WOODBRIDGE, Va. (Aug. 17, 2005) - Pro Michael Hall of Annandale caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds, 10 ounces to lead day one of the EverStart Series Northeast Division bass fishing tournament on the Potomac River near Woodbridge. Pro anglers are competing for $10,000 plus a Ranger 519VX. Ranger also awards an additional $10,000 to the winner if he is a qualified Ranger owner for a total of $69,000 in cash and prizes.
"I live about 25 miles away from the river," Hall said. "I went to a grassbed this morning that was full of big baitfish. I found what I believe is a migratory route for the fish moving out of the creeks and into that grassbed. In the river, there are miles and miles of grassbeds, and most of them are barren right now. You have to find one where all the ingredients come together - grass, bait and depth, and just fish slowly." Hall caught his bass on soft-plastic lures, the style of which he chose to keep to himself.
Hall credited much of his catch to Tuesday's cold front, which lowered the water temperature by about five degrees. "It's been really hot here, but with it getting cooler, the bite got a lot better today," Hall said.
Rounding out the top five pros are Mike Hicks of Mineral (five bass, 16 pounds, 8 ounces); Peter Herbst of Arlington (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces); Tim Peek of Sharpsburg, Ga. (five bass, 14 pounds, 5 ounces); and Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas (five bass, 14 pounds).
Michael Huminik of Stafford caught a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass to earn the day's Snickers Big Bass award for the Pro Division, worth $550. Doug Jenkins of St. Leonard, Md., caught a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds 2 ounces to lead the Co-angler Division.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are David Borodziuk of Audubon Park, N.J. (five bass, 11 pounds, 9 ounces); John Pellegrino of Smithtown, N.Y. (three bass, 9 pounds, 3 ounces); Larry Church of Keysville (two bass, 8 pounds, 15 ounces) and Douglas Grant of Manchester, Conn. (four bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces).
Church earned $250 for catching the Snickers Big Bass in the Co-angler Division. The big bass weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Anglers caught a total of 707 bass weighing 1,430 pounds, 12 ounces on the first day of the event.
Leesylvania State Park located at 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Drive in Woodbridge hosts the daily takeoffs at 6:30 a.m. Leesylvania State Park will also host Thursday's weigh-in beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 17041 Jefferson Davis Hwy. in Dumfries beginning at 4 p.m.
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.