The Costa FLW Series is headed to the Potomac River June 16-18 for a tournament presented by Plano when as many as 400 pros and co-anglers will take to the water for the first stop of 2016 in the Northern Division.
“The Potomac is fishing phenomenally right now,” said Walmart FLW Tour pro Bryan Schmitt of Deale, Maryland, who has 18 career top-10 finishes on the Potomac River in FLW competition. “It’s getting back to old form when we saw 15- or 16-pound limits on a daily basis. We’re seeing a lot of anglers needing five bass worth 20 pounds to win some recent local tournaments. It’s a great time to be fishing this river.
“I see areas on the south end, near Aquia Creek, being a big factor in this event,” Schmitt continued. “There’s a lot of man-made riprap and rocky shorelines to tackle. Vibrating jigs, swimjigs and red-colored worms will be popular baits. The grass is a lot thicker than it has been in years, so I think we’ll see a strong frog and jig bite as well.”
Schmitt said that boat docks could also produce some quality limits for competitors.
“There are so many different options for anglers to catch fish out there,” said Schmitt. “The bass will primarily be postspawn, which means they’ll be actively feeding. It’s going to be exciting.”
Schmitt predicted that a three-day catch weighing 50 pounds will win the tournament.
Anglers will take off from Smallwood State Park located at 2750 Sweden Point Road in Marbury at 6:30 a.m. EDT each day. Weigh-ins each day will be held at the State Park beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public. This event is being hosted by the Charles County Board of Commissioners.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C 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 Z175 with a 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 3-5 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
