Berry tops BFL field on Potomac River

MARBURY, Md. – Boater Jason Berry of Nanjemoy, Md., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division 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, 13-9, $1,119); and Kevin Waterman of La Plata, Md. (five bass, 13-8, $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, 13-8, $795); Dan Fisher of Fredericksburg, Va. (five bass, 12-0, $520); and Dave Kovack of Holtwood, Pa. (four bass, 12-0, $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.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Albemarle Sound Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.