CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (Major League Fishing) — The first event of the 2026 Starlink Team Series Presented by Bass Pro Shops launched Sunday on the Potomac River, and the Team B&W Trailer Hitches duo of Mark Davis and Marshall Hughes left its competition in the dust. The tandem built an early lead that left no doubt it would claim one of the two spots above the elimination line. Davis and Hughes totaled 16 scorable bass weighing 31 pounds, 11 ounces to win Elimination Match 1 of the Bass Pro Shops Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
Meanwhile, the other three teams were in a tight race throughout the day – often with a single scorable bass separating second place from fourth. Team Star brite’s Justin Cooper and Colby Miller pulled ahead in the home stretch to claim second place with 18-14 on 13 scorable bass. Team Ferguson’s Drew Gill and Mitchell Robinson finished third with 13-9 on seven scorable bass, and Team Kubota’s Edwin Evers and Alton Jones Jr. were close behind them with 12-7 on eight scorable bass.
One-two worm punch gets it done
On a Potomac that proved stingy for much of the field, Hughes and Davis found the most consistent bite by targeting scattered grass with soft plastics. Davis worked slightly deeper water, primarily with a drop-shot and a Texas-rigged stick worm, while Hughes stayed shallower with a weightless watermelon-red Yamamoto Senko, giving the team unique presentations throughout the day.
“We found some grass, and it seemed like there wasn’t a whole lot of grass this year in that area, but the grass that we found had fish in it,” Hughes said. “We kind of hit them with a one-two punch. I was behind Mark throwing a weightless Senko at those little isolated grass patches and along the edges, and he was throwing that drop-shot.”
Davis said the ability to cover different portions of the water column keyed their consistency on a day when bites were difficult to come by.
“I was throwing a little Roboworm on a drop-shot and caught several like that, and I also caught several on a Senko, Texas-rigged,” Davis said. “I fished a little deeper, and Marshall stayed a little shallower, so we had that little one-two punch going. It worked. It wasn’t easy out there, but it was a fun day.”
Hughes led the way for Team B&W Trailer Hitches with nine scorable bass weighing 18-6, while Davis added seven bass for 13-5. Their steady production throughout the day proved especially valuable as Team Star brite made a furious late charge with 10 scorable bass in the final period, but Davis and Hughes had already created enough separation to comfortably secure the victory and advance to Wednesday’s Knockout Round.
Patriot Cup action continues
There are still four more spots up for grabs alongside Davis/Hughes and Cooper/Miller in the Knockout Round. A fresh fleet of four teams will take the water tomorrow, then the Elimination Round will conclude with four new teams in action Tuesday. The Knockout Round will span Wednesday and Thursday, and the top two finishers on each of those days will duke it out for the trophy in Friday’s winner-take-all Championship Round.
