Walker Takes Lead in Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stage 5 at Lake Champlain, Presented by 7 Brew

Alabama pro brings 2-pound lead into Monday’s final day of competition

PLATTSBURGH, New York (June 16, 2024) – For two days, pro Jacob Walker from Springville, Alabama, took control on Lake Champlain. With over 21 pounds on Day 1 and 21-1 on Day 2 for a 42-5 total, the first-year Invitationals pro hands down leads Stop 5 of the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals presented by 7 Brew Coffee.

Leading the way with LiveScope and smallmouth bass, Walker has an impressive cast chasing him. Additionally, pro Nick Hatfield of Greeneville, Tennessee, and local favorite Alec Morrison of Peru, New York, are both above the 40-pound mark and on its heels. In fourth place at 39-1, Kurt Mitchell of Milford, Delaware, is relying on largemouth from docks and rocks, and there are other notable largemouth anglers in the hunt as well (plus the usual cadre of people looking at screens). Day two on Champlain pretty much ended a pattern – it looks like the smallmouth spawn is about to end.

Only the top 30 pros, based on their cumulative weight over two days, now qualify for the championship on Monday. The three-day tournament, hosted by the city of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, featured a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025.

Link to photo gallery of highlights from day 2
Link to Lake Champlain Day 2 Fish Catching Highlights Video

In recent years, with the development of the open water bite on Champlain, company fishing has become more common than ever on the big lake. It makes sense – you can see far, and the smallmouths don’t sneakily hide to get hooked. But that could make discovering something new – or an untapped area – all the more valuable. This week Walker has been able to fish in relative peace and seems to have plenty of fish at his disposal.

“The start was a little slower than expected,” said Walker, who works for a fishing tackle store in Alabama. “I wasn’t nervous, I was just excited. I was in a bit of a hurry, I think. I lost a few. On one rod in particular I had drag at one point, then I changed it last night – I think that’s why I was losing them. It was too loose, and they would eat it, and I would swing on it and it would peel. I tightened the drag and hit them hard, lost a few more, but caught a lot more.

“I don’t know when I gained 20 (pounds), I feel like it was probably quite early, around 10 o’clock,” he added. “Today it was a numbers game, I played a lot more today to try to catch as many as I could – I caught at least 60 today. The last place I found, I caught at least 25, and they were all over 3 pounds. But I was trying to catch one in 4, to make a big difference, and I finally did.

Fishing a few areas in a few miles of water, Walker isn’t doing anything revolutionary from a technical standpoint. But he’s doing it well and he’s on the verge of a huge victory.

“I still don’t feel like I’m in charge,” he said. “It’s really hard to get excited when I catch one, because they’re all pretty close and I can’t really tell how big they are. If I knew it was a 4½ (pound), I would probably scream. I’m not anxious or nervous or anything like that, but I still have to catch them. They’ll catch up with them even if I don’t – the work isn’t finished, so I’m not excited yet.

Walker finished second in a Bassmaster Open on Lay Lake – his home fishery – and he’s had plenty of success this season, including a few close escapes along the way. Now he’s a day away from his first high-profile W.

“Not that I doubt myself, or that anyone doubts me, but this would prove it – to myself and to everyone else,” he said. “It would definitely be a big deal, but I don’t know what it would mean – I hope I can tell you tomorrow.”

The top 30 pros now advancing to the final day of competition on Lake Champlain are:

1st: Jacob Walker, Springville, Alabama, 10 bass, 42-5
2nd: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 10 bass, 40-5
3rd: Alec Morrison, Peru, NY, 10 bass, 40-4
4th: Kurt Mitchell, Milford, Del., 10 bass, 39-1
5th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tennessee, 10 bass, 38-11
6th: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 10 bass, 38-11
7th: Brody Campbell, Oxford, Ohio, 10 bass, 38-2
8th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 38-1
9th: Hunter Eubanks, Landrum, SC, 10 bass, 37-14
10th: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 low, 37-12
11th: Troy Stokes, Trenton, Michigan, 10 low, 37-11
12th: Brett Carnright, Plattsburgh, NY, 10 bass, 37-10
13th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 low, 37-7
14th: Erik Luzak, Fenelon Falls, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 37-6
15th: Jaden Parrish, Liberty, Texas, 10 bass, 37-5
16th: Colby Dark, West Monroe, Louisiana, 10 bass, 37-0
17th: Britt Myers, Jr., Lake Wylie, SC, 10 bass, 37-0
18th: Chad Mrazek, Montgomery, Texas, 10 low, 36-15
19th: Marshall Hughes, Hemphill, Texas, 10 bass, 36-15
20th: Mitchell Robinson, Landrum, SC, 10 bass, 36-14
21st: Flint Davis, Leesburg, Ga., 10 low, 36-12
22nd: Bryan Labelle, Hinesburg, Vt., 10 bass, 36-10
23: Evan Barnes, Dardanelle, Ark., 10 bass, 36-9
24: Ken Thompson, Roaring Springs, Pa., 10 bass, 36-9
25: Cole Breeden, Lebanon, Missouri, 10 bass, 36-9
26: Spike Stoker, Cisco, Texas, 10 bass, 36-9
27th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Alabama, 10 bass, 36-7
28: Ryan Latinville, Plattsburgh, NY, 10 bass, 36-6
29th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 36-5
30th: Jordan Wiggins, Cullman, Alabama, 10 low, 36-4

Complete results for the entire field can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

Professional Taylor Parker of Lake View, Alabama, was awarded the $1,000 Berkley Big Bass Prize on Sunday as he carried a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces to the scales to win the prize.

A total of 625 bass weighing 2,047 pounds, 1 ounce, were caught by 127 professionals on Sunday. The catch included 124 limits of five bass.

At the Tackle Warehouse Invitational, all 150 anglers competed in the two-day opening round, Saturday and Sunday, in a five-fish weigh-in format. Only the top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round of the championship on Monday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner of the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 at Lake Champlain presented by 7 Brew will be determined by the heaviest cumulative weight over three days and receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.

The final 30 anglers will depart Monday at 6:30 a.m. ET from the Town of Plattsburgh Marina, located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh. Monday’s championship weigh-in will also take place at the marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are invited to attend all launch and weigh-in events and are also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage on MajorLeagueFishing.com.

THE MLFNOW! The broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will detail the extended action live during the championship Monday from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be streamed live on MajorLeagueFishing.com and on the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) and Rumble apps.

Television coverage of Stop 5 of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals at Lake Champlain presented by 7 Brew will air as a two-hour episode, premiering at 9 a.m. ET, Saturday, November 2 on CBS Sports Network.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3 Sports Apparel, Epic Baits, Fishing Clash, General Tire, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak Fishing, Onyx, Phoenix Boats, Polaris, Power-Pole, PowerStop Brakes, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, TH Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For more details and updated information on Major League Fishing and the Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular Tackle Warehouse Invitational updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the MLF5 social channels on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.