Potomac Midday Update – Day 3
Wilder might be letting it slip away
Day three of the Costa FLW Series presented by Plano on the Potomac has been an absolutely perfect day for fishing. There was a fall nip in the air this morning, and it’s gotten comfortably warm since, with the help of a light breeze and plenty of sun. Like the previous two days, the fishing hasn’t been quite as good as the weather, but there will still be some nice bags come weigh-in.
Gregory Wilder looked like the easy favorite coming into the day. With nearly a 2-pound lead and solid limits on days one and two, he started out on the inside track. So far, the day has been a struggle for him – we last checked on the Maryland angler around 10 o’clock and he still had just one small keeper. Wilder caught all his weight in the afternoon on day one, so there’s still plenty of time for him to put it together.
In second, Mike Hicks is making a push for the win. After a bit of a slow start, he picked up a swim jig and caught a 4-pounder on his first cast to get his limit going. By about 10:30, Hicks had assembled four fish that might total 13 pounds. One or two more decent fish will have him in great position to pick up the slack if Wilder can’t fill out his limit.
Starting the day in fifth, Ed Casey looks like he might make a move as well. He only had four around mid-morning, but his fourth was a big one and he thought his bite was only just beginning to get good. He’s a pretty good distance back, but he’s been known to crack a big bag before.
Elsewhere, Travis Manson has put together a decent limit, with his biggest a 3-pounder and his smallest about a 1-pounder. Mike Blake had three small ones in the box early and was having a much slower start than usual. Joseph Wood, William Reed Jr. and Bradley Staley are each working with small limits. Of the rest of the top 10, only Jason Kervin and William Kramer are still looking for limit fish.
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner in each division determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 6:30 a.m. ET
Takeoff Location: Smallwood State Park, 2750 Sweden Point Road, Marbury, Md.
Weigh-In Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Weigh-In Location: Smallwood State Park