Berry bests pro field to grab overall lead on Lake Pleasant

Using a catch of 13 pounds, 5 ounces, Art Berry of Ramona, Calif., outdistanced his nearest competitor by more than 4 pounds to grab the overall lead in the Pro Division and go down in the record books as the first leader in the history of the EverStart Western Division tournament circuit. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Art Berry.

January 29, 2003 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Kreuzer cruises to first place in Co-angler Division

PEORIA, Ariz. – Using a catch of 13 pounds, 5 ounces, Art Berry of Ramona, Calif., outdistanced his nearest competitor by more than 4 pounds to grab the overall lead in the Pro Division and go down in the record books as the first leader in the history of the EverStart Western Division tournament circuit. Not surprisingly, Berry was more than happy with his performance.

“It’s awesome,” said Berry. “This is the premier tournament trail in the West that we’ve all been waiting for. It’s very exciting.”

Although Berry has already built up a fairly significant lead over his competition, he said that could have even put more distance between himself and the rest of the pro field. However, Berry said he held up so that he could save some of his fish for the remainder of the tournament.

“I could have really unloaded on the fish today because my pattern is that strong,” said Berry. “But why cull ounces today instead of pounds tomorrow? Right now I’m very confident I’ll be able to catch enough fish tomorrow to make the cut.”

Berry’s confidence just might be warranted. According to the California native, he has found one of the strongest patterns he’s ever been on.

“I have a very, very strong pattern,” he said. “There are so few times in your career when you get this dialed into the fish. I can’t wait to go back out there tomorrow.”

So what is the magic pattern?

“Basically, I’m targeting suspended bass hanging out in deep water over submerged trees,” he said. “Because the water levels are rising about a foot each day, the fish are scattering. But the warmth of the sun is causing the suspended fish to head up a little bit shallow. You really have to know where to look. But if you find them and fish slowly enough, you can really get a lot of good bites.”

To make matters more daunting for his competitors, Berry said that he has yet to exhaust his full arsenal of fishing holes.

“I have several areas I haven’t even gone to yet,” he said.

With tomorrow’s top-20 cut expected to come in at about 13 pounds, Berry appears to have perfectly positioned himself for the semifinals.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five finishers in the Pro Division were: Larry Cross (second) of Calimesa, Calif., with a catch of 9 pounds, 11 ounces; Jim Furr (third) of Phoenix, Ariz., with a catch of 9 pounds, 3 ounces; Brent Ehrler (fourth) of Redlands, Calif., with a catch of 8 pounds, 15 ounces; and Jim Lyon (fifth) of Reno, Nev., with a catch of 8 pounds, 13 ounces.

John Gibbs of Lake Havasu, Ariz., landed the day’s big bass award in the Pro Division after netting a 5-pound, 8-ounce largemouth. Gibbs, who currently resides in sixth place overall in the standings, won $500 for his efforts.

Kreuzer controls Co-angler Division

Not to be outdone by the tournament’s top pro, co-angler Dean Kreuzer of Mesa, Ariz., also managed to turn in a 13-pound, 15-ounce stringer good enough for a first-place finish in today’s competition.

“This lake is tough; it’s really hit or miss,” said Kreuzer of his many past experiences fishing Lake Pleasant. “But today, I was just on a good bite. To be in first place is really an adrenaline rush for me. I fish a lot of little tournaments and I’m usually an also-ran. So it kind of feels nice.”

Kreuzer, who also landed the biggest bass of the tournament to date – a 6-pound, 4-ounce largemouth worth $200 in today’s co-angler big bass competition – said that he believes he has Lake Pleasant figured out.

“I have about four patterns that are all working,” he said. “The key to catching some good fish is knowing what the water depth is over certain pieces of structure. Knowing the temperature of the water is also pretty important. There were about five boats within flipping distance of my boat today, but they didn’t catch nearly as many fish. It just goes to show you that with these fish, technique can be really important.”

Although Kreuzer will be at the whim of his pro partner regarding fishing locations during tomorrow’s competition, he believes he still has a pretty good shot at making the cut.

“Other than really deep water, I feel that regardless of where I go with my pro that I’ll be able to catch fish,” he said. “My goal tomorrow is to just go out there and try to catch between 5 or 6 pounds. That should be enough to get me to the next round.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five co-anglers in today’s competition were: Mario Caporuscio (second) of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., with a catch of 10 pounds, 8 ounces; Paul Hodges (third) of Glendale, Ariz., with a catch of 9 pounds, 14 ounces; Reese Randall (fourth) of Payson, Ariz., with a catch of 8 pounds; and Jon R. Griffith (fifth) of Mesa, Ariz., with a catch of 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at Pleasant Harbor Marina, located at 8708 West Harbor Boulevard in Peoria, Ariz.