All week there have been two sides of discussion about the wind on Lake Champlain, and how it influences the bite.
One side wants calm conditions. A choppy surface diffuses the sunlight used by the smallmouth to spot prey from a long distance. A calm surface increases visibility throughout the water column.
The other side wants windy conditions. The wind-driven current also makes smallmouth–and baitfish–move around more. Fish are more active and feed more.
Ideally, the best anglers are capitalizing on both with productive areas for each condition.
Tomorrow there will be only one choice. Wind. And plenty of it.
The National Weather Service Recreation Forecast calls for southerly winds at 11 to 17 mph, increasing to 23 to 28 mph in the afternoon, with waves of 3 to 5 feet.
That will be the game changer. Travel time in the rough water will chisel away at fishing time. So will lure execution. Keeping it precise will be a challenge in the rolling waves.
So look for a rock-and-roll finish on Championship Sunday.