Lucas’ Potomac River bass lead shrinks

Despite catching only 12 pounds, 15 ounces during Saturday’s semifinal round, Alabama pro Justin Lucas is in position for a wire-to-wire win at the Bassmaster Elite at Potomac River in Charles County. Lucas’ Saturday catch — easily his smallest of the week — pushed his three-day total to 53-1. He will enter Championship Sunday with a lead of almost 6 pounds over Indiana pro Bill Lowen (47-3). Both anglers were covered with sweat backstage after Saturday’s weigh-in, with the heat index rising above 112 degrees. “I had 10 pounds for a long time today,” Lucas said. “I don’t know why things slowed down the way they did. But I’m very fortunate to be where I am with this kind of lead.” Today’s takeoff will be at 6:15 a.m. from Smallwood State Park, and weigh-in will be at 3 p.m. at Indian Head Pavilion on the Village Green. WHITE PERCH: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources confirmed two new records last week. James Stiars of Bel Air broke his own nontidal record in Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore County, and 10-year-old Ryan Timmons of Berlin broke the Atlantic record in Ayers Creek in Worcester County. Stiars caught a 1.74-pound, 141⁄4-inch white perch Aug. 2. “We were trolling Shad Rap crank baits and catching them pretty well when this one came over the rail, and I thought it looked bigger than the one from a couple of years ago,” Stiars told the DNR. His previous record was a 1.70-pound fish caught in 2014. Timmons’ catch was 1.65 pounds, 141⁄2 inches.