BassFan Staff
After Mark Rose won back-to-back events to start the 2017 FLW Tour season, it was a pretty good bet that nobody else would match that feat this year.
That bet is a lot less secure right now.
Maryland's Bryan Schmitt, a five-time winner at FLW's triple-A level, notched his first Tour victory on Sunday at the Mississippi River out of La Crosse, Wis. Now he'll head home for the regular-season finale at the Potomac River, which has been the site of three of his FLW Series triumphs and numerous other wins in lower-tier events.
"I'm 100-percent looking forward to it," he said. "I think we've still got this week to be out there (before the Potomac goes off-limits) and I'm going to get out and look around the river for a couple days. It's going to be a fun tournament."
He certainly had a good time on his visit to La Crosse, where he finished with a four-day total of 61-06 after boxing 14-10 on the final day. The margin between him and runner-up Joshua Weaver was a little more than 2 1/2 pounds.
Weaver, a second-year pro from Georgia, caught 14-08 on day 4 to finish with 58-11. Three-time and reigning Angler of the Year (AOY) Andy Morgan ended up 3rd with 58-10 in the wake of a 12-10 stringer.
Todd Auten landed in the No. 4 position with a 58-00 aggregate (14-02 on day 4). Larry Nixon, the 66-year-old legend, completed the top 5 with 57-09 after weighing a day-best 14-13.
Here are the final totals for the bottom half of the top 10:
6. Wesley Strader: 56-14
7. Austin Felix: 56-08
8. Matthew Stefan: 55-10
9. David Dudley: 54-10
10. Justin Atkins: 53-03
Morgan still has a shot at his fourth AOY title in the past five seasons, but he'll need a bomb at the Potomac from leader Bryan Thrift, who's pursuing his second points crown. Thrift has a 77-point advantage and can wrap up the crown with a mid-pack finish.
Bryan Schmitt had his best day-4 action early and late in the day.
The Potomac event gets under way on June 15.
Schmitt Stunned
> Day 4: 5, 14-10 (20, 61-06)
Schmidt said his initial Tour win far surpasses all of his previous accomplishments in the sport.
"Oh, it's unreal," he said. "I'm like in shock.
"I actually had a very close call on the way in. I lost one of my propeller ears and my motor was sounding really bad. The boat was shaking so badly and I thought there was no way I was getting in on time. I was still six miles down the river and nobody else was behind me.
"I made it in," he continued, "but I was just so shook up."
He caught about 20 keepers on the final day, with most of his action coming during the early and late portions. His bag was topped by a pair of 3-pound largemouths.
Joshua Weaver logged his first Tour top-10 outside the state of Florida.
"I thought I had about 14 1/4 pounds and I was doing the math in my head," said Schmidt, who began the day with a 2-12 advantage over Morgan. "With that, I knew Andy would need 15-something and the rest of the guys would need 16-something so I thought I definitely had a shot, but I didn't have that real sure feeling."
His primary tactic was a swimjig, which he employed in a grassy area near an island. Full details of his winning pattern, as well as the other top finishers, will be published this week.
2nd: Weaver Content
> Day 4: 5, 14-08 (20, 58-11)
Weaver was an unlikely second-fiddler as both of his previous top-10 showings on the Tour had come in Florida.
"I'm pretty excited about it," he said. "I thought I'd have to catch 16 to 18 pounds to have a shot at winning, and that ended up being what I really needed. I knew Bryan had a good day, so I'm very satisfied. I fished clean all week and I didn't lose anything that hurt me."
Like Schmitt, he handled about 20 keepers on day 4. He weighed a 4-pound smallmouth and four largemouths.
All 20 fish he took to the scale came off the same wing dam, where he threw a Zoom Z-Craw Jr. on a swing-head jig.
"I didn't catch them as quick today as I did (on day 3), but I had a limit by 10 o'clock. After that, I started catching a ton of keepers."
