By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Marvin Reese lives an extremely busy existence as a business development and escrow officer for a Washington, D.C.-area title insurance firm that's he's been with for only a short time and a married father of an 11-year-old daughter. His ability to practice for bass tournaments is limited.

He's enjoyed considerable success with FLW as a co-angler, compiling four BFL wins, several Series top-10 finishes and a 4th-place showing in the 2012 Potomac River FLW Tour. Of course, competing from the back seat requires much less pre-fishing, since the boater makes all of the decisions regarding locations.

The 41-year-old Reese, in just his second triple-A outing as a boater, won the recent Northern FLW Series derby at the Potomac with a three-day total of 38-15. He boxed only four fish for 8-05 on the final day, but that was enough to hold off runner-up and FLW Tour pro Troy Morrow by almost a pound and a half.

"Because it was my home waters, I was able to practice – that's one of the challenges I have as a boater," Reese said. "It's tough to catch them at this level if you can't do that."

A Month of Sundays

Reese's preparation for the tournament consisted of 10- to 12-hour sessions on the four consecutive Sundays leading up to it. After-work forays were out of the question; he's a Baltimore resident and the nearest launch ramp at Port Washington is more than an hour's drive from home.

He spent substantial time exploring grass on two of his pre-fishing excursions and never caught a fish, so he ruled out the vegetation. He ended up focusing on a single pier in D.C. that wasn't holding great numbers of fish, but displayed some good quality.

The pier is home to a large fire department building.

"It's one of my favorite places this time of year when the weather's extremely hot because it's got 20 feet of water on it," he said. "In the early spring or late fall I don't really mess with it too much.

"I usually have it to myself in tournaments. It's about a 35-mile run from the launch and you spend 10 minutes going through a no-wake zone, so it's 40 minutes to and from."

A jig and a shaky-head setup were the baits he employed. The two corners of the pier surrendered 12 of the 14 fish he took to the scale.

"I just alternated randomly between the baits. I'd make a pass with the jig and then a pass with the shaky-head, giving them different looks."

He averaged more than 15 pounds on each of the first two days, but the final round was exceedingly slower. In fact, he described the day, during which he broke off two fish and lost a couple others, as "God-awful."

With three fish in his livewell, he left the pier to try a couple of other places in a quest to at least fill a limit, but to no avail. He returned with just a few minutes left in the day and caught the fish that gave him the win.

"I thought I was going to fall to 4th or 5th place," he said. "I was sure that two or three guys in the top 5 would catch 12 to 13 pounds. I was absolutely shocked when I got back and put them on the scale and I had enough weight to get it done.

"The amount of practice I put in to rule out the grass and focus on hard cover was the biggest key for me. It was the pattern to win it with the grass bite being so tight. There were a couple spots where guys caught them in the grass, but I knew they wouldn't hold up."

Winning Gear Notes

> Shaky-head gear: 7' medium-action Bass Pro Shops CarbonLite rod, Shimano Sahara spinning reel, 20-pound PowerPro braided line, 10-pound Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon leader (3'), 3/16-ounce Buckeye Lures Spot Remover jighead, Zoom Trick Worm (green-pumpkin/green fleck).

> Jig gear: 7'2" medium-heavy Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Signature Series rod, Browning Midas casting reel (6.4:1 ratio), 15-pound Seaguar Tatsu fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce homemade jig (green-pumpkin), Strike King Rage Craw trailer (green-pumpkin).

Notable

> Reese believes a lack of milfoil is the reason that recent tournament weights at the Potomac have been on the low side. "It's all died off," he said. "When it's there, it lays over like a canopy at low tide and you can punch through it. All you've got now is hydrilla and it grows from the surface all the way down. When the fish get under it, they're pretty much impossible to get out. In October, when the fish start feeding up (for the winter) and the grass starts breaking up, it'll take 48 to 50 pounds to win the three-day BFL Regional."

> He has no aspiration at this point to compete at the Tour level. "I'm a family man and I wouldn't want to be away from my family that much. Also, I tried to solicit sponsors once before and had no success, and it's pricey to try to do it on your own."



Final Standings

1. Marvin Reese -- Randallstown, Md -- 14-12 (5) -- 15-14 (5) -- 8-5 (4) -- 38-15 (14) -- $38,026

2. Troy Morrow -- Eastanollee, Ga -- 13-3 (5) -- 9-15 (5) -- 14-7 (5) -- 37-9 (15) -- $14,932

3. Justin Atkins -- Florence, Al -- 14-5 (5) -- 12-7 (5) -- 10-7 (5) -- 37-3 (15) -- $12,948

4. Ryan Davidson -- Branchland, WV -- 12-11 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 36-3 (15) -- $9,457

5. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 10-9 (5) -- 12-11 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 36-3 (15) -- $9,511

