The second NJBF event of the season, held on May 3, on the Northern Chesapeake Bay presented a number of challenges for the 19 teams to conquer. The main challenge was the weather, where a severe high pressure front welcomed the anglers with unseasonably cold temperatures and cold, gusty winds of 10 to 25 mph. Adding to that was the 15-inch Maryland size minimum and the fact that there were several other tournament trails sharing the water. While these obstacles led many teams to catch smaller than normal bags for the body of water/time of year, most reported catching good overall numbers of bass.
The winning team of Nick Angiulo and Joe Venuto reported catching nearly 30 keeper-sized fish on the day. While their 17.94 pound bag had no true “kicker” fish, they weighed in three fish in the 4-pounds range and two others in the 3-pound range. For the victory, the team received $1,910.
Second and third place was decided by less than two ounces. Taking second place with 16.47 pounds was the team of Desmond Byfield and Dave Williams. This team also reported catching numerous keepers on the day, many in close proximity of the first place team, Byfield and Williams received $1,040. Close behind with 16.36 pounds was the team of Derick Olson and Mike Keller, who received $520.
The lunker for the event, a 4.25 pound largemouth, was caught by the team of Sheana Schneidereit and Lucas Aquilar. They received $380.
