Eastern Shore Bassmasters: Club Tournaments

Results

*Dead fish penalties plus late penalty (4 mins).

Josh had the lunker with a 5.62lb largemouth bass....

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters were on the Upper Bay this weekend for tournament number three of the 2013 season. The week prior, the Upper Bay has just been on fire! Loads of good bags of fish are being brought to the scales in major tourneys crushing the 25 lb. mark and above! On this day, the field of 10 anglers launched out of Turner's Creek at 6AM and were checked in by 2PM. The threat of thunderstorms loomed all day until the skies cleared for the afternoon. The air temps were mid-70s and the water temps were mid-60s. Winds were gusting 15-20mph from the SSW.

Once again, the club takes on a new member and said member goes on to get his first win! New member Jake Schauber, who also fished our junior club, fared well on the Sassafras River, bringing in a 5-fish limit weighing 16.92 lbs. Jake and his rider Shelley spent the day on the Sass grinding out a limit fishing wood cover and grass for spawning bass. Jake not only secures his first win, but raises the bar with the new club record for a single day with 16.92, beating the old record (Nanticoke River) by a tenth of a pound...nice job!

"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride!", claimed Josh Wich, finishing in second yet again on the Upper Bay. Josh fell just short of the win by posting a decent 5-fish limit for 16.40 lbs. He spent his day grinding out bites in the grassy areas of the Upper Chesapeake Bay.

In third place, and another one of the newer members of the club, Josh Rhoades managed to weigh 3 quality fish for 11.45 lbs. Josh caught his fish bumping and grinding grass with a swim jig. Well done!

The club's next tourney will be on Lum's Pond, stay tuned for details....

Dave had the lunker with a 5.91lb. largemouth bass...

On Sunday, April 28th, the Eastern Shore Bassmasters came together on the Nanticoke River for the 2nd tournament of the 2013 season. The field of 19 anglers launched out of the Seaford public ramp at 6:45AM, and were checked in by 3:00PM. The air temps were pushing mid-60s at the onset of a passing front, and the water temps were in the low-60s. Even with the full moon the day prior, nobody reported seeing any bedding activity. The "Bethel hole" was the only declared off-limits.

In his first tournament with the club, new comer Jeff Kemp fished his way to victory by securing a 5-fish limit (out of the backseat) weighing 9.21 pounds. Jeff fished senkos in the shallows to catch his fish. Congratulations Jeff and Welcome!!!

Bob Moody finished in 2nd place with a 5-fish limit weighing 9.11 pounds. Bob reported catching his fish in different areas running the river while tossing various baits from jigs to shaky heads...

In third, Dave Perrego managed a decent 3-fish sack weighing 8.69 pounds. Dave also took the day's lunker with a 4.85 lb largemouth bass. Dave caught his fish in the short window of the low tide pitching soft plastics to wood cover.

The club will soon be on the water again as they take on the Upper Bay on May 11th, launching out of Turner's Creek on the Sassafras River...

Dave had the lunker with a 4.85 largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters kicked off their 2013 season on the Nanticoke River on Sunday March 10th. Weather conditions included the 2nd day after a passing cold front that effectively muddied the water just about everywhere and kept the water temps in the low 40's. Air temps were 32F at launch and 62F at check-in.

In first place was Bob Moody with a limit of fish weighing 11.54 pounds. Bob searched for the clearer water and capitalized on a tough bite by dragging small t-rigged plastic baits. Bob also had the big fish of the day with a 4.09 pound bass.

Second place was secured by a single quality fish by Bob Metzgar. Bob's lunker weighed in at 3.17, and was captured probing the shallows during the afternoon sun...

Rounding out 3rd place was Eastern Shore junior member Matt Jolikko. Matt fished as a guest of the club and managed 2 fish for 2.75 pounds, pitching soft plastics to seawalls and bulkheads. Great job Matt!

The club's next tourney will again be on the Nanticoke River later next month.

Bob Moody had the lunker with a 4.09 largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up the 2012 fishing season on Saturday December 1st on the Wicomico River in Salisbury, MD. The small field of 5 anglers were met on the way down with heavy fog on the highway and a balmy low 60 degree air temps throughout the tourney. Water temps fluctuated in the upper 40s and the skies were sunny with a light breeze.

Topping the field on this day, Bob Moody finessed his way to another club win. Bob's efforts had him on fish all day long and his best 5 limit of bass weighed in at 8.85 pounds. Bob was meticulous with his approach and it paid off leading the competion by nearly 3 pounds...great job Bob!

In 2nd place, Dave Perrego managed to find two fish on an otherwise challenging day. After a slow start, Dave got back to what he does best and broke out the flipping stick. Flipping and pitching soft plastics to the docks in town, Dave caught 2 fish for a total of 6.09 pounds. Dave also had the lunker of the day with a 5.17 lb bass that anchored his 5th club Angler of the Year championship. Congrats!

Mike Samuels, no stanger to top finishes in recent months, found his way to 3rd place with a good bag of 4 fish for 5.98 pounds, just ounces out of 2nd place and a kicker from the win. Mike too was catching fish off the docks and salvaged another day. Great finish to the year Mike!

