TRI-CITIES, Wash. (Sept. 22, 2007) - Pro Charlie Weyer of West Hills, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $100,000 in the FLW Series Western Division bass fishing tournament on the Columbia River with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 53-1.
The catch gave him the win by a solid 3-pound, 13-ounce margin over Clayton Meyer of San Diego, Calif., who caught a total of 20 bass weighing 49-4 and earned $42,858.
"I didn't know if I had enough to win," said Weyer, who increased his FLW Outdoors earnings to more than $121,000 with his win. "I lost a couple of key fish that could have allowed me to win by a lot more."
Weyer opened the tournament in ninth place Wednesday with five bass weighing 13-15 that he caught using a Carolina rig tipped with a five-inch green pumpkin Zoom lizard as well as a Yamamoto green pumpkin tube while fishing 50 miles downriver from Columbia Point Marina. On Thursday he added another five bass weighing 15-2 using the same techniques to capture his lead. He then caught five bass weighing 14-8 on Friday to make the crucial top 10 cut in first place. On Saturday he sealed his victory with the Carolina rig.
Weyer and Meyer fished in the same area so close together they could speak to each other, but each angler focused on his specific strengths in the area. Weyer focused on fishing the tube shallow early in the morning and moved out further on the rockpiles as the day progressed and the fish reacted to fishing pressure. Meyer focused his efforts on fish he had found shallow. Neither angler intruded on the other's space, but the old friends kept a close eye on each other during the last day of the tournament. Together, they pulled more than 102 pounds of smallmouth from the same area over the course of the tournament.
"Jason Hickey was there in the same spot as well," Weyer said. "So was Gabe Bolivar and Mike Knight. Hickey's such a much better smallmouth fisherman than I am. I really thought he was going to be a strong contender in this one. But I just got lucky and caught the right fish, I guess."
Weyer said he is planning to fish more FLW Series Western Division events and is setting his sights on qualifying for the FLW Tour.
Rounding out the top five pros are Neil Russell of Nampa, Idaho (20 bass, 48-10, $34,287); Andre Moore of Alabaster, Ala. (20 bass, 48-9, $25,715) and Jason Hickey of Weiser, Idaho (20 bass, 46-11, $17,142).
John Neudorfer of Spokane, Wash., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Friday - a 5-pound, 7-ounce smallmouth - that earned him the day's Snickers Big Bass award of $428.
Overall there were 49 bass weighing 99 pounds, 2 ounces caught by 10 pros Saturday. The catch included nine five-bass limits. Team National Guard co-angler Justin Lucas of Folsom, Calif., won the Co-angler Division and $25,000 Friday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 34 pounds, 8 ounces followed by Brian Stafford of Fairfield, Calif., in second place with 13 bass weighing 29-00 worth $8,943.
Lucas opened the tournament in 16th place Wednesday with five bass weighing 10-6 while fishing with pro Del Orton of Boise, Idaho. On Thursday he jumped to second place on the strength of a five-bass catch weighing 11-14 while fishing with pro Calvin Clark of John Day, Ore. He wrapped up the win Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 12-4 while fishing with pro Brett Leber of Dixon, Calif.
"It is such an honor to be up here," said Lucas, who increased his FLW Outdoors earnings to more than $67,000 with the win. "It is so hard to win one of these things."
Lucas spoke with Leber on Thursday night and said he would prefer to throw a Carolina rig during his final day of competition. Leber agreed to help Lucas out, and Lucas quickly caught a two-pound bass, followed by a four-pounder, and filled his limit by 9:30 a.m. Lucas said he caught nine keepers throughout the day and focused on fewer - but quality - bites in pursuit of the win.
Lucas targeted rockpiles in current in the edges of the river channel. The Carolina rig tipped with a creature bait and Berkley fluorocarbon line proved to be just the ticket to Lucas' first FLW Series win.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Edgar Uyema of West Hills, Calif. (14 bass, 29-7, $8,048); Christopher Ricci of Bend, Ore. (15 bass, 26-14, $7,154) and Wade Headrick of Draper, Utah (15 bass, 26-13, $6,259).
The next FLW Series National Guard Western Division tournament, hosted by Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, will be held Oct. 24-27 on Clear Lake in Kelseyville, Calif. Boats will launch from Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa in Kelseyville and the final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 15960 Dam Rd. in Clearlake.