HENRICO, Va. (July 20, 2015) – Ryan Powroznik of Prince George, Virginia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament on the James River. For his victory, Powroznik earned $7,507.
Powroznik said that he caught nearly 12 keepers on the James by targeting wood and grass in 3- to 5-feet of water.
“I caught two of my biggest fish using a black and blue Shooter Lures jig trailered with a black and blue-colored Zoom Super Chunk,” said Powroznik, who earned the second BFL series win of his career. “After the first one bit at 9:30 a.m., I just kept hacking away looking for the big ones.”
Powroznik said the majority of his fish bit on the Shooter jig, but a key bite came on a black and chartreuse-colored custom crankbait later in the day.
“I ran to a few more brushpiles to catch a limit before heading in. I also had found a good bite in some rocks,” said Powroznik. “When you’re from the area, you always keep a few spots in your back pocket in case you need to grab a few more fish.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Ryan Powroznik, Prince George, Va., five bass, 17-15, $4,507 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus + $1,000 Mercury Bonus
2nd: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $2,253
3rd: Kelly Pratt, Williamsburg, Va., five bass, 14-6, $1,502
4th: Brian Calloway, Danville, Va., five bass, 14-3, $1,052
5th: Kyle Joyce, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $863
5th: Wally Szuba, Cary, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $863
7th: Tim Wiltfong, Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $751
8th: Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., five bass, 12-11, $638
8th: James Seabolt, Dunn, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $638
10th: David Deciucis, Chester, Va., five bass, 12-4, $526
Tom Hebb of Moneta, Virginia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $655. Damon Reid of Bowie, Maryland, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $2,253 in the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Damon Reid, Bowie, Md., five bass, 12-12, $2,253
2nd: Bill Burton, Vernon Hill, Va., four bass, 11-12, $1,127
3rd: Derek Sewell, Forest, Va., five bass, 11-10, $751
4th: Jimmy Holland, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 11-3, $526
5th: Travis Garrett, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 11-1, $451
6th: Aaron Bartlett, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 10-7, $413
7th: Dexter Andrews, Louisburg, N.C., five bass, 10-5, $376
8th: Roderick Mangum, Durham, N.C., five bass, 9-9, $338
9th: David Stone, Midlothian, Va., four bass, 8-13, $300
10th: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 8-12, $263
Jamie Baynard of Clayton, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $327.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. 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.