KENNEWICK, Wash. - After leading the first two days at the Bassmaster Northern Open, Chris Lambert knew it was his bass fishing tournament to lose when he launched into the Columbia River Saturday morning. And when he returned to Columbia Park after a full day of fishing, he was pretty sure he had lost it.
"I thought I needed about 16 pounds today to win it," the Olympia, Wash., angler said. "I had about 12 pounds. I thought I would maybe be able to hold on to second (place)."
But Lambert got some lucky breaks - chief among them that his closest competitor, Gene Batey, of Pasco, Wash., only brought in 9 pounds, 15 ounces, not enough to close the 2-ounce gap that separated the two after Friday's weigh-in.
"After I checked in, I heard a few of the guys that were right behind me had a tough day, and it was at that point that I figured I might win."
And win he did, weighing in a cumulative 42-9, enough to pick up the $46,850 top prize in the boater division, along with a hefty trophy - his first from BASS.
"I'm going to put this in our living room," Lambert joked. "It's decorated real frou-frou and I think this trophy will fit in great."
Lambert was drop-shotting a combination of watermelon- and smoke-colored Yamamoto 3-inch Senko lures and sand-colored Sniper Snubs into a small patch of water on the Snake River. He planned to fish from the spot for as long as it kept producing competitive smallmouth bass, but said it took a lot of discipline to stick to that strategy on the final day.
"Today it took about an hour before I got a bite," he said. "I almost left."
The home team made a good showing this week, with Washington anglers taking the first four of the top five spots in the competition. David Kromm, of Kennewick, ended in second with 40-6; followed by fellow Kennewickian Ron Mace (39-6); Clint Johanson, of Benton City, Wash., (38-12); and California's Skeet Reese (37-7).
In the non-boater division, Japan's Hisashi Kawashima led the field with 33-8, followed by Kyle Rasmussen, of Angel's Camp, Calif. (32-10); Patrick Wilson, of Petaluma, Calif. (28-8); David Swendseid, of Aloha, Ore. (26-12); and Kevin Gray, of Hermiston, Ore. (26-11).
This was the first of three events in the Western Division that will send the top anglers to the inaugural Bassmaster Open Championship in December - and, ultimately, the Bassmaster Classic next summer.
