2017 SEASON IN REVIEW
The 2017 FOBA schedule was comprised of 13 tournaments: 9 single day tournaments and 4 two day tournaments (including the classic) for a total of 17 tournament days. FOBA anglers brought 1,335 fish to the scales for a total weight of 2,935 lbs. 3oz. Fish care is always a top priority for FOBA and of the 1,335 fish weighed, 1,321 were released alive, giving FOBA a 98.9% live release rate. The average fish size was 2.2 lbs. and the average catch per angler per tournament day (for both divisions) was 3.1 fish for 6.25 lbs. Logan Summers won the 2017 Angler of the Year in the boater division, his fifth title in six years. Eddie Yee won for the co-angler division. This is Yee’s second AOY title.
Statistically, the best tournament of the year was the May 5 event on Conowingo Reservoir. This single day tournament had the second highest total weight of the year, beating out 3 of the 4 two day events. The daily per angler average of 4.6 fish for 11.7 lbs. was the highest for both divisions by a wide margin. Of the 30 anglers that participated, 25 of them weighed in a five bass limit. This tournament also had the heaviest single day limit of the year at 19 lbs. 4oz. It was the second highest ranked FOBA tournament ever, beaten only by the May 2016 Conowingo event.
The toughest tournament of the year was the September 9 event on Little Seneca Lake (Black Hill). Late summer and early fall can be a tricky time of year, but this event was an exceptionally humbling endeavor. Past tournaments during the same time of year on this lake have produced decent fishing and even 15 to 17 lb. winning weights. That was not the case in 2017 where the per angler average was 1.9 fish for 2.78 lbs, both were the lowest of the entire season. The winning boater weight of only 8lbs. 12oz. was also the lowest of the year.
Overall, 2017 could be considered a little tougher than an average season. The September Black Hill event kicked off a four tournament stretch of extremely tough fishing, one of the most difficult stretches in FOBA history. The averages for the number of fish, weight, winning weight, and lunker were all down when compared to recent seasons. The following chart summarizes the statistics for each lake fished in 2017.
Tournament Winners
-
Lake Anna 4/8: Logan Summers (15-0) / Bob Fisher (9-11)
-
Lake Gaston 4/21-22: Tim Roberts (25-5) / Zack Showman (23-15)
-
Conowingo Reservoir 5/6: Logan Summers (19-4) / Brain Gray (13-6)
-
Smith Mountain Lake 5/20-21: Greg Greene (24-11) / Paul Stecher (14-13)
-
Black Hill (Memorial) 6/3: Joe Pautler (16-6) / Eddie Yee (16-5)
-
Piney Run Lake 6/17: Chris Keiffer (13-10) / Zack Showman (12-6)
-
Potomac River 7/8: Greg Greene (15-12) / Bryan Mitchell (6-15)
-
Upper Bay 7/22: Joe Pautler (18-1) / John Weiskopf (12-7)
-
Black Hill 9/9: Jeff Wible (8-12) / Zach Parkent (3-15)
-
Potomac River 9/23: Logan Summers (9-0) / Zack Showman (9-13)
-
Conowingo Reservoir 10/7: Logan Summers (9-13) / Holly Summers (8-1)
-
Deep Creek Lake 10/21-22: Mark Lim (16-9) / Timmy Walko (9-9)
-
Lake Gaston Classic 11/4-5: Joe Pautler (20-15) / Zach Showman (19-12)
Written by Logan Summers
TOURNAMENT WINNERS
Boater Division
Tournament | Winner | Caught | Alive | Total Lbs | Total Oz | Lunker Lbs | Lunker Oz |
---|