MARBURY, Md. (June 9, 2008) - Boater Jason Berry of Nanjemoy, Md., won the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division bass fishing tournament on the Potomac River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned Berry $4,076 plus a $719 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Albemarle Sound Regional Championship in Elizabeth City, N.C., Oct. 9-11, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I threw my swimbait for a while and wasn't getting any bites, but my non-boater put five keepers in the boat in a row on plastic worms, so I was starting to get nervous," Berry said. "I put down my swimbait and got my Senko out and used a real slow presentation with no weight, and just let it sink while giving it a couple of little bumps."
Berry managed to pull in five keepers in 4-7 feet of water with about 2-3 feet of visibility, bagging two 5-pounders.
"I used natural-colored baits in watermelon and pumpkin seed that blended in with the grass," Berry said. "I was very blessed; I had a good pattern going. I've put in a lot of practice time this year on the Potomac."
Rounding out the top five boaters are Terry Roberson of Williamstown, N.J. (five bass, 16-12, $2,398); Daniel Nicholas of Sellersville, Pa. (five bass, 13-10, $1,595); James Dudley of Lynchburg, Va. (five bass, 13-09, $1,119) and Kevin Waterman of La Plata, Md. (five bass, 13-08, $959).
Roberson took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $715 for a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught on crankbait.
Omari Navies of Fort Washington, Md., earned $2,398 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 18 pounds, 1 ounce.
"I saw some guys fishing who caught a bluegill, so made a ChatterBait up that resembled that bluegill, and I caught a 4-pound bass in about 15 minutes," Navies said. "The reaction bite seemed to slow down after that, so I threw a shaky head and was able to get another 3-pound fish. The tide started to move, so we moved to the outer portion of the grass and I pitched a Paca Craw with a red dye on the tip, and that was the ticket for the 6-pound, 15-ounce fish I caught."
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Steven Wannberg of Wilmington, Del. (five bass, 13-11, $1,199); Bryan Chatham of Fredericksburg, Va. (five bass, 13-08, $795); Dan Fisher of Fredericksburg, Va. (five bass, 12-00, $520) and Dave Kovack of Holtwood, Pa. (four bass, 12-00, $520).
Navies earned $357 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass he caught on a Paca Craw.
Northeast Division anglers will visit Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md., June 28 for their third regular-season event, followed by an event on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md., Aug. 9. A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on the Potomac River in Marbury, Md., Sept. 27-28.