AOY #2 - Lake Dunmore

June 26, 2025

Roberts and Baroffio(s) Own Lake Dunmore

SALISBURY – Jason Roberts is always a threat to best any field of anglers during an AOY tournament. On Thursday he and co-angler Casey Baroffio reminded everyone of that fact as the pair combined to bring 12.47 pounds of bass to the scale and hold on for the victory in the Champlain Valley B.A.S.S. Club’s second stop of the year at Lake Dunmore.

A little bit of inside information and near perfect fishing weather had everyone feeling good about their chances Thursday evening, but as is typical of any lake rumored to be “fishing well” once the field set forth they found the supposedly hungry bass to be anything but cooperative.

“I really like Dunmore,” Roberts said. “I’ve had days here that make it seem like you’re the next Bassmaster champ and then others when it’s just a grind. I know what you can set a hook on though, so I’m sure to come here several times a year.”

In the meat grinder just behind first place was the team of boater Olivia Baroffio with returning member Jake Michaud – just off the pace with 12.33 pounds and in third-place boater Jim White with rookie co-angler Connor Jones with 12.21. With less than a half pound separating the top three finishers, it was obvious to everyone what made the difference – lunkers and on Thursday they were far and few between. While the team of Roberts and Casey Baroffiodidn’t weigh lunker for smallmouth or largemouth, it was the two teams behind them that had anglers who did, and it was enough to have people doing advanced math at the weigh table. 

“We caught plenty of fish, but we weren’t able to find big fish consistently,” Olivia Baroffio said. “We stayed kinda’ close to the boat ramp and I caught the big smallie when I looked down and saw the rocks and saw the way they dropped off to deeper water. I tossed my drop-shot out and it got popped right away.”

For the second tournament in a row, the club has had double-digit entries, allowing for more competition, deepening the field. It’s still early in the AOY season but moving forward the title remains up for grabs.

“I’ve got a handful of key spots that I like to hit here on this lake,” Roberts said. “Those places are always in the rotation, but when half of them don’t pan out you’ve got to able to fish with your gut. My old reliable Zoom Fluke didn’t get many sniffs, so the next best thing it to tie on a jig and go looking around for some good cover. Eventually, something is gonna’ eat it.”

“As a club, we wanted to continue to add anglers to the club in order to provide the competition and perhaps some parity,” club President Kris Martin said. “Last year, Jacob Nichols crushed it on the small lakes that we fish. He did his homework, and showed that he knew what he was doing. We’re up to 20 boating members at this point and I hope we continue to add more. Right now it’s a great group, a fun group and we’re in the middle of a bit of a youth movement. I haven’t performed all that well in the tournaments to this point, but I really enjoy being around everyone and value their commitment to the club and their friendship. The older members see the future of the club and while we have a fair bit of youth, they’re not letting the kids win. They’ve got to earn it.”

It’s another evening tournament next up for the Champlain B.A.S.S., this time visiting Lake St. Catherine in Wells, VT. Go time is July 10 from 3:30PM-7:30PM with hot dogs to be served at weigh-in.

Totals for Champlain Valley B.A.S.S. Series AOY #2

Thursday, June 26, 2025 @Lake Dunmore3:30PM-7:30PM

First – Jason Roberts/ Casey Baroffio 12.47

Second – Olivia Baroffio/ Jake Michaud 12.33

Third – Jim White/ Connor Jones 12.21

4 – Mark Jones/Brian Austin 11.42

5 – Zach McNaughton/ Chris 9.86

6 – Kris Martin/ John Laramie 9.29

7 – Zach Patch/ Finn Paine 9.16

8 – Jacob Nichols/ Dennis Brownfield 8.49

9 – Erik Rasmussen/ empty seat 4.32

10 – Eddie Staples/ empty seat 4.09

11 – Greg DeCell/ Bruce Staples 3.82

Total Fish – 47

Dead Fish – 0

Lunkers

Smallmouth – Olivia Baroffio 3.12

Largemouth – Jim White 3.26