Gagliardi Settling On Strategy For Flw Tour Major On Potomac River
With practice over, Anthony Gagliardi was waiting to learn his flight number before determining a set strategy for the first day of fishing Thursday on the Potomac River in the fourth FLW Tour Major of the year.
“I have probably three or four primary ares that I know hold fish. I may decide to fish one for an entire day or I may run up the river and fish back down with the tide,” said the 10-year FLW pro from Prosperity, S.C. “I know there are four possible places I will be fishing in the tournament – I just have to determine which order I will go to them in.”
Gagliardi, the 2006 FLW Tour Angler of the Year, is currently ranked 11th and on track to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup to be held Aug. 9-12 on Georgia’s Lake Lanier. He has made the world championship of bass fishing all 10 years of his career, scoring four top 10 finishes: 3rd in 2004, 5th in 2005, 10th in 2006 and 9th in 2007.
In regular tournaments he has 17 top 10 finishes, including four first places and his career prize winnings top $1.2 million.
Although he did not have a good practice earlier this week, Gagliardi said he has some confidence fishing the Potomac where he has placed in the money in two out of the three tournaments he has fished there. Other than one tournament on the James River some years ago, those three tournaments are his only experience fishing tidal waters for bass.
“I have a little bit of confidence fishing here and I like fishing here,” he said. “It’s a great fishery and I usually get a ton of bites when I fish here, but I did not get as many in practice as I normally would.”
Gagliardi said the fish apparently are in several different stages, with some still spawning, some that have spawned and moved out and some that are still on the way up shallow.
“Where I am fishing the water is not clear enough to fish for spawning fish,” he said. “I will fish four different things, but mainly I will be fishing soft plastic. I’ve had a couple of frog bites to I’ll probably fish a frog and I’ll go back and forth between those two. I may also throw a swim bait and a Chatterbait.
“If I had to pin it down to just one technique I’d spend most of my time flipping. After that I’d throw the Chatterbait, then the frog and then the swim bait.”
FLW Tour Major
May 17-20, 2012
Potomac River
National Harbor Marina