From here the club will take some time to maybe coordinate another conservation project for the winter, and then once again pick up the rods to kick off the 2013 season in mid to late March. Special thanks to all of our families, especially our wives and girlfriends that support our passion and are so understanding of these hectic shedules.

God bless everyone, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and cheers to a wonderful new Year!

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters were on the Marshy Hope River out of Federalsburg, MD this past weekend for the 12th tourney of the 2012 season. The river had no ill effects left over from the passing Hurricane Sandy that battered much of the mid-Atlantic and northeast coasts. Water clarity was good, as were tide levels, and the water temps were in the 49-51 degree range. In the midst of the Fall Die Hard season, only four anglers showed for the day's competition.

In first place and securing his first club victory, Mike Samuels laid the smack down on 4 fish weighing 8.80 pounds. Mike's bait of choice was a homemade spinnerbait in chartreuse/white that dominated the competition.

The club's next and final tourney for the 2012 season will be in the Wicomico in December...Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Kicking off the annual Fall "Die Hard Season" the Eastern Shore Bassmasters were on Killens Pond in Felton for the first time on Sunday October 21st. The Season is slowly winding down as are the warmer air and water temps. The cool October day saw air temps in the mid-60s with water temps ranging from 58-62 over the course of the derby. Some of the bass seem to be a bit in transition, where others are not yet, to the cooler, open water bite.

In first place today, Dave Perrego secured the win by managing a light sack of 3 fish weighing 4.42 pounds. Dave covered a lot of water by fan casting crankbaits to brush piles and points.

Frank Daniels finished 2nd today out of probably the most productive boat (see Bill) on the water. Frank's efforts on the back deck netted another 3 fish sack weighing in at 4.16, just slightly out of the lead on a tough day. No report on how Frank caught his fish, but I'm betting a brush hog, at some point, came into play?! Great job Frank!

In third place, Bill Wolford wrangled in a couple of keepers to the tune of 3.07 pounds. Bill also had the day's lunker at 2.24 pounds. Good Work Bill!

The club's next tourney will be on the Marshy Hope River out of Federalsburg, MD.

Bill had the lunker with a 2.24 pounds largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up club tournament number ten this year on the Upper Bay launching out of Turner's Creek on the Sassafras River near Betterton, MD.  The field of five anglers launched at 6:30AM and weighed-in at 2:30PM. The threat of showers loomed over the bay along with high winds that capped the day at the end.

In first place, Dave Perrego managed a bag of 4 bass weighing just over ten pounds by flipping and pitching to pads, laydowns, boat docks, and grass. With no clear cut pattern Dave managed enough bites on an otherwise unpredictable and tougher day on the water.

Josh Wich managed a small keeper fishing frogs on top early in the morning but elected to bypass the weigh-in for lunch! No one else weighed fish.

Moving to the calendar year format this year, the club has three more tourneys remaining. Coming up for the 2012 Fall "Die Hard Season" are Killens Pond with the club picnic, the Marshy Hope River in Federalsburg, MD, and the Wicomico River in December, always a fun one!

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters braved the weather on Saturday, August 25th for the Pocomoke River club tourney launching out of Byrd Park in Snow Hill, MD. The club had a really low turnout for this tourne,  but eventually three anglers managed to have a little fun in the downpours scattered throughout the day.  Air temps in Snow Hill hit the low 80's, while the water temps were 75-78 degrees.

Ron Horton wrapped up another win on the river maintaining his lead in the AOY points race. Ron's 2nd consecutive club win on the river scored him a limit of bass weighing 7.38 pounds. Ron caught most, if not all of his fish, on a topwater frog fished super slow.

In second place, Dave Perrego worked the laydowns and pad fields pitching soft plastics and frogs all day for a 5-fish limit bag of largemouth bass weighing 6.85 pounds.

Josh Wich, the third and only other angler to show today boated a bass working laydowns with soft plastics, but ended up cutting his day short.

Not a great turnout for this tourney, but the fishing was pretty fast and furious in the morning with a low outgoing tide. The action fell about mid-morning leading to a slower afternoon bite. The club will be on the Upper Bay once again next month as they open the fall tour, or the Die Hard Series as some afffectionately call it.

On Saturday, July 14th, the Eastern Shore Bassmasters took to the big water of the Upper Bay, launching out of Turner's Creek near Betterton, MD for club tourney number eight in the 2012 season. The field experienced a variety of weather conditions including some moderate winds, rain for most of the day, opening up to sunny skies and warmer temps later in the day. The water temps ranged from the high 70s to low 80s.

In first place, Dave Perrego ground out a few more fish with a little patience and the flipping stick. Dave worked the dock pattern early only to manage two small keepers, but late in the day with the lower tide, he managed to fool his bigger fish by flipping the grass near docks. His efforts netted 4 fish for a total of 9.72 pounds.

In 2nd place and fishing from the back deck again was Frank Daniels. Frank spent the majority of his day with his boater fishing the grass with chatterbaits. Frank has been consistent in 2012 and continues to fight his way to the top of the AOY standings. His 7.96 bag of fish today was anchored by a 5.57 largemouth bass, the new club lunker for 2012. Great job Frank!

