Day: August 15, 2019, The National Angler

POTOMAC RIVER SET FOR COSTA FLW SERIES TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY LOWRANCE

August 15, 2019 by FLW Communications

CHARLES COUNTY, Md. – The Potomac River is set to host some of the top regional bass anglers Aug. 22-24 for the Costa Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Series Northern Division tournament on the Potomac River presented by Lowrance. The three-day tournament will feature a field of more than 250 pros and co-anglers vying for the top prize package of up to $92,000, including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard in the Pro Division. Valuable points in the Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits Angler of the Year race are also up for grabs.

“I think the Potomac River is going to fish pretty well,” said FLW Tour pro Bryan Schmitt, of Deale, Maryland, who has three career wins in Costa FLW Series competition on the Potomac River. “Over the last two months a substantial amount of hydrilla has started to grow. It’s got the water really clean and turned the river into a better fishery.

“I think we’ll see traditional Potomac tactics [next week] – flipping grass with creature-style baits like a Missile [Baits] D Bomb, topwaters in the grass, swimjigs, ChatterBaits, and stickbait worms,” said Schmitt. “Some hard structure like docks or rocks will be in play, but it will mainly be a grass deal. It’s going to be about who can find that magic spot within a spot, or who can get that magic place to themselves.”

Schmitt went on to say that mid-river has been really productive, especially Quantico and Chicamuxen creeks. He mentioned Potomac Creek, which is farther south, as well.

“I think it will take 46 pounds over the three days to win – 15 pounds a day will be banging on the door for sure,” said Schmitt. “I typically would predict a hair more, but it’s fishing a little bit tougher than normal. There will be a lot of fish caught, though, and a lot of good ones, too.”

Anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park, located at 2750 Sweden Point Road, in Marbury, Maryland, at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day of competition. Weigh-ins each day will also be held at the park beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The tournament is being hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.

In Costa FLW Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event. At the Potomac River, pros will fish for a top prize of up to $92,000 including a brand new Ranger Z518L boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard if Ranger Cup qualified. Co-anglers will cast for a brand new Ranger Z175 boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard, and $5,000 if Ranger Cup qualified.

The Costa FLW Series consists of five U.S. divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the International division. Each U.S. division consists of three regular-season tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to compete in the season-ending Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2019 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Costa FLW Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

CHRIS JOHNSTON SMASHES ST. LAWRENCE SMALLMOUTH FOR DAY 1 LEAD

WADDINGTON, N.Y. —

Expectations for the 2019 Berkley Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River presented by Black Velvet were slightly muted going into Day 1. After all, last year’s event on this storied fishery was dubbed as the best smallmouth tournament in the history of man, and practice for most of the Elite Series pros this time around was tough. There was no way, according to reports from the competitors, that this year’s event could match the statistics from the previous year. However, Chris Johnston proved that The No. 1 fishery in the nation according to Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings was still top of the class. The Canadian pro boated 24-7, including a 5-13 behemoth, to take the Day 1 lead.

“My day started pretty rough,” Johnston admitted. “I lost the first three fish I hooked, two 4s and a 5. I thought ‘oh, no, it’s going to be one of those days.’ But then, I landed a couple of good ones, and then caught one that nearly weighed 6 pounds. So, I’m really happy with how much weight I ended up with today.” Johnston is a little worried about whether or not he will be able to reproduce the massive limit over the next three days of the event. “I only have one really good spot, and I’m sharing it with another angler. So, I don’t know if it will hold up.”

Right on the heels of Johnston is Alabama pro Scott Canterbury, who boated 23-8. Unlike the Canadian pro, who has spent countless hours fishing the St. Lawrence River, Canterbury is fishing the New York waters for the very first time. “A lot of my practice was spent driving around, trying to learn the landscape of this fishery. I started to figure a few things out, and a lot of what doesn’t work here, and finally pieced together a game plan that would help me survive this tournament. My weight today is a blessing, I just hope I can reproduce it tomorrow.”

Veteran Elite Series pro Steve Kennedy weighed in 23-7 to take the third-place position, which included the Phoenix Boats Big Bass of the day, a 6-2 monster smallmouth. “I am doing something a lot different than most of the field,” the Alabama pro admitted. “I hand painted a big glide bait to look like a perch. I am using it as a search bait for individual fish. They follow the glide bait and show themselves, then I throw a follow-up lure to catch them.” Like the other top anglers, Kennedy is not sure if there are enough big fish in his area to bring another massive limit to the scales. “I have seen a lot of 4 pounders, but those 5- and 6-pound fish are rare where I am. I’m hoping more bass move into the area, otherwise I’ll have to go to Plan B.”

As for the expectations leading into this episode of the St. Lawrence Smallmouthfest, they were certainly exceeded. There were 35 limits exceeding 19 pounds, 26 of which topped the 20-pound mark and five eclipsed 23 pounds.