Potomac River Day 4 Coverage
Can Warren earn the W?
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Top five patterns from day three
2:12 That’ll do it for the blog
Check-in for the pros is at 3:15 p.m. ET, and weigh-in starts at 4 p.m. Our crew is headed off the water now, and it looks like weigh-in is going to be a pretty tight. Tom Monsoor has picked away in the afternoon most days, and that’s going to be key. If he can get another one or two quality fish, weigh-in will go from interesting to way too close to call.
Weigh-In Time: 4 p.m. ET on days three and four
Weigh-In Location: Smallwood State Park all days
1:55 Neal, McMillan
Michael Neal just culled up slightly again. Emphasis on “slightly.” Brandon McMillan has headed back into Chicamuxen from a quick stop in Mattawoman to his juice – we’ll see if it pays off for him or not.
1:34 Monsoor culls twice
Tom Monsoor has culled twice in short order with at least one fish that might be a 3-pounder. We’ll work on a better estimate, but it seems like there might be something going on for the Wisconsin veteran. He’s probably back in second place now, and might be pretty close to knocking off Warren if our estimates are wrong in both directions.
1:30 Sprague limits
Jeff Sprague finally limited out. Flipping a worm, he just boxed up a 2-pounder. That fish moved him up a fair bit, but he needs them to get a lot bigger if he’s going to sniff the top five.
1:27 Slight culls
Both Tom Monsoor and Chris Johnston just made slight improvements to their creels with decent 2-pounders.
1:10 Meyer’s fishing
Cody Meyer has popped around and done a lot of things this week, but most recently he got done smashing some 2-pounders in Leesylvania. Most of his fishing there was done with a vibrating jig, but the flurry contained no true kickers. Good fish, but probably not enough to make a run to the top of the leaderboard with.
12:55 Popper alert
Back in the grass in Pohick, Chad Warren just caught one on the popper. It’s early afternoon now and the sun is blazing. It didn’t help any, but it sure seems like he might have another chance or two at some additional weight this afternoon.
12:50 Neal again
Michael Neal has culled again, this time to push his bag over 16 pounds. He needs to beat Chad Warren by more than 2 pounds to get a win today, so there’s still work to be done if he wants to avoid another second-place finish.
12:42 Real Deal upgrades, Big Mac moves, Meyer culls
Michael Neal just made a slight cull. He’s got close to 16 pounds now, if he can get one or two more big bites he might threaten Chad Warren.
Brandon McMillan has finally moved, running back into Mattawoman to try and get something going. It looks like his Senko spot is over and done with.
Finally, Cody Meyer has culled, and is now right around 15 pounds as well.
12:38 Warren heads back
Chad Warren is rolling back to Pohick now. There is some more cloud cover now and he’s going to try and reignite his popper bite if he can.
12:20 Meyer culls, Warren
Cody Meyer has culled up again to get to a bit more than 14 pounds.
Chad Warren has flipped docks for the last little bit and caught one 2-pound smallmouth. That’s cool, but that’s not what he needs. He’s headed back to some grass here in a bit.
12:05 Monsoor culled, might be feeling it
Tom Monsoor just culled with a 3-pounder and promptly got another bite to follow it up. He’s back on a little sweet spot and seems a little more chipper now.
11:50 Warren’s change
Chad Warren is hunting a kicker now. He made a quick stop in Broad, and is now flipping docks on the main river. If he can get another 4-pounder, he’ll probably be able to call it a W.
11:50 Kitties
Tom Monsoor is catching big ones. Big catfish. He’s landed three in the last 10 minutes or so. Perhaps there are bass with them?
11:37 Cap’n catches a good one
Brandon Cobb has kinda worn out his area, but he did just catch a 3-pounder. His limit is over 10 pounds now – though he’s happy to take the extra money, he really wasn’t too excited about fishing today – his foot could use some rest before the Cup.
11:15 Johnston culls
Chris Johnston just added a 3-pounder. He’s got 14+ in the ‘well now. He's still flipping grass, and he's moving around quite a bit today despite the rough seas. Then again, what's the Potomac compared to someone raised on Champlain the Great Lakes?
11:04 A fish for Sprague!
Jeff Sprague has had a pretty rough morning. His third of the day is a meager keeper that might go 2 pounds.
