Warbird Outdoors Shootout results for August 1st, 2009

 Pete O'Donnell and Ricky Windsor place 1st with 20.85 lbs

It still takes 20 pounds of bass to win a tournament on the Potomac river!  On Saturday, August 1st, Pete O'Donnell and Ricky Windsor had their best five fish weigh just over twenty pounds which vaulted them to the top of the day's ranks.  Their bag of bass was bookended by two whoppers, one of which took big fish honors at 6.58 pounds.  The two anglers have won for the third time in this lucrative tournament series and cashed yet another fat check - this one for $1410.  Their two big fish put them out of the reach of the rest of the dog pile below them including 2nd place finishers Brad Lear and Mike Kruse (pictured below) who had their five best bass weigh 16.34, only three hundredths of a pound away from third place anglers Tony Black and Dave Smith (pictured on bottom) who weighed in 16.31 pounds of bass.  Mere ounces separated the next three competitors on the day who all had bags in the 16-pound range.                              

"The day was categorized by a typical morning bite," said 2nd place finisher Brad Lear.  "You'll see that pattern play out nearly every day this time of year.  We caught our limit within the first hour of the tournament."  Other anglers agreed and said that boat wake from pleasure boaters increased as the morning turned into the day. 

Brad Lear and Mike Kruse take 2nd place with 16.34 lbs of bass

The forecast called for "light and variable winds (www.weather.com)", but anglers found that not to be true as the day progressed.  The morning featured an almost dead calm with 100% humidity that left fishermen begging for a breath of air.  Once the sun climbed a little higher in the sky, they got their wish with a strong breeze out of the south.  Boat traffic added to the choppy conditions on the main river forcing some anglers to change tactics.  "If you're on fish on the main river and the wind kicks up or boat traffic becomes a problem you need to adapt," said Rodney "Tank" Mosley (not pictured).  "You need to figure out which direction the wind is coming from and determine if the Maryland side or the Virginia side will offer more protection.  Then you need to find a creek that has been historically productive for that time of year."   Rodney is currently in contention for the team of the year in the Warbird Outdoor Shootout.  Both he and Brad Lear will be featured in upcoming Angler Profile articles from this Examiner.

Tony Black and Dave Smith place 3rd with 16.31 pounds

Terry Olinger sponsors the Warbird Outdoor Shootout.  Mr. Olinger is the proprietor of Warbird Outdoors, a fishing tackle and boat repair shop in Woodbridge.  Anyone interested in fishing the remaining Warbird Outdoor Shootout tournaments or for any of your bass fishing needs should contact Mr. Olinger at his shop on 2627 Hanco Center Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22191.  Mr. Olinger can also be reached by phone @ 703-878-3111 or by email: sales@warbirdoutdoors.com .