PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. (June 29, 2019) – Pro Tyler Stewart of West Monroe, Louisiana, caught a five-bass limit Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces, to keep the lead after day three of the FLW Tournament at Lake Champlain. Stewart’s three-day total of 58-6 will lead the final 10 pros into Championship Sunday, where the top prize of up to $125,000 will be up for grabs.
“The day started off kind of slow. I got down to my main places and it was crowded – there was a [local] tournament out of Ticonderoga and someone was fishing one of my main holes for fun,” said Stewart, who is looking to win his first career FLW Tour event. “I ended up catching a 4½-pounder and got some good momentum going. I just grinded all day – caught some good fish and kept the wheels on. I ran some new stuff, too – stuff that looks right.”
Stewart said he caught the majority of his largemouth flipping a jig. He also weighed one from a square-billed crankbait and a 3½-pound smallmouth on a Keitech swimbait, which culled out a largemouth toward the end of the day.
“The largemouth are in about 6 inches of water, and I think a lot of people are overlooking that. I’m catching them super shallow and on current- and bait-related stuff,” said Stewart. “I’d love to be able to get on my stuff tomorrow and fish it thoroughly.”
On Championship Sunday, Stewart said he plans to stay the course and fish Ticonderoga – the area that’s produced the majority of his weight all week – no matter what challenges the weather may pose.
“I don’t care if takes me three hours to get to Ticonderoga – that’s where I’m going,” Stewart went on to say.
The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition Sunday on Lake Champlain are:
1st: Tyler Stewart, West Monroe, La., 15 bass, 58-6
2nd: Casey Scanlon, Lake Ozark, Mo., 15 bass, 56-8
3rd: Jackson Kayak pro Eric Jackson, Walling, Tenn., 15 bass, 55-13
4th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 55-6
5th: Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 15 bass, 55-2
6th: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 55-2
7th: A.J. Slegona, Pine Bush, N.Y., 15 bass, 54-15
8th: Tom Redington, Royse City, Texas, 15 bass, 54-15
9th: Christopher Brasher, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 54-11
10th: Hensley Powell, Whitwell, Tenn., 15 bass, 54-4
Finishing 11th through 30th are:
11th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 15 bass, 54-2, $12,000
12th: Austin Felix, Eden Prairie, Minn., 15 bass, 53-13, $12,000
13th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 15 bass, 53-13, $12,000
14th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 15 bass, 53-12, $12,000
15th: Kurt Dove, Del Rio, Texas, 15 bass, 53-4, $12,000
16th: John Voyles, Petersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 53-0, $11,500
17th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 15 bass, 53-0, $11,500
18th: Charles Sim, Nepean, Ontario, Canada, 15 bass, 52-10, $11,500
19th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 15 bass, 51-13, $11,500
20th: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 15 bass, 51-7, $11,500
21st: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 15 bass, 51-4, $10,500
22nd: Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 15 bass, 51-3, $10,500
23rd: Tommy Dickerson, Orange, Texas, 15 bass, 51-0, $10,500
24th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 15 bass, 50-13, $10,500
25th: Shawn Murphy, Nicholasville, Ky., 15 bass, 50-12, $10,500
26th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 15 bass, 50-9, $10,500
27th: Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 15 bass, 49-3, $10,500
28th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 15 bass, 49-1, $10,500
29th: Ryan Salzman, Huntsville, Ala., 15 bass, 47-4, $11,000
30th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 13 bass, 42-0, $10,500
Overall there were 148 bass weighing 493 pounds, 3 ounces, caught by 30 pros Saturday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits.