CHARLES COUNTY, Md. — Eleven years – that’s how long Jacob Powroznik has waited for conditions to get right during a tournament at one of his “secret spots” on the Potomac River. That long wait ended Thursday, on Day 1 of the Bassmaster Elite at the Potomac River presented by Econo Lodge.
“I caught 30,” Powroznik said. “I fished this one area in the morning and probably caught 15. I fished it again this afternoon and probably caught 15. That’s where I caught everything I had, and not another boat ever came anywhere near me. I mean not within miles of me.
“I found this deal about 11 years ago. I’ve been waiting for a tournament like this for it to come back. I knew nobody would find it.”
The bad news: Those 30 bass were almost identical in size.
The good news: Powroznik thought he had a five-bass limit weighing about 14 ½ pounds, but they weighed 16-9, which put him in sixth place.
“I think I can catch 16-something a day, and I really think that’s what it’s going to take to win this tournament,” he said.
Powroznik lives in Port Haywood, Va., which is only a 90-minute drive from the Potomac River. He’s been fishing this river since he was 11 years old. His 38th birthday is on Sept. 10.
“I grew up fishing on this river,” Powroznik said before takeoff Thursday. “And I’ve fished with a lot of the best guys on the Potomac. So I know every nook and cranny where a bass can live. I’ve got some places that I promise you nobody else is going to make a cast on.”
Then he went out and proved those words to be true. Powroznik was already confident prior to the start of the tournament. He ended Day 1 feeling even more so.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Powroznik is trying to put some heat on Angler of the Year leader Gerald Swindle. He entered the tournament in third place, trailing Swindle by 52 points, and second-place Keith Combs by 11. Based on the Day 1 standings, Powroznik gained only one point on Swindle. Swindle is in seventh with 16-5. Combs stayed in the hunt too, with his 10th place total of 14-13.
“A lot of guys fished their stuff out today,” said Powroznik. “A lot of guys fished docks and stuff like that, and now those fish are gone.”
Consistency over a four-day tournament is always the name of the game on the Elite Series, especially in August on the Potomac. Late summer, high temperature conditions are tough on consistency anywhere, but especially on a tidal river like the Potomac.
That’s why Powroznik is an angler to watch. Even though he’ll enter Day 2 trailing leader Justin Lucas by almost four pounds, Powroznik seems best situated to put together four strong days.
“I had five areas where I thought I could catch fish,” Powroznik said. “Four of them are muddy right now. The thing is, it doesn’t take but one tide change and those areas are clear again. So there’s a lot of stuff I can still do.”