Coleman breezes to co-angler title on Lake Mead

Nevada native nets $26,400 in cash and prizes, including a new Ranger 519VS Comanche boat

Ray Coleman of Henderson, Nev., used a catch of 6 pounds to capture the co-angler title on Lake Mead. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Ray Coleman.

March 8, 2003 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

HENDERSON, Nev. – Although a 6-pound stringer probably wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow at most high-stakes professional bass fishing tournaments, in the Co-angler Division on Lake Mead this past week it was the equivalent of hitting the jackpot. And deep down, Ray Coleman knew it. In fact, by the day’s end, Coleman’s closest competitor was more than 3 pounds away. That’s just how tough the fishing was. And that’s exactly how good of a performance the native of Henderson, Nev. turned in.

“It’s wonderful,” said Coleman, shortly after victory. “It really feels great. I’ve been doing this stuff since 1986 and I’ve come close to winning a boat before, but I was never able to do it until today. It’s just an unbelievable win.”

However, Coleman wasn’t quite so upbeat a few short hours earlier.

“Today, I had the bites to catch a limit, but I broke a fish off,” he said. “I was kind of apprehensive coming back to weigh-in. I thought I had enough to win, but then again, that fish could have cost me. It was a tough bite out there today.”

In the end, however, Coleman had very little to worry about – with the exception of whether or not he is going to continue to fish the remaining two Western Division tournaments of the year.

“I had actually planned on not fishing the two California tournaments,” he said. “But I may have to change my mind after today.”

Coleman caught the majority of his catch fishing a Robo worm on a split-shot rig in about 8 to 12 feet of water.

Hodge finishes second with few regrets

Day-three leader Adam Hodge of Gilbert, Ariz., used a 2-pound, 14-ounce catch to finish in second place and net $2,400 in prize money.

(Photo by Gary Mortenson)” BORDER=”1″ ALIGN=”RIGHT”>“Overall, I’ve very pleased,” said Hodge. “I came up a little bit short today. But hey, I brought fish to the scales and I didn’t lose a bite today. I’m going to get some good points for my finish and that should help me to qualify for the (EverStart Championship) in Tennessee later this year. And that’s my main goal.”

Rusty Rath of Page, Ariz., used a 2-pound catch to finish the tournament in third place. Rath won $1,950 for his efforts.

“This was a great accomplishment for me,” he said. “My pros were great and I didn’t miss any fish today. And that’s all you can ask for. I already can’t wait for the next tournament on Clear Lake.”

Bernie Gaunt of West Sacremento, Calif., parlayed a catch of 15 ounces into a fourth-place finish and a check for $1,660. Meanwhile, Jeff Dean of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., used an 11-ounce catch to grab fifth place and $1,520 in prize money.

Best of the rest:

Rounding out the top-10 co-angler finalists were: Robert Brondyke (sixth) of Las Vegas, Nev., with a catch of 10 ounces; Jed Bozeman (seventh) of Peoria, Ariz., with a catch of 0 pounds; Tim Barrett (eighth) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., with a catch of 0 pounds; Nick Welton (ninth) of Galt, Calif., with a catch of 0 pounds; and Chris Baldwin (tenth) of Meas, Ariz., with a catch of 0 pounds.

EverStart Western Division action resumes April 23-26 at Clear Lake, located at Clear Lake, Calif.