Mazy Wins WON Bass Lake Mead Open

Las Vegas, Nev. – September 20, 2024 –– Blue skies, light breezes and unusually cool conditions were the conditions for the first two competition days of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Mead Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury.  The morning launch of Championship Friday was more of the same, if not more pleasant.  While those conditions were ideal for a serene day on the water, they often are not ideal for fishing success.

On Lake Mead, those types of conditions can mean downright difficult fishing as the clear water allows the lake’s largemouth and smallmouth bass population to get too good a look at the anglers’ offerings.  Following his 19.80-pound performance on day two, leader Julius Mazy opened the day .74 pounds ahead of second place pro Shane Edgar, but with such calm conditions at the beginning of the day, who knew how the pivotal final eight hours of competition would proceed.

While he wasn’t able to match his monster bag from day two, however he watched with nervous excitement as Tournament Director Bill Egan’s scales hit 13.52 pounds, bringing the Phoenix, Arizona pro’s total weight to 45.24 pounds, earning his first WON Bass Open Series trophy, the keys to a 2024 Ranger Boats 518 from Bass Pro Shops powered by a 200HP Mercury ProXS four Stroke valued at $55,000 and an additional $10,000 cash.

Bill Brown, from Grand Junction, Colorado had a 13.83-pound limit of his own on day three, rising one spot to finish in second place with 41.67 pounds.  Jeff Baird from Washington, Utah had 13.17 pounds to finish third for the event with 38.34 pounds, while two-time U.S. Open Champion and WON Bass Hall of Fame inductee John Murray from Spring City, Tenn. finished fourth with 37.71 pounds and another past U.S. Open Champion Justin Patti from Peoria, Ariz. rounded out the top five with 37.35 pounds.

Mazy said that he was able to continue his topwater / Livescope approach from day two despite the slick conditions. “I was really targeting pelagic largemouth and smallmouth that were feeding on larger shad around schooling striper in Temple Bar and the Virgin Basin,” he said.  “I could catch some on topwater and my jighead minnow but when the striper got too excited by the faster baits, I would dropshot an OSP Dice lure and let it slowly fall under the school; I caught five really key fish on that that made a huge difference.”

Mazy has been chasing the premier events in the West for at least 10 years, he has also competed on the national stage in the Bassmaster Opens; this is his first major win.  “I have been close on Lake Mead before and had a bad day two that cost me the win,” he said. "To win this week on a lake that means so much to me, in front of my family and friends is something I just can’t put into words; it is absolutely amazing.”

Brown also fished in the Temple Bar and Virgin Basin areas however, he targeted brush filled ditches from the bank 10 feet deep.  “I found the better fish in practice fishing a topwater, but with the exception of a couple that I caught on a buzzbait or Reaction Innovations Vixen and my AAA caught on a topwater, all of my fish came on a Pepper Custom Baits Jig,” he said.  “I worked my 1/2-ounce Bill’s Gill jig and color number 953 Yamamoto Baits Flapping Hog through the brush to catch 95-percent of my fish.

“I would have obviously loved to win, but Julius is a great guy and a good friend of mine, so I’m happy for him,” he said.  “It’s been a good year, it’s my third top 10 in the WON Bass Opens in a row, so I’m having a year I can be proud of.”

James Scott from Lancaster, Calif. claimed the AAA Division title with 36.88 pounds.  He was followed in second place by Huntington Beach, Calif. angler Geoff Peterson with 36.35 pounds.  Third place went to Dale Roesener of Las Vegas, Nev. with 36.26 pounds and fourth place AAA went to former U.S. Open Champion Nick Salvucci from Paso Robles, Calif. with 36.20 pounds and Todd Holverson of San Diego, Calif. rounded out the top five with 35.83 pounds.

The top 10 anglers in each division are listed below, for complete standings visit: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/lake-mead-open-pairings-and-results

WON Bass Lake Mead Open 9/18 to 9/20/2024

That concludes the 2024 WON Bass Lake Mead Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury, next up will be the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open on Lake Mohave October 14 – 16, 2024.  

The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Mead Open earned the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.

The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the Lake Mead Open September 18 to 20, 2024.  The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October.  The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:

Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds

April 17-19, Clear Lake – Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds

May 15-17, Lake Havasu – Joe Uribe Jr. – 57.31 pounds

Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead – Julius Mazy – 45.24 pounds

Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave