Topwaters Give Crowder Gold

Hurst nets co-angler award in Shenandoah Super Tournament

Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Virginia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 6 ounces, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division Super Tournament on the Potomac River presented by Minn Kota, with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 35 pounds, 2 ounces. Crowder took home $8,586 for his win.

“I spent both days of the event fishing grass beds near Aquia Creek,” says Crowder, who earned his sixth career win – first as a boater – in FLW competition. “I caught most of my larger bass in the morning each day. The incoming tide in the afternoon made for a tough bite.

“I used a black Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog 65 on day one,” continues Crowder. “I threw it for an hour or two, then the bite slowed down. I picked up a wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senko and fished it the rest of the day. I only had five keepers by the time I weighed in.”

On the second day of competition, Crowder says he returned to the grass beds but had trouble getting the fish to bite the frog.

“I picked up a black Lobina Rico and casted to the edge of the grass,” says Crowder. “On my third cast I caught a 5-pounder. I also used a black Rebel Pop-R to round out my limit.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., 10 bass, 35-2, $6,586 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., 10 bass, 33-13, $3,293

3^rd:          Dennis Burdette, Lindside, W. Va., 10 bass, 31-6, $2,195

4^th:          Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., 10 bass, 28-5, $1,537

5^th:          Scott Banton, Midlothian, Va., 10 bass, 27-13, $1,317

6^th:          Brett Ewing, Waldorf, Md., 10 bass, 27-5, $1,207

7^th:          Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., nine bass, 26-12, $1,298

8^th:          Ray Griffin, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 26-4, $988

9^th:          Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., 10 bass, 25-15, $878

10^th:        Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 25-13, $768

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Chip Adams of Fredericksburg, Virginia, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $945.

Hurst wins co-angler title

Todd Hurst of Pulaski, Virginia, won the co-angler division and earned $3,393 with a two-day cumulative catch of eight bass weighing 24 pounds, 3 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Todd Hurst, Pulaski, Va., eight bass, 24-3, $3,393

2^nd:         Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., nine bass, 23-2, $1,646

3^rd:          Chris Whittaker, Waverly, Va., nine bass, 22-6, $1,148

4^th:          Will White, Wake Forest, N.C., 10 bass, 20-15, $768

5^th:          Jeff Warter, Centreville, Va., eight bass, 20-2, $659

6^th:          Mark Robertson, Henderson, N.C., eight bass, 17-6, $604

7^th:          Tanner Glasgow, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 15-14, $549

8^th:          Thomas Hirsch, Powhatan, Va., six bass, 15-5, $494

9^th:          Mike Gardner, South Hill, Va., five bass, 14-8, $439

10^th:        Lucas Doucet, Lanham, Md., six bass, 13-10, $384

Ronald Knight of McKenney, Virginia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $472.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.