Havasu Midday Update Day 1
It's a beautiful day in Arizona
Good things come to those who wait — it’s not just a corny cliché; it’s the hope of most anglers fishing the Costa FLW Series Western Division opener on Lake Havasu. While today’s action was leaning toward the meager side, conditions are setting up for greater productivity on days two and three.
A pleasantly cool dawn quickly became a warm morning, which quickly became a glaringly hot, sunny day. With only light breezes to moderate the heat, jackets and hoodies were piling up on decks.
The upside is that this warming trend has clearly prompted shoreward movement among prespawn fish. Several anglers even had legitimate shots at bedding bass — largemouth and smallmouth.
For example, Cliff King worked on a nice smallmouth that made an aggressive run at the bait as it fell into her nest. However, the fish spooked and ran off — a clear sign of a newly arriving fish that has yet to “lock down.”
Most agreed that the opportunities will likely increase as warm weather today and tomorrow, bolstered by this weekend’s full moon, will get the party rocking.
Among those experiencing early success was Joe Uribe Jr., who notched a W here in 2015. At 10:30, he reported two keeper largemouth and two smallmouth. A swimbait and an unnamed finesse bait earned those fish.
Russ Barger had four fish, including a 4-pounder by 10 a.m., while local stick Johnny Johnson boxed a trio by slow rolling spinnerbaits across main lake artificial habitat structures.
Shaun Bailey fared well early with finesse baits, as did Jason Milligan who caught a 3-pounder. Cy Floyd, Fidel Campos and Kyle Grover all reported quality keepers.
It seems like most who had fared well by midday had experienced early success with the morning bite, while those who did not struggled through an arduous task of finding that ice breaker. With weigh-in at 3 p.m. MT, we’re expecting to hear tales of anglers who made up a lot of ground with the afternoon bite.
Tournament details
Format: All 125 boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:30 a.m. MT
Takeoff Location: Lake Havasu State Park-Windsor Beach, 699 London Bridge Road, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 86403
Weigh-In Time: 3:00 p.m. MT
Weigh-In Location: Lake Havasu State Park-Windsor Beach, 699 London Bridge Road, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. 86403