Pundits’ Picks: Potomac River

Tournament site

It’s June, so it’s time to take the Wal-Mart FLW Tour north for the summer. The 2007 season’s fifth stop, the Potomac River, is nestled on the East Coast, forming the boundary between Virginia and Maryland, with Washington, D.C., as its centerpoint. Wide, shallow and murky, the Potomac is a prime bass fishery loaded with numbers. Everybody catches them here, so a big kicker or two in the livewell every day will be essential to making the cut. Anglers can catch them a thousand different ways on the Potomac, so it will likely come down to the pros with the best fishing spots. Flipping grass will be huge, as Mike Iaconelli proved the last time the FLW Tour stopped here, in 2005. Ike’s not on board this year, so he’s out as far as your picks are concerned. But there’s a wealth of FLW Tour pros fishing this week who have storied track records on the Potomac. Another thing to remember: the Potomac’s a tidal river, so watch out for the pros who can not only find the good fishing spots, but run with them, too, as they move with the tides.

Jennifer Simmons Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 4-0 Points: 2,762	VS.	Art Berry FLW pro Hemet, Calif. Record: 2-2 Points: 2,683
1) JAY YELAS. Yelas dominated here in BASS events, and I heard his fellow competitors even named a spot on the river after him. Factor in his No. 1 ranking in AOY points, and this one’s a no-brainer. 2) SHINICHI FUKAE. I’m going to keep riding this horse all the way to the finish line. 3) ANDY MORGAN. This pick has three things going for him: one, he finished well here last time; two, he’s just behind Yelas in AOY standings, so he’s motivated; and three, I hear this tournament will require a flipping stick. ‘Nuff said. 4) DAVE LEFEBRE. Like any angler, Lefebre can slip up at any time. But I always feel safe picking him. Plus, if he’s happy he’s on my list, he might give me some free cookies. 5) MATT HERREN. Every tournament I think about picking him, and every tournament I pass. It’s time for that to change. I’m praying he will earn me enough points to continue my undefeated streak.		1) JAY YELAS. I’m going with the guys on a roll this round, and Jay is definitely on a roll. This should be another great tournament for Mr. Yelas. 2) MATT HERREN. This is an easy pick for me. Matt is an extremely talented fisherman and has done well here before. I expect him to be near the top, if not on top. 3) LARRY NIXON. The Legend is back and on fire. He’s possibly one of the best ever, in my opinion. 4) ANDY MORGAN. He’s fresh from victory, on a roll and finished very strong at the Potomac the last time FLW came to town. Should prove to be a great pick. Great fisherman. 5) JT KENNEY. Another great pick for this stop at the Potomac. J.T. is a flip master, and flipping will be a huge part of this derby. You can bet he will find the thickest, deepest, darkest stuff around and bring in big sacks of fish when he does.

Gary Mortenson Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 3-1 Points: 2,915	VS.	Clark Wendlandt FLW pro Cedar Park, Texas Record: 2-2 Points: 2,884
1) DAVE LEFEBRE. After a brief hiatus, I’m back on the Lefebre bandwagon. For starters, Lefebre won a Stren Series event on the Potomac River in 2006 and finished in 17th place at the same venue at an FLW Tour stop in 2005. He’s from Pennsylvania and he’s very familiar with this body of water. Plus, when you have an elf on your boat, how can you not have an edge? 2) LARRY NIXON. Nixon is a wily veteran who has more experience than most fishing the Potomac. He’s also fishing extremely well this year, is adept at fishing rivers and has already logged a 15th-place finish here when the FLW Tour visited in 2005. 3) CLARK WENDLANDT. Wendlandt is looking for redemption this season, and I’m betting that he begins to right the ship at the Potomac River event. Even though Clean Shoes has struggled a bit this year, he’s well-versed in this fishery – logging an 18th-place finish at a Stren event and a second-place finish at an FLW Tour event on the Potomac in 2005. 4) JT KENNEY. Many people forget that Kenney once hailed from Frostburg, Md. So, there is arguably no angler with as much experience on the Potomac as Kenney. Sure, he’s struggled some this year, but my guess is that his vast experience on the river will be decisive in catapulting him to the top. 5) ANDY MORGAN. Coming off his first-ever FLW Tour win, Morgan is as hot as they come. However, while past history has shown that there is usually a letdown from anglers after achieving a big win, I don’t expect it from Mr. Morgan. For starters, he knows how to fish river systems. Secondly, he notched a 12th-place finish at an FLW Tour event on the Potomac in 2005 and another 12th-place finish here at a Stren event in 2006. Thirdly, with the monkey finally off his back after his most recent win, Morgan can finally relax and just go fishing.		1) DAVE LEFEBRE. Dave knows these waters well and won the Stren the last time he fished there. He will be very hard to beat. 2) BUD PRUITT. Bud has been fishing very well lately, and his style fits the Potomac well. 3) GEORGE COCHRAN. George loves the Potomac, and it is totally his kind of fishing. I look for him to do well in this tournament. 4) JAY YELAS. The hottest fisherman in the world right now. The trend should continue. 5) ANDY MORGAN. The second-hottest fisherman in the world right now, and the Potomac should fit him well.