In 3rd place, was current AOY leader Ron Horton. Ron and his co-angler worked the grass in the Upper Bay for a couple of fish throwing  chatterbaits to fish in shallow grass. Ron's efforts brought him to the scales with 2 fish for 7.12 pounds.

The club's next tourney will be on the Pocomoke River in August.

Frank Daniels raised the bar with the new 2012 lunker at 5.57 lbs...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters were on Lums Pond on Saturday June 9th for the 7th club tourney of the year. The pond saw plenty of action with great weather, as the club fished from 5AM to 1PM, there was a triathalon event including swimming, and the DNREC hosted a kids fishing day in the dog training area. Air temps reached the mid-80s by weighin and the water temps throughout the day reached 78 degrees.

Finishing first on a much tougher fishing day, Bob Metzgar notched his first club win by pulling togther a consistent pattern on wood and tree stumps by casting culprit worms. Bob's efforts netted the only 5-fish limit on the pond giving him the lead with 7.52 pounds.

In second place was Bill Wolford. Bill managed to collect a sack of three pretty good fish, working the stumpfields. Bills 3 fish weighed a solid 6.85 pounds.

Eeking his way into third, Dave Perrego managed a couple of fish, the day's largest with a 5.05 largemouth, and  the day's smallest, at 0.80 pounds. Dave struggled with losing fish early in the day but held for a cleaner finish with a total weight of 5.85 pounds, all off the same tree while pitching Texas-rigged soft plastics.

The club's next stop will be the Upper Bay in July...

Dave had the lunker with a 5.05 pound largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters descended on the Nanticoke River on Saturday May 5th for the second time in three tourneys. The field of 9 anglers hit the water at 6:00AM, check in at 2:00PM, with the water temps ranging between 67 and 69 degrees as the spawn appears to be winding down. The day started out sunny with temps in the low 60s giving way to clouds and a light breeze.

Topping the field on this day was Dave Perrego with a 5-fish limit of largemouth bass weighing 16.82 pounds, a new single day club record. Dave found fish on beds and some left over spawners that were enticed by a weightless senko skipped to pads and floating docks early in the morning, then flipping the pads and the marina basin with soft plastics when the wind picked up later in the day.

In second place was Josh Wich, who managed to collect his limit of fish, a nice 12.19 pound sack of largemouth bass by various methods, casting reactions baits and luring bedding bass with soft plastics. This was Josh's second straight 12-pound bag on the river.   

Rounding out third place was Frank Daniels. Frank rode with Josh and managed to solidify third place with a nice 5-fish limit of bedding fish weighing 10.82 pounds. With this catch today, Frank may have just catapulted his way to first place in the 2012 Angler of the Year standings...as a co-angler! Great job Frank! (edit: Frank is currently holding at 2nd place with just under 85 points, or 5.31 pounds,  from the lead.) 

An honorable mention goes out to Eastern Shore Junior Member Matt Jolliko who hung in there with the club producing a 5-fish limit weighing 7.95 pounds...good enough for 4th place! Matt rode with Dave and employed a similar pattern for his fish. Great job Matt and keep fishing!

The club's next tournament will be on Lum's Pond, a revisit of the "the four horsemen" (see Lum's 2011)...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up their club trip on beautiful Lake Anna this past weekend. The club spent three days on the water and shared in the camaraderie had by all at the beautiful lake house offered to us by Bob Metzgar's family. The house was nestled in the hills just off the Pamunkey River in the northerm stretches of the lake in Orange, VA.

The first wave of the club hit the water Thursday, fishing high winds and water temps ranging from 56 degrees up river to 64 degrees down lake by the dam. Friday turned out to be a nicer day as the wind lied down, however saturday was a nice mixture of both for the club tourney launching out of Hunter's Landing in Mineral, VA.

In first place and stomping his way to his first Angler of the Year title, Ron Horton bagged a decent limit of fish weighing 13.43 pounds. Ron also took the day's lunker with a 3.31 Largemouth Bass. Ron approached the lake from the first day with a solid pattern that held true for all three days - pitching weighted senkos to the outer edges of mid-lake grass.

In second place, but with no report on his success, Lew Boulden managed a decent limit of bass weighing 7.60 pounds.

Rounding out third place, and with an honorable mention ,was Josh Wich. Josh made the trip down with the help of a loaner boat (without the outboard) to anchor down and force himself to fish a small area all day. His efforts netted him a 5-fish limit weighing 6.71 pounds while dropshotting a deep hole to 25 feet of water.

The club would like to extend its gratitude to Bob Metzgar for helping us coordinate this trip and a special thanks to the Gillespies for offering their lake home to us for the extended weekend. We appreciate your generosity very much!

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters kicked off the Spring season once again on the Nanticoke River in Seaford. The opening to the 2012 fishing season resumes as the club tackles the unpredictable weather patterns and changing fish moods of Mid-March here in Delaware. The club launched a field of 8 boats and 11 anglers from the Seaford Public Ramp at 7:00AM, and all checked in safely at 2:00PM. The region was facing a very large passing cold front that dropped air temps from the high 70s the day before to the mid-50s with rain and showers. The water temps were 66-67 degrees.

