New Jersey’s Frankie Appaluccio takes the Day 1 lead in the B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Champlain with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 5 ounces.
Photo by Chase Sansom/B.A.S.S.
July 24, 2024
Largemouth carry Appaluccio to Day 1 lead in B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Champlain
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Frankie Appaluccio has fished Lake Champlain for years, but Day 1 of the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier presented by Lowrance was his best outing so far.
With a 24-pound, 5-ounce limit of largemouth, anchored by a 6-15 Phoenix Boats Big Bass, the New Jersey boater holds a 2-pound, 1-ounce lead over Delaware’s Craig Morris in the final Nation Qualifier of the 2024 season.
The former University of Alabama angler has been visiting Lake Champlain since he was a child. Now 33, Appaluccio’s final tally on Day 1 was his best performance on the famous fishery that straddles the New York/Vermont border.
“This was my best tournament day for sure,” the Ogdensburg, N.J., angler said. “Probably my best day in general, too. I’ve been coming up here since I was 10 years old, and everyone who knows me has been on those vacations and knows all of these spots. They weren’t surprised about the bigger fish, but they were surprised by the amount of big fish on the same day.”
A fishery dominated by smallmouth in recent years, Lake Champlain kicked out many quality bags of largemouth bass on Day 1. That was due in part to the increase in wind speed during the day, which rose to around 20 mph by the afternoon ahead of a cluster of storms. Wind will also play a factor on Day 2 as forecasts call for even gustier breezes.
Despite the tough fishing conditions, 11 bags of 20 pounds or better were brought to the stage by boaters and 28 bags of more than 18 pounds were caught.
What Appaluccio did on Thursday morning was not in his original gameplan. But looking at the forecast with his travel partner the night before, he decided to pivot and make a run to one of his largemouth areas north of takeoff.
“I made a gametime decision and it paid off, clearly,” he said. “My backup plan was largemouth. But I knew I needed to hit them first.”
One bait produced the bulk of his bag by 10 a.m., but Appaluccio was able to make several key culls along the way, including a 5½-pounder he saw chasing rock bass before catching it with a bait he rarely uses.
“My co-angler was like, ‘I can’t believe that just happened,’” he said. “This was the craziest day of fishing ever.”
While there is always the potential to catch big largemouth at Champlain, Appaluccio knows it can also be inconsistent. He isn’t exactly sure what type of quality is left in his primary spot, but he does have smallmouth areas to target if the weather allows.
“I’d love to fish my smallie stuff, but I didn’t need to do that today. I wasn’t going to be catching smallmouth that big.”
Morris, meanwhile, has only been to Lake Champlain once in his life. But the Ocean City, Del., angler applied some of his tidal water skills and overcame motor issues to find success on Day 1.
“I had a late draw this morning and decided to go for green fish just because of my poor draw,” he said. “I ran north and had motor troubles. I decided to not move from one of my primary areas. I probably had 19 pounds at 8 o’clock this morning. I culled little bits here and there and it worked out. I stayed until about 1:30 just so I could try and make it back.”
In total, he estimated he caught more than 120 largemouth, as well as 40 pike, during the day in one large area of the lake. One specific type of vegetation in one specific depth range produced the majority of his quality bass, including a 5-5. All of the bass in his final limit were caught using one bait.
“The depth range is critical to the size of the bass, and the type of vegetation that is there is different than 90 percent of what you find on the lake,” he said. “I sure hope it will happen again tomorrow. It is a big area, and I didn’t have much traffic (around).”
Dan Tavilla of Portsmouth, N.H., is third in the boater standings with 21-2 followed by Jacob Swanson from Massachusetts in fourth with 20-14 and New York’s Cody Peryea in fifth with 20-13.
Josh Giran of Elizabeth, Pa., leads the nonboater division with a three-bass limit weighing 12-6. Ernest Weathersby of Leominster, Mass., is second with 12-3 and Maryland’s Joe Devoe is third with 11-4. New York’s Michael Hunt caught the Big Bass of the Day, a 4-12.
The full field is scheduled to launch from Plattsburgh City Marina beginning at 6 a.m. ET and return for weigh-in at 2 p.m. The field will be cut to the Top 20 boaters and nonboaters after the Day 2 weigh-in, and those anglers will punch their tickets to the Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Championship presented by Lowrance scheduled for Grand Lake Nov. 6-8.
The Adirondack Coast is hosting the tournament.
