The previous time Chris Baumgardner took a lead into the final day of an FLW Tour event, he caught only two fish and ended up 4th. It was a different story today at the Potomac River.
The North Carolinian whacked 16-14 – the heaviest limit of the day by more than 4 pounds – and claimed is first tour-level victory with a 33-05 total over the final 2 days. His winning margin was a hefty 6-12.
Virginia's David Dudley caught 11-02 today and finished a distant 2nd with 26-09. Bobby Lane of Florida bagged 11-13 today and held onto 3rd with 24-12.
Idaho's Ken Wick closed out his initial Top-10 showing with an 11-06 stringer that left him with a 24-03, 4th-place total. Day-1 leader Mark Davis of Arkansas completed the Top 5 with 12-01 today and a 23-10 total.
Here's how the remainder of the final field ended up:
6. Jack Wade: 22-14
7. Shad Schenck: 21-07
8. Jerry Williams: 21-02
9. Ray Scheide: 20-07
10. Sandy Melvin: 14-05
It was the second straight bright, sunny day in the vicinity of the nation's capital. The temperature climbed into the low 90s and breezes ranged from nonexistent to light.
Given the Potomac's abundant bass population and the possibility of a 20-pound bag, most in the field went into the day thinking they had a chance to win. But Baumgardner, who was rock-solid all week, didn't give anyone even the hint of an opening on the final day.
Baumgardner Relieved
Baumgardner, whose first full year on the Tour was 1997, said the victory might be more of a relief than anything else. He also led the 2005 event at Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin after 3 days, but couldn't convert.
"I've always thought it was in me and I've always thought I could do it, but thinking it and doing it are two different things," he said. "It feels great right now, but I'm not sure it's really sunk in yet.
"At least in fishing, I don't reckon I've ever felt anything like this. This is what we compete for, and it's something I've been trying to do for 10 years."
And the big separation between him and Dudley made it even a little bit sweeter.
"As a competitor, when you beat somebody, you want to beat them bad, even though it might be a little more exciting to just squeak by."
He fished a Rad Lures Chatterbait all week, targeting lily pads the first 2 days and milfoil on the weekend. He had a limit by 10:30 today and culled three times after that. His last fish was the biggest of the day – a 4 1/2-pounder.
Bobby Lane's 3rd-place finish equaled his career best in an FLW Tour event.
As he drove back to the launch, he was pretty sure he had enough to win.
"I knew I had more than I caught yesterday, so somebody would have had to catch a real big bag. I was trying not to think about it, but it's hard not to. I felt good about it."
Full details of his winning pattern, as well as those of the other top finishers, will be posted soon.
2nd: Dudley Satisfied
Dudley's initial reaction to his runner-up finish was, "I lost." But after a bit of reflection, he concluded that his performance was pretty decent.
"Chris caught the snot out of them again, so I'm happy with where I finished," he said. "I fished well, and I don't recall any key fish that I lost.
"If there's anything I can look back on and say I could've done a little bit better, it was that my timing was off on my moves today. I was missing it by about 20 minutes."
He caught about a dozen keepers, and the biggest was a 3 3/4-pounder.
"I felt good going into today and I still caught a lot of fish, even though the weights don't show it. I just kept culling up a little bit at a time."
3rd: Lane 'Feels Great'
Lane was a little disappointed that a few lost fish cost him 2nd place, but he equaled is best-ever Tour finish and achieved his first Top 10 since the early part of his rookie year in 2005.
"After watching what Baumgardner did for 2 days, I feel great about it," he said. "I know I'm on track – I feel good about the way I'm fishing and everything that's going on in my life.
"I'm excited about the rest of the year. The shakey-worm is gone now because of the heat, and I usually do better when (the fish) get back up on the banks and start eating again."
Ken Wick hopes to sustain some momentum from his best Tour finish to date.
He caught six keepers today, including a 4-pounder that fell for a topwater plug.
"I was flipping grass when it blue up on some shad. I cast over there once, and nothing, and then again, and nothing. On the third throw, it ate it."
4th: Wick Will Take It
Wick said his highest Tour finish to date will serve as a confidence booster.
"Of course we all want to win, but I'm happy with it," he said. "I'll take my 4th-place money and my points and go on.
"Something like this picks you up a lot, and you can usually ride it for awhile."
He managed six keepers today, but nothing over 3 pounds.
"The fish were spread out and I started on the grassbeds, but I didn't get the bites. Then I went and flipped docks and caught three keepers right away.
"Realistically, I figured 12 or 13 pounds was about all I could get today."
5th: Davis Deals With It
Davis wasn't thrilled about his finish, but he could see the merits of it.
"I was wanting to do better, of course, but I guess 5th is better than 6th," he said. "Chris did a great job today, and I would've had to catch a monster stringer to win.
Mark Davis caught two limits today, but the big bite eluded him.
"He whipped us all, and when someone wins, that's the way it ought to be."
A 3 1/2-pounder was the biggest of his 10 keepers. After alternating between flipping grass and wood on day 3, he focused on the hard stuff today.
"I stuck with the wood in hopes of putting a bigger stringer together. I caught a lot of fish, I didn't lose any and I didn't have any mishaps. I just wasn't on the right pattern."
Notable
> Day 4 stats – 10 anglers, 9 limits, 1 four.
> The Potomac has been good to Baumgardner the last 2 years – he was 2nd to Dave Lefebre at last year's Northern Stren event here.
> Dudley's main tactic was flipping green-pumpkin Zoom Baby Brush Hogs. When he ran out of them after day 2, Baumgardner supplied him with three packs.
Day 4 (Final) Standings
1. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 5, 16-07 -- 5, 16-14 -- 10, 33-05 -- $125,000
2. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 5, 15-07 -- 5, 11-02 -- 10, 26-09 -- $50,000
3. Bobby Lane -- Lakeland, Fl -- 5, 12-15 -- 5, 11-13 -- 10, 24-12 -- $40,000
4. Ken Wick -- Star, Id -- 5, 12-13 -- 5, 11-06 -- 10, 24-03 -- $30,000
5. Mark Davis -- Mount Ida, Ar -- 5, 11-09 -- 5, 12-01 -- 10, 23-10 -- $20,000
6. Jack Wade -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 10-14 -- 5, 12-00 -- 10, 22-14 -- $19,000
7. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 5, 8-13 -- 5, 12-10 -- 10, 21-07 -- $18,000
8. Jerry Williams -- Conway, Ar -- 5, 11-15 -- 5, 9-03 -- 10, 21-02 -- $17,000
9. Ray Scheide -- Russellville, Ar -- 5, 7-12 -- 5, 12-11 -- 10, 20-07 -- $16,000
10. Sandy Melvin -- Boca Grande, Fl -- 5, 10-04 -- 4, 4-01 -- 9, 14-05 -- $15,000
