Quick Bites: FLW Series Western, Lake Havasu, Day 2
Wal-Mart FLW Series National Guard Western Division
Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Opening round, Thursday
Cream rising … As predicted, the fishing was even tougher Thursday than it was Wednesday. Just 11 pros managed to squeak out a limit. However, there were a few big comeback limits by some of the West’s heaviest hitters to push into the top 11. Gary Dobyns bounced back from a 4-pound, 3-ounce, 63rd-place performance yesterday with a 13-pound limit today – the day’s heaviest catch, which included a 4-5 kicker smallmouth – to move up into eighth place. Art Berry improved on his 4-7, 59th-place showing with a 10-13 sack and 10th place. Justin Kerr slid into 11th just behind him with a 9-15 limit, bettering his 4-14, 52nd-place finish from the day before. And even second-place Phil Strader mounted somewhat of a comeback, going from 8-15 to 12-2 – the day’s second-heaviest limit. “Today, I just went fishing,” Dobyns said characteristically. “I haven’t got anything dialed in. I just got lucky.”
The recycling strategy … There’s a reason that the big names are starting to emerge at this tough-fishing tournament; it’s simple veteran savvy. One example: Among all the glossy, high-powered bass boats running around on the glassy waters of Havasu this week, there are more than a few drab-colored aluminum boats. And some of those boats have veteran pros, like Jay Yelas, in them. “I’m using a G3 aluminum boat to get into those backwater sloughs where nobody else can go. So that’s my edge this week,” said Yelas, who sits comfortably in fifth place. “Going into this, I thought that it would take 9 or 10 pounds a day to make it, and that’s what I’ve been doing.” Dino Caporuscio was also seen puttering around in an aluminum boat, and he popped a pretty good sack worth 8 pounds Thursday and moved up into 45th place.
Limitless no more … Props go out to Larry Weaver, who became the first and only co-angler of the week to weigh in a limit. His 10-8 sack Thursday not only launched him into first place, it was the fifth-heaviest weight of the day from either end of the boat. A retired fireman of 33 years, Weaver injured his casting hand in a 1996 fall on the job and has been making a long, slow comeback to tournament fishing ever since. His catch today was only the second limit he’s ever caught in FLW Outdoors competition. “I couldn’t even pick it up to shake your hand. After that, I really wanted to get back into fishing tournaments,” Weaver said. “So it’s been a long time coming, and I’m really excited about it.”
Quick numbers
232,181: Amount, in dollars, of the career winnings of young Western pros Michael Bennett, R.J. Bennett and John Billheimer Jr. combined, none of which is more than 22 years old. The bulk of that belongs to Michael Bennett, who at age 22 has already cashed in on $162,188 in FLW Outdoors winnings. He placed second in FLW Tour action at Wheeler Lake in 2005 and finished 2006 ranked sixth on that tour. His twin brother, R.J., has earned $58,273. Billheimer, at just 17 years old, has already won $11,270, not to mention a new Ranger. He’s the reigning Lake Havasu champion, having won here in Stren competition last year.
50: Percent of FLW Outdoors tournaments in which he’s competed that Gary Dobyns has finished in the top 10. He’s six for 12 so far, all in the Stren Western Division, and has one win in 2003 at the California Delta. For the record, he has $36,331 in FLW Outdoors career winnings, but that should increase significantly this week with yet another top-10 finish on the horizon for Dobyns – with tour-level money on the line this time.
Sound bites
“Believe it or not, the biggest thing you miss when you’re over there is the commercials, the Wal-Mart commercials and everything. So I’ve got to thank everybody who sent us those DVDs. Now I’ve got to go.”
– Co-angler Rodney Scott, an Air Force Reservist of 22 years, commenting on the time he recently spent overseas in Iraq. He misted up and had to leave the stage after recounting how much he and his fellow anglers in the armed forces appreciated the gifts of the “FLW Outdoors” TV show that they received from the tournament staff back home.
“Yesterday, people asked me about pressure. There’s no pressure on us. The pressure’s all on those guys. I woke up at 2:15 this morning thinking about that helicopter. You can ask my wife about that one.”
– Pro leader Mike Goodwin, who weighed in with the National Guard leader bag Thursday, reflecting on the troops and the National Guard Blackhawk helicopter salute to the anglers at takeoff Wednesday morning.
“I just want to say hi to my wife and beautiful daughter, who are freezing their buns off back home. Last I heard, it was 16 below.”
– Co-angler Bob Bott, who hails from Onalaska, Wis., addressing the FLW Live online video camera. For the record, it was 65 degrees and sunny all afternoon at Lake Havasu.