2003 Washington Western Open BO 09/18-09/20 Columbia River, Kennewick Wash. (BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Chris Lambert Olympia, Wash. 15 42-09 175 $46,850.00 Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 5 14-09 Day 3: 5 12-12 2. David Kromm Kennewick, Wash. 15 40-06 174 $38,950.00 Day 1: 5 9-14 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 18-11 3. Ron Mace Kennewick, Wash. 15 39-06 173 $15,000.00 Day 1: 5 13-09 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 5 15-08 4. Clint Johanson Benton City, Wash. 15 38-12 172 $12,000.00 Day 1: 5 14-01 Day 2: 5 15-10 Day 3: 5 9-01 5. Skeet Reese Auburn, Calif. 15 37-07 171 $5,925.00 Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 14-04 Day 3: 5 12-04 6. Mark Tyler Concord, Calif. 15 37-03 170 $5,372.00 Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 5 9-11 Day 3: 5 15-01 7. Gene Batey, Jr Pasco, Wash. 15 35-15 169 $4,345.00 Day 1: 5 14-14 Day 2: 5 11-02 Day 3: 5 9-15 8. Robert Lee Angels Camp, Calif. 15 33-06 168 $3,950.00 Day 1: 5 13-07 Day 2: 5 11-07 Day 3: 5 8-08 9. John Murray Phoenix, Ariz. 15 33-04 167 $3,555.00 Day 1: 5 13-10 Day 2: 5 9-08 Day 3: 5 10-02 10. Darryl Burkhardt Gresham, Ore. 15 32-15 166 $3,160.00 Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 7-10 Day 3: 5 14-03 11. Tony Lind Kent, Wash. 15 32-00 165 $2,765.00 Day 1: 5 11-00 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 5 9-13 12. Jason Allred Dallas, Ore. 14 31-07 164 $2,370.00 Day 1: 4 6-15 Day 2: 5 13-13 Day 3: 5 10-11 13. Bink Desaro Boise, Idaho 15 31-06 163 $1,935.50 Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 5 9-04 13. Don Hogue Pasco, Wash. 15 31-06 163 $1,935.50 Day 1: 5 8-11 Day 2: 5 10-06 Day 3: 5 12-05 15. Mike O'Shea Thousand Oaks, Calif. 15 30-08 161 $1,817.00 Day 1: 5 6-14 Day 2: 5 12-11 Day 3: 5 10-15 16. Jeff Boyer Auburn, Wash. 15 30-02 160 $1,740.00 Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 5 10-11 Day 3: 5 11-02 17. Jarrett Edwards Del Norte, Colo. 11 30-00 159 $1,740.00 Day 1: 5 15-04 Day 2: 1 3-03 Day 3: 5 11-09 18. Justin Kerr Semi Valley, Calif. 14 29-11 158 $2,530.00 Day 1: 5 9-03 Day 2: 4 8-03 Day 3: 5 12-05 19. Ishama Monroe Patterson, Calif. 15 29-04 157 $1,740.00 Day 1: 5 9-02 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 5 10-02 20. Luke Clausen Veradale, Wash. 15 29-01 156 $1,740.00 Day 1: 5 12-04 Day 2: 5 8-01 Day 3: 5 8-12 21. Aaron Coleman Oakland, Calif. 15 28-15 155 $1,660.00 Day 1: 5 11-13 Day 2: 5 7-14 Day 3: 5 9-04 22. Byron Velvick Boulder City, Nev. 13 28-09 154 $1,660.00 Day 1: 5 8-12 Day 2: 4 11-01 Day 3: 4 8-12 23. Gabriel Bolivar Ramona, Calif. 13 28-08 153 $1,660.00 Day 1: 3 5-06 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 5 11-10 23. Jack A Gadlage Benton, Ky. 14 28-08 153 $1,660.00 Day 1: 4 6-06 Day 2: 5 12-10 Day 3: 5 9-08 25. Ron Colby West Jordan, Utah 15 28-06 151 $1,500.00 Day 1: 5 12-13 Day 2: 5 8-11 Day 3: 5 6-14 25. Phillip Ruffcorn Athena, Ore. 13 28-06 151 $1,500.00 Day 1: 4 11-06 Day 2: 4 6-02 Day 3: 5 10-14 27. James Broberg Spokane, Wash. 14 28-02 149 $1,340.00 Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 9-02 Day 3: 4 7-13 28. Gary Dobyns Yuba City, Calif. 