WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Pro Michael Hall of Annandale caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 27 pounds, 7 ounces to win the EverStart Series Northeast Division event on the Potomac River near Woodbridge. Hall won a Ranger 519VX powered by a Yamaha or Evinrude outboard, Minn Kota trolling motor, Garmin electronics and EverStart batteries plus an additional $9,400 cash.
“I’m feeling great,” Hall said. “It was tough today. There was lots of boat traffic out there, and I had to fish deeper. I had lots of fans watching as well, but they were very respectful. If they had gotten too close, it could have hurt my pattern, but they watched from a respectful distance. It was great.”
Hall has kept his fish-catching lure a secret all week, but he revealed Saturday that his fish have been falling to a 5-inch Yamamoto Senko in watermelon purple, rigged wacky style on a 1/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook. Hall fished the lure “slower than slow” to catch his three bass on the final day, one of which was a solid 4-pounder that sealed his win.
Rounding out the top five pros are Rick Morris of Lanexa (10 bass, 25 pounds, $9,400); J.T. Kenney of Frostburg, Md. (10 bass, 23 pounds, 6 ounces, $8,600); Scott Dameron of Beckley, W.Va. (eight bass, 19 pounds, 7 ounces, $7,600); and Chris Poole of Manassas (10 bass, 17 pounds, 7 ounces, $7,100).
Kenney earned an additional $1,500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.
Mickey Pettry of Manassas caught a two day total of 10 bass weighing 20 pounds 2 ounces to win the Co-angler Division. Pettry earned $4,775 cash for his win. He has been throwing a hand-poured, 6 1/2 inch cut-tail worm, rigged Texas-style around grass and wood cover all week. “I caught them everywhere I went on that worm,” Pettry said. Pettry fished with Scott Dameron during the entire final round. “Scott’s a great fisherman, and a better guy,” Pettry said.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Gary Guilliams of Troutville (seven bass, 15 pounds, 1 ounce, $3,775); Derek Moyer of Alexandria (six bass, 14 pounds, $3,340); Mark Letosky of Warrenton (six bass, 13 pounds, 7 ounces, $2,340) and Doug Jenkins of St. Leonard, Md. (five bass, 10 pounds 14 ounces, $1,840).
A narrowed field of 20 anglers caught a total of 64 bass weighing 128 pounds, 1 ounce on the last day of the event.
EverStart Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of two rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 10 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to the final round. Anglers start at zero Friday, and pro and co-angler winners are determined Saturday based on two-day accumulated weights.