Oberly Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division on the Potomac River in Maryland
OutdoorHub 04.15.13
Robert Oberly of Ephrata, Pa., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division event on the Potomac River. For his victory, Oberly earned $4,695.
“I caught all of my fish in less than 4 feet of water,” said Oberly. “The biggest ones came out of about a foot of water. I was targeting areas with sparse grass and a hard bottom. After catching and culling through three limits, I felt pretty comfortable that I had enough to do well. I had my first limit in 45 minutes and my partner was catching a lot of fish too. It was a matter of who was catching the right bites.
“We got them all on Chatterbaits, soft plastic craws and Senkos,” Oberly continued. “Darker colors like black seemed to work the best. I really didn’t have a very good practice, but my fishing partner was catching good ones. Whether I caught them or not, I could see what kind of quality fish were in the area. That’s what really dialed me in and told me to stick with it.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Chris Johnston, Peterborough, Ontario, five bass, 18-0, $2,348
3rd: Brett Page, King George, Va., five bass, 17-7, $1,565
4th: Jerrod Lloyd, Millville, N.J., five bass, 17-5, $1,096
5th: Brian Bylotas, Scott Township, Pa., five bass, 17-0, $939
6th: Mike Hicks, Goochland, Va., five bass, 16-15, $861
7th: Michael McCoy, Mentor On The Lake, Ohio, five bass, 16-14, $783
8th: Mark Checki, Gouldsboro, Pa., five bass, 16-10, $665
8th: Joe Hunt, Lincoln University, Pa., five bass, 16-10, $665
10th: Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., five bass, 16-8, $520
10th: Jeffrey Ware, Rixeyville, Va., five bass, 16-8, $520
Marc Talomie of Seneca Falls, N.Y., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,348 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Joe Poms, Paramus, N.J., five bass, 19-3, $1,174
3rd: Timothy Legrand, Millersville, Md., five bass, 17-6, $781
4th: Robert Walton, Indian Head, Md., five bass, 16-4, $548
5th: Charles Tuite, Landing, N.J., five bass, 16-1, $470
6th: Gilbert Brown, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 16-0, $430
7th: Bruce Davies, Kinnelon, N.J., five bass, 15-14, $391
8th: Bob Tickell, Germantown, Md., five bass, 15-13, $352
9th: Dan Schoneveld, Hopatcong, N.J., five bass, 15-5, $313
10th: Corbin Gotwalt, Hanover, Pa., four bass, 15-2, $274
The next BFL Northeast Division tournament is scheduled for June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Md. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 Regional Championship on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