Editor’s note: Contributing writer and former pundit Rob Newell has taken over the pundit position vacated by Keith Lebowitz. In probably the shrewdest move Newell ever made as pundit, he inherits a 3-1 record, 2,902 points and is currently ranked third overall – without having made a pick yet. These are his first this season.

Rob Newell Contributing editor FLW Outdoors Record: 3-1 (inherited) Points: 2,902 (inherited)	VS.	Carl Svebek FLW pro Siloam Springs, Ark. Record: 3-1 Points: 2,827
1) TODD SCHAAF. If there is a local force to pick in this event, Schaaf is the man. He has seven FLW Outdoors top-10s and six of them are on the Potomac River, including two BFL victories. 2) AARON HASTINGS. Hastings is having a great year and will be fishing around home at the Potomac. 3) DAVID DUDLEY. Mattawoman Creek is absolutely loaded with release bass after the barrage of tournaments on the river recently. Dudley will burn about a half a gallon of gas all week, score a top-five on retreads and laugh himself all the way to the bank with a nice paycheck. 4) JAY YELAS. Yelas has a great history on the Potomac, including some six or seven top-10s in BASS competition on the river. He’s leading the FLW Tour points race to this point, gunning for his second FLW Tour Angler of the Year title. As long as his swimbait supply got restocked after Beaver, he’ll do well in D.C., too. 5) JACOB POWROZNIK. Powroznik has been fishing super this year, and he knows a thing or two about the Potomac, as well.		1) KEITH WILLIAMS. I think Keith is due for a top finish. If I remember correctly, Keith and his dad did really well at our last event on the Potomac, two years ago. Look for him to flip a big sack into the boat. 2) JAY YELAS. He’s a red-hot fisherman who has been known for his big catches on the Potomac River. I just believe Jay is on top of his game, so look for him to have a top-five at this one. 3) CLARK WENDLANDT. I have picked Clark at almost every tournament this year. This is the one! He has a great track record at the Potomac and will be dialed in for this tournament. I know he has been fishing a lot since we left Beaver, so you can bet he will be ready. 4) MIKE SURMAN. This could be his lake. He is a shallow-water flipper, and the Potomac is one of those places that fits his style of fishing. Being a fellow Castrol and Evinrude pro, I can’t help but pull for Mike to have a great tournament. 5) CARL SVEBEK III. I would never believe in my wildest dreams that I would pick myself in Pundits’ Picks. I always felt it was like shooting yourself in the foot and just plain bad luck. However, after my last few performances, why not? I will give it all I got and hopefully pull out a top spot.

Patrick Baker Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 2-2 Points: 2,883	VS.	David Dudley FLW pro Lynchburg, Va. Record: 1-3 Points: 2,823
1) DAVE LEFEBRE. I still feel slightly bad about the Keebler Kid losing in our pundit matchup at Beaver Lake because he picked himself, so I’ll throw him a chocolate morsel this go-round. Oh yeah, and maybe it has a little something to do with the fact that he’s a machine on the Potomac. 2) CLARK WENDLANDT. The Potomac broke Wendlandt’s slump the last time the tour hit D.C. in 2005, when he finished as the runner-up. Despite finishing a respectable 39th at the last event – it was, after all, Beaver Lake, Wendlandt’s home away from home – you could say Clean Shoes is riding out a minislump at present. I think he’ll again pivot at the Potomac. 3) ANDY MORGAN. I took a chance on Morgan at Beaver Lake and cashed in big-time, so he’s got my allegiance until he folds a hand. Add to that his winning momentum and a high finish here in ‘05, and this pick was easy. 4) JAY YELAS. I just have a hard time arguing with consistency that makes concrete look like Swiss cheese. 5) JACOB POWROZNIK. I’m still stinging slightly from picking Powroznik a few years back for an East Coast river event and then getting burned. But he’s got three top-10s on the Potomac and is coming off an FLW Tour top-10 at Beaver. If time doesn’t necessarily heal all wounds, a high finish will work just fine for me, J.P.		1) MARK DAVIS. It’s after the spawn, and he’s probably one of the best postspawn fishermen around. 2) ANDY MORGAN. Not only is he one of the best flippers around, he’s so hot that when I was in the same creek as him in practice, I got burned. 3) STEVE KENNEDY. He’s the goofiest fisherman I’ve ever seen, but he’s also probably one of the best fishermen out there today. You watch him fish and you often wonder how in the world he ever catches them, but he does. 4) JACOB POWROZNIK. Going out on limb here. He’s fresh off a top-10, and he catches more fish in practice than anybody I know. Hopefully, he catches them during the tournament, too. 5) DAVID DUDLEY. I like tidal rivers, current and shallow-water fishing. So I get the best of all three.

