This morning we compared Angler of the Year standings coming into Champlain and after Day 1. The short story is there is lots of moving and shaking going on, but not in the top three.
Seth Feider has grown his lead over 2nd place Jason Christie to 66 points (+18) and to 71 points over 3rd place Patrick Walters (+19).
Mark Zona raised this question today, could Feider mathematically seal the AOY title here at Lake Champlain? We shall see over the next two and a half days.
Outside of the top three there have been some interesting climbers and droppers. Here’s a look at some highlights after Day 1.
Climbers
– Brandon Palaniuk moved from 5th to 4th
– Greg Hackney moved from 6th to 5th
– Cory Johnston moved from 9th to 8th
– Lee Livesay moved from 11th to 7th
– Drew Cook moved from 13th to 10th
Droppers
– Chris Johnston fell from 4th to 6th
– Kyle Welcher fell from 7th to 9th
– Wes Logan fell from 8th to 12th
– Matt Herren fell from 12 to 23rd
The AOY points for Lake Champlain won’t be final until the weigh-in is complete on Sunday July 11, but if you want to see a real-time view of the AOY race, look at the right-hand column in BassTrakk. Those numbers give you an unofficial glimpse into the impact every fish has on the points. Yesterday Feider posited the theory that every pound equates to a point in AOY. That’s not exact, but it’s close.
Keep in mind, for 2022 Classic qualifications only, anglers will be dropping their lowest finish of this season. That was a decision the majority of the field voted for due to the concern that COVID might cause guys to miss a tournament. We’ll know how this little wrinkle will impact the Classic field after the St. Lawrence tournament.