Virginia’s Pike and Estes Tie for Win at Phoenix Bass Fishing League Event on Potomac River

MARBURY, Md. (July 27, 2020) – Boaters Cody Pike of Powhatan, Virginia, and Keith Estes of Spring Grove, Virginia, both brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces to tie for the win at the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Estes earned a total of $4,262 after contingency awards, while Pike took home $10,262, including the lucrative $7,000 FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency award.

The tournament was the fourth of five events in the Shenandoah Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.

“Today was a slow grind for me, and everything that I caught came fishing extremely slow in the grass with soft plastics and Strike King creature baits,” said Estes, who earned his second career win in FLW competition. “The key was just being patient. I love river fishing – especially when there is an outgoing tide – so I had to wait for the small window at the end of the day with the outgoing water and it paid off for me in the end.”

“I was fishing grass – not the thick matted hydrilla, but the sparser deep grass,” said Pike, who also picked up the second win of his FLW career. “It had to be the deepest grass that you could find. I caught them all on a black-and-blue-colored 3/8-ounce Dave’s Tournament Tackle Swim Jig.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament as follows:

            1^st:       Keith Estes of Spring Grove, Va., five bass, 14-14, $4,262

            1^st:       Cody Pike of Powhatan, Va., five bass, 14-14, $10,262

            3^rd:       John Duarte of Middle River, Md., five bass, 14-5, $1,451

            4^th:       Mike Roselle of La Plata, Md., five bass, 14-4, $1,215

            5^th:       Carlton Owens of Franklin, Va., five bass, 14-0, $870

            6^th:       Chris Brummett, Lynch Station, Va., five bass, 13-12, $798

            7^th:       Todd Langford of Great Falls, Va., five bass, 13-9, $689

            7^th:       Robert Henderson of King George, Va., five bass, 13-9, $689

            9^th:       Ben Jacobi of Richmond, Va., five bass, 13-8, $580

            10^th:     Jack Dice of Lynchburg, Va., five bass, 11-10, $508

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

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Cavin Young of Prince George, Virginia, earned the day’s $615 Boater Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth.

Pike took home an extra $7,000 as the highest finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.

Jonathan Patkus of Columbia, Maryland, earned the win in the Co-angler Division Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces. Patkus earned $2,175 for his victory.

The top 10 co-anglers finished as follows:

            1^st:       Jonathan Patkus of Columbia, Md., five bass, 12-10, $2,175

            2^nd:      Cornell Badra of Clarksburg, Md., five bass, 12-0, $1,088

            3^rd:       Matt McCluskey of Ashburn, Va., four bass, 11-2, $726

            4^th:       Richard Hare of Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 10-3, $507

            5^th:       Mark Blankenship of Christiansburg, Va., five bass, 10-1, $435

            6^th:       Timothy Kinder of Manassas, Va., five bass, 9-14, $899

            7^th:       Austin Burdette of Pembroke, Va., five bass, 9-7, $363

            8^th:       Alex Titus of Annandale, Va., five bass, 9-6, $326

            9^th:       John Poos of Manassas, Va., five bass, 9-1, $272

            9^th:       Bernie Scheiner of Burke, Va., four bass, 9-1, $272

Edward Dustin of Fredericksburg, Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $307.