14 28-01 148 $1,340.00 Day 1: 5 14-06 Day 2: 4 5-07 Day 3: 5 8-04 29. Phil Strader Glide, Ore. 15 27-15 147 $1,340.00 Day 1: 5 8-03 Day 2: 5 10-03 Day 3: 5 9-09 30. Mitch Ratchford Kennewick, Wash. 14 27-10 146 $1,340.00 Day 1: 5 9-05 Day 2: 5 8-13 Day 3: 4 9-08 31. Peter Krause Outlook, Wash. 15 27-03 145 $1,190.00 Day 1: 5 8-08 Day 2: 5 9-08 Day 3: 5 9-03 32. Dub LaShot Walterville, Ore. 12 27-01 144 $1,190.00 Day 1: 5 13-15 Day 2: 2 3-10 Day 3: 5 9-08 33. James P Jeffords Hillsboro, Ore. 13 26-12 143 $1,190.00 Day 1: 5 12-00 Day 2: 3 5-09 Day 3: 5 9-03 34. Charlie Weyer West Hills, Calif. 15 26-09 142 $1,190.00 Day 1: 5 9-04 Day 2: 5 9-15 Day 3: 5 7-06 35. Rob VanderKooi Mesa, Ariz. 14 26-04 141 $1,190.00 Day 1: 5 11-12 Day 2: 5 8-02 Day 3: 4 6-06 36. Scott A Nielsen Salt Lake City, Utah 15 26-02 140 $1,030.00 Day 1: 5 11-02 Day 2: 5 8-10 Day 3: 5 6-06 37. David Baca Prescott Valley, Ariz. 13 25-15 139 $1,030.00 Day 1: 5 12-10 Day 2: 4 8-15 Day 3: 4 4-06 38. Bob Adkinson Kennewick, Wash. 14 25-14 138 $1,030.00 Day 1: 5 13-11 Day 2: 4 5-01 Day 3: 5 7-02 39. Roy Hawk Salt Lake City, Utah 14 25-11 137 $1,030.00 Day 1: 5 7-12 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 4 7-15 40. Zachary Thompson Orinda, Calif. 15 25-09 136 $1,030.00 Day 1: 5 8-04 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 5 7-00 41. Roger Benedict Albany, Ore. 13 25-05 135 $950.00 Day 1: 5 11-05 Day 2: 5 7-07 Day 3: 3 6-09 42. Clayton Meyer San Diego, Calif. 13 24-05 134 $950.00 Day 1: 5 9-13 Day 2: 5 10-02 Day 3: 3 4-06 43. Jason Hickey Weiser, Idaho 11 22-14 133 $950.00 Day 1: 4 10-13 Day 2: 4 8-07 Day 3: 3 3-10 44. Kotaro Kiriyama Moody, Ala. 12 21-14 132 $950.00 Day 1: 5 12-07 Day 2: 4 5-10 Day 3: 3 3-13 45. Bruce Ratchford Kennewick, Wash. 13 21-12 131 $950.00 Day 1: 5 9-09 Day 2: 5 7-12 Day 3: 3 4-07 46. Brian Belleisle Hamilton, Mont. 12 21-05 130 $870.00 Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 4 6-14 Day 3: 3 3-00 47. Jimmy Reese Witter Srpings, Calif. 13 21-01 129 $870.00 Day 1: 5 7-12 Day 2: 5 10-00 Day 3: 3 3-05 48. Jerry Ballesteros Burbank, Calif. 11 18-15 128 $870.00 Day 1: 5 9-07 Day 2: 5 8-07 Day 3: 1 1-01 49. Tim Grinolds Canyon Country, Calif. 11 18-14 127 $870.00 Day 1: 5 7-09 Day 2: 5 9-11 Day 3: 1 1-10 50. Roy Van Slyke Cashmere, Wash. 8 17-01 126 $1,660.00 Day 1: 5 7-04 Day 2: 3 9-13 Day 3: 0 0-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Bass Day 1 Jack Sykes Huntingdon Beach, Calif. 5-14 $790.00 2 Roy Van Slyke Cashmere, Wash. 7-05 $790.00 3 Justin Kerr Semi Valley, Calif. 5-11 $790.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 93 580 1097-04 2 54 472 860-09 3 34 217 431-03 ---------------------------------- 181 1269 2389-00 2003 Washington Western Open NB 09/18-09/20 Columbia River, Kennewick Wash. (NON-BOATER) Standings Day 3 Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$ 1. Hisashi Kawashima Murrieta, Calif. 