The 4th Chesapeake Pro Teams qualifying tournament was held out of Anchor Marine on June 29th. The weather was hot but otherwise perfect. It was sunny with a light breeze at times and a bit of overcast occasionally.  This was the pivotal tournament of the year as Susquehanna Fishing Tackle in Lancaster, PA would be on hand at weigh-in to present the AOY mid-year leaders with a special award. It appeared to be a two-team race, but with the U.S. Angler’s Choice unique scoring format almost anything could happen.  47 teams were entered in this event, all anticipating the right bites to earn them the victory.

Danny Vass and Tom Turner locked down the 5th position today with a fine limit of largemouth that weighed 16.05 pounds. They caught one of 28 total limits in this tournament and collected $440. Nice job!  Sean Higgins and Andrew Wiley captured 4th place with 16.44 pounds of bass to pocket $550. They have been tearing it up on the Bay the past few tournaments and are moving way up the AOY leader board. Good work!

Alan Hench and Ryan Park’s tournament day became quite interesting AFTER they pulled out of the water. To begin with, these previous champions from earlier this year had a fine limit that weighed 16.46 pounds to finish 3rd. They were sitting in 3rd place in the AOY standings as the day began 16 points out of the lead. The top 2 teams each weighed in smaller limits today which allowed Alan and Ryan to vault into the top position to claim the SFT award. As if things couldn’t get any better, they received the 2nd place Option Pot money as well. All together they took home 2 plaques, 2-$250 gift certificates to Susquehanna Fishing Tackle, and $910 in total prize money. That’s not a good day, that’s a GREAT day! Congratulations!

Some familiar faces were near the top today as Joe Thompson and Jerry Gerlach, fishing for Teams Shimano finished with a hefty limit of 18.23 pounds to complete the tournament in 2nd place. They received some ‘bonus news’ at the end of the tournament as well as they learned they were the highest finishing team in the Option Pot. In all they received 2 plaques, $750 in prize money, and another $600 in Option Pot cash for total of $1350! Nice fishin’ guys!

With the high level of competition in the Chesapeake Pro Teams division winning back-to-back tournaments is quite a feat! That’s an accomplishment that Dan Kardash and Marty Baker achieved on Sunday. They were able to produce a limit of largemouth that totaled 18.28 pounds, barely nudging Joe and Jerry. In addition to plaques, Dan and Marty received checks totaling $1500 and moved way up the leader board. Way to go!  Tony Osborne fished by himself today and did Ron proud as he cashed a 9th place check with just 4 bass but also had the tournament lunker…a beautiful 6.27 pound largemouth. Tony won a plaque and a total of $710 that he didn’t have to share with anybody!

George Acord representing Susquehanna Fishing Tackle (www.sfttackle.com) was on hand at weigh-in to present the mid-year award as previously mentioned. Arriving at Anchor Marine as the contestants began pulling their boats on their trailers George jumped in to help…LITERALLY. George spent an hour standing calf-deep in water on the launch ramp hooking winch straps on boats as they pulled onto their trailers. Now that’s sponsor dedication! Thanks, George!

The next Chesapeake Pro Teams tournament will be held on Sunday, July 20th. Don’t forget to check out www.marshcreekbassclub.com for more information on the Ronnie Phillips Benefit Tournament coming August 16 out of Anchor Marine. Fish with  and Elite or FLW pro and help of one of our own while competing for major prizes!