CHARLES COUNTY, Md. (MLF) — The Team Seaguar BRAWLR duo of Bradley Roy and Greg Vinson saved their best fishing for when it mattered most Monday, seizing the momentum in the third period to win the second Elimination Match at the Bass Pro Shops Patriot Cup Presented by B&W Trailer Hitches.
Fishing the Potomac River, Roy and Vinson combined for 17 scorable bass weighing 38 pounds, 2 ounces – including 27 pounds in the final period – to surge past the competition and secure their spot in the opening match of the Knockout Round. Jake Lawrence and Jacob Walker of Team Lucas Oil also mounted a late rally, finishing second with 11 bass weighing 23-7. That proved just enough to advance them to Thursday’s second Knockout Round match.
Team BUBBA’s Brent Chapman and Alton Jones, who led entering the final period, slipped to third with nine bass weighing 20-15, while Team OFF! Deep Woods’ Matt Becker and Spencer Shuffield finished fourth with five bass for 9-14.
Laydowns keyed comeback
Roy and Vinson entered Monday’s competition confident in their chances on a familiar Potomac River, but it took much of the day for the duo to settle into the pattern that eventually carried them to victory. After totaling just one scorable bass in the first period and 11 pounds through the first two frames, they located a productive stretch of laydowns in a creek and quickly found the combination they had been searching for.
“It just took us a long time to go through our progression,” Roy said. “Once we got in there and saw that good, clean water with the tide coming out and got a bite, you could just tell our confidence level went up. Once you get a couple of bites like that, you slow down and really start picking it apart.”
The pair worked together with complementary presentations around the heavy cover. Roy focused on the heart of the laydowns with a Texas-rigged worm and heavier Seaguar line, while Vinson followed behind with a drop-shot to coax additional bites from fish positioned around the edges.
“I was trying to fish a little more in the meat and get that bait in there where maybe those fish were a little deeper in the cover,” Roy said. “There were a lot of barnacles and a lot of things you could break off on, so the heavier line was a really big key. Greg worked the outer parts of them, and that one-two punch worked really well for us.”
Vinson, who led all anglers Monday with nine bass weighing 20-15, said his role was to capitalize on fish Roy might not trigger with the more aggressive presentation.
“I’m fishing behind Bradley, and he’s a great angler, so I know he’s hitting the juice with every cast,” Vinson said. “My job behind him is to clean up and try to get some extra bites from those less aggressive fish. The drop-shot was phenomenal for getting those fish that may have already been pressured or just weren’t in the best mood. We were able to get enough bites to move ourselves all the way up there.”
While Roy and Vinson charged to the top, Lawrence and Walker were staging a rally of their own. The duo moved north and capitalized on a later outgoing-tide window near the upper portion of Monday’s competition area. With just 25 minutes remaining, Lawrence caught a 2-1 largemouth that pushed Team Lucas Oil above the elimination line, then Walker added a 2-2 shortly thereafter to secure their spot in the Knockout Round.
Four fresh teams hit the water Tuesday
Four more tandems will compete Tuesday in the final Elimination Match, with the top two advancing to the Knockout Round. The Knockout Round will span Wednesday and Thursday, and the top two finishers from each day will advance to the winner-take-all Championship Round on Friday.