3rd: Morgan a Bit Shy Again
> Day 4: 5, 12-10 (20, 58-10)
Morgan notched his 25th top-10 finish since he achieved his lone Tour win 10 years ago this week at Beaver Lake. It was the ninth time he's finished 2nd or 3rd during that span.
"I'm okay with it, but I still want to pull a win off here and there and I just can't get it done," he said. "I always end up losing fish on the last day."
He was referring to one in excess of 4 pounds that came off at his boat after he'd gotten it away from a tree and several other obstacles.
Andy Morgan had a good fish in his final-day bag, but lost one that was considerably larger.
"I really can't complain because I caught everything that bit for three straight days, and that's unusual for what I was doing. I knew I was due to lose something and you just hope it isn't a great big one, but it was.
"I don't know if I'd have won with that fish, but it would've been a couple ounces in either direction."
He caught every fish he weighed flipping a Zoom Z-Hawg.
4th: Auten Adjusted
> Day 4: 5, 14-02 (20, 58-00)
Auten, who has two finishes of 129th or worse on his ledger this year, moved up to 55th on the points list and still has a shot at making the Forrest Wood Cup if he can turn in another strong showing at the Potomac.
"I feel pretty good about this one," he said. "I don't think anybody was catching Bryan – he was on them pretty good. I needed another day like I had the first day (16-11)."
He had a limit by 9:30, then went to a backwater he'd been saving and made three culls. A homemade bladed jig was his main offering for the week, but he caught his best final-day specimen (a 3-pound largemouth) on a spinnerbait.
"I had to go to new water today – everything I had got pretty beat up or changed by the conditions. It was a different type of tournament for me, but it worked out okay."
5th: Nixon Consistent
> Day 4: 5, 14-13 (20, 57-09)
Nixon, who's having what is undoubtedly the greatest season in history for an angler past the age of 65, has climbed to No. 4 in the points race behind only Thrift, Morgan and Rose.
"It's been a good year," he said. "Anytime you get a check in every tournament but one, and you miss that one by one ounce, it's a good season.
"A man loves to win, but you've got to realize a lot depends on timing and your abilities and the fish you've got found. I'm pretty proud of it."
He spent the vast majority of the tournament downstream in Pool 9. He weighed all smallmouths for the second straight day, catching two flipping and three on a 3 1/2-inch Yamamoto Senko on a 1/16-ounce jighead.
"I found a place that just had a lot of fish. When I found them they were largemouths, but as the tournament progressed they turned into smallmouths."
Notable
> Day 4 stats – 10 anglers, 10 limits.
Final Standings
1. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 14-12 (5) -- 16-4 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 61-6 (20) -- $125,200
2. Joshua Weaver -- Macon, Ga -- 15-9 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 14-3 (5) -- 14-8 (5) -- 58-11 (20) -- $30,600
3. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 16-11 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 14-12 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 58-10 (20) -- $25,000
4. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 16-11 (5) -- 13-1 (5) -- 14-2 (5) -- 14-2 (5) -- 58-0 (20) -- $20,000
5. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 14-11 (5) -- 14-1 (5) -- 14-0 (5) -- 14-13 (5) -- 57-9 (20) -- $19,000
6. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 13-15 (5) -- 15-12 (5) -- 13-8 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 56-14 (20) -- $18,000
7. Austin Felix -- Eden Prairie, Mn -- 15-1 (5) -- 15-10 (5) -- 13-15 (5) -- 11-14 (5) -- 56-8 (20) -- $17,000
8. Matthew Stefan -- Junction City, Wi -- 18-0 (5) -- 12-14 (5) -- 13-5 (5) -- 11-7 (5) -- 55-10 (20) -- $16,000
9. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 15-13 (5) -- 13-8 (5) -- 12-7 (5) -- 12-14 (5) -- 54-10 (20) -- $15,000
10. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 14-5 (5) -- 13-10 (5) -- 13-11 (5) -- 11-9 (5) -- 53-3 (20) -- $14,000
