ELKTON, Md. (July 30, 2007) - Boater Howard Mahan of Oxford, Pa., won the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division bass fishing tournament on Chesapeake Bay Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Mahan $3,599 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Mahan caught his bass flipping a jig into shallow cover to get his quality size bag to win the event.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Joseph Thompson of Ridley Park, Pa. (five bass, 16-15, $2,118); Richard Haber Jr. of Severn, Md. (five bass, 14-14, $1,413); Bill Schultz of Williamstown, N.J. (five bass, 14-8, $988) and Brian Laclair of Denton, Md. (five bass, 14-5, $847).
Geoff Evans of Turnersville, N.J., took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $590 for a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.
David Wilder of Baltimore, Md., earned $2,118 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to four bass weighing 13 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught flipping a jig.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are John Franchetta of Bridgeton, N.J. (four bass, 13-0, $1,059); Anthony Ebel of Davidson, Md. (five bass, 11-1, $706); William Abey of Millington, Md. (five bass, 10-8, $494) and Olexiy Luchnikov of Brooklyn, N.Y. (five bass, 9-7, $424).
Wilder earned $295 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass.
The Northeast Division's next event will be Aug. 18 on the Chesapeake Bay in Kingsville, Md. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on the Hudson River in Catskills, N.Y.