2024 Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier at Lake Champlain presented by Lowrance 7/24-7/26
Lake Champlain, Plattsburgh NY.
(BOATER) Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Frankie Appaluccio Ogdensburg, NJ 5 24-05 0
Day 1: 5 24-05
2. Craig Morris Ocean City, DE 5 22-04 0
Day 1: 5 22-04
3. Dan Tavilla Portsmouth, NH 5 21-02 0
Day 1: 5 21-02
4. Jacob Swanson Framingham, MA 5 20-14 0
Day 1: 5 20-14
5. Cody Peryea Altona, NY 5 20-13 0
Day 1: 5 20-13
6. Anthony Lorefice Jr Johnson City, NY 5 20-08 0
Day 1: 5 20-08
7. Matt Pangrac Shawnee, OK 5 20-07 0
Day 1: 5 20-07
7. Joshua Smith Coventry, RI 5 20-07 0
Day 1: 5 20-07
9. J Judd Saint Albans, VT 5 20-05 0
Day 1: 5 20-05
10. David Torres II Fallston, MD 5 20-02 0
Day 1: 5 20-02
11. Robert Williamson II Gorham, ME 5 20-00 0
Day 1: 5 20-00
12. Rich Ortiz Fort Ann, NY 5 19-07 0
Day 1: 5 19-07
13. Ty Austin Rush, NY 5 19-07 0
Day 1: 5 19-07
14. Daniel Gray Butler, PA 5 19-05 0
Day 1: 5 19-05
15. Chris Guncheon Warwick, RI 5 19-05 0
Day 1: 5 19-05
16. Connor Jacob Auburn, AL 5 19-02 0
Day 1: 5 19-02
17. Dylan Dew Valencia , PA 5 19-00 0
Day 1: 5 19-00
18. Justin Yenter Stevens Point, WI 5 18-14 0
Day 1: 5 18-14
19. David Mathieu Woodstock, CT 5 18-12 0
Day 1: 5 18-12
20. Paul Baker New Fairfield, CT 5 18-10 0
Day 1: 5 18-10
21. Addison Kelly Queensbury, NY 5 18-10 0
Day 1: 5 18-10
22. Jay Walls Milford, DE 5 18-08 0
Day 1: 5 18-08
23. Brennan Chuprinko Flanders, NJ 5 18-07 0
Day 1: 5 18-07
24. Brian La Clair Denton, MD 5 18-06 0
Day 1: 5 18-06
25. Jed Worthington Eden Mills, VT 5 18-06 0
Day 1: 5 18-06
26. Jonathan Carter Portland, ME 5 18-04 0
Day 1: 5 18-04
26. Chase Loftus Iowa City, IA 5 18-04 0
Day 1: 5 18-04
28. Bret Winegardner Swanton, MD 5 18-02 0
Day 1: 5 18-02
29. Joseph Tefft Fort Edward, NY 5 17-14 0
Day 1: 5 17-14
30. Mark Hogan Milford, DE 5 17-10 0
Day 1: 5 17-10
30. Keith Poulin Lisbon, ME 5 17-10 0
Day 1: 5 17-10
32. Mikey Mello Jr Manville, RI 5 17-08 0
Day 1: 5 17-08
33. Mark Burgess Norton, MA 5 17-06 0
Day 1: 5 17-06
33. Matthew Lazor Evans City, PA 5 17-06 0
Day 1: 5 17-06
33. Fabian Rodriguez Ocean City, MD 5 17-06 0
Day 1: 5 17-06
36. Anthony Dulac Harpswell, ME 5 17-06 0
Day 1: 5 17-06
37. Cam Sterritt Newfields, NH 5 17-04 0
Day 1: 5 17-04
38. Josh Cotier Clinton, MA 5 16-15 0
Day 1: 5 16-15
39. TJ McKenzie Andrews, SC 5 16-13 0
Day 1: 5 16-13
40. Randy Huffman Charleston, WV 5 16-09 0
Day 1: 5 16-09
41. Jeffrey Davis Jr Wendell, NC 5 16-06 0
Day 1: 5 16-06
42. Joe McClosky Swanton, MD 5 16-05 0
Day 1: 5 16-05
43. Sheron Brown Sr Leominster, MA 5 16-05 0
Day 1: 5 16-05
44. Travis Lepage Lewiston, ME 5 16-04 0
Day 1: 5 16-04
45. Trevor Topken Hickory, NC 5 16-04 0
Day 1: 5 16-04
46. Phil Curtis Rosseau ONTARIO CANADA 5 16-03 0
Day 1: 5 16-03
