Smallwood State Park in Charles Co. is the launch point for anglers
MARBURY, Md. (Aug. 29, 2012) – The EverStart Series is headed to the Potomac River Sept. 6-8 when as many as 300 pros and co-anglers take to the water for the final stop of 2012 in the Northern Division.
“I think three main areas of the river are going to dominate this tournament,” said 2012 FLW Tour Angler of the Year Castrol pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va. “Belmont Bay, Mattawoman Creek and Aquia Creek will all have a lot of boats in them come tournament time.”
Dudley, who has three FLW Tour Top-10 finishes on the Potomac River, said he would approach this tournament a little differently than most.
“A lot of the guys are going to be running the tide,” he said. “Not me. If I was fishing this event, I’d stay in one area throughout the day and just let the tide run its course. My main bait would probably be a frog, but flipping baits and chatterbaits will definitely produce in this event as well.”
Water temperature has hovered right around 80 degrees for the past few weeks and is expected to maintain throughout this event. Rain is being forecast earlier in the week, but is expected to clear come tournament time. Dudley doesn’t think that weather will be much of a factor in this event.
“There’s still going to be a lot of fish caught in this tournament,” he said. “I would predict that it’s going to take 18 pounds a day to win it.”
Anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park located at 2750 Sweden Point Rd. in Marbury, Md., at 6:30 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins will be held at the takeoff site on Day 1 and 2 beginning at 2:30 p.m. On Day 3, weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 40 Drury Drive in La Plata, Md., beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $35,000 plus a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The EverStart Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of four tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the Strike King Angler of the Year title along with $5,000 for the pro and $2,000 for the co-angler. The top 40 pros and co-anglers from each respective division will qualify for the EverStart Series Championship that will be held on the Ouachita River in Monroe, La., Nov. 1-4.
The EverStart Series tournament on the Potomac River is being hosted by the Charles County Government Office of Tourism.