Getting Reel - Fishing News

1st BWS Maryland Div. Tournament of the Year in the Books

by Don Zaegel on March 31st, 2008

     After the scheduled day of the event was postponed until Sunday due to high winds and a small craft advisory in effect, the first tournament of the year for the Bassmaster Weekend Series, Maryland Division on the Potomac River got underway.

     At the pairing the night before the tournament, the field consisted of 100 boats. After it was announced that the tournament will be postponed until Sunday, the field dropped to 78 boats due to a number of anglers unable to fish because of prior commitments. Had the field remained at 100, it would have been the largest field of the year for any BWS division and I believe (without researching) it would have been the largest field of any regular season BWS event in it’s first two years being run by American Bass Anglers.

     I had spent the majority of the week on the river. I was heading out to hit the water everyday after work on Tuesday through Friday. The conditions during practice were much different than what we were given on the day of the tournament. During my practice the conditions were typically mid 60-70 degree air temps with 53-56 degree water temps. The winds would alternate between NW and SW day to day. Friday night the front came through bringing NW winds through at 15-20 mph with 30 mph gusts. That may seem bearable to some, but toss in an opposing tide and you can have a recipe for a whole lot of broken equipment. The front also dropped the air temps about 20 degrees overnight. The conditions for the tournament day were even colder with the highs going from the mid 60’s all of last week to high 30’s by Sunday. The good news was that the winds were able to die down enough to go fishing.

     After launching (boat #26) in the first flight, I pulled up to my area where I had caught a few of my nicer fish during practice. The first thing I noticed was that the water had muddied up a little and dropped 5 degrees. None the less I still had confidence that most of the fish had stayed in the area. Going against everything I should have done, which was to evade power fishing and chunk a jig or plastic, I dropped the trolling motor and proceeded to fan cast the area with a Kaotik Lures Potomac Punisher. To save allot more writing, my morning was barren with fish. My non-boater managed a couple of fish early on that didn’t measure. That would be his story all day long as he threw back fish after fish that unfortunately didn’t measure up.

     At 11:00 I finally caught my first fish for the box. My only guess on the lack of biting was that either the water temps really slowed the bite down and they were waiting until later in the day when the water temps raised a couple of degrees, or they knew (sensed) the front coming in and gorged up a day or two before the tournament.

     I continued to fan cast the rest of the day alternating between my Potomac Punisher and a crankbait. The bite was funny. I was making 30yd. casts and not getting bit until the lure was right at the boat. After the day was all said and done I had a bag of fish that ended up weighing in at 9.12 lbs good for a 17th place finish and one spot away from the money. The rest of the field shared the same struggle as only 6 limits were brought in from the field of 78 boats. The winner managed 19.63 lbs. from his area which is a typical 4th or 5th place finish on the river this time of the year. Still, that amount of weight on a day like it was is great. Congrats to him.

     The next tournament is April 12th on Lake Anna in Virginia. My goal remains to finish top 40 in the divisional points standing to allow me to qualify for the regional. But in all actuality I will be disappointed with a final divisional point standings finish of anything worst than 10th place.    

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POSTED IN: American Bass Anglers, Miscellaneous