By Luke Stoner – Dynamic Sponsorships

Team Toyota pro Matt Arey is spoiled by the three most important women in his life with chalk art before he leaves his Shelby, North Carolina home to head to the next Bassmaster Elite Series event. Before this week’s Lake Champlain derby his wife Emily and daughters Reese and Wren’s masterpiece featured lyrics from Jay-Z’s song “Empire State of Mind” and their favorite legendary lake monster, “Champy”.

These chalk drawings may have started as doodles a few years ago when his girls were younger, but they’ve turned into full blown works of art as of late. Arey hopes to paint his own kind of masterpiece on Lake Champlain in the form of heavy limits of smallmouth bass. We caught up with Arey at takeoff on day one to get his plans and expectations for the second to last stop of the Elite Series season.

Q – You’re having another strong season in 2024, currently sitting in 19 th place in the AOY race, what is your goal coming into Lake Champlain?

Arey – “My goal for every Elite event is to make the top 50 cut. Fishing on Saturday means getting paid and racking up points for the AOY race and Classic cut. I can worry about winning after I make day three. My goal for Lake Champlain specifically is to lock up a Classic berth, which I believe I can do by making the top 50 cut. That would allow me to go have some fun on the St. Lawrence River.”

Q – We know from dock talk and past events that the weights will be extremely tight this week. What’s the difference between a “good one” and “too small” on Champlain right now?

Arey – “That line is razor thin on this fishery… it seems like three to three-and-a-half pounders are pretty easy to catch and won’t do a whole lot for you. But a heavy three pounder, like 3.75-lbs is money, and a four-plus-pound bass is gold. A few ounces per fish will make all the difference this week.”

Q – What percentage of anglers in the top 10 will be targeting smallmouth bass this week, versus largemouth or a mixed bag?

Arey – “I would say the top 10 will be dominated by guys targeting smallmouth again (referencing the 2023 Elite on Champlain). I do think the winner will have a mixed bag, or at least bring in a few big largemouth over four days. I’d say eight out of ten will target smallies exclusively with the other two having a mixed bag. 80% smallmouth, 20% mixed, and 0% targeting only largemouth.”

Q – What are two lures you think will play a big role in this tournament …and part two, how would you go about catching the local legend Champ (or Champy), the star of your girls’ sidewalk art?

Arey – “For bass I’m going with a pinging a jighead minnow using FFS, and a compact jig for bass on the bottom.”

“Haha! For Champy, I think I’d soak a 24-ounce raw T-bone steak on the biggest treble hook they make. I’ve been looking for him all week with my Lowrance Active Target but to my daughter’s dismay I haven’t found him yet. Emily (his wife) told the girls about the legend of Champ a couple years ago and it’s always the topic of conversation when we come to Champlain.”