6. Robert Grike -- Dumfries, Va -- 14-4 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 9-7 (4) -- 36-0 (14) -- $7,565

7. Jordan Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 11-5 (5) -- 12-6 (5) -- 9-15 (5) -- 33-10 (15) -- $6,620

8. Dylan Hays -- El Dorado, Ar -- 10-15 (5) -- 13-1 (5) -- 7-12 (4) -- 31-12 (14) -- $5,874

9. Casey Smith -- Macedon, NY -- 9-6 (5) -- 14-9 (5) -- 6-10 (4) -- 30-9 (14) -- $4,728

10. Wil Dieffenbauch -- Morgantown, WV -- 10-2 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 5-5 (2) -- 30-1 (12) -- $3,783

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Robert Wedding -- Welcome, Md -- 10-5 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 23-2 (10) -- $3,546

12. Travis Manson -- Conshohocken, Pa -- 11-13 (5) -- 10-15 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-12 (10) -- $3,310

13. Scott Dobson -- Clarkston, Mi -- 12-7 (5) -- 10-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-7 (10) -- $2,837

14. Jade Keeton -- Florence, Al -- 10-0 (5) -- 12-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-7 (10) -- $2,837

15. Barton Wines -- Marshall, Va -- 10-3 (5) -- 12-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-4 (10) -- $2,837

16. Wayne Vaughan -- Chester, Va -- 10-15 (5) -- 11-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 22-3 (10) -- $2,837

17. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 8-9 (4) -- 13-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 21-15 (9) -- $2,837

18. Larry Church -- Keysville, Va -- 10-8 (5) -- 11-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 21-8 (10) -- $2,837

19. Frank Poirier -- North Prince George, Va -- 9-7 (5) -- 11-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-14 (10) -- $2,837

20. Terry Olinger -- Louisa, Va -- 8-7 (5) -- 12-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-12 (10) -- $2,837

21. Scott Wiley -- Bay Minette, Al -- 7-8 (5) -- 13-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-11 (10) -- $2,601

22. Kyle Hoffman -- Harpers Ferry, WV -- 9-11 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-9 (10) -- $2,601

23. Frankie Appaluccio -- Franklin, NJ -- 9-3 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 20-0 (10) -- $2,601

24. Billy Shelton III -- La Crosse, Va -- 11-4 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-15 (10) -- $2,601

25. Kurt Mitchell -- Milford, De -- 9-5 (5) -- 10-10 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-15 (10) -- $2,601

26. Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va -- 8-5 (4) -- 11-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-14 (9) -- $2,364

27. David Perdue -- Wirtz, Va -- 11-13 (5) -- 7-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-10 (10) -- $2,364

28. Shawn O'Malley -- Fogelsville, Pa -- 9-3 (5) -- 10-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-9 (10) -- $2,364

29. Charlie Hartley -- Grove City, Oh -- 10-4 (4) -- 9-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-9 (9) -- $2,464

30. Chris Bielert -- Danbury, Ct -- 9-7 (5) -- 10-2 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-9 (10) -- $2,364

31. Steven Hatala -- Harrison Township, Mi -- 9-2 (5) -- 10-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-7 (10) -- $1,891

32. Timmy Thompkins -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 9-9 (5) -- 9-14 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-7 (9) -- $1,891

33. Dakota Ebare -- Denham Springs, La -- 8-13 (5) -- 10-6 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-3 (9) -- $1,891

34. John Roth -- Lawrenceburg, In -- 10-12 (5) -- 8-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 19-0 (10) -- $1,891

35. Nick Gainey -- Charleston, SC -- 9-9 (5) -- 9-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-10 (10) -- $1,891

36. Gregory Wilder -- Millersville, Md -- 13-7 (5) -- 5-1 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-8 (8) -- $1,891

37. Rick Chenoweth -- Fredericksburg, Va -- 7-9 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-7 (10)

38. Ken Golub -- Pittsford, NY -- 10-2 (5) -- 8-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-7 (10)

39. Garrett Enders -- Mifflinburg, Pa -- 11-1 (5) -- 7-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-5 (10)

40. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 5-12 (5) -- 12-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-3 (10)

