STOCKTON, Calif. (June 11, 2010) - Pro Donald Davis of Discovery Bay, Calif., caught 3-bass weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces Friday to maintain his lead in the FLW Series National Guard Western Division bass fishing tournament on the California Delta. With a three-day catch of 13 bass weighing 59-15, he holds a 4-pound, 1-ounce lead over his closest competitor, Leon Knight also of Discovery Bay, Calif., heading into the final day of competition.
"It has been a real eventful day," said Davis, who is looking for his first FLW victory. "We had a lot of trouble getting to our spot and once you get there, there is no guarantee of getting out; timing the tide is everything in this area. We had to leave the spot by noon today but with tomorrow's tide I should be able to stay in there until about 1, so it should work to my advantage.
"I have been fishing the same area all week and I know the fish will replenish themselves and be there tomorrow. I am using topwater baits in sparse grassy areas about 65-feet offshore.
"I am disappointed in my weight today, I only brought three fish to the scales and I know I should have done better, I just couldn't execute today. It was a real struggle today and I know I am going to really regret missing those big bites that got away; the wind made it so difficult. But tomorrow is another day and I feel fortunate to be going out again."
Using a homemade wenchlike contraption to cross a beaver dam, Davis and Knight have been tag teaming to get into their area on the Delta which has been producing enough quality fish to put them in the No. 1 and No. 2 seed going into the final day of competition. Today the contraption failed and Davis is a little nervous about getting in there tomorrow, but when there is a will there is a way and he knows those 8-9 pound pigs are there waiting for him to win this tournament.
Knight caught a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 55-14 and also believes that the sweet spot he and Davis have discovered will produce enough fish to help them bring the tournament home in first and second places.
"My co-angler lost a really nice 10-pounder today so I told him when I catch it tomorrow I will give him is frog back," said Knight, who is also looking for his first FLW victory. "We don't have a lot of time to fish our area, but it is capable of producing a 30-pound sack and hopefully I will bring one in tomorrow."
The remaining top-5 pros who will fish the final day at the Delta are:
3rd: Jon Strelic, El Cajon, Calif., 15 bass, 54-1
4th: Lorenzo Rossetti, Stockton, Calif., 15 bass, 53-9
5th: Stephen Tosh, Jr., Modesto, Calif., 15 bass, 53
The remaining pro anglers in top-10 are:
6th: Mark Daniels, Jr., Fairfield, Calif., 15 bass, 48-6, $7,826
7th: Jonathan Koehler, Galt, Calif., 15 bass, 47-13, $7,366
8th: Bobby Barrack, Oakley, Calif., 15 bass, 47-3, $6,905
9th: Rob Riehl, Tracy, Calif., 15 bass, 46-13, $6,445
10th: Timothy Venkus, Wilton, Calif., 13 bass, 46-1, $5,985
Overall there were 445 bass weighing 1043 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 117 pros Friday. The catch included 62 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.
Gary Haraguchi of San Jose, Calif., won the Co-angler Division and a Ranger 177TR with a 90 horsepower outboard motor Friday with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 35 pounds, 5 ounces followed by Tai Au of Phoenix, Ariz., in second place with 13 bass weighing 32-10 worth $4,408.
Haraguchi opened the tournament in 15th place Wednesday with five bass weighing 9-6 while fishing with pro Rob Riehl. On Thursday he jumped to 4th place on the strength of a five bass limit weighing 12-12 while fishing with pro Ken Wick of Star, Idaho. He wrapped up the win Friday with four bass weighing 13-3 while fishing with pro Randy McAbee, Jr. of Bakersfield, Calif.
"I can't believe I am here," said Haraguchi, who has five previous top-10 finishes, but never a win at the Cal Delta. "When I came in one fish short of the limit today I didn't think I stood a chance.
"This has just been an incredible week for me, I have had three great draws and I really have to thank each one of them for putting me on fish. I did something different everyday and am just happy I was able to make the adjustments. One day we were flipping, one day I was using reaction baits and today I caught my four fish on four different baits; I brought a lot of rods and used every single one of them!
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Randy Bruno, Huntington Beach, Calif., nine bass, 32-4, $3,306
4th: Sean Kimble, San Ramon, Calif., 14 bass, 31, $2,204
5th: Jason Chang, Riverside, Calif., 14 3 bass, 30-7, $1,763
6th: Robert Jones, Clayton, Calif., 13 bass, 30-3, $1,322
7th: Ryan Mabery, Agoura Hills, Calif., 12 bass, 29-11, $1,102
8th: Joseph Menegos, Spring Valley, Calif., 13 bass, 26-10, $882
9th: Jason Caine, Las Vegas, Nev., 13 bass, 26-2, $771
10th: Derrek Stewart, Venice, Calif., 10 bass, 25-3, $661
Co-anglers are also competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.
Overall there were 280 bass weighing 540 pounds, 5 ounces caught by 117 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.
The remaining five pros will take off at 6:30 Saturday morning from Weber Point Event Center located at 221 North Center Street in Stockton, Calif. Fans are invited to attend opening ceremonies to cheer on their favorite angler and to enjoy complimentary coffee and donuts at water's edge. Saturday's final weigh-in will begin at 4 p.m. at the Weber Point Event Center.
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.