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August 27, 2009

Lucarelli goes large

By DAVID A. BROWN



PLATTSBURGH — Changing weather changes fishing, but the changes aren't necessarily always negative. Just ask Joe Lucarelli, who leads the pro division in the Stren Series Northern Division event on Lake Champlain.

With a cold spell working its way into the area, anglers fished in cool, sunny conditions with a peppy wind building to about 15 mph by day's end. The front jostled the fish just enough to stymie, or at least slow a few patterns. Nevertheless, Champlain delivered a respectable dose of what Champlain is known for and heavy sacks were many. The pro field generated 128 limits, with co-anglers posting 78 quintets.

Hailing from Center Harbor, N.H., Lucarelli bagged a limit weighing 21 pounds, 8 ounces. Sticking to the lake's north end, he targeted grass with scattered rocks in 9-11 feet of water. He fished a ½-ounce green pumpkin jig for part of the day and threw a green pumpkin Gary Yamamoto Flappin' Hog rigged Texas style, pegged with a ½-ounce weight.

Unsure of how the cold front would affect his fish, Lucarelli fished experimentally at first. The day's results were a little surprising to him, but a lead is a lead.

"I went after the green fish first just to see what this front would do to them," Lucarelli said. "I knew it was going to make them chew or it was going to crush them. I caught a good one right off the bat and then nothing else.

"I moved on and tried to smallmouth fish because I usually catch smallmouth here but I couldn't make it happen. So I kept on going back to large mouth and I got one, got another one and just dedicated the rest of the day to (largemouth)."

Lucarelli said that a slow, methodical presentation was his focus. Anchoring his stringer with a real show-stopper, he also took the Folgers Big Bass award for his 6-pound, 4-ounce largemouth.

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