Brennon McCord of West Frankfort, Ill., won the 36th annual T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League All-American tournament Saturday at the Potomac River, capping off the tournament with a 16-03 stringer to close with a three-day total of 45-11.
McCord edged Joseph Thompson, who'd led after days 1 and 2, by just over a pound. McCord claimed $100,000 and an invitation to the Forrest Wood Cup, to be held in August at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark.
“This win means a lot," McCord said. "I grew up listening to my dad talk about this tournament and my grandpa talk about it – about how they always wanted to get here, but never made it. My dad has fell short a couple of times. Those two guys taught me everything know I about this sport. It’s an unbelievable feeling and it’s going to take a while to sink in, for sure.”
McCord said 14 of the 15 fish that he weighed this week came using a 3/8-ounce Z-Man ChatterBait Jack Hammer, in Spot Remover or black and blue, with either a Strike King Rage Tail Menace Grub or a Zoom Z-Hog Jr. trailer.
“I was fishing in Mattawoman Creek – I never left,” said McCord, who earned his second win in FLW competition. ”There was about a 200-yard stretch of milfoil that I found that had a little of bit of hydrilla mixed in with it and I think that was the key. Nobody fished it either, except for today."
Here's a look at how the top 10 finished up:
1. Brennon McCord: 45-11
2. Joseph Thompson: 44-7
3. Bryan New: 42-2
4. Chris Martinkovic: 41-7
5. Troy Morrow: 40-13
6. Doug Ruster: 39-13
7. Robert Walser: 39-11
8. Seth Davis: 39-2
9. Ronnie Baker: 35-2
10. Moo Bae: 34-13
