STOCKTON, Calif. (June 10, 2010) - Pro Donald Davis of Discovery Bay, Calif., caught a 5-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces Thursday to jump into the lead at the FLW Series National Guard Western Division bass fishing tournament on the California Delta with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 41-13.
"It was an interesting day," said Davis, who has been fishing the Delta for over 30 years. "My boat got stuck, then my rescue got stuck . . .I am just happy to be back."
"I am using a variety of baits, mostly reaction baits. The wind has been a big factor for me, when the wind died the bite died, when the wind came up the bite came up so I have been changing baits a lot and it seems to be working for me. Towards the end of the day I was culling 3-pound fish, I bet I culled five times today.
"I am fishing in shallow grassy water, which is different than what I was doing in practice; in practice I was hammering 'em on wood - now I can't get a bite off wood to save my life."
Davis now holds a 4-pound, 14-ounce lead over second place pro Stephen Tosh, Jr. of Modesto, Calif., on a Delta where anything can happen. Tosh, Jr.'s sack was anchored today by an 8 pound 1 ounce pig; and he has managed to haul in a two day total of 10 bass weighing 36-15.
"The punch bite was much better today," said Tosh, Jr., who placed second last year at the FLW Western Series event on the Delta. "I am fishing back in heavy mats targeting areas with heavy fry. I was in one area all day long and I know there are a lot of 8 - 9-pounders in there, I just hope I can catch them again tomorrow. I have been using a Bubs Watermelon to catch all my fish."
On a day that was warmer yet windier the Delta seemed to show a lot more of what it is made of than it did on day one of the tournament. There were many 7- and 8-pound fish brought across stage and some of the seasoned Delta anglers were able to make some big moves in order to position themselves as real threats in making tomorrow's crucial top-5 cut. In perhaps what was one of the biggest moves of the day, Isaac Budesilich of Oakley, Calif., moved all the way up from 100th place to 7th place on the strength of a 9 pound 1 ounce lunker.
"Yesterday was a real crappy day for me," said Budesilich. "I was able to make some adjustments today, moved to a new location and had my limit by 9:30. The tide was working for me a lot better; I was fishing more of the main river channel during high tide which really seemed to make the difference. The water in the back slews got too warm and the fish have moved up into the river. Tomorrow I am planning to do more of what I did today and hope it works."
Rounding out the top-10 pros at the California Delta are:
3rd: Mark Daniels, Jr., Fairfield, Calif., 10 bass, 36-5
4th: Jon Strelic, El Cajon, Calif., 10 bass, 34-1
5th: Leon Knight, Discovery Bay, Calif., seven bass, 33-15
6th: Mike Cato, Lockford, Calif., 10 bass, 33-1
7th: Isaac Budesilich, Oakley, Calif., nine bass, 32-8
8th: Timothy Venkus, Wilton, Calif., nine bass, 32-2
9th: Cody Meyer, Grass Valley, Calif., 10 bass, 32-1
10th: Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 10 bass, 32-1
Overall there were 482 bass weighing 1169 pounds, 8 ounces caught by 117 pros Thursday. The catch included 72 five-bass limits.
In FLW Series competition, p ros are competing for a top award of over $52,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
Tai Au of Phoenix, Ariz., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27-12 followed by Randy Bruno of Huntington Beach, Calif., in second place with six bass weighing 24.
"I didn't have a good pre-fish," said Au, who is fishing in his first tournament ever. "I have just been doing a lot of junk fishing and it worked out for me today; I'm using swimbaits, crankbaits, chatter baits, senkos, drop-shotting, flipping, punching, you name it and I think I tried it. I didn't have my limit until almost two today and finally half-hour before we came in I was able to cull one fish.
"I really have to thank my pro today because he put me in a good location."
Vu caught five bass weighing 12-9 while fishing with pro Neil Russell of Nampa, Idaho, Wednesday and five bass weighing 15-3 while fishing with pro Dave Russell of Cottonwood, Calif., today.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Sean Kimble, San Ramon, Calif., nine bass, 22-2
4th: Gary Haraguchi, San Jose, Calif., 10 bass, 22-2
5th: Ryan Mabery, Agoura Hills, Calif., eight bass, 21-6
6th: Ken Whalen, Lompoc, Calif., eight bass, 21-1
7th: Mike Iloski, Escondido, Calif., nine bass, 20-7
8th: Tom Elliott, Downey, Calif., seven bass, 19-13
9th: Joseph Menegos, Spring Valley, Calif., nine bass, 18-11
10th: J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., eight bass, 18-8
Overall there were 317 bass weighing 629 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 117 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 23 five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are competing this week for a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motor as well as valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off from Weber Point Event Center located at 221 North Center Street in Stockton, Calif. at 6:30 each morning. Fans are invited to attend opening ceremonies to cheer on their favorite anglers and to enjoy complimentary coffee and donuts at water's edge. Weigh-ins will also be held at the Weber Point Event Center beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday's final weight-in will begin at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday's weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. There will be a drawing for a $300 Cabela's gift card and drawings for rod and reel combos will be held every 30 minutes during the event. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include the National Guard warrior challenge and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.