Wagner makes all the right moves, wins EQ at Lake Champlain

PLATTSBURGH | Before the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier at Lake Champlain presented by Bass Pro Shops even started, Emil Wagner was telling anyone who would listen how much he loves this lake. Now that the tournament is complete, he can shout it even louder. Wagner, a 27-year-old Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series pro, topped the 105-angler field with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 69 pounds, 2 ounces. That's the heaviest three-day winning total on Champlain in B.A.S.S. history, which is saying a lot given how frequently B.A.S.S. has visited this 278,000-acre mammoth fishery that forms a large portion of the New York/Vermont border. Because Wagner is already qualified for next year's Elites, he was one of 10 anglers in the field who wasn't eligible to earn EQ points at Champlain. He made the 20-plus hour journey from Marietta, Ga., because he enjoys fishing Champlain more than any other tournament water in the world. There was also a $58,049 check awaiting the winner, which Wagner happily pocketed after hoisting the first Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifier presented by Bass Pro Shops trophy aloft Saturday afternoon at Plattsburgh Boat Basin on the Champlain shore. "I asked my buddies when we were on the way up here, 'Why are we driving this far to fish this tournament,'" Wagner said. "We all just love catching smallmouth … This place is the absolute best." Wagner climbed atop the leaderboard on Day 2 after catching a 23-9 limit, which tied for second heaviest of the derby. Combined with the 22-2 he caught on Day 1, he entered Championship Saturday with 45-11 and a mere 2-ounce lead over Day 1 leader Matt Messer. Wagner caught 23-7 on Saturday to pull away from Messer, who caught 22-12 on the final day and finished second overall with 68-5. The 23-year-old native of Warfield, Ky., said finishing second was bittersweet, but he was happy to leave Champlain with a full 95 EQ points. That puts him atop the EQ standings with two of the three EQ events to go — at Alabama's Wheeler Lake on Oct. 2-4 and Florida's Lake Okeechobee on Nov. 13-15. The Top 10 in the EQ points standings when those events are complete will earn invites into the 2026 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. "You always want to win, and it does sting a little when you get second place," Messer said. "But I'm happy with it. Making the Elites is my main goal and I got a great start in the points. Hopefully, I have two good tournaments in front of me." Both Wagner and Messer targeted Champlain's storied smallmouth bass this week, but their approaches were a bit different. Messer ran dozens of miles each day and settled into different spots on the giant lake each day. He grabbed the lead on Thursday with a 23-9 limit and followed with 22 pounds to put himself within reach of the tournament title. Wagner, meanwhile, targeted the same 1-mile stretch of Champlain each day, catching more than 50 smallmouth bass both Thursday and Friday. The spot didn't produce anywhere near that number of bites on Saturday, so Wagner had to move to keep himself in contention. "I think I caught 25 (that weighed) over four pounds yesterday on that spot, and they just were all gone today," Wagner said. "I was freaking out a little bit, so I made the big adjustment. I had no other choice. Then I caught three really good ones in the new spot and that's what won the tournament for me." Wagner's initial hotspot saw bass suspended in about 15 to 30 feet of water with a bottom of 50 to 60 feet. He suspects continued wind gusts higher than 20 mph scattered the fish in that area, forcing him to relocate. Saturday's best bites came from over a sand flat about 7 feet below Champlain's clear water. A dramatic drop down to about 40 feet was the perfect place for the smallies to ambush the minnows and alewife that were in abundance this week. Wagner said the situation was very similar to when fishing for spotted bass back home. "They were sitting right on the edge of that sand," he said. "It really did feel like I was ditch fishing for spots back home. They get on the same deal, on hard break lines, on a minnow. You had to work it, keep it high over their heads. If I got the bait too close, they wouldn't bite." Wagner said he caught bass primarily with a 3/8-ounce unpainted jighead on the first two days, and he switched to a 1/4-ounce jig (green pumpkin) on Saturday when he swapped locations. He caught all his fish on a 7-foot, 1-inch Fenwick medium spinning rod with an Abu Garcia 3000 spinning reel. He also used 10-pound X5 Berkley braided line with a 12-pound Trilene leader. "I was boat flipping 4-pounders all week with that set-up," he said. "It was an amazing time." Most in the field of 105 hammered the smallies on Champlain, which put the Phoenix Boats Cutline at 42-10 after Friday's weigh-in. The Top 10 anglers competed on Championship Saturday and behind Wagner and Messer, they finished, third, Georgia's Paul Marks, 64-15; fourth, Georgia's Cody Stahl, 64-14; fifth, Tennessee's Sam Hanggi, 64-7; sixth, Tennessee's Christian Nash, 63-15; seventh, Pennsylvania's Grae Buck, 62-13; eighth, Michigan's Aaron Jagdfeld, 62-13; ninth, Michigan's Garrett Paquette, 62-9; and 10th, Alabama's Russ Lane, 60-9. Of the Top 10 anglers at Champlain, only Wagner and Marks were not eligible for EQ points, as they already are Elite Series anglers and fished Champlain for the competition and chance at a big paycheck. The Top 40 anglers split a cash purse of $294,000, with the Top 10 pocketing more than $165,000 of that total. North Carolina's Ryan Broughman caught a 6-pounder on Friday to win the Phoenix Boats Big Bass Award and the $500 prize that goes with it. EQ anglers who win one of this year's three qualifying events also earn a berth in the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour when it's held in Knoxville on the Tennessee River in March. Because Wagner already qualified for the Classic through the 2025 Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, the berth from Champlain goes to veteran Elite Series pro John Crews, who was the highest remaining angler in the points race yet to qualify. The Top 50 anglers in the points in both Division 1 and 2 of this year's St. Croix Bassmaster Opens presented by SEVIIN qualified for the Nitro Boats Bassmaster Elite Qualifiers Series presented by Bass Pro Shops. Elite Series anglers were eligible to compete, as well, as were the Top 3 anglers in the 2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance. This event was hosted by The Adirondack Coast.

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Wagner makes all the right moves, wins EQ at Lake Champlain

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