PAYSON, Ariz. (April 18, 2009) - Pro Roy Hawk of Salt Lake City, Utah, caught a five-bass limit weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Stren Series Western Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Roosevelt with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 42-6. For his victory, Hawk earned $20,423 cash and a fully rigged Ranger boat.
"This is a dream come true to be able to stand up here and do this," said Hawk, who now has won back-to-back Stren Series Western Division events after the season opener last month at Clear Lake. "And to be competing in this top 10 with so many great friends. Clifford (Pirch) is a personal friend, a great friend of mine and I said a blessing that he would have an opportunity to win this today. I would have been stoked if he would have won it as well."
Hawk said he used a variety of baits to catch his bass throughout the tournament, but his go-to bait was a 1-ounce Pepper Custom Baits spinnerbait that he slow-rolled over deep ledges. Hawk said the spinnerbait accounted for 80 percent of his bass, while a green pumpkin Pepper Jig with a Yamamoto trailer was responsible for the rest. Hawk said he caught his fish in 10 to 17 feet of water.
With 400 points already under his belt for the Angler of the Year points race, Hawk said he isn't going to waste his time looking ahead to future events.
"It would be great to win the title, but I'm not going to worry about that," Hawk said. "I'm just going to go fishing."
"Glory be to God for sure," Hawk added. "He gives me the peace and comfort to not worry about the small issues. I just get to go out there and go fishing."
Hawk opened the tournament in third place Thursday with five bass weighing 14-12. He then caught five bass weighing 13-12 Friday to make the crucial top-10 cut in first place.
Rounding out the top five pros are Clifford Pirch of Payson, Ariz. (14 bass, 38-3, $8,169); Cody Meyer of Redding, Calif. (15 bass, 34-1, $6,536); David Stachowski of Tucson, Ariz. (14 bass, 33-12, $5,719); and Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, Calif. (15 bass, 33-4, $4,902).
David Valdivia of Norwalk, Calif., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday - a 7-pound, 14-ounce bass - that earned him the day's big bass award of $333.
Vu Au of Tucson, Ariz., won the Co-angler Division and a 177TR Ranger boat and trailer, with a three-day total of eight bass weighing 23-10.
Au caught five bass weighing 16-5 Thursday while fishing with pro Don McBride of Phoenix, Ariz., to open the tournament in first place. On Friday he added two more bass weighing 5-13 to make the top 10 cut in first place while fishing with pro Ronald Hammett of Alpine, Calif. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with one bass weighing 1-8 while fishing with pro Roy Hawk.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Roy Desmangles Jr. of Lincoln, Calif. (10 bass, 22-11, $3,391); George Thiel of Banning, Calif. (11 bass, 21-11, $2,543); Keith Adams of McKinleyville, Calif. (nine bass, 20-11, $2,120); and Michael Tafoya of La Plata, N.M. (nine bass, 19-5, $1,908).
Derrek Stewart of Venice, Calif., and Joe Jensen of Queen Creek, Ariz., shared the big bass of the tournament award in the Co-angler Division with a pair of 4-pound, 9-ounce bass they caught that earned them each $166.