
Day 1: 5 15-08 Day 2: 4 10-04 Day 3: 5 16-05
6. Tom Alt Columbia City, Ind. 15 40-04 276 $2,327.00
Day 1: 5 18-06 Day 2: 5 11-09 Day 3: 5 10-05
7. Matt Poissant Alburg, Vt. 14 39-11 272 $2,069.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 4 10-01 Day 3: 5 13-11
8. Bill Wilson Newfield, N.J. 15 39-06 268 $1,965.00
Day 1: 5 12-01 Day 2: 5 13-10 Day 3: 5 13-11
9. Thomas Nolf Pittsburgh, Pa. 15 38-15 264 $1,758.00
Day 1: 5 16-03 Day 2: 5 9-00 Day 3: 5 13-12
10. Kevin Hoogenboom Erie, Pa. 15 38-03 260 $1,345.00
Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 5 12-13
11. Troy Garrison Topsham, Maine 15 37-14 257 $1,138.00
Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 5 13-02
12. Don Roberts Bellville, Ohio 14 37-13 254 $1,034.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 13-05 Day 3: 4 10-15
13. Edward Pecore Plattsburgh, N.Y. 14 37-09 251 $931.00
Day 1: 4 11-09 Day 2: 5 15-06 Day 3: 5 10-10
14. William Eccleston Upper Chichester, Pa. 15 36-04 248 $827.00
Day 1: 5 17-00 Day 2: 5 8-15 Day 3: 5 10-05
15. Mark Hicks Glouster, Ohio 14 36-02 245 $724.00
Day 1: 5 17-12 Day 2: 4 7-11 Day 3: 5 10-11
16. Marc Kinnelly Frederick, Md. 14 35-11 243 $698.00
Day 1: 5 16-02 Day 2: 5 13-11 Day 3: 4 5-14
17. Richard Scherer Sheboygan Falls, Wisc. 13 34-10 241 $672.00
Day 1: 5 16-05 Day 2: 4 9-11 Day 3: 4 8-10
18. James Kline Hagerstown, Md. 14 34-05 239 $646.00
Day 1: 5 14-00 Day 2: 5 12-14 Day 3: 4 7-07
19. David Kovack Lancaster, Pa. 13 34-00 237 $621.00
Day 1: 5 14-08 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 3 4-13
20. Steve Morrow Sparta, Mich. 12 34-00 235 $595.00
Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 15-15 Day 3: 2 6-04
21. Brian Carroll Smyrna, Ga. 12 33-15 233 $569.00
Day 1: 5 16-09 Day 2: 5 14-07 Day 3: 2 2-15
22. Larry Lafaver Watertown, N.Y. 14 33-11 231 $517.00
Day 1: 5 14-05 Day 2: 5 10-12 Day 3: 4 8-10
23. Bill Tyger Buckeye, Ariz. 14 33-06 229 $491.00
Day 1: 5 13-14 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 4 8-06
24. Bob Lett Allentown, Pa. 12 32-13 227 $465.00
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 15-07 Day 3: 2 6-08
25. Benjamin Gusciora Williamsport, Md. 14 32-09 225 $440.00
Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 4 7-00
26. Bill Walker Orangeville, Canada 13 32-01 223 $414.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 14-00 Day 3: 3 5-08
27. Neil Farlow Frankfurt, Canada 12 31-04 221 $388.00
Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 14-06 Day 3: 2 3-05
28. Alonzo Evans Sarasota, Fla. 14 29-15 219 $362.00
Day 1: 5 15-15 Day 2: 5 9-01 Day 3: 4 4-15
29. Bobby Woods Stafford, Va. 13 29-11 217 $336.00
Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 3 4-13
30. Shawn Daly Middletown, N.Y. 10 26-07 215 $310.00
Day 1: 5 11-14 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 0 0-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 95 678 1589-08
2 92 648 1491-05
3 14 119 283-12
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201 1445 3364-09
