Charlie Hartley Wins Bassmaster Northern Open on James River

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Ohio angler qualifies for Classic

FLIPPIN, Ark.  Pro Charlie Hartley won the Bassmaster Northern Open event on James River, Aug. 20 with a three-day weight of 41 pounds, 13 ounces. The angler took home $51,699 and qualified to fish the Bassmaster Classic if he competes in the final Northern Open on Lake Champlain.

While the ribbon tail worm doesn't enjoy the notoriety it has in the past, Hartley exclusively targeted bass around hard cover with a lightweight rigged ribbon tail worm along the Chickahominy River.

"I was flipping it old-school style," said Hartley. "There are a lot of baits that are easier to flip, fly through the air better and hit the water better, but that lightweight ribbon tail was critical so that it would float by them in the current the way they are used to seeing their bait brought to them."

After two solid days, Hartley entered the final day in fourth place just 1 pound, 14 ounces behind the leader. The angler's day began slowly with no fish for the first 90 minutes.

"It was meticulously slow, pitch after pitch on each side of hard cover," said Hartley. "You do it about a thousand times a day and 10 times out of those thousand times you would have an opportunity to catch a fish. It was very slow and tedious."

Hartley turned to fresh waters on the final day due to the weeklong fishing pressure.

"We had beat that river to death," said Hartley. "I didn't want to fish where I had been catching them before because I had worked the areas so thoroughly. It was an easy decision to go to new waypoints."

Hartley's final-day weight of 13 pounds, 11 ounces didn't leave the angler with the sense he had outdone the field.

"I knew I was going against one of the very best fisherman on the James River – David Dudley," said Hartley. "I knew I would have a hill to climb to beat him. I was very fortunate that the conditions were that tough."

The rest of the field struggled to land quality fish, leaving Hartley with the heaviest bag of the day and the spot atop the winner's podium. The angler's decision to head to new waters proved key, along with the high performance of his Ranger Z520C to get back and forth from the Chickahominy River.

"It ain't a boat ride, it's a boat race," said Hartley. "It is critical to be in a boat that you feel safe in and this is the fastest Ranger I have ever owned. It lets me hang with anyone."