DeFoe takes down Stage 6 at Potomac for fifth Bass Pro Tour win
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Ott DeFoe topped the field on the Potomac River with 78 pounds, 11 ounces on 32 scorable bass. Photo by Phoenix Moore |
By Tyler Brinks
Bass Pro Tour
MARBURY, Md. – After a week that saw Ott DeFoe near the top of SCORETRACKER® every day he was on the water, the Tennessee pro finally shot to the top when it mattered most, taking down the Zenni Stage 6 Presented by Athletic Brewing Company Championship Round for his fourth Bass Pro Tour regular-season win and fifth BPT win overall.
With a dominant final-day performance, DeFoe stacked up 32 bass for 78 pounds, 11 ounces to beat his closest pursuer in Ron Nelson by nearly 27 pounds. Nelson finished as the runner-up, his best finish on the Bass Pro Tour since joining the ranks last season.
DeFoe is one of the winningest anglers in Bass Pro Tour history, behind only Jacob Wheeler and Dustin Connell, but this marks his first individual win since Heavy Hitters in 2022. It’s his fourth regular-season BPT win, the first since 2021 on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes. He did it in typical DeFoe fashion, too, escaping the bulk of the 66-angler field and fishing far up a creek in the Potomac River backwaters.
Here’s how the Top 10 pros finished the Championship Round:
Ott DeFoe – 78 – 11 (32)
Ron Nelson – 51 – 13 (23)
Bradley Roy – 44 – 11 (20)
Cole Floyd – 43 – 11 (21)
Zack Birge – 41 – 09 (20)
Adrian Avena – 40 – 12 (20)
James Elam – 36 – 07 (18)
Keith Poche – 35 – 07 (15)
Spencer Shuffield – 31 – 01 (15)
Keith Carson – 30 – 01 (14)
DeFoe gets shallow and skinny for the win
Kicking off the event, DeFoe found himself in second place behind Keith Poche after catching 70-2 during the first day of qualifying, most of it early in the day in what would end being his winning area, the extreme backwaters of Neabsco Creek.