Jocumsen needs a strong northern swing

Carl Jocumsen is off to a strong start on Day 1 with a five-fish limit for 15 pounds, 14 ounces. That has him sitting in 5th place in BassTrakk. It couldn’t have come at a better time.

Jocumsen needs a strong northern swing to requalify for the 2022 Elite Series. He talked about it coming out of the Lake Guntersville tournament in May, saying he had his work cut out for him.

The tall Australian has had a rollercoaster year. He started 2021 strong with a 21st place finish at St. Johns, then dug a hole for himself with an 87th place finish on the Tennessee River and a 98 at Pickwick. He’s been mostly climbing his way up ever since then with a 55 at Sabine, 11 at Lake Fork, then a 92nd place stinker at Neely Henry and a very encouraging 13th place finish at Lake Guntersville. Jocumsen currently sits in 60th place in the Angler of the Year standings.

Jocumsen has fished Lake Champlain often via the Bassmaster Opens and the Elite Series, and describes it as one of his favorite lakes, despite finishing 81st here in 2020. He finished 20th at the St. Lawrence River last year.

Given his strong start at Champlain on Day 1, and his track record at St. Lawrence, I like Carl’s chances of requalifying for the 2022 Elite Series.