2009 BASSMASTER NORTHERN OPEN POINTS STANDINGS
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Frank Scalish Ohio 590
2 Michael Iaconelli N.J. 540
3 Kotaro Kiriyama Ala. 515
4 J Todd Tucker Ga. 499
5 Aaron Hastings Md. 481
6 Scott Parker N.H. 463
7 Steve Oleksyn N.Y. 462
8 Ken Cook Okla. 456
9 Matt Greenblatt Fla. 454
10 Terry Baksay Conn. 453
11 Dave Wolak N.C. 443
12 Pete Gluszek N.J. 442
13 Kevin Short Ark. 438
14 Jeremy Starks W.Va. 428
15 Dave Mansue N.J. 425
15 Ish Monroe Calif. 425
17 Marty Stone N.C. 420
18 Rodney Sorrell N.C. 415
19 Brian Bylotas Pa. 396
19 Byron Haseotes Mass. 396
21 Chris Daves Va. 386
21 Mike Wolfenden R.I. 386
23 Chris Sumansky Pa. 377
24 Whitney Stephens Ohio 364
25 Brandon Coulter Tenn. 362
26 Todd Glover Mich. 359
27 Curtis Richardson Canada 356
28 Daryl Biron Conn. 352
29 Nate Wellman Mich. 346
30 Sean Wieda Ky. 344
31 Scott Lakey Mich. 338
31 Jason Knapp Pa. 338
33 Monty Fralick S.D. 334
34 Sean Alvarez Vt. 328
34 Paul Leblanc Mass. 328
36 Ryan Park Pa. 326
37 Thomas Waltz Vt. 324
38 Trevor Jancasz Mich. 320
39 Craig Townsend N.J. 316
40 Chris Price Md. 315
41 Doug Kirkbride N.Y. 314
42 Keith Kurpicki N.J. 305
43 Charlie Hartley Ohio 300
44 Paul Pagnato Va. 292
45 Pat Golden N.C. 290
45 Dana Perrotte Vt. 290
47 Jonathon Vandam Mich. 284
48 David Smith Okla. 281
48 Jason Dudek Minn. 281
50 Andre Moore Ala. 278
51 Sam Greer Ky. 270
52 Eric Johnson Mass. 269
53 Darrin Schwenkbeck N.Y. 266
54 Gaspare Costabile Canada 264
54 Chad Rice Md. 264
56 Mark Desjardin Maine 262
56 Derek Jones Ill. 262
58 Thomas Lavictoire Vt. 260
59 Glenn Delong Ohio 259
60 Mike Elkins Mich. 256
60 William Sanders Md. 256
62 Gary Gaussiran Canada 254
63 Jeremy Prouty Fla. 252
63 David Hovanec N.Y. 252
63 Tom Booth N.Y. 252
66 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 251
67 Brian Gates Vt. 250
68 Kip Carter Ga. 242
69 Jimmy Kennedy Vt. 241
70 Dave Rochette Canada 240
71 Chris Noffsinger Mich. 236
72 Mark Hickory Vt. 233
73 Phil Colarusso N.Y. 231
73 Tom Mason N.J. 231
75 Steve Lucarelli N.H. 229
75 Bryan Schmitt Md. 229
77 David Andrews Mass. 228
77 Steve Panaroni Conn. 228
79 Garrett Green Canada 226
80 Lyle Atkins W.Va. 223
80 Casey Rohring N.Y. 223
82 Steven Clapper Ohio 222
82 Alvaro Rodriguez N.Y. 222
84 Joe Lucarelli N.H. 221
85 Leo Reiter Ind. 217
86 Craig Nels N.Y. 211
87 Joe Balog Mich. 210
88 Ryan Hawthorne Conn. 209
89 Russell Colwell Md. 207
90 Mark Burgess Mass. 206
91 Curt Stickney Mich. 205
92 Josh Giran Pa. 204
93 J Judd Vt. 201
94 George Acord Pa. 193
94 James Pocratsky Pa. 193
94 Steve Schubert Ohio 193
97 Don Fowler Mich. 192
98 Shawn Skobel Pa. 190
99 Scott Cremeans Ohio 189
100 Stephen Sykas Vt. 187
100 Adam Weiser Pa. 187
102 Bill Spence Vt. 186
103 Ac Campbell Pa. 183
104 Brian Hatfield Ky. 178
104 John Vanore N.J. 178
106 Charles Sim Canada 175
106 Cliff Blackford Mich. 175
108 Michael Drew Vt. 173
109 Bobby Lane Fla. 171
109 Daniel Rodriguez Md. 171
111 Joseph Thompson Pa. 169
