Mid-Atlantic Division

FOMNTT Fishing Tournment

Potomac River Recap

On April 17th, 2010, nineteen teams from the Mid-Atlantic division of The Fishers’ of Men National Tournament Trail competed on the famous tidal waterways of the Lower Potomac River, launching within minutes of our nation’s capital. This fishery consistently ranks as one of the top 10 destinations in the U.S. for quality bass fishing, in both numbers and size and although it sometimes shows the effects from the immense tournament pressure it receives, it still continues to pump out quality fish!

Amidst the 1000 or so tournament boats on the water that day, braving winds from 12-20 MPH’s, our field of talented anglers managed to catch 56 fifteen inch plus largemouth bass for a total weight of just over 140 pounds! At a 2.5 pound average with many being the “buck” bass, due to the fact that were suffering under an immense post cold front with temperatures dropping almost 30 degrees since earlier in the week. Over a third of the field managed 5 fish limits with most reporting catching 30-50 twelve to fourteen inch “throwbacks”, a tough thing to do when most weigh over 2 pounds! With ideal tides, teams reporting catching fish both north and south, some sitting tight all day on specific “community” holes while others ran the tides. Fish were being caught in typical early spring fashion, on everything from rattletraps and spinnerbaits over the grass to jigs and soft plastics around docks and wood. Some teams even reported catching bass by “sight fishing” while others were on patterns involving rock rip-rap.

Taking 1st place and just under $1000 prize money was New Jersey FOM Director Jim Shinn and his partner, a perennial local favorite, Jamie Coyle, with just over 20 pounds, including the 2nd biggest bass of the event at 4.76 pounds. Showing they will be a force to be reckoned with, Rookies to The Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail, Kevin and Ryan Park, from Pennsylvania, claimed 2nd place via their 5 fish bag that weighed in at 17.79 pounds, anchored by the biggest bass of the tournament at 4.84 pounds, all in all a great start to the season with a $600 check. Finishing in 3rd place was the team of brothers, Brian and Eric McNulty, with just under 15 pounds. They reported having had “zeroed” in their practice, showing their true talent as they still managed good limit, fishing all brand new areas, realizing the importance of the tides, wind and water clarity! As a side note, the prayers of myself and the entire Mid-Atlantic division go out to their father Frank, a big supporter of FOM, who is bravely battling cancer!

Always tough anywhere they go in America, the father and son team of Tom and Jimmy Rufenacht took 4th place with just over 11 pounds while another father and son team, The Steiners from Northeast Pennsylvania rounded out the top five with 10.98 pounds, giving them the early lead in the Adult / Junior category! Highest finishing team of Jim and Carol Everhart used their 7.80 pounds to take the early lead in the Guy / Gal race!

Special thanks to Pastor Tim Bean and his staff, our great hosts at Marbury Baptist Church, who have always been our most loyal supporters in the ministry arena. They recognized our ministry, reminding us that this was our 10 year anniversary of allowing them to serve and support us! As is always the case with any Fishers’ of Men event, we were excited about the opportunity to gather together for an awesome night of fellowship, great door prizes, an awesome meal of baked turkey, roast beef, all the fix’ins plus desserts till you burst! After going thru pre-tournament planning, Ian Godwin, our tournament director, shared how God is still there for you, even in tough times or when we deny him. Giving hope to anyone and eliminating excuses for all of the 44 guests in attendance, 2 individuals accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior while 3 others rose to the challenge to do more with their faith, so much so that they rededicated themselves to a renewed commitment to return to God and follow Jesus in all areas of their lives!

There are four events left in the 2010 schedule for the Mid-Atlantic division and that means you still have plenty of time to make the big East Regional Championships which you do not want to miss this year as their will be over $50,000 in cash and prizes awarded including a brand new Triton / Mercury bass boat package. I cannot emphasize how important it is to make these next events and all you have to do to be eligible is to have fished in at least 3 of the 5 Mid-Atlantic 2010 fishing tournaments.

Tidal Susquehanna Flats – May 15th, 2010
Conowingo Reservoir – June 19th, 2010
Nanticoke River – August 14th, 2010
Upper Chesapeake Bay – September 25th, 2010

(For more information, make sure to visit http://www.sfvu.com/fishersofmen or http://www.fomntt.com or call the FOM Area Tournament Director at 410-256-2966 or e-mail him at igodwin@sfvu.com)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fine companies that make Fishers of Men possible; Primary: Triton Boats, Mercury, Strike King Lure Company, Markel American Insurance, Abu Garcia, Power-Pole, Nester Hosiery. Presenting; Marshall’s Marine of Lake City SC, Keelshield, Solar Bat, Kistler Custom Fishing Rods, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Berkley, Lowrance. Official: Buckeye Lures, Jacobs Glass, Outdoor Specialty Products (Rejuvenate), Dual Pro Chargers, MotorGuide, Full Grace Gospel Church, Mizmo Bait Company, Stanley Jigs, Spike-It, Logan Fire Apparatus, T&H Marine, and Keep Alive Oxygen Infusers.

The Mid-Atlantic Team Series division is blessed to have the following divisional sponsors, The SFVU Business Group and its non-profit charitable giving foundation, Fishing Dreams Unlimited. www.FISHERMENSHEAVEN.com where every FOM Member in the nation gets “members only” discounts and special exclusive items and apparel ( http://sfvu.com/shop/FOMdiscount.htm ). We also want to thank Trey at Kistler Custom Rods, Gary at Solar Bat Polarized Sunglasses, Jimmy at Mizmo Tubes, Randy at RoboWorm, Joe at Secret Weapon Spinnerbaits and Buzzbaits, Andy at JC’s Lures and Tungsten Weights, Mike and Steve at McCoy Line, Kerry at the TTI-Blakemore Fishing Group, Drew at Maximum Series Handpoured Soft Plastics, Rob at Luckycraft, Steve at All Terrain Tackle Jigs, Kent at NetBait and the National Promotions Team at Choice Hotels, Chic-Fil-a and Cracker Barrel restaurants, all of which help support your division locally. A special note of appreciation to Brad Finch with Finch Services, your source for your next John Deere product as well as Jim Herr of Herr’s Snacks. In addition, special thanks to Sharon and Bev from Prize Webworks for the great job they do with our website and Barbara from In-Stitches for the beautiful custom apparel and hats. All of these great Christian businessmen and women lead by example as they help support our ministry and I would ask that you consider supporting them with your next purchase.

Finally, no tournament circuit can make it without great volunteers and we desperately need more for this division, please give prayerful consideration to how you might serve? I want to pass on my gratitude to Rob Hager, who graciously accepted the responsibility of returning as the assistant director this year.