Bass Fishing Aug - Sept 2016 | Page 112

oN tour POtOMaC RIVeR, La PLata, Md. – june 4 sLIpperY rocK sacKs Its fIrst WIN m by Dominick Schenewerk aryland’s Potomac River, where running tides and adjusting accordingly are keys to success, was the site of the second stop of the 2016 FLW College Fishing northern Conference season. the top 10 weights were tight, but Logan Pollman and tyler Sheppard of Slippery Rock university came out on top with 18 pounds, 1 ounce. Pollman and Sheppard began their day just outside of the Mattawoman Creek launch site. they dropped the trolling motor and started slinging black Snag Proof Ish’s Phat Frogs at any weeds that they could see. “We were very surprised that there weren’t more boats in there, and we shared that area with one boat for most of the day,” says Sheppard, a senior majoring in biology “We pulled in, and within 10 casts had one close to 6 [pounds] in the boat.” Soon the tide began to recede, and it was time to switch techniques. “the tide started high in the morning, and the spot that we were fishing had a good population of fish, so we didn’t need to really run with the tide,” says Sheppard. “as the tide dropped out the grass began to fold over, but the fish positioned themselves differently.” the fish relocated just off the folded grass and in or on top of the deeper submerged grass. the Slippery Rock anglers targeted them with a black and blue Buckeye Lures jig and a tennessee shad-colored Keitech swimbait on a Buckeye Lures swim jig and were able to sporadically catch and cull throughout the day. at 2 p.m., Pollman and Sheppard determined it was time to pull up the trolling motor and begin to head for weigh-in. Pollman, in the back of the boat, decided to toss his frog one last time. “We were checking the time, and I was getting a little stressed because we were cutting it pretty close,” recalls Pollman, a senior exercise science major. “I saw this one patch of grass, and I told tyler I would cast in there one last time. I was walking it, and then I stopped it right on the piece of grass, and I heard that whooph.” Pollman’s final catch added nearly a pound to the team’s total weight, which sealed the deal and earned the victory along with $2,000 and a berth in the 2017 FLW College Fishing national Championship. 110 fLWfIsHINg.com I august-september 2016