In first place this day and finally punching his ticket on the Nanticoke River was Josh Wich. Josh was casting reaction baits to shallow fish for the better part of the day, and assembled a great limit of 5 fish weighing 12.64 pounds! Awesome day Josh!

Second place was Lew Boulden. Lew spent the majority of his day flipping for a solid bag of 5 fish weighing 8.04 pounds.

In third place, Bob Metzgar salvaged a good day from a frustrating one as he had reported losing four quality fish throughout the day. Bob was also casting reaction baits to fish hung up on laydowns to the tune of a 3-fish bag weighing 5.72, still a pretty decent day!

  Josh had the lunker with a 2.89 lb Largemouth Bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up the 2012 Fall Die-Hard Series on the Wicomico River on Saturday December 3rd. The field of 7 boats and 10 anglers launched out of the public ramp in Salisbury at 7AM and fished until 2PM. The cold morning air temps in the lower 30's gave way to sunny skies and highs to low 50's with water temps hovering around 50 degrees. The river experienced a high tide in town around 11:00AM.

In first place, and no stranger to first on the Wicomico is the club's only home-grown Marylander Ryan Abey.  On a less than easy day, Ryan strung together a cool limit of largemouth bass for 5.84 pounds. Ryan spent the majority of his day finessing soft plastics to fish grouping up on the docks.

In second place, Frank Daniels continues to turn the heat up in the points race. Frank managed 2 largemouth bass from the back of the boat weiging 4.06 pounds. Frank was also working the soft plastics to get his bites.

Rounding out 3rd place was Mike Samuels. Mike is beginning his 2nd year with the club and riding along with Ryan on the day he managed 2 fish from the back of the boat as well. He was pitching a jig behind Ryan as they both spent many hours on the docks. Great finish!

The club has officially wrapped up the fishing until March of 2012! Stay tuned for any news on winter opens we may be putting together as long as the ice lets us fish!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Frank Daniels had the lunker with a 2.10 lb Largemouth Bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters were on the Sassafras River for club tourney number two in the early stages of the 2012 season. The tournament was confined to the Sassafras River only and the field of seven anglers launched out of Turner's Creek at 7AM. Weigh-in concluded after check-in at 2PM. The area has experienced rather unstable weather conditions the last couple of days. Air temps were in the low 50s but the winds blew pretty good, typical for an Upper Bay tourney in Fall!

In first place, and having an outstanding year so far is back-seat angler Frank Daniels! Frank weighed in a 5-fish limit for 13.05 pounds, casting t-rigged soft platics in the upper stretches of the river.

In 2nd place, and also another honorable mention in the early stages of the 2012 season was Ron Horton, whose climb to the top of the AOY standings after two big tourneys was propelled by a 5-fsh limit weighing 11.00 pounds. Ron and Frank were partnered up on this one and appeared to be the only boat on fish.

In 3rd place, was Bob Metzgar. Bob managed just one keeper to the boat for 2.18 pounds, but like they say, "points is points!" No report on how Bob was catching them, but a good showing for third nonetheless....

In December, the club will wrap up its Fall leg of the 2012 season on the Wicomico River...

Ron had the day's lunker with a 4.05 lb. largemouth bass....

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters kicked off the 2012 season on the Potomac River on Sunday October 23rd. The region faced a cooling trend the week prior dropping low air temps into lowere 40's and the water temps to upper 50's. Heavy fog held up the launch until 8AM and the club fished until 2PM.  Many members fished the river saturday all reporting good success, and the overnight stay was fun with great BBQ compliments of Bob Moody and Bob Wallace.

Recording the first win of the new season, Bob Moody worked his way to the top by bottom bouncing soft plastic craw imitations in deeper water. Fighting his way through the schools of rockfish, Bob managed to sack a 5-fish limit weighing 11.15 pounds.

In second place, just missing his 3rd win in his last 6 attempts, Ron Horton fell short of the leader by just over a pound. Ron cinched the sack on a 5-fish limit by casting plastics to grass and pads wrangling up a solid 2nd place finish with 10.04 pounds.

Finishing in the top three, Bill Wolford narrowly edged out his rider by .02 pounds to claim the 3rd spot overall. Bill's 2-fish netted a total 5.86 pounds.

In other news on the weekend, the club learned of an injury to one it's members children. Bob Wallace's son Andrew was hurt on a play during his football game causing injury to his spleen. At this time, young tough Andrew is at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington recovering from his wound. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bob and his family, and we wish Andrew all the best in his speedy recovery. On the lighter side, Andrew did mention to his dad that due to his defensive efforts, he botched the play and forced the offense to punt. Great job Andrew! Get well soon!

The club picks up again for the 2nd tourney of the "Die-Hard Series" on the Sassafras River in November... 

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters concluded their 2011 season on the Pocomoke River on Saturday September 17th. The field of 6 boats launched at 6:30AM under cloudy skies that eventually gave way to a steady mid-morning rain through the afternoon. Water temps were in the high 60's during a falling tide.

