Kemp Wins Potomac River Rayovac Series Tournament

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William Kemp of Scotland Neck, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Rayovac FLW Series Northern Division event on the  Potomac River  with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 45 pounds, 9 ounces. For his victory, Kemp earned $38,936.
          Kemp, who weighed a tournament-best 19-2  on Thursday, moved up from fifth place on the final day to earn his second win in FLW competition.
                                                                                                                       
          “I caught most of my fish in the morning on a topwater bait,†said Kemp. “I was throwing a fry-colored Lobina Lures Rico. I threw it around matted grass at low tide. I fished all the way around the mat and caught one flipping and one on a ChatterBait, then I picked that topwater up and probably caught thirty fish on it.
          “I flipped grass in the middle of the day and culled for ounces,†Kemp added. “Then, at the very end of the day, I hit one spot with some wood and I caught a 5-pounder and a 3-pounder on a black and blue-colored Strike King Bitsy Flip Jig with a NetBait Paca Craw trailer.
          “When I had my big bag on the first day I had to go to lighter line and smaller baits,†Kemp explained. “I had to finesse them a little this week.
          “After I caught my two big fish at the end of the day today, I thought I had a shot to win,†finished Kemp. “I wasn’t sure, but I knew I had a chance. It’s unbelievable to win. I have to thank my wife. I was considering not fishing this event, but she pushed me and it just worked out.â€
          The top 10 pros on the Potomac River were:
                      1st:     William Kemp, Scotland Neck, N.C., 15 bass, 45-9, $38,936
                    2nd:  Gregory Wilder, Brooklyn Park, Md., 15 bass, 44-5, $15,088
                    3rd:     Chris Baumgardner, Gastonia, N.C., 15 bass, 44-4, $11,681
            4th:     Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 15 bass, 43-15, $9,734
                    5th:    Michael Hall, Annandale, Va., 15 bass, 42-6, $8,761
                      6th:     Chris Novack, Mansfield Center, Con., 15 bass, 42-3, $7,787
                      7th:     Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., 15 bass, 41-10, $6,814
            8th:     Robert Grike, Dumfries, Va., 15 bass, 41-9, $5,840
                      9th:     Mike Hicks, Goochland, Va., 15 bass, 40-3, $4,867
                  10th:   Walter Snider, Mount Airy, Md., 15 bass, 36-10, $3,894
          Complete results can be found at  FLWOutdoors.com.
          Kemp also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Thursday – a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $286.
          Kermit Crowder of Matoaca, Va., won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z117C with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor, as well as $5,000 for being Ranger Cup qualified, with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 39 pounds, 8 ounces.
          The top 10 co-anglers on the Potomac River were:
                      1st:       Kermit Crowder, Matoaca, Va., 15 bass, 39-8, Ranger Z117C with a 90-horsepower outboard + Ranger Cup $5,000
                      2nd:     Destin Demarion, Grove City, Pa., 15 bass, 36-0, $4,875
                      3rd:   Marvin Reese, Gwynn Oak, Md., 15 bass, 34-14, $3,900
            4th:     Gabriel Scott, Ruckersville, Va., 15 bass, 34-6, $3,412
                      5th:     Cort Gardner, Jessup, Md., 15 bass, 34-5, $2,925
                      6th:     Ben Wright, Peru, N.Y., 15 bass, 33-8, $2,437
                      7th:     Jeremy Ives, Burgaw, N.C., 15 bass, 31-4, $1,950
            8th:     Leroy Harriott, Woodbridge, Va., 14 bass, 31-1, $1,706
                      9th:     Johnny Clark, Fredericksburg, Va., 13 bass, 29-8, $1,462
                  10th: David Sasser, Sneads Ferry, N.C., 11 bass, 25-9, $1,219
          Ives caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division Thursday – a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $190.