On Thursday morning at 6:30am the air was thick with excitement at the National Harbor Marina. The anxious anglers, bobbing gently up and down on the Potomac in their fishing boats, were waiting to take off to compete in Walmart’s FLW Outdoor tournament. This annual event offers entrants the chance to compete for a $100,000 top prize and a number of smaller prizes.
Bill Taylor, the Director of Tournament operations said, “this is the best fishing in the country and we couldn’t ask for a better back drop than the National Harbor, we have a full field and the anglers have been amazed at the community interest.”
The tournament features 154 pro-anglers and 154 co- anglers. Co- anglers pay a fee to fish off the back of the Pro’s boats and, while they are not eligible to take on the $100,000 top prize, can earn up to $20,000 in prize money.
Fishing is a sport often characterized by the patience it requires. A 21-year-old Theo Corcoran from Michigan got an early test of his. As the boats sped off one by one as their entry number was called, one lone fisher stood on the dock with his rods still in their cases. Corcoran’s second outing as a professional was off to a bad start, “Motor won’t start and I won’t get my money back, I guess that is why they call it fishing”.
Co- angler Corcoran joked as he waited for a call from Pro Allan Engelmeyer who was scrambling to get another boat. Corcoran explained that he has been competing in tournaments since he was 14 and fishing since, “I was knee high to a grasshopper and boats give out all the time, so I can’t get tense.”
Corcoran’s patience paid off because around the dock came Engelmeyer in a boat only 30 minutes after the tournament began. Tournament operations director Taylor said, “He was fortunate to have access to borrow a boat.” The angler and co-angler were very fortunate and after the final Bass weigh in of the day, Engelmeyer is ranked #16 in the Pro angler competition and Corcoran is ranked #20 in the co-angler competition. Let’s hope tomorrow brings a better start for them as Walmart’s FLW Outdoor continues through Sunday