In first place for the 2nd time this year was Ron Horton. Ron's 5-fish limit weighed in at 6.01 pounds. Ron was catching his fish casting soft plastic stickbaits to wood.

In 2nd place was Frank Daniels. Frank's 3 fish brought to the scales weighed in at 3.83 pounds. Rumor has it Frank was on his fish early in the back of Ron's boat.

Rounding out 3rd place was Dave Perrego. Dave spent his day slinging topwater baits to the fish for a mere 2-fish bag weighing only 3.18 lbs. Dave  reports the fish were striking short and subtle which made for a challenging but fun day! With that, Dave wrapped up his 4th Eastern Shore Bassmasters  Angler of the Year title! Congrats!

Concluding the season, many are eagerly awaiting the start of the new season which begins in October. The club's now affectionately termed "Die Hard Season" will kick off the 2012 season on the Potomac River on October 22nd...with a clean leader board! Thank you all for a most successful season!

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters concluded tournament no. 9 on the Nanticoke River in Seaford, Delaware on Saturday August 13th. The club launched at 8AM but waited out a (much needed) torrential downpour just prior to launch. The club weighed in at 2PM.

Finishing in first place, was Bob Moody. Bob weighed a limit of fish totaling 7.92 pounds. Bob and his rider had a decent day and seemed to be in the better areas catching their fish dragging soft plastics on grass edges.

In 2nd place was Frank Daniels. Frank weighed 4 fish for a combined 6.38 pounds and followed Bob for all day on the back deck for one successful trip.

Rounding out 3rd place was Lew Boulden. Lew's 4 fish bag sacked 4.81 pounds on the scales and placed him near the top of an otherwise tougher day on the water.  Lew also had quite an interesting day observing two Sturgeon in the areas north of Seaford, estimating one at approximately 6 feet in length.

The club will now wrap up the 2011 season with their last stop on the Pocomoke River in Snow Hill, MD on September 17th.

Bob Moody had the day's lunker with a 2.07 lb Largemouth Bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up tournament number eight for the 2011 season on the Upper Bay launching out of the Northeast River on Saturday July 23rd. The weather condition were extreme with temps in the near 100's the day before with high humidity and highs in the upper 90's the day of the tournament. Water temps in the Northeast were 89 at launch.

In first place, and no stranger to winning July tourneys on the Upper Bay, is Ryan Abey. Ryan  stuck to his go-to techniques for weighing a limit of fish, initially 15.45 lbs, but after a 3-dead fish penalty, dropped to 14.70 lbs. Ryan spent most of his day fishing grass in shallow bays along with other club competitors.

In 2nd place was Josh Wich. Josh managed a few quality bites casting spinnerbaits to grass edges. Josh's 5 fish limit took him to the scales with 12.29 lbs.

Rounding out 3rd place was non-boater Tony Asti. Tony was paired with Ryan and the two had a decent days flipping and casting to bass in the grass and along the edges with soft plastics. Tony's nice finish was sealed with 4 fish weighing 8.54 lbs.

The theme for the day was good health. Although the members took extra precautions to ensure their own safety in the extreme heat and humid conditions, the safety of the fish fell between the cracks. It's important to always make sure your fish are doing well throughout the day, ensure the pumps are recirculating fresh water and oxygen, and keep them cool as best you can. Todays occurence of 5 dead fish was significant considering the clubs history of fish care. The temps were extreme, and holding 5 fish in a livewell for hours on end can be significantly stressful.  

* Dead fish penalty = Abey (-0.75); Daniels (-0.50)

Ryan had the lunker with a 4.17 lb Largemouth Bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters topped off one their better tournaments ever this past Sunday June 5th on Lums Pond in Bear, Delaware. Sunday tournaments aren't favorites with some of the guys due to pressure on the ponds the day before, etc. However nobody expected the flotilla of 20+ pond hoppers that showed up from New Jersey either, so the day was looking to be a grind with that much pressure on the water.

The area saw passing thunderstorms early in the morning (prior to launch) that gave way to mostly cloudy skies with air temps around 65-70, and water temps topping out around 75 degrees. The field launched at 5:15AM and weighed in at 1:00PM.

Toppling the club's single day catch record was Dave Perrego. Dave brought a nice bag of fish to the scales with his limit of 5 bass weighing 14.23, anchored by his lunker...a 5.43 largemouth. Dave spent the majority of his day casting soft plastics to stumps and docks.

Finishing in 2nd place and very nearly a push for the win was Bob Wallace. Bob's bag of 4 fish came real close to the club's single day catch record with 13.33 pounds of northern Delaware pig monkeys! Bob's great day was complete with nearly 10 minutes to go when he landed his lunker for the day...a 5.87 lb largemouth. Bob  fished the stumps and deeper wood by dragging a lizard.

In 3rd place, Josh Wich managed to pick through the keeper fish and convince yet another toad for the day, a 5.11 largemouth,  to take his bagley's crankbait fishing scattered wood. The lunker completed Josh's limit on his way to a 5-fish, 8.58 lb total weight for the day.

Honorable mention goes out to Bill Wolford, the last of the four horsemen on this day to bring a big fish to the scales. On a day with 25-30 boats on the water the club somehow managed to fight through the pressure and have their best day yet!

