The Taunton River experiment is in the books!

Few of us had ever fished the Taunton River before, so we didn’t know what to expect. I think that’s why we had a lower-than-normal turnout. But fourteen anglers gave this one a go, with many miles of river available to fish between Taunton and Bridgewater. Finding a launch location proved to be an obstacle for many, even as late as this morning. In the end, everyone got on the water and most caught fish.

It wasn’t the best day of fishing, but it was, thankfully, a much better tournament than I anticipated.

Lots of small fish, though. Only one truly big fish was caught, and that was a 20-inch stud hauled in by Bruce Levy. Tournament lunker!

We ran a separate lunker pool for bowfin, but they proved too elusive for the eleven of us who opted in. Everyone got their money back.

We paid out just three spots today. Bruce Levy was holding in that third paying spot until around 11 AM, when John Ferreira edged him out and down into fourth. But a short while later Bruce put a small upgrade on the board, which ultimately put him a half inch over John’s 69.50 and back into third place for good.

I launched a short ways up the Nemasket River and worked my way down toward the Taunton River. It took me a few hours to make it there, and I spent at least half that time paddling through grass, weeds, an obscene amount of spider webs, and under far too many fallen trees, but I managed to pick up 71.25 inches of bass along the way, good enough for second place.

I was in the lead for a good portion of the day, and I watched the standings as Gerard Elias slowly crept up behind me (he may have been in first for a time early on as well). Gerard hasn’t been tournament fishing for long, so it was an odd feeling to be rooting for him while also hoping he catches nothing but pickerel for the rest of the day. Haha.

Unfortunately for me, when I turned the standings off at noon, he had jumped ahead of me by about three inches. When all was said and done, Gerard added another three inches for an overall total of 76 inches. He had a spot all to himself and it paid off with his first tournament victory! Congrats, sir! Well earned.

I appreciate everyone coming out. I know this wasn’t the best location and the “roadrunner” style wasn’t the most convenient, but I think it turned out well enough.

Full standings can be found here.

And remember, if you’ve fished with us, you get a nice discount when buying from our sponsors, Go Bananas Outdoors, Radfish Lures, and Rocky Ledge Tackle. Check out the Members Only section here on the website (message me for the password). Also be sure to check out MGC Fishing Equipment and Supplies for your local tackle needs.

Our next event is on the Charles River in Waltham on July 21. Sign up page will go up tonight…