BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. – Drama, intrigue, heartbreak and jubilation – that just about summed up the edge-of-your-seat final day of competition on the California Delta. Although weights were generally down across the board, with most competitors failing to register more than 18 pounds, Michael Rooke saw his opening and took it – posting an incredible 24-pound stringer that brought the crowd to its feat and Rooke to the winner’s podium.
As the rest of the field stared in relative disbelief at Rooke’s ultimate catch, the current resident of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., acknowledged that he was as surprised as anyone to be hoisting the winner’s trophy.
“This is unbelievable,” said Rooke, who also earned a $100,000 first-place check for his efforts. “I never would have dreamt I’d win this.”
To be sure, Rooke’s finish was improbable. During prefishing, Rooke struggled mightily to get on any bite at all. And it was only at around noon Tuesday, the day before the tournament began, that Rooke would finally find an area that had suitable fish. However, even after posting a stellar three-day weight of 68 pounds, 7 ounces, fishing that exact same 200-yard area for three straight days, Rooke was worried.
“I only really had one spot, and I’d fished it hard for three days,” he said. “I really wasn’t sure my fish would hold up. But I knew I had to fish it. I was going to live or die by that one area.”
So, as soon as takeoff commenced Saturday morning, Rooke headed to his one spot, waiting and hoping for some big bites later in the day – the prevailing largemouth feeding pattern that he’d counted on all week. However, when he arrived, there was one thing he hadn’t counted on.
“I told my cameraman today that if I caught anything before 10 a.m., it’d be gravy,” said Rooke. “I was really worried about the tides. But I managed to catch the last 45 minutes of the outgoing tide early in the morning. And then I got lucky.”
At 8 a.m., with the tides working in his favor, Rooke hooked into the fish – a gargantuan 11-pound, 10-ounce largemouth – that ultimately won him the tournament.
“I caught that fish five minutes after telling my cameraman not to expect much before 10 a.m.,” he said. “I guess I was wrong.”
After that, Rooke continued his strategy of fishing slowly and using finesse baits such as a 6-inch Roboworm in an oxblood-flake color while targeting interior grass lines on rock levies. With the unexpected finicky bite today, that turned out to be the perfect strategy. By 10 a.m., Rooke had already boated a remarkable weight of 23 pounds. The rest, as they say, was history.
“I knew coming back to weigh-in that I was probably going to be in the top three,” said Rooke, who had the distinction of being the only non-California resident to qualify for the finals. “But I didn’t think I had a realistic chance of winning heading into the finals with a 5-pound deficit fishing – especially against guys like Bobby Barrack and Ken Mah.”
However, that’s exactly what happened. In fact, by the time weigh-in had concluded, Rooke’s margin of victory turned out to be an astonishing 4 pounds. Amazing? Yes. But on the California Delta, as day-three leader Barrack claimed a day earlier, no lead is ever safe. And to Rooke’s credit, he made sure that Barrack’s words were prophetic.
“This is by far the largest tournament I’ve won in my career,” said Rooke. “”What can you say? This is just unbelievable,”
Shift in weather, tides alters Barrack’s fortunes
Heading into the finals, Bobby Barrack of Oakley, Calif., was clearly the angler to beat. For one, he had already posted an incredible three-day stringer weighing 73 pounds, 13 ounces. Secondly, his local knowledge of the California Delta had seemingly given him a sizeable advantage over the majority of the field. And thirdly, Barrack appeared to be in a zone.
However, despite the advantages, Barrack was never entirely comfortable heading into the finals – given the fickle nature of fishing on the Delta and taking into account his aggressive go-for-broke style.
In short, in fishing, where there is jubilation, there is also heartache.
“I screwed up today,” said Barrack, who only managed a 15-pound stringer in the finals after averaging nearly 25 pounds per day over the first three days of competition. “I really forced it. I tried to put a square peg in a round hole. I told my cameraman early this morning that the way the tides were, if I was guiding, I’d recommend throwing a Senko or a drop-shot.”
However, Barrack continued to rely on his bread-and-butter weapon – the jig. And, ultimately, it cost him.
“As a local, it’s hard to adjust midstream,” said Barrack, who finished with a total weight of 89 pounds, 4 ounces. “I was a little stubborn, but I also knew I had to fish to my strengths. The temperament of the fish was the difference. Things really changed out there today. Today, the bites were very finicky.”
However, despite the second-place result, Barrack said he had few regrets.
“I really did put my best foot forward,” said Barrack, who earned a nice consolation prize of $50,000 for his efforts. “When a guy drops a 12-pound fish on the scales on day four like (Rooke did), he’s going to be tough to beat. But in the end, it was my fault. I just couldn’t cull any of my 2-pound fish. I hadn’t had to keep any 2-pound fish all week. And that was the difference.”
Carpenter rebounds to make strong showing
Sitting in sixth place heading into the finals, Brian Carpenter of Livermore, Calif., knew he needed a huge rally to jump back into contention. And in the end, he almost pulled it off. Turning in a 17-pound, 1-ounce stringer in the finals, Carpenter jumped all the way into third place, capturing a check for $40,000 in the process.
But oh, what might have been.
“I lost a 10-pounder today, and that hurt,” he said. “The weather changed drastically today, and my fish just weren’t there. So, I decided to go flipping.”
While flipping, Carpenter hooked into a huge largemouth in the 10-pound range.
“I got it out of the (weeds), but it got off,” said Carpenter, who ultimately recorded a total weight of 80 pounds, 3 ounces. “I cried right there.”
However, in the end, Carpenter was proud of his performance.
“It’s just a dream come true for me,” said Carpenter of his finish. “This is the biggest tournament in the history of California, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
Ehrler makes huge leap
Another angler who left the stage with a huge smile on his face was 2006 FLW Tour Championship winner Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. Languishing in 10th place heading into the finals, Ehrler used a 17-pound, 7-ounce stringer to vault all the way into fourth place with a total catch of 79 pounds, 2 ounces.
“I really struggled in the morning, but I kind of just kept grinding it out all day,” said Ehrler, who walked away with a check for $30,000 as well as his second consecutive top-10 finish in the FLW Series Western Division. “But finishing this high in the standings is a great feeling. I’ll take it. It’s a great start to the season. I have a lot of (championship) points, and hopefully I’ll be able to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup.”
Knight relishes time on the Delta
On the strength of a four-day catch weighing 78 pounds, 11 ounces, Leon Knight of Tehachapi, Calif., took home fifth place and a check for $20,000. And he couldn’t have been happier.
“I’ve been shaking for like two days now ever since I caught that (day-two) 27-pound bag,” he said. “And I’m still shaking. It’s just been a great experience.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pro finalists at the FLW Series California Delta event:
6th: Chris Raza of Roseville, Calif., 78-10
7th: Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda, Calif., 78-6
8th: Ken Mah of Elk Grove, Calif., 77-7
9th: Charley Almassey of Oakley, Calif., 75-10
10th: Zack Thompson of Orinda, Calif., 75-1
Wal-Mart FLW Series Western Division action resumes Sept. 19-22 at the Columbia River in Tri-Cities, Wash.