Dave with a couple of nice fish to boost the win...

The club collectively caught a number of big fish on a really good day of fishing!

Pictured left to right: Josh Wich, Bob Wallace, Dave Perrego, and Bill Wolford.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters closed out tournament number six on the year at the Nanticoke River on Sunday May 22nd, launching out of the Seaford public ramp at 5:30AM. The river was swamped with a number of club tournaments not to mention the Delaware TBF Junior State Qualifier on Saturday, and left the Eastern Shore members to pick up the pieces. The water temps were high 60s to low 70s with mud flowing from headwaters all day.  The "Bethel Hole", a known largemouth spawning sanctuary on Broad Creek was placed off limits and anglers were strongly encouraged to stay out.

Fortunately for Ron Horton, the world didn't come to an end as predicted on saturday, and Ron managed a limit of Nanticoke bass weighing 7.99 pounds. With this bag, Ron notched his first ever Eastern Shore club win, congrats!

In 2nd place was Dave Perrego with 4 fish weighing 6.52 pounds. After a finesse approach that failed him miserably to the tune of 4 lost fish, Dave relied on flipping and pitching to  the pad fields for left over spawners and bass eagerly awaiting the bluegill spawn!

Rounding out 3rd place was Bill Wolford with a bag of 3 fish weighing 5.00 pounds. Bill spent much of his day working the padfields as well, and fishing for left over spawners in the marinas.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters held the 5th tournament of the year on Garrison's Lake in Smyrna on Saturday April 23rd. The field of 9 boats launched at 6:15AM under overcast skies and threats of thunder storms.

There was no real pattern to the day's fishing. Most if not all fish caught were relating to the pads.

New comer Steve Soroko managed two fish on reaction strikes for his first club win by slow rolling a spinnerbait and crankbait. Steve's two fish weighed in at 3.70 pounds.

Josh had the lunker with a 2.54 largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters kicked off the Spring leg of their 2011 season on the Nanticoke River on Saturday March 26th. The air temps at launch were about 34 degrees and the water temps were 46-48. The wind blew somewhat and the bite was finicky but most anglers managed a fish or two.

Bob Wallace, the club's conservation director, sealed his first win with a 4-fish bag weighing 7.36 pounds. Bob caught his fish slow rolling spinnerbaits on structure on the main river.

In 2nd place was newcomer Kevin Williamson. Kevin's 2-fish total weighed in at 4.74 lbs including the day's lunker which was 3.69 lbs caught on a Zoom brush hog.

Rounding out 3rd place was Ron Horton. Ron's day ended with 3 fish coming to the scales for a total weight of 4.71 lbs.

The club will hit the waters next on Garrison's Lake in Smyrna.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up their Fall "Diehard" series on the Wicomico River in Salisbury on Saturday December 4th. The club launched out of the Public Ramp on Riverside Drive in Salisbury at 6:30AM and fished until 1:00PM. The water temps throughout the course of the day were mid to upper 40's. The air temps of course were freezing, giving way to really cold and breezy later in the day.

Topping the field on this cold day, (and coming off of one hellacious slump), was club President Dave Perrego. Dave found his fish in the upper stretches of the river by vertical jigging blade baits in the dock pilings. Dave's limit of 5 bass weighed 10.04 pounds and his 2.93 lunker was the biggest of the day.

In 2nd place was non-boater Frank Daniels, Frank hooked up with a single fish early in the morning by casting lipless baits to fish on the pilings up in town. Frank's fish weighed in at 1.07, but on a tough day for the field, it was good enough for 2nd place.

This concludes the fishing for the club until their 1st tournament in the Spring, probably the end of March. Until then, Happy Holidays to all and keep warm!

Dave had the lunker with a 2.93 lb largemouth bass...

Dave with a couple of nice cold weather keepers...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up tournament number two for the 2011 season on the Upper Bay out of the Northeast River, on Saturday November 13th. The air temps hit lows overnight and into the morning in the low 30's, dropping water temps by takeoff to mid 40's.

For the 2nd tourney in a row, newcomer Bill Wolford, managed enough fish to finish in 1st place with 2 chunky largemouths weighing 5.91 pounds. Bill put together a small pattern throwing chatterbaits to grass and rocks.

In 2nd place, Josh Wich, despite motor trouble early, found a single bite and was able to secure 2nd place with a single fish weighing 3.00 pounds even. Josh was finesse fishing with Berkley handpours on channel ledges and dock pilings.

Rounding out 3rd place was Bob Moody. Bob caught his fish throwing crankbaits to shallow fish. The lone fish Bob managed to get to the boat was good enough for 3rd weighing 2.00 pounds.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters will close out their fall season on the Wicomico River in Salisbuary on December 5th.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters kicked off their 2011 fishing season on the Potomac River in Marbury, MD out of Smallwood State Park on Saturday October 30th. The club welcomed 3 of its 4 new members on the water, for which there were finally some new faces atop the leaderboard.

The tournament faced tougher weather conditions as the river faced a passing cold front and windy conditions on Friday, then a cold spell with air temps down to the mid-30's for launch on Saturday.  Water temps were down to around 58 degrees.

