MARBURY, Md. (Aug. 29, 2016) – 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, 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,” said 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,” continued 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 said 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,” said 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 finished the tournament in:
1st: Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., 10 bass, 35-2, $6,586 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., 10 bass, 33-13, $3,293
3rd: Dennis Burdette, Lindside, W. Va., 10 bass, 31-6, $2,195
4th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., 10 bass, 28-5, $1,537
5th: Scott Banton, Midlothian, Va., 10 bass, 27-13, $1,317
6th: Brett Ewing, Waldorf, Md., 10 bass, 27-5, $1,207
7th: Cody Pike, Powhatan, Va., nine bass, 26-12, $1,298
8th: Ray Griffin, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 26-4, $988
9th: Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., 10 bass, 25-15, $878
10th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 10 bass, 25-13, $768
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. 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 were:
1st: Todd Hurst, Pulaski, Va., eight bass, 24-3, $3,393
2nd: Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., nine bass, 23-2, $1,646
3rd: Chris Whittaker, Waverly, Va., nine bass, 22-6, $1,148
4th: Will White, Wake Forest, N.C., 10 bass, 20-15, $768
5th: Jeff Warter, Centreville, Va., eight bass, 20-2, $659
6th: Mark Robertson, Henderson, N.C., eight bass, 17-6, $604
7th: Tanner Glasgow, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 15-14, $549
8th: Thomas Hirsch, Powhatan, Va., six bass, 15-5, $494
9th: Mike Gardner, South Hill, Va., five bass, 14-8, $439
10th: 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.