10:50 Neal, Warren
With another 3-pounder, this one on a vibrating jig, Michael Neal has about 16 pounds and is now unofficially in second behind Warren. Chad Warren is making a move – he’s headed out of Pohick and up to Broad Creek to look for a kicker.
10:30 Warren is in a lull
Chad Warren is moving around on his grass flat a little more now. He’s gone off the edge a little into some deeper water and is throwing some different baits. He’s in a bit of a lull, but because the main river is so rough today he’s not super inclined to make a big move. Also, where he’s at has been pretty good.
10:20 Another for Big Mac
Brandon McMillan’s bites have come in spurts the last few days, and he might have just finished with one. After his last cull, he flopped a 2-pounder in the boat to get up to about 9 or 10 pounds. Like yesterday, it’s all about the Senko.
10:05 Neal and McMillan cull
Michael Neal just caught a giant Potomac bass – it is at least 4 pounds. With that he’s culled up to about 15 pounds and is basically in second or third place.
Brandon McMillan has also culled now. He gained perhaps a pound in the transaction and has about 8 pounds total.
9:45 Monsoor with a little cull
Tom Monsoor has soaked one area most of the time and also worked the outside edge of some grass this morning. It’s been a bit of a slog. Maybe 10 minutes ago or so he made his first cull, swapping out a tiny fish for a slightly less tiny fish.
9:40 Big Mac limits
Brandon McMillan filled out the box with another small one. He probably has less than 8 pounds in the livewell now.
9:25 Meyer upgrades
Cody Meyer has pieced together a limit now and just culled up by about a pound. He’s got 11+ in the ‘well.
9:20 Johnston culls
Chris Johnston has moved back into Mattawoman and culled up about a half pound on a jig. They seem to be eating his preferred fast-flipping approach today – the Canadian might have a comeback in him yet.
9:08 Monsoor limits, notes
Tom Monsoor just filled up his limit with a 2-pounder.
Half the top 10 is fishing somewhere in Chicamuxen now. It’s produced this week for sure. Brandon McMillan has set down the Senko for the time being – he’s flipping now (praise hands emoji).
8:45 Warren is running and hiding
It’s way early, but Chad Warren just landed another 3-pounder – he’s pushing 16 or better now. The boys are a really going to need to get on it if they’re gonna run him down.
8:40 Neal has three
Michael Neal’s third is another 2-pounder. He’s on some decent quality so far this morning.
8:28 McMillan and Meyer
Brandon McMillan has his fourth now and it’s another little guy. Cody Meyer has four now as well – he just popped a 2-pounder and then a dink.
8:21 McMillan catches No. 3
Brandon McMillan’s third is another small keeper. He says he doesn’t know how many are left on his spot – he may have to go prospecting some to go run down the win.
Michael Neal just lost a 2-pounder and then caught another for his second keeper. Jeff Sprague just caught his second as well.
8:19 Four for Monsoor
Tom Monsoor landed a line-burner for his fourth keeper.
8:10 Warren is on fire
Chad Warren has had two flat-out phenomenal topwater mornings. He just landed a 4-pounder on his popper (nobody knows what it is, it doesn’t have a name on it), and he’s got like 15 pounds in the livewell now.
?8:06 Johnston and Monsoor weights
The last two that Cory Johnston caught must have been good ones – he says he’s got 13 pounds now. Tom Monsoor’s last two were decent, but not giant, really just solid 2-pounders.
7:58 Warren again, Monsoor, Johnston
Chad Warren has added another 2+ to his limit. We’ve got him at nearly 13 pounds now, but our estimate was a fair bit high on Saturday. Tom Monsoor has three now, and the last two he landed were worth a net, but it’ll be a bit until we can get an accurate estimate. Finally, Chris Johnston is culling now, but we’ve got no idea on the weights involved there either.
7:45 Warren with a good one
Sun and all, Chad Warren just made a good upgrade, swapping out a dink for a nice 3-pounder. He’s the hot hand today for sure.
7:40 Warren culls, Cobb adds
Chad Warren has culled up a couple of ounces twice now. The sun is starting to crack out now, and that’s about when his bite died on Saturday. The next half hour might tell us a lot about his chances.
Brandon Cobb now has four small keepers.
7:25 Warren limits
Chad Warren just filled his limit with another small keeper. He’s shy of 10 pounds, but a limit is still a good thing.
