Thinking about Champlain, Mike Haggerty

As the northern circuit starts to look me square in the face, I have to change gears here and try and prepare for some unfamiliar lakes and techniques. Love it.... I have to try and wrap my head around an entirely new set of standards regarding northern BIG reservoirs ie Champlain and probably St Claire. A lot of new questions are running through my head, a lot of unknowns for me logistically as well as strategically. What's the forage? What do the crawfish look like? Can you make the run on Champlain from launch to the mats and back on one tank of gas? How does the wind set up predominately? How big is the water in bad weather? How do you effectively stay on 'pelagic' smallies day after day? Can I use my electronics well enough to be effective in open water? Where do I pull up to in a high wind situation? Am I versatile enough? I could go on for a while here but you get my point. I've been told time and again that a bass is a bass is a bass but..........., I drink that coolaid a bit too but we all know a lake Erie smallie acts a whole lot different than a G'ville largemouth. My experience level here is pretty low but at least I don't have any bad habits right? This will be a huge learning experience for me regardless and that fact alone makes it worth it. If I have learned anything up to now, there is no substitute for time behind the wheel on as many different lakes as you can muster, period. If you plan to succeed, you gotta catchem everywhere any time. I am really looking forward the challenges that are in front of me but I would be a liar if I said I was not a little intimidated as well.