41. Joseph Thompson -- Coatesville, Pa -- 11-6 (5) -- 6-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-3 (10)

42. Justin Mounce -- Springdale, Ar -- 8-13 (4) -- 9-5 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-2 (9)

43. Cooper Gallant -- Bowmanville, On -- 7-8 (5) -- 10-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-1 (10)

44. Michael Crocker -- Pasadena, Md -- 7-3 (5) -- 10-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 18-0 (10)

45. Alex Davis -- Albertville, Al -- 8-13 (5) -- 8-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-11 (10)

46. Stephen Miller -- Mechanicsville, Va -- 9-8 (5) -- 7-14 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-6 (9)

47. Kevin Martin -- Crown City, Oh -- 7-10 (5) -- 9-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 17-4 (9)

48. Gary Krammes -- Pottsville, Pa -- 8-3 (5) -- 8-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-15 (10)

49. Harold Marietta -- Hunker, Pa -- 4-5 (3) -- 12-4 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-9 (8)

50. Aaron Dixon -- Bel Alton, Md -- 13-0 (5) -- 3-7 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-7 (6)

51. Shane Hatch -- Owlshead, Me -- 9-9 (5) -- 6-9 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 16-2 (8)

52. Nick Lepone -- Fieldsboro, NJ -- 3-8 (2) -- 12-6 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-14 (7)

53. Powell Kemp -- Scotland Neck, NC -- 10-0 (5) -- 5-12 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-12 (7)

54. John Hauserman -- Towson, Md -- 5-12 (2) -- 9-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-10 (7)

55. William Dennison III -- Willoughby Hills, Oh -- 8-9 (5) -- 7-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-9 (10)

56. Jason Kervin -- Raymond, Me -- 14-5 (5) -- 0-15 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-4 (6)

57. Heath Toler -- Walnut Cove, NC -- 8-5 (5) -- 6-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 15-0 (10)

58. Brandon Stapleton -- Temperanceville, Va -- 8-10 (5) -- 6-4 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-14 (9)

59. Charlie Reed Jr -- Gloucester, Va -- 6-13 (5) -- 7-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-9 (10)

60. David Wilder -- Middle River, Md -- 2-5 (1) -- 12-2 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-7 (6)

61. Tim Grinder -- Akron, Oh -- 4-6 (2) -- 9-15 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-5 (6)

62. Lee Rogers -- Newton, NJ -- 9-4 (5) -- 5-1 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-5 (8)

63. Nick Radtke -- Greenwood Lake, NY -- 8-14 (4) -- 5-6 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-4 (7)

64. Christopher Grenier -- Clarksburg, WV -- 8-7 (4) -- 5-12 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 14-3 (7)

65. Joseph Wood -- Westport, Ma -- 4-7 (1) -- 9-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-15 (6)

66. Edward Levin -- Westerville, Oh -- 9-1 (5) -- 4-9 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-10 (8)

67. Jeffrey Young -- Londonderry, Nh -- 3-6 (2) -- 10-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-9 (7)

68. Tom Hardy -- Midland, On -- 6-4 (4) -- 7-2 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-6 (8)

69. Ashton Laird -- Delevan, NY -- 6-5 (5) -- 7-0 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-5 (10)

70. Ron Nelson -- Berrien Springs, Mi -- 7-6 (5) -- 5-14 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-4 (8)

71. Brian Tyler -- Johnsonville, SC -- 13-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-3 (5)

72. Ryan Ingalls -- Fairfax, Va -- 9-6 (5) -- 3-13 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-3 (8)

73. Matt Thoin -- Bolton, Ma -- 5-12 (4) -- 7-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 13-3 (9)

74. John Dial -- Winter Haven, Fl -- 7-4 (3) -- 5-11 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-15 (7)

75. Erik Luzak -- Fenelon Falls, On -- 12-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-12 (5)

76. Justin Hicks -- Roanoke, Va -- 6-9 (3) -- 6-2 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-11 (7)

77. Cody Hahner -- Wausau, Wi -- 1-5 (1) -- 11-3 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-8 (6)

78. Jared Mataczynski -- Wausau, Wi -- 2-10 (2) -- 9-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-7 (7)

79. Walter (Mike) Snider -- Mt Airy, Md -- 6-13 (5) -- 5-7 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-4 (7)

80. Darryl Esterly -- Fleetwood, Pa -- 2-8 (2) -- 9-11 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 12-3 (7)

81. Phil Scott -- Silver Spring, Md -- 9-2 (5) -- 2-10 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-12 (7)

82. Brian Hughes -- Barrie, On -- 3-1 (2) -- 8-7 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-8 (7)

83. Scott Cooke -- Marengo, Oh -- 7-14 (4) -- 3-10 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-8 (7)

84. Jim Vitaro -- Wooster, Oh -- 9-4 (5) -- 2-3 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-7 (6)

85. Chris Moxley -- Strasburg, Va -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-5 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-5 (4) -- $272

