Strike King co-angler crown goes to Pyles on the Potomac
MARBURY, Md. – Weighing a total of 40 pounds, 5 ounces for 14 bass, Jerry Pyles took home the Strike King co-angler win in the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Northern Division event on the Potomac River. It’s the third MLF win for the Maryland angler, but his first in a multi-day event, and worth a lot – Pyles took home a new Phoenix boat, plus $500 and a berth in this fall’s Toyota Series Championship on Wheeler Lake.
A team tournament angler and local to the Potomac, Pyles knows his way around the river, and the knowledge came in handy this week.
“Every place my pros took me, I’d been to, so I kind of knew where to throw,” he said. “So, I knew some places to throw that weren’t in my pros’ line of sight, and it paid off for me.”
Pretty even-keeled, Pyles was still very happy with the win.
“This stuff doesn’t make me nervous anymore, I’ve been doing it a long time,” he said. “I just like to go out and have fun, and if it happens, it happens. I just like to go out and enjoy myself and let things fall where they may. It’s awesome, these multi-day events are totally different than a one day event, that’s for sure.”
A software engineer by trade, Pyles had to use all his Potomac wiles to catch his bass.
“I fish here a lot, my bread and butter is a swim jig, I threw that a lot on the first day,” he said. “I try not to get locked in to one thing – the second day it was totally different – everything came on a Senko. That’s what I used today – I just had to adapt.”
His swim jig of choice was a 3/8-ounce purple model from Brovarney Baits with a blue Strike King Rage Craw for a trailer. A 5-inch Yamamoto Senko with a 1/16-ounce nail weight got the job done on the wacky rig.
On stage, Pyles made sure to thank his wife Jennifer, his stepson Alex, nephew Brandon and fishing partner Charlie for their support. Mixing some staple Potomac bait and good local knowledge, Pyles had the perfect recipe for a big win.
Top 10 Strike King co-anglers
1. Jerry Pyles – 40 – 5 (14) $34,000
2. Jesse Ketchum – 36 – 4 (14) – $5,525
3. Christopher Dam – 35 – 0 (13) – $4,300
4. Josh Whitehead – 33 – 15 (14) – $3,650
5. Doug Jenkins – 32 – 11 (14) – $3,150
6. Matt Hollins – 32 – 8 (11) – $2,650
7. Roland Gittings – 32 – 0 (11) – $2,150
8. Lenny Baird – 32 – 0 (12) – $1,975
9. Cooper Jett – 31 – 13 (14) – $1,530
10. David Williams – 31 – 8 (12) – $1,290