Matthew Caffi of Fairfax, Va.
MARBURY, Md. (May 12, 2014) - Matthew Caffi of Fairfax, Va., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division tournament of 2014 on the Potomac River. For his victory, Caffi earned $4,695.
"I'm from the area and I've been catching them pretty good lately on reaction baits," said Caffi, who earned his first BFL victory. "I sat on one of my best spots for about three hours in the morning, but I didn't get one keeper. So, at about 10 o'clock I made a move to a little area I know where I thought the bass might be coming in to spawn.
"In one or two passes down this little 100-yard stretch my co-angler caught four fish on a Senko for around 13 pounds and he was putting the hurt on me. So, I switched up to a slow-moving bait as well, and I put all my fish in the boat before he had his fifth one.
"My spot was a mix of isolated wood and patches of grass," explained Caffi. "It seems like they bit in waves with the tide. There was a pretty good rainstorm later in the day that made me decide to stay there. So I just sat in that area and I'm glad I did.
"It's great to get this win," finished Caffi. "I have got a lot of support from everyone around here and I'm very happy. People have been saying the river is dying, but I think you just have to put your time in. I hope this tournament puts people to ease about the river. It took almost 14 pounds to get a check, and that's pretty good for the Potomac.
Caffi said he caught all of his fish on a 5-inch green-pumpkin-colored Yamamoto Senko.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Rick Nitkiewicz, Pittsburgh, Pa., five bass, 19-4, $2,348
3rd: Shawn Richard, Hatfield, Pa., five bass, 17-3, $1,565
4th: Brian Sanson, Chittenango, N.Y., five bass, 16-15, $1,096
5th: Brian Bylotas, Scott Township, Pa., five bass, 16-14, $939 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
6th: James Donegan, Leesburg, Va., five bass, 16-6, $861
7th: Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., five bass, 16-4, $783
8th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 16-2, $704
9th: Ernie Freeman, Broad Run, Va., five bass, 15-14, $626
10th: Terry Olinger, The Plains, Va., five bass, 15-10, $548
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Craig Wheeler of King George, Va., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to win $2,348 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Eric Correll, Birdsboro, Pa., five bass, 18-5, $1,174
3rd: Mark Mothersell Jr., Rochester, N.Y., five bass, 15-13, $781
4th: Aaron Bond, Waldorf, Md., five bass, 15-9, $548
5th: Cherif Zaher, Orangeville, Pa., five bass, 15-6, $470
6th: Cody Cutter, Harveys Lake, Pa., five bass, 15-5, $430
7th: Kevin Mothersell, Henrietta, N.Y., five bass, 15-1, $391
8th: Joseph Spears, Stafford, Va., five bass, 14-11, $352
9th: Richard Jordan, Muncy Valley, Pa., five bass, 14-9, $313
10th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 14-3, $274
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Va. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing - the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry's premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2014 over the course of 229 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport's richest payday and most coveted championship trophy - the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.