In first place with his first Eastern Shore club win on his first ever showing, Bill Wolford wrangled up a limit of his best 5 fish weighing 8.62 pounds, and beating out the 2010 club angler of the year, Josh Wich, by .04 pounds. Bill spent most of his practice day tossing chatterbaits and lipless cranks to shallow edge cover, which more than likely held up on tournament day as well.

Finishing 2nd by mere hundredths of a pound was Josh Wich. Josh developed a nice river pattern winding a spinnerbait to grass edges, to fish caught in transition between the still healthy grass beds and hard cover. Josh's 5-fish limit netted 8.58 pounds of Potomac River bass. 

Rounding out 3rd place was Frank Daniels. Frank is fishing his 2nd year with the club, and managed 5 fish for 7.76 pounds on a windy and chilly afternoon.

The club's next stop is the Upper Bay launching out of the Northeast River on November 13th.

Scott had the lunker with a 2.79 largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up their 2010 season in a tough way, which has been quite typical for this year. The club launched from the public ramp in Salisbury on the Wicomico River at 6:30AM.  Weigh-in was at 2PM. The weather was hot and windy with air temps in the low 90's and water temps in upper 70's. As a result of the dry weather and warm temps, the salt intrusion on the river has the fished pushed up in town and sluggish. But a great spot for crabbing!

Making it his last effort on a tough year, Josh Wich slammed the door shot on the competitors with the win and claim to his first Eastern Shore Bassmasters Angler of the Year title. Josh concurred the bite was tough but in the last half hour scored three decent fish to seal the deal. Josh finessed his fish from the sluggish bottom in the upper stretches of the wicomico. His 3 fish weighed a total of 4.81 pounds.

In 2nd place was Ron Horton with 2 fish for 2.42 lbs.

Rounding out 3rd place was Bob Wallace. Bob caught his single fish from the back deck pitching a tube to laydowns and bulkheads. Bob's fish also recorded the day's lunker at 2.21 pounds!

The 2011 season begins at the end of October on the Potomac river.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters completed tournament number nine on the Upper Bay on Sunday August 1st. The tourney launched out of Turner's Creek on the Sassafras River around 5:40AM. The weather was mostly stable, a small front just passed through which made for a rough ride on the bay, but conditions got a little better as teh day went on. Temps in the low 80's, as were the water temps.

Josh Wich finished in 1st with a commanding performance on the win as well as on his entire 2010 season. After a few days practice, Josh was dialed into his fish and knew the what, when, and where to catching them. Josh spent a good portion of the morning fishing grass beds on the Susquehanna and mustered up a nice catch with 5 fish going for 10.60 pounds, with combined largemouth and smallmouth bass eating his spinnerbaits and Explosive Tackle Wiggle Blades.

Ron Horton, no stranger to 2nd and 3rd place this year, braved the rough seas in the morning as well but could only manage one keeper for the weigh-in, albeit a nice 3.60 largemouth bass. Ron's finish put him right in the dead heat for a runner up spot in the club's 2010 Angler of the Year race, with just one tournament left!

On the lighter side of the weigh-ins, Dave Perrego finishes in 3rd place with a single largemouth bass weighing in at 1.70 pounds. Dave found fish in a real shallow grassy area on the Northeast. Dave was mostly pitching senkos to the grassy points and hooking up, but lost a few in the thick grass.

The club's next tournament will bring the 2010 season to a close on the Wicomico river in Salisbury, MD.

 Josh had the lunker with a 4.01 Largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters Marshy Hope Creek club tournament was called in at the 1/2 way point due to lightning. The tournament will not be rescheduled.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters were on the Nanticoke River for the season's 7th club tournament on June 26th. The field launched form the Seaford Public Ramp at 5:30AM and weighed in at 2:00PM.

Leading the field was Bob Moody. Bob managed to catch numbers of "fish" today lending his best 5 with a total weight of 6.11 pounds and a lock on 1st place. Bob also managed one giant carp that foul hooked on his shakyhead along a pad line. Bob fought the beast for over 20 minutes then eventually boated the ugly thing.

In 2nd place, Frank Daniels fell just short of the lead by about a half pound, but a dead fish penalty cost him another 1/4. Frank respectfully finished the day with a 5-fish limit weighing 5.57 pounds, minus the -0.25 penalty.

Rounding out 3rd place was Ron Horton with the only other limit on the day. Ron's 5-fish limit weighed in at 5.30 pounds.

The next club tournament will be held on the Marshy Hope Creek out of Federalsburg, MD on July 10th.

*includes dead fish penalty of -0.25 lbs.

Ryan had the lunker with a 2.16 lb.  largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters held their 6th tournament of the 2010 season and their first two-day event on the Potomac River launching out of Smallwood State Park in Marbury, MD. The club was visiting the park since Thursday May 13th and stayed for three nights during the weekend at the cabins on the park grounds.

For the tournament, the club was faced with overcast conditions early friday morning that made way for a windy afternoon, with approaching thunderstorms that hit Friday night. It was heard that the DC area was pummeled with hail. For Saturday, conditions worsened with the passing front which created a very windy day on the main river.   