15 33-08 175 $24,000.00 Day 1: 5 10-02 Day 2: 5 9-13 Day 3: 5 13-09 2. Kyle Rasmussen Angels Camp, Calif. 15 32-10 174 $12,000.00 Day 1: 5 12-03 Day 2: 5 11-13 Day 3: 5 8-10 3. Patrick Wilson Petaluma, Calif. 15 28-08 173 $3,015.00 Day 1: 5 11-15 Day 2: 5 8-08 Day 3: 5 8-01 4. David Swendseid Aloha, Ore. 12 26-12 172 $2,815.00 Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 5 17-01 Day 3: 5 6-01 5. Kevin Gray Hermiston, Ore. 14 26-11 171 $2,144.00 Day 1: 5 9-04 Day 2: 4 6-00 Day 3: 5 11-07 6. Mike Lander Castaic, Calif. 12 25-09 170 $1,675.00 Day 1: 5 10-13 Day 2: 5 10-05 Day 3: 2 4-07 7. Brian Boadwine Vancouver, Wash. 13 25-06 169 $1,340.00 Day 1: 5 10-09 Day 2: 5 8-04 Day 3: 3 6-09 8. Rodney Reed Bakersfield, Calif. 13 24-10 168 $1,206.00 Day 1: 5 10-01 Day 2: 3 2-13 Day 3: 5 11-12 9. Jason Eastman Hillsboro, Ore. 13 24-09 167 $1,005.00 Day 1: 4 9-10 Day 2: 5 8-00 Day 3: 4 6-15 10. Anthony Klonowski Eagle, Idaho 14 24-03 166 $938.00 Day 1: 5 10-06 Day 2: 4 5-02 Day 3: 5 8-11 11. Frank Morrin Lakeside, Calif. 12 24-02 165 $871.00 Day 1: 2 3-00 Day 2: 5 9-13 Day 3: 5 11-05 12. Darrel R Startin, Jr Spokane, Wash. 12 23-12 164 $804.00 Day 1: 4 6-08 Day 2: 3 5-03 Day 3: 5 12-01 13. Jeff Walker Glendale, Ariz. 14 23-11 163 $737.00 Day 1: 5 8-10 Day 2: 4 5-08 Day 3: 5 9-09 14. Joe Patz Peoria, Ariz. 13 22-00 162 $670.00 Day 1: 5 7-14 Day 2: 3 5-05 Day 3: 5 8-13 15. Clinton Knox West Richland, Wash. 11 21-12 161 $571.50 Day 1: 4 7-12 Day 2: 2 5-02 Day 3: 5 8-14 15. Michael Mahan Kennewick, Wash. 11 21-12 161 $571.50 Day 1: 5 9-15 Day 2: 5 8-06 Day 3: 1 3-07 17. Robert Bowers Clovis, Calif. 11 21-11 159 $540.00 Day 1: 5 9-06 Day 2: 1 2-02 Day 3: 5 10-03 18. Blaine Ruddy Mesa, Ariz. 11 21-06 158 $540.00 Day 1: 3 6-02 Day 2: 5 10-10 Day 3: 3 4-10 19. Larry Vance Tacoma, Wash. 11 21-04 157 $810.00 Day 1: 4 7-00 Day 2: 2 3-06 Day 3: 5 10-14 20. Bill Stuzman Nampa, Idaho 12 20-12 156 $540.00 Day 1: 5 8-00 Day 2: 3 5-14 Day 3: 4 6-14 21. Kim Bain Queensland, Australia 9 20-01 155 $470.00 Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 3 7-00 22. Mike Bell Nampa, Idaho 11 19-02 154 $470.00 Day 1: 5 8-06 Day 2: 4 6-09 Day 3: 2 4-03 23. Ken Day Kennewick, Wash. 10 18-13 153 $470.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 7-14 24. Gary Haraguchi Antioch, Calif. 11 18-12 152 $470.00 Day 1: 4 6-09 Day 2: 4 7-08 Day 3: 3 4-11 25. Franklin Sergeant West Richland, Wash. 9 18-10 151 $470.00 Day 1: 4 9-06 Day 2: 1 3-02 Day 3: 4 6-02 26. John Blair Clearlake Oaks, Calif. 13 18-06 150 $400.00 Day 1: 5 6-12 Day 2: 5 7-02 Day 3: 3 4-08 27. Izz Byrd San Jose, Calif. 