111 Jason Root Ohio 169
113 Edwin Gardner Md. 167
114 Mark Kulik Canada 165
115 Jelani Hennessey Va. 164
116 Ron Plocek N.Y. 159
117 Scott Sewell Md. 155
118 Brian Cook Ohio 154
119 Otto David N.Y. 153
119 Frank Ippoliti Pa. 153
121 Jim Dillard Ark. 151
121 Robert Cook Mich. 151
123 Dan Moran Ohio 146
124 Tim Aldrich Mass. 141
124 Duane Essick Del. 141
126 Brad Wall Ohio 140
127 Jamie Worth Pa. 138
128 Mike Mantha Mass. 133
129 Jim Staszewski Maine 127
129 Jerrod Lloyd N.J. 127
129 Chris Johnson W.Va. 127
129 Jess Salmon N.J. 127
133 Matt Herren Ala. 125
134 Britt Myers S.C. 123
134 Mark Peiser Ind. 123
136 Anthony Borkoski Ohio 122
137 Ray Brazier Tenn. 120
138 Brian Feutz Mich. 119
139 Louis Consoli Pa. 117
140 Donald Staszczyk N.Y. 113
140 Donald Murray Del. 113
142 Ken Baumgardner Pa. 112
143 Jami Fralick S.D. 110
143 Rick Ash Pa. 110
145 Byron Velvick Texas 109
146 Bill Brown Pa. 106
147 Matt Stefan Ill. 103
148 Michael Randolph Texas 102
149 Eric Sertl N.Y. 101
150 William Lortz N.Y. 99
151 Jeff Stoner Pa. 98
152 Preston Clark Fla. 97
153 Rob Webster Canada 93
153 Woo Daves Va. 93
153 Bill Byers Ohio 93
156 Mike Leblanc Vt. 91
157 Jim Tedesco Canada 85
158 Jeffrey Randall N.Y. 83
158 Jerald Conley N.J. 83
160 Mike Smith Canada 81
160 Antonio Gomez N.J. 81
162 Kyle Walling Ky. 80
163 Louis Iribarren N.Y. 79
164 Frank Vida Conn. 76
165 Bill Rea Ohio 73
166 Jonathan Carter Maine 72
167 Richard Favire N.J. 71
168 Mike Weiss Wisc. 68
168 Andrew Dick Del. 68
170 Denis Lavoie Canada 67
170 Paul Molan Ohio 67
172 Brian Ward Mich. 66
173 Chris Jackson Ala. 63
173 Lewis Denney Tenn. 63
175 Brad Rightnour Pa. 59
175 Jeffrey Russell N.Y. 59
177 Jeff Kuhar Ohio 53
177 John Kolinski Wisc. 53
179 Sumiyuki Takano Fla. 52
179 Doc Merkin Ill. 52
181 Michael Sims N.J. 50
182 Dave Carey Md. 49
183 Michael Sweeney Mass. 48
184 Fred Serge N.J. 47
185 Adrian Avena N.J. 44
186 Mike Hancin Conn. 43
186 Lee Cox Md. 43
188 Henry Stone N.Y. 42
189 Kurt Dove Texas 41
190 Gregory Dipalma N.J. 40
191 Michael Kozell N.Y. 39
191 Wesley Strader Tenn. 39
193 Emery Peine N.J. 35
194 Jack Rinkers Pa. 25
195 Jason Stoddard Vt. 24
196 Doug Wilson Vt. 20
197 Tony Johnson Ohio 19
198 Earl Purcell Mass. 15
199 Mike Kaminskas N.J. 14
200 John Cromwell Tenn. 13
201 Larry Bailey Ohio 11
202 Del Smith Ohio 8
203 Joby Poster Pa. 7
204 Leon Dykas Conn. 6
205 Will Jefferies Utah 5
206 Michael Scanlon Pa. 2
207 Michael Mundy N.Y. 0
207 Bill Vierzen N.H. 0
207 Robert Fisher Vt. 0
207 Rick Anderson Pa. 0
207 Andy Krizan Mich. 0
207 Chris Daniels N.C. 0
207 Guyowen Hall W.Va. 0
207 Joshua Treibley Pa. 0
207 Kevin Shearer Ohio 0
207 Joe Hunt Pa. 0
207 Edward Thayer Del. 0
207 Sheron Brown Mass. 0
207 Scott Kahabka N.Y. 0
207 Antonino Correnti Md. 0
207 Jonathan Else Pa. 0
207 Aaron Stone N.Y. 0
207 Josh Guess Fla. 0
207 Royce Madden N.C. 0
207 Andy Starner Pa. 0
207 Jess Caraballo Conn. 0
207 Greg Hackney La. 0
207 William Kemp N.C. 0
207 Brian Wilhoit Md. 0
207 Stu Martel Ill. 0