OAKLEY, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2008) - Pro Mike Reynolds of Modesto, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces Thursday to capture the lead in the FLW Series bass fishing tournament on the California Delta with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 44-08.
"It wasn't an easy day out there today," said Reynolds, who has 19 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition. "I'm doing what I do best which is flipping. I learned from the best- Dee Thomas and I wouldn't be here without him."
Reynolds is flipping a Texas-rigged Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver to catch his quality bass. With winds reaching near 30 mph on day two of competition he managed to get nine bites.
"The wind really hurt me today but it hurt other anglers a lot worse," he said. "I am in an area that is usually protected, but I fought the north wind hard today. I have a spot where I can catch a small limit in the morning and after that I slow down and concentrate on getting the bigger fish."
Reynolds has been fishing the Delta for nearly 35 years and with his knowledge of his home water he hopes to stay close to the top of the leaderboard.
"I have fished this water in 30 mph winds plenty of times in tournaments," Reynolds said. "It's not easy but with my experience on the Delta I should be able to make the cut."
Reynolds now holds a solid 7-pound lead over second place pro Ishama Monroe of Hughson, Calif., who managed to haul in a total of 10 bass weighing 38-08 during the first two days of competition.
"I had over 50 bites today," Monroe said. "I am catching the fish the way I like to catch them- big rods, big baits and big line."
Rounding out the top five pros are Ken Schmitt of Livermore, Calif. (10 bass, 36-07); Gary Howell of Stockton, Calif. (10 bass, 35-00) and Richard Smith of Kelseyville, Calif. (10 bass, 34-01).
Reynolds earned the day's $329 Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 8-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught flipping a Sweet Beaver. Overall there were 485 bass weighing 1,115 pounds, 4 ounces caught by116 pros Thursday. The catch included 76 five-bass limits.
Justin Lucas of Folsom, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 24-05 followed by Michael Bryant of Discovery Bay, Calif., in second place with 10 bass weighing 23-08.
"The wind really affects the bite," said Lucas, who is currently fourth in the Western Division Co-Angler points race. "Yesterday I had six bites and today I had six bites. I was only able to put four in the boat which hurt.
"Tomorrow, I plan to through a small bait that my pro used today. Making that bait change was key to catching fish today."
Lucas caught five bass weighing 15-10 while fishing with pro David Kromm of Kennewick, Wash., Wednesday and four bass weighing 8-11 while fishing with pro Hal Zimmerman of Boise, Idaho, Thursday.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Carl Limbrick Jr. of San Diego, Calif. (10 bass, 20-09); Greig Sniffen of Saratoga, Calif. (five bass, 19-15) and Dan Cranston of Visalia, Calif. (seven bass, 19-14).
Mike Hawkins of Logandale, Nev., earned $212 for the Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass while fishing with pro Michael Tuck of Antelope, Calif.
Overall there were 278 bass weighing 487 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 98 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 15 five-bass limits.
Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000. Like the pros, the top 30 co-anglers from both FLW Series divisions after four qualifying events are complete will advance to the East-West Fish-Off for a shot at qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup.
Anglers will take off at 7:15 each morning from Russo's Marina located at 3995 Willow Rd. in Bethel Island, Calif. Friday's weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4893 Lone Tree Way in Antioch, Calif., beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturday's weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Walmart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include a trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.
In FLW Series competition, the entire field competes for the first three days, and co-angler competition concludes on day three with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.