47. Ben Hale Rowley, MA 5 16-02 0
Day 1: 5 16-02
48. Scott Robert Greene, ME 5 16-02 0
Day 1: 5 16-02
49. Bradley Baxter Willshire, OH 5 16-00 0
Day 1: 5 16-00
50. Brandon Mosley Harrah, OK 5 16-00 0
Day 1: 5 16-00
51. Kevin Clark Westport, MA 5 15-15 0
Day 1: 5 15-15
52. Colin Gaudette Saint Albans, VT 5 15-14 0
Day 1: 5 15-14
53. Steven Griffith Schellsburg, PA 5 15-10 0
Day 1: 5 15-10
54. Corey Gillis Ayer, MA 5 15-09 0
Day 1: 5 15-09
55. Ryan Smith Galloway, NJ 5 15-07 0
Day 1: 5 15-07
55. Brent Valere Mississauga CANADA 5 15-07 0
Day 1: 5 15-07
57. John Mayo Maiden, NC 5 15-05 0
Day 1: 5 15-05
57. Martin Osborne Glen Burnie, MD 5 15-05 0
Day 1: 5 15-05
59. Casey Baroffio Northfield, VT 5 15-04 0
Day 1: 5 15-04
59. Carson Forrester Chambersburg, PA 5 15-04 0
Day 1: 5 15-04
61. Robert Bordeaux III Williston, VT 5 15-02 0
Day 1: 5 15-02
62. Michael Trimarchi Peabody, MA 5 15-01 0
Day 1: 5 15-01
63. Darryl Halbert Enoree, SC 5 14-14 0
Day 1: 5 14-14
64. Ross Bartolo Caesarea CANADA 5 14-13 0
Day 1: 5 14-13
64. Austin Littler Camden, NY 5 14-13 0
Day 1: 5 14-13
64. Max Meister Atco, NJ 5 14-13 0
Day 1: 5 14-13
64. Mason Phillpotts Fenton, MI 5 14-13 0
Day 1: 5 14-13
64. Brian Wisniewski Allentown, PA 5 14-13 0
Day 1: 5 14-13
69. Jason Muir Milford, DE 5 14-12 0
Day 1: 5 14-12
70. Michael Adams Portland, ME 5 14-12 0
Day 1: 5 14-12
71. Louis Monetti Brielle, NJ 5 14-11 0
Day 1: 5 14-11
71. Robert Ramasci Wakefield, MA 5 14-11 0
Day 1: 5 14-11
71. Jeff Salmon Mechanicsville, VA 5 14-11 0
Day 1: 5 14-11
74. John Rottman Dudley, MA 5 14-10 0
Day 1: 5 14-10
75. Scott Kerslake Okeechobee, FL 5 14-09 0
Day 1: 5 14-09
76. Scott Rondeau Charlestown, RI 5 14-08 0
Day 1: 5 14-08
77. Chris Groman Whiting, VT 5 14-07 0
Day 1: 5 14-07
78. Jacob Marcantonio Moosup, CT 5 14-07 0
Day 1: 5 14-07
79. Jared Leicht Millville, NJ 5 14-06 0
Day 1: 5 14-06
79. Jeffrey Patch Rutland, VT 5 14-06 0
Day 1: 5 14-06
79. Steve Wilson East Waterboro, ME 5 14-06 0
Day 1: 5 14-06
82. Chris Washinger Chambersburg, PA 5 14-05 0
Day 1: 5 14-05
83. John Fitzgerald Salisbury, VT 5 14-05 0
Day 1: 5 14-05
84. Butch Marietta Jr Hunker, PA 5 14-04 0
Day 1: 5 14-04
85. Johnathan Sheehan Lynn, MA 5 14-04 0
Day 1: 5 14-04
86. RJ Ricci Cranston, RI 5 14-04 0
Day 1: 5 14-04
87. Matt Mosby Dryden, MI 5 14-03 0
Day 1: 5 14-03
88. Keith Aucoin Hollis Center, ME 5 14-01 0
Day 1: 5 14-01
88. Dennis Rocheford Pembroke, NH 5 14-01 0
Day 1: 5 14-01
90. Eric Low Buxton, ME 5 13-15 0
Day 1: 5 13-15
91. Robert Batchelder Jr Mechanicville, NY 5 13-11 0
Day 1: 5 13-11
92. Ed Powell Sandyville, WV 5 13-11 0
Day 1: 5 13-11
93. Ed Lapierre Lebanon, ME 5 13-09 0
Day 1: 5 13-09
94. Jeff Jensen Beech Creek, PA 5 13-07 0
Day 1: 5 13-07
95. Thomas Waltz St. Albans, VT 4 13-07 0
Day 1: 4 13-07
96. John Roth Lawrenceburg, IN 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-06