10 18-00 149 $400.00 Day 1: 5 11-08 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 5 6-08 28. Bob Banta Hayden, Idaho 9 17-13 148 $400.00 Day 1: 4 8-02 Day 2: 5 9-11 Day 3: 0 0-00 29. Darren England Rapid City, S.D. 10 16-11 147 $400.00 Day 1: 4 6-05 Day 2: 3 5-12 Day 3: 3 4-10 30. Dan Cranston San Andreas, Calif. 12 16-09 146 $385.00 Day 1: 5 6-13 Day 2: 4 4-08 Day 3: 3 5-04 30. David Lewis Ethrata, Wash. 7 16-09 146 $385.00 Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 14-03 Day 3: 2 2-06 32. Jim Sall Pasco, Wash. 10 16-07 144 $370.00 Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 5 9-02 Day 3: 3 3-11 33. Mark J White Tucson, Ariz. 10 16-05 143 $370.00 Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 1 2-00 Day 3: 4 6-00 34. Kirk Beardsley Huntington Beach, Cali 9 16-00 142 $370.00 Day 1: 5 8-05 Day 2: 3 5-12 Day 3: 1 1-15 35. Jason Hackerd Upland, Calif. 10 15-14 141 $355.00 Day 1: 5 7-14 Day 2: 2 2-13 Day 3: 3 5-03 35. Ian Hunsaker Kennewick, Wash. 11 15-14 141 $355.00 Day 1: 5 6-00 Day 2: 4 6-12 Day 3: 2 3-02 37. Kelly Salmans Lakeside, Calif. 8 15-13 139 $340.00 Day 1: 5 10-12 Day 2: 1 1-04 Day 3: 2 3-13 38. Jim Valladares West Covina, Calif. 9 15-10 138 $340.00 Day 1: 5 9-00 Day 2: 1 1-09 Day 3: 3 5-01 39. Michael Kenney Deer Park, Wash. 8 15-00 137 $340.00 Day 1: 4 9-09 Day 2: 1 1-04 Day 3: 3 4-03 40. Bryan Seaman Burbank, Wash. 7 14-13 136 $340.00 Day 1: 2 3-12 Day 2: 5 11-01 Day 3: 0 0-00 41. James R Leachman Kennewick, Wash. 6 14-09 135 $570.00 Day 1: 4 10-10 Day 2: 0 0-00 Day 3: 2 3-15 42. Bill DeMaris Nile Miles Falls, Wash 10 14-05 134 $300.00 Day 1: 5 7-01 Day 2: 2 3-02 Day 3: 3 4-02 43. Les Whitley Kennewick, Wash. 9 14-02 133 $300.00 Day 1: 5 6-13 Day 2: 2 3-15 Day 3: 2 3-06 44. Bob Sweeney Tacoma, Wash. 9 13-13 132 $300.00 Day 1: 5 9-13 Day 2: 2 2-02 Day 3: 2 1-14 45. Ruben Rodriguez Oakley, Calif. 8 13-07 131 $285.00 Day 1: 2 5-07 Day 2: 5 6-07 Day 3: 1 1-09 45. Joe Spraggins Madera, Calif. 8 13-07 131 $285.00 Day 1: 5 8-11 Day 2: 1 2-08 Day 3: 2 2-04 47. Andy Smith Buckley, Wash. 9 12-09 129 $270.00 Day 1: 5 7-05 Day 2: 4 5-04 Day 3: 0 0-00 48. Steven Mair Heber, Utah 7 11-13 128 $270.00 Day 1: 4 7-03 Day 2: 2 3-05 Day 3: 1 1-05 49. Ron Mukai Clovis, Calif. 7 11-08 127 $270.00 Day 1: 2 3-12 Day 2: 5 7-12 Day 3: 0 0-00 50. Curtis Cooper Vancouver, Wash. 7 10-05 126 $270.00 Day 1: 5 8-00 Day 2: 2 2-05 Day 3: 0 0-00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Bass Day 1 James R Leachman Kennewick, Wash. 4-15 $270.00 2 David Swendseid Aloha, Ore. 5-09 $135.00 2 Brian Walters Carnation, Wash. 5-09 $135.00 3 Larry Vance Tacoma, Wash. 4-05 $270.00 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 34 360 622-11 2 20 270 468-07 3 16 154 277-05 ---------------------------------- 70 784 1368-07