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Waldorf, MD. .... If consistency is the name of the game, then Stanley Sypeck has it playing in his favor on the Potomac River. Applying a steady fishing strategy has moved the Pennsylvania amateur bass angler from second place into the lead at the B.A.S.S. Federation Eastern Divisional Championship.
Today Sypeck caught a 5-bass tournament limit weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces to give him a two-day score of 20 pounds, 7 ounces. His nearest challenger is Gregory Lownds of Danbury, Conn., whose total score is 17 pounds, 10 ounces. David Menard of Richmond, Va., is third with 16 pounds, 6 ounces. The tournament ends tomorrow with the weigh-in starting at 2:15 p.m. at Smallwood State Park.
"I have a shallow area for the morning and deeper area for the afternoon," said Sypeck, a 33-year-old lineman from West Hazelton, Penn. "If I can catch eight or nine pounds tomorrow then I might have a shot at winning."
Not only can Sypeck choose his fishing depth-shallow or deep-he also has time on his side in this game of fishing against the clock. He has secured his 5-bass tournament limit both days by 10:30 a.m. Perhaps best of all, he is saving his best area for the final round. "I didn^t fish the spot very hard today, hoping it will produce well tomorrow." State bragging rights and more are on the line tomorrow in this competition of 12-man bass club teams from 13 eastern states. The grass-roots tournament is sanctioned by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.). The overall winner, team championship, and individual state champions will be determined when the 156 anglers weigh their catches at Smallwood State Park.
Connecticut solidified its lead in the state team standings by posting a collective catch today of 33 pounds, 2 ounces. The team^s total weight stands at 102 pounds, 13 ounces. New Jersey is second with 91 pounds, 11 ounces and Maryland third with 90 pounds, 7 ounces. The 13 state champions, including the overall winner, who catch the most cumulative weight on each respective team become the state champions. Currently, joining Sypeck of Pennsylvania, they are: Gregory Lownds (Connecticut), Eric Woodward (New Jersey), Todd Helm (Maryland), Jeff Brittingham (Delaware), Don Carrico (West Virginia), David Menard (Virginia), Harry Charcalis (New Hampshire), Bill Lentine (Massachusetts), Nick Giamei (New York), Michael Wolfenden (Rhode Island), Mark Desjardin (Maine) and Mike LeBlanc (Vermont).
The state champions advance to the 2001 B.A.S.S. National Championship set for next spring. There, 46 state champions and international champions Canada, Japan, Italy, Zimbabwe and South Africa will compete for five coveted spots in the BASS Masters Classic, the sport^s world championship. One state champion from this competition will represent the Eastern Division at the Classic. Others will come from the Northern, Central, Southern, and Western divisions of the B.A.S.S. Federation. The five amateurs will compete in the Classic with the sport^s top 40 pros for the world championship.
The rules for this contest focus on boating and angler safety and maintaining a healthy catch of bass. The anglers are scored based on their best 5 bass (largemouth or smallmouth) caught during the day. Bass must measure 12 inches or more in length and be held alive in aerated livewells. Overall, the anglers caught 268 legal tournament bass that weighed a collective 477 pounds, 1 ounces. Yesterday^s catch was slightly better with 281 bass caught that weighed 492 pounds. All 549 of the bass caught and weighed by the contestants have been released alive into the Potomac River. Tomorrow^s final weigh-in begins at 2:15 p.m. at Smallwood State Park and is free to the public.
Uploaded: 9/29/2000
Uploaded: 9/29/2000