96. Andrew Sams Easton, MD 5 13-06 0
Day 1: 5 13-06
98. David Maiorano Durham, CT 5 13-05 0
Day 1: 5 13-05
99. Peter Owen Jr Barnstead, NH 5 13-04 0
Day 1: 5 13-04
100. Randy Kukral Chagrin Falls, OH 5 13-03 0
Day 1: 5 13-03
101. Tim Dubuc Bowdoinham, ME 5 13-02 0
Day 1: 5 13-02
102. Trevor Poulin Nashua, NH 5 13-01 0
Day 1: 5 13-01
103. Nausori Osasa Grand Isle, VT 5 12-14 0
Day 1: 5 12-14
104. Evan Poroznik Nestleton Station Ontar 5 12-13 0
Day 1: 5 12-13
105. Craig Castro North Attleboro, MA 5 12-12 0
Day 1: 5 12-12
106. Jeremy Sadowski Voluntown, CT 5 12-11 0
Day 1: 5 12-11
107. Dylan Minch Stevens Point, WI 4 12-10 0
Day 1: 4 12-10
108. Kevin Wilkes Ballston Lake,, NY 5 12-07 0
Day 1: 5 12-07
109. Steven Kotvas Apollo, PA 5 12-06 0
Day 1: 5 12-06
110. Randy Elliott Severn, MD 5 12-05 0
Day 1: 5 12-05
111. Erick Markstaller New Milford, CT 5 12-04 0
Day 1: 5 12-04
112. Chris Ogan Bixby, OK 5 12-01 0
Day 1: 5 12-01
113. Frank Ramsey Spring Grove, IL 5 12-01 0
Day 1: 5 12-01
114. Tony Despot II Monroeville, PA 5 11-14 0
Day 1: 5 11-14
115. Robert Smith Farmington, ME 5 11-11 0
Day 1: 5 11-11
116. Jeffrey Perron South Berwick, ME 5 11-10 0
Day 1: 5 11-10
117. Neal Wisinski Stevens Point, WI 5 11-09 0
Day 1: 5 11-09
118. Brian Hensley Edwardsburg, MI 5 11-06 0
Day 1: 5 11-06
119. Nick Lepone Fieldsboro, NJ 5 11-05 0
Day 1: 5 11-05
119. Mike Morris Dover, DE 5 11-05 0
Day 1: 5 11-05
121. Kirk Smith Edmond, OK 5 11-02 0
Day 1: 5 11-02
122. Tony Kibler Milford, DE 5 11-01 0
Day 1: 5 11-01
123. Woody McKechnie Lynn , MA 5 10-11 0
Day 1: 5 10-11
124. Chris McCarthy Woonsocket, RI 5 10-00 0
Day 1: 5 10-00
125. Stefan Lillios Loudon, NH 4 09-12 0
Day 1: 4 09-12
126. William Barrett Bridgewater, MA 5 09-11 0
Day 1: 5 09-11
127. Roger LaFlamme Jr Lyman, ME 5 09-07 0
Day 1: 5 09-07
128. Clayton Grimm Mechanic Falls, ME 5 09-07 0
Day 1: 5 09-07
129. Cameron Creamer Bremen, ME 5 08-09 0
Day 1: 5 08-09
130. Arthur Magurn Lunenburg, MA 3 07-12 0
Day 1: 3 07-12
131. Derek Severns Carnegie, PA 3 07-01 0
Day 1: 3 07-01
132. Steve Deguzis Bristol, CT 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
132. Henry Fristik Blandford, MA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
132. Josh Giroldi Beachville CANADA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
132. Eric Johnson Kingston, MA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
132. Alex Legg Milford, DE 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
132. Joe Raposo North Dighton, MA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
132. Craig Rexford Grand Isle, VT 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
———————————————————————–
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 126 648 1993-11
———————————-
126 648 1993-11