Brett Carlson Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 2-2 Points: 2,763	VS.	Dave Lefebre FLW pro Erie, Pa. Record: 0-4 Points: 2,568
1) AARON HASTINGS. Here’s a great opportunity for Hastings to prove he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. He fishes the Potomac often, and a good tournament in his home state should lead to a berth in the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup. 2) JACOB POWROZNIK. This young man is good and only getting better. If he can catch fish in finicky Beaver Lake, he’ll have no problem with an awesome river system only an hour from home. I’m predicting back-to-back top-10 finishes for the Bounty pro. His best season on tour just continues to get better. 3) DAVID DUDLEY. Too good to ignore, and, unusually, Dudley is fishing very consistently this year. He’s finished 25th or better in each of his last three FLW Tour events. A good tournament here could put him in serious contention for his first AOY title. 4) ANDY MORGAN. For one tournament at least, Morgan gets to put the flipping stick back in his hand, and that’s always a good thing. With the monkey off his back, Morgan continues to inch closer to the $1 million FLW Outdoors career-earnings mark. 5) CLARK WENDLANDT. Clean Shoes is back on my list after a short absence. He’s as good as they get at fishing shallow water. Plus, he finished second here back in 2005, earning $100,000.		1) CLARK WENDLANDT. Did very well here last time. The conditions are about the same as then, as are the tides. It’s setting up well for ol’ Clarky. 2) AARON HASTINGS. Local boy, and he’s probably pretty fired up to get it going on the Potomac. He’s overly confident, and I like it. If he can stay somewhat calm and maintain his senses, I think he will get into the top 10. 3) VIC VATALARO. He’s on a roll and is the only one I’ve talked to down here. He says he’s catching good fish. I’m putting the pressure on my good buddy to follow through. If he can put the sissy sticks away for once, I think good things will happen. Do you know how to use a baitcaster, Vic? 4) DAVID DUDLEY. I’m feeling another top-10 for the millionaire. The Dudley family has cost me some serious coin on this river, usually by way of the daddy, James. But this time I think junior will shine to the top. He’s on ‘em, I can tell. 5) DAVE LEFEBRE. Practice is not really going well for me yet. I never do the same thing twice here, anyway, so I’ve been spending (wasting) all my time checking and eliminating old holes. I love the river, though, and have a good feeling about it. I’m going to hero or zero in this one. No pressure!

Jeff Schroeder Editor FLWOutdoors.com Record: 1-3 Points: 2,663	VS.	Randy Blaukat FLW pro Lamar, Mo. Record: 1-3 Points: 2,282
1) DAVE LEFEBRE. Stren Series success at a particular lake doesn’t necessarily translate into FLW Tour success, except maybe this time. Hey, it can’t hurt. 2) MICHAEL BENNETT. His 81st at Beaver was a blip. At the prolific Potomac bass fishery, just catching five fish isn’t enough; you’ve got to catch five good ones. And Bennett excels at these kinds of events; it’s just a matter of whether he can put two good-fish days together. This kid’s for real. 3) RAY SCHEIDE. Going on a hunch here – O.K., an informed hunch. Scheide posted good numbers for me last month, so he gets the ball again this time through the rotation. It’s a different kind of fishery, but you can’t ignore Ray on the rise. 4) ANDY MORGAN. Morgan’s AOY chances hinge on this tournament, and I say he starts slamming the door on that race at the Potomac. Yelas will be tough to outrun, but I think the tidal-water gods favor Andy at this one. 5) TODD SCHAAF. There’s a reason that some pro anglers cherry-pick certain tournaments. Look out for this local.		1) JOEL RICHARDSON. I just really feel it is Joel’s time. He’s coming off two good events and is on a confidence roll. Early summer fishing is one of his big strengths, and I expect him to finish high here. 2) KEITH WILLIAMS. Keith is an excellent shallow-water angler and seems to do well in waters laid out like the Potomac. He has the trait of many great anglers: lots of high and low finishes, which is the sign of committing to winning fish. 3) RANDY BLAUKAT. I’ve put myself in a position where I need two top-40s to qualify for the championship. So the only option I have here is to do well. 4) ALVIN SHAW. Alvin will be especially dangerous in this event because he needs two strong finishes to make the championship and is also due for a little hot streak. When you are having an off year, you are more apt to gamble on bigger-fish patterns and have a top finish. 5) DAN MOREHEAD. Dan is also having an off year, but has a good track record on the Potomac. He will also have to fish for a top-10 here in order to make the championship, while many anglers already in the top 60 or so will just be trying to get a check and maintain their positions.

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