Pictured is Northern Neck Anglers Club member John O’Connor of Manassas, Virginia, with his 2013 NNAC Angler of the Year trophy sponsored by the Chesapeake Angler.
This is the fourth year that the Chesapeake Angler has sponsored the NNAC Angler of the Year contest. The contest is based on six club tournaments held from May to October specifically targeting seven different saltwater species. Scoring is based on weight, with four points for a first place, three for second, two for third, and one point for any of the specifically targeted species entered during an NNAC tournament.
John captured the AOY trophy with a total of 30 points, edging Steve Hedgpeth of
Springfield (28 points) and his wife Paulette (22 points). John scored points in each of the 6 NNAC tournaments. John also finished first in a separate 3 tournament Puppy Drum Bounty with a puppy drum weighing 5 pounds 12 ounces. The Puppy Drum Bounty was initiated by the club in 2013 to determine the viability of adding puppy drum as an annual tournament species in the future.
He and Paulette fish out of Buzzard’s Point Marina in Reedville aboard their boat ‘GRACEFUL’. They have been fishing the waters of the Middle Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River for the past 11 years, since John’s retirement in 2002.
John and Paulette joined the NNAC in order to meet other anglers with similar fishing interests and to learn as quickly as possible how, when and where to fish for the various species of fish that can be caught in the Middle Chesapeake Bay area. Participation in the NNAC has been instrumental in the fishing success they enjoyed in 2013 and prior years.
John is currently the Treasurer of the NNAC and is coordinating an NNAC sponsored Chesapeake Bay Fishing Seminar for members and the public to be held on Saturday, April 12, 2014 at the Northern Neck Boys and Girls Club in Kilmarnock.
Northern Neck Anglers Club 