CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (May 30, 2019) – Boater Joseph Thompson of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, took the early lead Thursday at the 36th annual Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American tournament on the Potomac River with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces. Right behind Thompson in second place is Doug Thompson of Mabelvale, Arkansas, who brought five bass to the scale good for 15 pounds, 15 ounces. Thompson said he fished five key spots today, three of which he rotated through for the majority of his day.
“I went to my first spot that I had really big fish at in pre-practice,” said Thompson, who has six career top-10 finishes and one win on the Potomac River in BFL competition. “I spent a lot of time trying to make that spot happen and it just didn’t.
“I left and bounced around the river. I pretty much stuck to my main spots and took what the river gave me,” continued Thompson. “There’s a variety of different patterns and things going on.”
Thompson said that he caught around 12 to 15 keepers, adding that he had a limit fairly early and was culling by 9 a.m.
“I culled probably three or four times, but just for ounces – except for the couple of big ones I caught. I had two over 4 pounds,” said Thompson.
Thompson went on to say that he feels good about what awaits him on Friday.
“My two primary spots I left, and I feel that there’s still fish there. They’re places I hardly ever see anybody fish,” said Thompson. “I was only able to get one today at my big fish spot – it’s gnarly, gnarly stuff. I’m going to start there tomorrow and see if I can get a big one right away, then run around and try to find 2½-pounders. It’s hard to get a big fish right now.”
The top 10 boaters after day one on the Potomac River are:
1st: Joseph Thompson, Coatesville, Pa., five bass, 16-8
2nd: Doug Thompson, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 15-15
3rd: Doug Ruster, New Palestine, Ind., five bass, 15-11
4th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 15-10
5th: Kip Carter, Mansfield, Ga., five bass, 15-1
6th: Jason Crone, Kalispell, Mont., five bass, 14-11
7th: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 14-8
8th: Jason Grape, Attalla, Ala., five bass, 14-3
9th: Tommy Williams, Shepherdsville, Ky., five bass, 13-13
9th: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 13-13
Overall, there were 218 bass weighing 565 pounds, 2 ounces, caught by 49 boaters Thursday. The catch included 37 five-bass limits. Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Virginia, leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces, followed by Zach Barnes of Chickamauga, Georgia, in second place with five bass weighing 15 pounds even.
The top 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Ben Dacey, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 15-14
2nd: Zach Barnes, Chickamauga, Ga., five bass, 15-0
2nd: Michael Bahnweg, Union Dale, Pa., five bass, 15-0
4th: Randy Paquette, Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 14-15
5th: Todd Blakeman, Chatham, Ill., five bass, 14-7
6th: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., five bass, 13-14
7th: Levi Crossway, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 13-9
7th: Brandon Ackerson, Afton, Okla., five bass, 13-9
9th: Wayne Miller, Morgantown, Ky., five bass, 12-14
10th: Willis Kennedy III, Flomaton, Ala., five bass, 12-11
Overall, there were 163 bass weighing 404 pounds, 6 ounces, caught by 46 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 18 five-bass limits.
The BFL All-American features a field of the top 98 boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division BFL circuit competing for a grand prize of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. The top boater will receive an invitation to compete for the 2019 FLW Cup Aug. 9-11 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas.