MARBURY, Md. (Sept. 23, 2013) – Steve Miller of Mechanicsville, Va., weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 29 pounds, 2 ounces Sunday to win the Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division super tournament on the Potomac River. For his victory, Miller earned $5,387.
Miller locked in his second BFL win by milking key areas to edge out the field in a tough tournament.
“I had three areas that were key,” said Miller. “Some were hard cover and some were grass. They were tide dependant; you had to run around and hit them when the tide was right. Because the wind blew pretty hard, you had to have an area that was protected so you could fish efficiently.
“I probably caught 10 fish each day,” continued Miller. “There were a lot of guys who struggled on day two. Fortunately my fish bit.
“It’s my home water and a fun river to fish,” said Miller. “It just happened to be my day. My co-angler was 65 and I’m 64. The old guys can still do it once in a while.”
Miller said he threw a Georgia craw-colored Dave’s Tournament Tackle Grass Jig and a black and blue-colored Dave’s Tournament Tackle Swimming Jig HD.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Robert Wedding, Welcome, Md., 10 bass, 27-9, $2,694
3rd: Robert Grike, Dumfries, Va., 10 bass, 26-10, $1,795
4th: Frank Ippoliti, Mercersburg, Pa., 10 bass, 26-7, $1,257
5th: Doug Larson, Suffolk, Va., 10 bass, 26-4, $1,077
6th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., 10 bass, 25-3, $988
7th: Mike McDonald, Randleman, N.C., 10 bass, 24-14, $898
8th: Doug Jenkins, St. Leonard, Md., 10 bass, 23-3, $808
9th: Randy Waterman, Keysville, Va., nine bass, 22-1, $718
10th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., seven bass, 21-3, $628
Bill Nicely of Warrenton, Va., weighed in a two-day total of nine bass totaling 22 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to win $2,694 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Joseph Spears, Stafford, Va., eight bass, 16-7, $1,347
3rd: Dillon Reid, Ashland, Va., eight bass, 15-3, $899
4th: Carl Hansen, Nottingham, Pa., seven bass, 15-0, $628
5th: Leroy Harriott, Woodbridge, Va., seven bass, 14-12, $539
6th: Kyle Gabriele, Baltimore, Md., seven bass, 13-12, $494
7th: Vernon Adams, Durham, N.C., eight bass, 13-11, $449
8th: Safulla Rana, Warrenton, Va., seven bass, 12-10, $404
9th: Randy Cameresi, Woodbridge, Va., six bass, 12-1, $359
10th: Terry Hebb, Staunton, Va., seven bass, 12-1, $314
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 Regional Championship on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.