7:20 Johnston, Cobb
Chris Johnston has four now, and all but one are pretty decent. That said, they all probably need to be culled if he’s going to pull out a W. He’s flipping a jig in grass and is moving fast as he is wont to do.
Brandon Cobb also has two fish now, but they’re not of any special size.
7:13 Warren
Chad Warren’s fish are turning on, but the size isn’t there yet. He just landed three and four in quick succession on the popper.
7:11 Sprague, McMillan, Johnston
Jeff Sprague just caught a 2-pounder at Leesylvania to get his day going. Brandon McMillan has two now, but his second is a real dinker. Chris Johnston has started much better today – his third is a solid 2-pounder.
7:05 Fishies
Michael Neal and Andy Young just boated solid 3-pounders to get their days going. Chad Warren might be feeling it again – he’s now boated a small keeper and a 3-pounder.
7:00 Monsoor, Warren
Tom Monsoor took his time running the main river (it’s pretty rough today), and has now poled down on his starting spot. He’s released one small one and caught a 2-pounder so far and is swimming a jig some but also soaking a soft plastic.
Chad Warren is back on his popper place, but the tide is rising quite a bit faster than it was on day one. He’s had a few blowups, but he’s not liking it quite as much as he did on day three.
6:55 Meyer with another
Cody Meyer has started off with a vibrating jig and just landed another 3-pounder. He’s got about 6.5 pounds in the boat in the first 20 minutes of fishing.
6:50 Johnston and McMillan start things off
Chris Johnston started flipping right in Mattawoman and has popped a small keeper and a chunky 2-pounder to get going. Down on “the spot,” Brandon McMillan has swung and missed and caught a 2-pounder.
Cody Meyer is also on the board early with a 3-pounder.
6:30 The top three are ounces apart
Veteran pro Tom Monsoor leads the way on the final day of the FLW Tour presented by Costa Sunglasses on the Potomac River. Right behind him, Brandon McMillan and Chad Warren have all the momentum in the world and are hungry for the win. Taken together, the last top 10 of the regular season has something for everyone, from veterans looking to light up the tail of their careers to rising pros and established superstars at the top of their game. With Monsoor, McMillan, Warren, Chris Johnston and Jeff Sprague on FLW Live, it should make for a really fun day.
The weather in store for the anglers looks decent, but there are some tide and wind concerns. A strong south wind is in the forecast, and that might make the high tide come in quite a bit quicker and higher than it has previous days. All week, the anglers looked for Sunday to offer the most low tide and the best fishing, but that’s no sure thing now. Even so, fishing on the high tide has been good as well – we’re likely to see a lot of fish caught regardless of how the mysterious waters of the Potomac fluctuate.
The points race is mostly settled and the focus is on one thing – the last FLW Tour trophy of the season. So, happy Father’s Day and let’s go!
Conditions
Temperature at takeoff: 71 degrees
Forecast high: 89 degrees
Sky: partly cloudy
Precipitation: 20 percent chance of rain, afternoon thunderstorms possible
Wind: S at 13 mph
Tide (at Mattawoman): Low at 8:32 a.m., high at 3:06 p.m.
Top 10 pros
1. Tom Monsoor – La Crosse, Wis. – 51-9 (15)
2. Brandon McMillan – Clewiston, Fla. – 51-7 (15)
3. Chad Warren – Sand Springs, Okla. – 50-13 (15)
4. Chris Johnston – Peterborough, Ont. – 49-13 (15)
5. Jeff Sprague – Point, Texas – 48-15 (15)
6. Cody Meyer – Auburn, Calif. – 48-2 (15)
7. Michael Neal – Dayton, Tenn. – 48-1 (15)
8. Andy Young – Mound, Minn. – 47-8 (15)
9. Brandon Cobb – Greenwood, S.C. – 47-2 (15)
10. Mike Surman – Boca Raton, Fla. – 47-2 (15)
Tournament details
Format: All pros and co-anglers will compete for two days. The co-angler champion will be crowned on day two, and the field will be cut to the top 20 pros on day three and the top 10 pros on day four. The winners will be determined by total cumulative weight.
Takeoff Time: 6:30 a.m. ET
Takeoff Location: Smallwood State Park, 2750 Sweden Point Rd., Marbury, Md., 20658
Weigh-In Time: 3 p.m. ET on days one and two; 4 p.m. ET on days three and four
Weigh-In Location: Smallwood State Park all days
FLW Live: Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET