PAYSON, Ariz. (Sept. 22, 2010) - Pro Jeff Michels of Lakehead, Calif., landed five bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 oucnces Wednesday to lead day one of the FLW Series Western Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Roosevelt. He holds a mere one ounce lead in the tournament featuring 97 pros and 97 co-anglers representing 12 states and Japan.
"It was tough out there," said Michels, who is currently 10th in the Western Division Angler of the Year race. "I fished clean today and luckily didn't make any mistakes. I only had 10 bites, but four of those were quality (3 1/2 -to 4 pounders). I am on some pretty decent fish.
"The fish are in an area related to bait fish," added Michels. I think it's Red Fin. I am fishing fairly deep, about 30 feet, and I am using a drop-shot with Mother's Finest 6-inch worms. I am planning to run the same stuff tomorrow; I have about 10 spots, four of which are good. Unless the bait fish pull out I am feeling pretty good about the rest of the week."
Many of the local anglers had a pretty disappointing day stating that the lake "didn't show well". The early morning monsoon-like rain was a mixed blessing for the angler's. One angler commented that it was the most annoying rain he has ever fished in and others, who had a tough pre-fish, indicated it didn't make any difference one way or the other, it was just wet.
Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., holds the No. 2 spot with five bass weighing 13-14 going into tomorrow's competition.
"I'm a little worried about tomorrow," said Ehrler. "Fishing was really tough and I had one of those days where everything went right for me and the thing that concerns me is that I won't be able to duplicate it tomorrow. I fished deep, I fished shallow; I fished slow, I fished fast; I caught fish early, I caught fish late; I was just all over the map but it seemed like everything I did was working. I am just going to have to go out there tomorrow and let the day dictate how I fish."
Ehrler is currently in first place for the Western Division Angler of the Year title, an honor he has yet to accomplish.
Rounding out the remainder of the top-10 pros after day one at the California Delta are:
3rd: Bobby Barrack, Oakley, Calif., five bass, 13-12
4th: Gerald Loughran, Glendale, Ariz., five bass, 13-4
5th: Russ Barger, Boise, Idaho, five bass, 12
6th: Zack Thompson, Orinda, Calif. five bass, 11-7
7th: Kazuki Kodama, Torrance, Calif., five bass, 11-1
8th: Leon Knight, Discovery Bay, Calif., five bass, 10-4
9th: Andy Scholz, Reno, Nev., five bass, 10-2
10th: Bret Gouvea, Redding Calif., five bass, 9-15
10th: Steve Molinari, Waddell, Ariz., five bass, 9-15
Overall there were 351 bass weighing 603 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 94 pros Wednesday. The catch included 48 five-bass limits.
In FLW Series competition, p ros are competing for a top award of up to $50,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for a shot at the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. After the Lake Roosevelt event, the final event in the FLW Series Western Division, the top 10 pros in the points standings will advance to the 2011 championship.
William "Billy" Byrd of Moab, Utah, holds the lead in the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 10-6 followed by Mike Hawkins of Logandale, Nev., in second place with five bass weighing 9-10.
"My pro (Jason Milligan) was on some good fish" said Byrd, who is fishing his rookie season with FLW Outdoors. "I was dragging a nail weighted senko with a Wacky rig behind the boat and was able to land two of my big ones. We were fishing deep, about 20 feet, around rocks and trees.
"There were a lot of suspended fish," Byrd went on to say. "I caught two smaller fish that were suspended with a jerkbait."
Byrd caught his bass while fishing with pro Jason Milligan of Shasta Lake, Calif. who is currently in 36th place.
The remainder of the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Billy Dehart, Burlingame, Calif., five bass, 9-8
4th: Steven Cook, Phoenix, Ariz., five bass, 9-3
5th: Tai Au, Phoenix, Ariz., five bass, 9
6th: Christopher Ricci, Bend, Ore., five bass, 8-14
7th: Shawn Carnahan, Chandler, Ariz., five bass, 8-4
8th: Tommie Goldston, Gardnerville, Nev., five bass, 7-15
9th: Tracy Cardwell, Eugene, Ore., five bass, 7-13
10th: Jimmy Zanotelli, Redding, Calif., five bass, 7-10
Overall there were 226 bass weighing 358 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 86 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included only 16 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 Cholla Recreation Site located five miles northwest of Roosevelt Dam on Highway 188 in Roosevelt, Ariz., at 7 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 Cholla Recreation Site beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Saturday's final weigh-in will be at Chapman Auto Center located at 198 North Beeline Highway in Payson beginning at 4 p.m.
Fans will be treated to a Family Fun Zone at Chapman's 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 warrior challenge and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.