86. Lee Black -- Danville, Al -- 4-0 (3) -- 7-5 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-5 (7)

87. Matt Greenblatt -- Port St Lucie, Fl -- 1-9 (1) -- 9-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-1 (6)

88. Daniel Urbino -- Bliss, NY -- 4-8 (3) -- 6-9 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 11-1 (8)

89. Jeff Coble -- Manson, NC -- 3-13 (2) -- 7-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-14 (7)

90. Cole Harris -- Essex Junction, Vt -- 3-13 (3) -- 6-15 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-12 (6)

91. Todd Fulk -- Mount Pleasant, NC -- 7-6 (4) -- 3-0 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-6 (6)

92. John Duarte -- Middle River, Md -- 3-0 (1) -- 7-2 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 10-2 (5)

93. Jason Williams -- Alexandria, Va -- 6-12 (3) -- 2-9 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-5 (5)

94. Kirk Sullivan -- Minden, On -- 6-11 (4) -- 2-9 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-4 (6)

95. Jonathan Kelley -- Old Forge, Pa -- 2-15 (2) -- 6-4 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-3 (5)

96. Charlie Evans -- Berea, Ky -- 3-0 (1) -- 6-3 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-3 (3)

97. Nick Gant -- Myrtle Beach, SC -- 9-1 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-1 (5)

98. Brandon Johnson -- Mount Sterling, Ky -- 5-13 (3) -- 3-4 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-1 (5)

99. Matthew Kiefer -- Fort Wayne, In -- 6-13 (3) -- 2-3 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-0 (4)

100. Andrew Heivly -- Malvern, Pa -- 6-3 (4) -- 2-13 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 9-0 (6)

101. Shane Melton -- Kokomo, In -- 2-2 (1) -- 6-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-15 (6)

102. Jared Dial -- Winter Haven, Fl -- 6-3 (4) -- 2-12 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-15 (5)

103. Tim Wilson -- Gas City, In -- 2-3 (1) -- 6-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-11 (4)

104. Douglas Kirkbride -- Beaver Falls, NY -- 2-12 (1) -- 5-12 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 8-8 (3)

105. Mark Peiser -- Pittsboro, In -- 4-1 (2) -- 3-13 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-14 (4)

106. Kyle Hall -- Rio Vista, Tx -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-13 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-13 (5)

107. Moo Bae -- West Friendship, Md -- 2-2 (1) -- 5-10 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-12 (5)

108. Christiana Bradley -- Goldvein, Va -- 3-14 (3) -- 3-12 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-10 (5)

109. Robert Behrle -- Hoover, Al -- 7-8 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-8 (5)

110. Devon Banks -- West Bloomfield, Mi -- 4-6 (2) -- 3-1 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-7 (4)

111. Joe LaBarbera -- Montrose, Pa -- 1-6 (1) -- 5-12 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 7-2 (6)

112. Cliff Blackford -- Addison, Mi -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-14 (4) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-14 (4)

113. Ronald Martinez Jr. -- Valley View, Oh -- 4-6 (3) -- 2-7 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-13 (5)

114. Wes Campbell -- Centerville, Oh -- 3-8 (3) -- 3-4 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-12 (5)

115. Bret Loomis -- Groveland, NY -- 4-3 (2) -- 2-5 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-8 (4)

116. Jeffrey Randall -- Lake Luzerne, NY -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-6 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-6 (3)

117. Ed Melton -- Houston, Tx -- 3-13 (1) -- 2-7 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-4 (2)

118. Omari Navies -- Ft Washington, Md -- 1-8 (1) -- 4-8 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-0 (4)

119. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 4-4 (2) -- 1-12 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 6-0 (3)

120. Tyler Meredith -- Oliver Springs, Tn -- 5-14 (5) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-14 (5)

121. Takeru Okumura -- Columbia, SC -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-12 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-12 (3)

122. Robert Clyse -- Ironton, Oh -- 4-1 (4) -- 1-7 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-8 (5)

123. Donald Tripoli -- Webster, NY -- 4-1 (3) -- 1-4 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 5-5 (4)

124. Ed Casey -- Whiteford, Md -- 2-13 (2) -- 2-2 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-15 (4)

125. Andy Francis -- Hollywood, Md -- 2-0 (1) -- 2-13 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-13 (3)

126. David Kranz -- Woodstock, Il -- 2-4 (2) -- 2-7 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-11 (4)

127. Garry Woodruff -- Candia, Nh -- 4-6 (3) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 4-6 (3)

128. Dan Cornelius -- Glenmoore, Pa -- 3-14 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-14 (2)

129. Paul Kimball -- Glastonbury, Ct -- 2-3 (1) -- 1-9 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-12 (2)

130. Joe Lineberry -- Lakefield, On -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-3 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-3 (2)

131. Jimmy Kennedy -- Plainfield, Vt -- 1-10 (1) -- 1-7 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 3-1 (2)

132. Jay Madden -- Merrimack, Nh -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-14 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-14 (2)

133. Bryan Sisk -- Glenelg, Md -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-9 (2) -- 0-0 (0) -- 2-9 (2)

134. Lucas Bogosian -- Harrington Park, NJ -- 1-15 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-15 (1)

135. Douglas Reed -- Bridgeton, NJ -- 1-11 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-11 (1)

136. Brandon Stanley -- Johnson City, Tn -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-5 (1) -- 0-0 (0) -- 1-5 (1)