Clark beats Potomac after beating Cancer!
by
Sean Ostruszka
FLW PRESS RELEASE
Clark
Wendlandt thought he knew two things: 1. He had an area all to himself. 2. It
had potential to be special. Turns out he was right on both.
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Emotional win for Clark who fought many odds to win! (Photo FLW) |
Despite
battling nasty weather and his boat
breaking down on day three, Wendlandt managed to sack up 60
pounds of bass to win the Walmart FLW Tour event presented by Ranger Boats on
the Potomac River. The Leander, Texas, pro beat Andy Morgan by 4 pounds, 4
ounces to earn the fourth FLW Tour victory of his career.
“I
had a suspicion my area could be good after my practice,” Wendlandt says. “I’d
fished that area before, and in practice I caught a few fish. With a place like
this [the Potomac] where the fish are always moving, you just want to know
they’re in an area. So I knew they were there, but I didn’t know it would be as
good as this.”
Wendlandt’s
key area was Potomac Creek, which featured a mixture of docks, grass flats and
shallow wood. He rotated between all three types of cover each day in an effort
to see where the fish had relocated. His main lures were a 1/2-ounce 4x4 jig
and a white Z-Man ChatterBait with a Lake Fork Tackle Live Magic Shad trailer.
“I
managed my area really well all week,” Wendlandt adds.
As
well as he fished, Wendlandt acknowledged that he received a big assist on day
three. With Wendlandt facing boat troubles, fellow top 20 angler Shinichi Fukae
swapped boats with him – effectively ending his own day – so Wendlandt could
continue fishing and retain his hold on the No. 1 spot.
“I
don’t know if I’ve ever seen an act of sportsmanship that great ever in this
sport,” Wendlandt said at the day-three weigh-in. “Every time I caught one
after that I just kept saying, ‘Thank you, Shin.’”
After
torrential rains on day three (Saturday), Wendlandt was concerned his area in
Potomac Creek might be trashed – a common problem for anglers all week – and
sure enough it was muddier than usual when he got there Sunday morning. With
only four fish late in the day, he made a move to Mattawoman Creek where he had
located a stretch of laydowns. That’s where he caught the key limit filler to
seal the deal.
A
three-time Angler of the Year, Wendlandt’s win comes little more than a year
after suffering a heart attack that caused him to miss the final couple of
tournaments of the 2014 season. Yet, standing on stage holding his new trophy,
that seemed farther away than ever.
“For
a long time now I’ve felt fine,” Wendlandt says. “My rehab went well, and my
heart is back to its normal limits. There is some damage, but I still love to
fish.”
Top
10 Pros
1.
Clark Wendlandt – Leander, Texas – 60-00 – $125,000.00
2.
Andy Morgan – Dayton, Tenn. – 55-12 – $28,309.00
3.
Adrian Avena – Vineland, N.J. – 54-01 – $23,575.00
4.
Darrel Robertson – Jay, Okla. – 52-13 – $18,842.00
5.
John Voyles – Petersburg, Ind. – 52-10 – $17,895.00
6.
Scott Martin – Clewiston, Fla. – 52-09 – $16,949.00
7.
Randy Haynes – Counce, Tenn. – 51-14 – $16,002.00
8.
Bryan Schmitt – Deale, Md. – 51-12 – $15,055.00
9.
Larry Nixon – Bee Branch, Ark. – 51-05 – $14,109.00
10. Jim
Moynagh – Carver, Minn. – 49-02 – $13,162.00
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