MLF Returns to Lake Champlain for Tackle Warehouse  Invitational Stop 5 Presented by 7 Brew 

Major League Fishing (MLF) is set to return to Upstate New York this week, June 15-17, to launch the fifth Tackle Warehouse Invitational of the season – the Tackle Warehouse Invitational Stop 5 at Lake Champlain Presented by 7 Brew . The three-day tournament will feature a roster of 150 anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000 and an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 – MLF’s most prestigious event – for the chance to win up to $300,000.


Hosted by the City of Plattsburgh and the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, the event also showcases competitors competing for valuable points to win the coveted Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) title – including a $50,000 payout – and to qualify for the 2025 Bass Pro Tour, MLF’s premier circuit.  


This tournament marks the 73rd MLF (and FLW) tournament that Lake Champlain has hosted over the past 30 years. The scenic venue is a bucket-list destination for many MLF anglers, as the fishery is known for its plentiful largemouth and smallmouth bass populations. In this year’s event expect to see smallmouth reign supreme, as most of the fish will likely still be in their spawning and postspawn phases, according to local pro Ryan Latinville of Plattsburgh, who will be among the 150 competitors on the water next week.


“Typically this time of the year, they’re spawning, and I expect mid-lake to the northern end to really be a dominating factor next week,” Latinville said. “The smallmouth should play pretty big, and it’s going to be crucial to mix in the occasional largemouth.


“That’s going to be the real key to doing well in this one – figuring out how to catch the random big largemouth,” Latinville continued. “The weights are going to be stacked. Lake Champlain is loaded with 3-pounders. So a 5-pound largemouth is going to go a real long way in separating yourself from the pack.”


Latinville said that due to recent warmer temperatures, some fish may be further ahead than others.


“We’re going to see guys catching them on beds, and we’re going to see guys fishing offshore,” Latinville said. “The bed fish are typically smaller, but they’re attractive because you can see them. But with the fish that are further along, we might see some patterns and areas develop that we normally wouldn’t see this time of the year.”


Latinville predicted that the majority of anglers would be fishing typical Lake Champlain baits – drop-shot rigs, Ned rigs, topwater baits, flukes and spybaits.


“People have the northern end figured out, and I expect that is where the majority of the anglers will be. But Ticonderoga absolutely has the potential to go off. If someone can figure the largemouth out down there, they could absolutely win the tournament there.  


“With the field of anglers that are competing in this one, it’s going to be a really competitive tournament,” Latinville went on to say. “I predict at the end, the three-day winner is going to have 60 pounds, 12 ounces.”


Anglers will launch at 6:30 a.m. ET each day from the Plattsburgh City Marina, located at 5 Dock St. in Plattsburgh. Weigh-ins will also be held at the marina and will begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend all launch and weigh-in events and also encouraged to follow the event online throughout the day on the MLFNOW!® live stream and coverage at MajorLeagueFishing.com.


The 2024 Tackle Warehouse Invitationals feature a field of 150 professional anglers competing across six invitational tournaments around the country, for a total purse of $3.9 million and valuable Fishing Clash Angler of the Year (AOY) points to qualify for a coveted spot on the MLF Bass Pro Tour, the sport’s top level.


In Tackle Warehouse Invitational competition, the full field of 150 anglers compete in the two-day opening round on 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 on Championship 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 three-day cumulative weight and will receive an invitation to compete at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville in Huntsville, Alabama.


The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell will break down the extended action live all three days of competition from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. ET. MLFNOW! will be live streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com and the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app.


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


Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals include: 7 Brew, 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, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.


For complete 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 media outlets at Facebook,  Instagram and  YouTube.