The weather was hot, the fishing was not is how many teams might sum up the 5th Chesapeake Pro Teams qualifying tournament out of Anchor Marine. 45 of the top teams in the area were on hand on a very hot and humid day trying to tease 5 big bass in hopes of winning this tournament.

Only 16 teams were able to produce limits at weigh-in on what was an overall very tough day. Only one fish over 5 pounds was caught and that’s an oddity as well for this time of year.

Current AOY leaders Alan Hench and Ryan Park had another great finish as they claimed the #5 spot today with 5 largemouth bass weighing 15.45 pounds. They pocketed $410 in prize money today and continued their stellar season . Finishing right behind them in 4th place were Chris Price and Bob Austin. Their limit weighed 15.96 pounds and earned them checks totaling $520. They are right on the heels of Alan and Ryan in the AOY race.

The 3rd place finishers today were George Short and Gary Bailey with a nice bag weighing 16.05 pounds. They received $620 in prize money and plaques for their efforts. Nice going!

For the second consecutive tournament, Joe Thompson and Jerry Gerlach, fishing for Team Shimano posted a 2nd place finish. Their weight today was 17.45 pounds…quite a feat on a day as tough as this. Including Option Pot money, Joe and Jerry took home $970 and 2 plaques. Nice work, guys!

Today’s champions have been fishing with Angler’s Choice for a long time, including Chesapeake Fall events. They have certainly paid their dues and were rewarded handsomely today. With a huge 18.30 pound bag of bass, Mike Saganich and Ray Saganich took home all the marbles today! In addition to 2 plaques, Mike and Ray were presented $2025 in prize money with the Option Pot money. Congratulations!

Today’s big bass was landed by Chad Rice and Leslie Martin. Their lunker weighed in at 5.36 pounds and anchored a 14.22 pound limit giving them a total payday of $770.  Way to go!

BASS Elite Pro Rick Ash was on hand to hand out entry forms and sell raffle tickets for the upcoming Ronnie Phillips Benefit Bass Tournament next month on the Upper Bay. Check out this incredible event at marshcreekbassclub.com.

The next Chesapeake Pro Teams event is scheduled for August 24 out of Anchor Marine.