LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – Retired firefighter and Vietnam vet Larry Weaver is used to dedicating his life to others. Finally, he was able to do a little something for himself. Using a three-day catch of 16 pounds, 14 ounces, Weaver walked away with a tournament title on Lake Havasu this week and made a little bit of history in the process – becoming the very first angler to capture a Western Division event in the FLW Series.
And he couldn’t have been happier – or more nervous.
“It was nerve-racking because a lot of stuff is out of your control,” said Weaver, on his long, nail-biting wait during the final weigh-in. “But this is just incredible. It’s absolutely amazing. I can’t even express it. I had a lot of things go my way this week. To beat 194 other fishermen – some really great fishermen – I’m just really thrilled right now.”
For his efforts, Weaver walked away with a nice trophy, an even nicer check for $20,000 and a little piece of the record books.
“This is history right here, and now I’m a part of it,” he said. “And with the National Guard sponsoring this tournament, as a Vietnam vet, it’s definitely special. The National Guard is doing a tremendous job right now, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Weaver, who hails from Long Beach, Calif., said he used a plastic Robo curly-tail worm in an Aaron (Martens) Magic color to land the majority of his catch.
“I was fishing in about 10 feet of water, using a drop-shot on 6-pound line,” said Weaver. “I caught my first fish at 10 a.m. and my last fish at 1:30 p.m. We just fished hard all day. I’m very happy right now.”
O’Donnell captures second
Robert O’Donnell of Payson, Ariz., used a three-day total of 12 pounds, 1 ounce to hold on to second place and secure the biggest tournament payday and bass-fishing moment of his career.
“This is my first big tournament ever, and to get second place is just amazing,” said O’Donnell. “I just came here to see what it was all about, and obviously, this has exceeded all of my expectations. I’ve just had a blast. I was joking around with my partner that if we won the tournament, we’d go ahead and fish the next FLW Series event at the California Delta. We’re definitely going to the Delta now.”
O’Donnell said he landed the majority of his catch drop-shotting a Highway 188 Tackle jig in 3 to 20 feet of water.
“We were mostly trying to target points off the river in the main lake,” said O’Donnell, who walked away from the Havasu event with nearly $10,000 in winnings. “I power fished for three straight days. It was tough out there yesterday. But today was great. I threw this jig all day long, and everything worked out in the end.”
O’Donnell said the key to his success in the co-angler finals was to keep reminding himself to enjoy the moment.
“When I had the lead after day one, I got really nervous,” said O’Donnell. “And then yesterday, when things didn’t really work out, I just felt like all of the pressure had been lifted off of me. I was finally able to relax.”
Best of the rest
David Shearrer of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., used a three-day catch of 11 pounds, 12 ounces to capture third place and a check for $8,851.
Meanwhile, Rus Snyders of San Mateo, Calif., claimed fourth place overall and a check for $7,868 with a catch of 11 pounds, 2 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers was Jacques Fleischmann of Valencia, Calif., with a total catch of 10 pounds, 9 ounces. Fleischmann won $6,884 for his efforts.
Rodney Rinta of Chehalis, Wash., won $295 after claiming the day’s Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division after landing a 3-pound, 14-ounce bass.
The pro finals at Lake Havasu commence at Saturday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time at Lake Havasu State Park, located at 699 London Bridge Road in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.