Capital combat commences
EverStart Series anglers kick off final Northern Division event of season on the Potomac River
MARBURY, Md. – After a night of torrential rains in the Washington, D.C., area, EverStart Series Northern Division anglers awoke early this morning to a backdrop of overcast skies, muggy temps, pockets of rising mist, extremely humid conditions and the threat of thunderstorms throughout the day.
Welcome to the nation’s capital.
However, while it might not have been the ideal conditions anglers were looking for, competitors will have little time to dwell on the weather Thursday. With some of the top pros and co-anglers from the Mid-Atlantic states already geared up for battle, anglers will have to stay focused if they are to achieve their goal of procuring a tournament title on one of the most storied bodies of water in the nation.
And as usual, it all starts with a coherent game plan.
“Right now the fish are really bunched up, which means that the fishermen are going to be bunched up as well,” said EverStart pro Frank Ippoliti. “(But the good news) is that on this river, you can pretty much fish any way you want to. You can fish grass, docks or rocks. You can fish spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits or jigs – you name it. I never have eight rods on my deck, but for this tournament, that’s exactly what I’m going with.”
Ippoliti said that the tides could play a big factor as well.
“With all of this rain and water flowing down from the north, the tides have been extremely high each morning,” said Ippoliti. “So there should be a good morning bite. Then there will be a lull until about 12:30 or 1 p.m. this afternoon. Then the bite should really pick up as the water recedes and the grass is exposed.”
While anglers might have some luck fishing docks, rocks and other assorted structure this week, a successful grass bite is mostly likely going to be crucial for anglers searching for consistently larger stringers.
“Like I said, you can fish anyway you want to fish, but the vegetation is going to be dominant with regard to both the numbers and quality of fish you can catch,” said Ippoliti. “If you find a good grass bed here, there can be a thousand fish wadded up on like a one-acre section alone. They are really, really bunched up right now.”
With 124 pros and an equal contingent of co-anglers competing this week, Ippoliti believes it will take about 17 pounds a day to make Friday’s top-10 cut.
“You might see some 20-pound bags today, but 17 pounds should be enough to get you to Saturday,” he said. “But if you were able to come back with 20 pounds a day, you’d walk away with this thing.”
Tourney format
During EverStart Series competition, pros supply the boats, fish from the front deck against other pros and control boat movement. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and compete against other co-anglers. Anglers are permitted to weigh in their best five bass each day. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine angler standings. The full field competes on days one and two, with the top-10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advancing to Saturday’s final round of competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Winners ultimately will be determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days.
Anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Md., at 7 a.m. each morning. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Smallwood State Park beginning at 3 p.m. daily. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at Walmart, located at 40 Drury Drive in La Plata, Md., at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 plus a 198VX Ranger boat with 200-horsepower outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger 177TR with 90-horsepower outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The EverStart Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of four tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the Strike King Angler of the Year title along with $5,000 for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler. The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each respective division will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship, slated for Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, Tenn., Oct. 27-30.
EverStart Series action resumes at today’s weigh-in, scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at Smallwood State Park located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury, Md.
Bass-fishing fans take note
Want to watch the weigh-in live, but can’t make it in person? Then tune into FLW Live on FLWOutdoors.com shortly before 3 p.m. Eastern time to watch live streaming video and audio of today’s opening-round weigh-in.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:02 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 69 degrees
Expected high temperature: 78 degrees
Water temperature: 68-72 degrees
Wind: SW at 3 to 8 mph
Humidity: 74 percent
Tides: (high) 9:26 a.m.; (low) 3:20 p.m.
Day’s outlook: isolated thunderstorms