BassFan columnist Miles "Sonar" Burghoff is one of 49 anglers competing in the BFL All-American this week. The event will take place on the Potomac River in conjunction with the FLW Tour Major.
Following is his practice report:
"Well, this year's installment of the All-American is sure to be exciting. The reason for that is the 49-boat field is limited to only a small portion of the Potomac River – right smack-dab in the middle of our nation's capital. The FLW Tour is limited to everything below the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and the All-American field is limited to everything above. This portion of the Potomac is void of grass, but has an abundance of wood and rocks in certain areas and is known for fishing very small, which means that we'll be playing bumper-boats all week.
"My practice was somewhat disappointing. It wasn't bad because of lack of bites, but due to the fact that last night during the tournament meeting I became sick as a dog and got less than an hour's worth of sleep. I unfortunately had to call it quits a few hours early today, which I have never had to do during a tournament practice before, and I really hate to come in early. However, sleep seems really important to me right now.
"From what I see, this section of the river has a pretty healthy population of 15- to 17-inch keepers, but finding bigger fish is a challenge, especially with such heavy pressure. I was able to get bit on a bunch of different baits, but I have one that seems to catch more and bigger fish than others. That being said, it isn't going to be what you throw, but where and when you throw it, since tides have a major influence on the fishing here.
"Despite my shortened practice, I feel like I have got a good shot to put myself in contention. I will soon find out."
