What do you do with the $1,525 first prize you win in a charity fishing tournament? If you’re Joe Thompson of Ridley Park, Penn., you donate the money back to the cause.
Thompson, one of the most respected anglers in the Upper Chesapeake Bay region, recently fished the Ron Phillips Benefit Tournament with his 15-year-old daughter, Brittany, and the father-daughter team brought in the winning bag. Without hesitation, Team Thompson donated the prize to the family of Ron Phillips, a 12-year-old avid angler who is battling a rare form of Leukemia while at the same time recovering from a liver transplant that was necessitated by an a football injury.
The Thompsons relied on a deep knowledge of tidal fishing to outfish a heavyweight field of 83 teams, which included several nationally touring pros from the BASS Elite Series, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and FLW Series and Tour. Their 16.05-pound limit was anchored by a 3.89-pound largemouth,
"We spent the entire day rotating in three basic areas, allowing the bass bite to tell us when to change areas," Joe Thompson said.
Joe and Brittany worked well in tandem, with Joe fishing a YUM Ribbontail Worm while his daughter cranked Model As around rocks and pilings in 10 to 14 feet of water.
Around shallow grass, they fished double-willowleaf BOOYAH Blade Spinnerbaits. With Joe keeping the boat over 8 feet of water, they cast over submerged vegetation in 2 to 3 feet of water and then slow rolled the spinnerbaits down the slope, keeping the baits just ticking the top of the grass.
Their pattern and spots were strong enough to survive one "big one that got away," based on a story Joe shared with a smile:
"As a largemouth engulfed my Bomber 7A, I called for the net. Brittany replied. ‘I can’t, Dad. I have a bass on.’ Thinking my bass was a little bigger, I grabbed the net and lifted it into the boat. Just as I came out of the water with the net Brittany’s bass leaped in the air, returning her spinnerbait. And yes, it was indeed larger than my largemouth."
The Ron Phillips Benefit Tournament was put on by the Marsh Creek Bass Club, of which Ron is a Junior Member. Related fundraisers have included a "Fish With a Pro" Event and an on-line auction. For more information about these events and about Ron, visit marshcreekbassclub.com.
Photo courtesy Billy "Hawkeye" Decoteau's TheBassBureau.