Setting the mark on the club's first two-day event, Bass Fury pro staffer Josh Wich found droves of short fish on Friday by casting rattle traps to sandy banks with sparse grass. By Saturday, he claimed to have refined his pattern by fishing the open areas in the thicker grass beds where the bass spawn has moved out and the bluegill have taken up residence. Josh was casting texas rigged smallie beavers to the bluegill beds, as the bass were picking them off. Josh's persistence netted him a total of 6 fish for a winning weight of 16.04 pounds, and a commanding lead in the AOY race.

In 2nd place, Bob Moody, who missed the first day event, showed up on saturday to fish the final day. Bob spent his day working  the docks and grassbeds with texas rigged soft plastics and managed a solid 5-fish limit weighing 10.62 pounds.

Rounding out third place was Ron Horton with three fish weighing 6.92 pounds. After not recording any keepers on the first day, Ron managed to stick to his plan which propelled him to third, right in front of Day 1 leader Bob Wallace with 5.81 pounds.

The club's next event is on the Nanticoke River on June 26th.

* includes a dead fish penalty of -0.25 lbs.

Phil had the Day 1 Lunker, Josh had the Day 2 Lunker.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters completed their 5th tournament of the 2010 season on Collins Pond in Bridgeville, Delaware. The pond is a private access pond and the club was fortunate to have a friend of a friend let us in to check it out.

Again, tough conditions on what we thought would be a great tournament on a less pressured pond. Mostly all the members reported catching pickerel, and loads of small bass. The pond itself is pretty much a 4 feet deep channel by 10-15 feet wide, and expansive flats throughout.  Fish were found bedding in some areas, along with empty beds in others, as well as bass fry already about an inch in length. You couldn't have asked for a more scenic location with the cypress trees, standing timber, pads, laydowns, docks, and lots of structure fishing.

Leading the field of anglers was Eastern Shore's Youth Director, Bob Moody. Bob caught his fish in the upper end of the lake nearly all day throwing a tube to fish relating to the channel. Bob's best 5 fish weighed 5.76 pounds and took 1st place honors. Bob was accompanied by his son for a good day of fishing!

In 2nd place was club president Dave Perrego. Dave found his fish pitching texas-rigged craws to laydowns in the bedding areas, and others by tossing a shallow running crankbait on the pad lines. Dave's 4 fish weighing 5.08, including the day's lunker of 1.76, earned him the 2nd place finish.

Rounding out 3rd place was Ron Horton. Ron's best 5 fish netted him 5.05 lbs.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters would like to extend their thanks to the Collins Pond Home Owner's Association for granting us the access. The club also left behind one of their monofilament recycling bins for the HOA to use.

The club's next tournament is a 2-day event to be held on the Potomac river during the club's annual trip during the weekend of May 13-17th.

Dave had the lunker with a 1.72 lb Largemouth Bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters kicked off the spring season with a tournament on Hearns Pond in Seaford, Delaware on Saturday. The pond, still under the slot limts restriction which have been unofficially lifted, fished extremely small with only a few anglers reporting catches. The 15-18 inch slot limit didn't matter much, for the pond rarely produced fish anywhere near the minimum.

On a day of mixed weather with a passing cold front, after a week of air temps in the mid to high 60's, the 40 degree weather pushed the fish back. Water temps ranged in the low to mid 50's throughout the day.

On top of the field was Phil Burkhardt fishing in his 1st full year with the club. Phil managed 2 keeper fish for 2.96 lbs throwing lipless crankbaits from the back of the boat. For you non-boaters out there...it can be done!

In 2nd place was Dave Perrego with 2 fish for 2.26 lbs. Dave found his 2 keeper bass in the deeper parts of the lake throwing a crankbait to inside channel ledges.

Josh Wich took 3rd place with 1 fish weighing 1.17 lbs. Josh also found the deep bite casting a finesse jig.

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters season is now in full swing and continues on  April 24th on a private pond in Bridgeville, Delaware.

Phil Burkhardt had the lunker with a 1.68 lb largemouth bass...

The Eastern Shore Bassmasters wrapped up the 1st leg of their 2010 season on the Nanticoke River on December 13th.  The weather was a bit uncooperative with air temps ranging from a chilly 34 degrees at launch to a mild 50 degrees at weigh-in with rain all day from drizzle to a near down pour. Water temps ranged in the 39-41 degree range, coupled with an extreme low tide.

Leading the field was Josh Wich, with his 3 fish for 3.64 pounds. Josh found a decent bite during a falling tide in slow water, not to mention a number of other species including a couple of citation sized Crappie.

In 2nd place was Ron Horton, with a single keeper fish weighing 1.60 pounds. That fish was good enough for the day's lunker.

Rounding out 3rd was a guest of the club, Bill Miller. Bill rode with Dave and managed a 1.15 pound bass on a shaky head in a shallow water pocket in the last 50 minutes. This was Bill's second trip with the club, and his 2nd top 3 finish...

The club has wrapped it up officially for the winter, but will be back in late March gearing up for a real competitive Spring/Summer season.