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Last day of Lake Havasu spring bass bonanza under way
LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – They came, they saw, and they caught some bass. Lots of bass. The top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers fishing in Saturday’s final round of EverStart Series Western Division competition have produced the most consistent stringers of bedding bass at hot Lake Havasu over the first three days. Now they have one more day of sight-fishing left for all the marbles.
Today will be one of the tightest finishes in recent memory on the EverStart Series. Just 3 pounds, 8 ounces separates first-place pro Mike Goodwin of Lake Havasu City (15-3) from 10th-place Shane Shafer of Ogden, Utah (11-11). Sandwiched in between them are eight more pros with just as good a chance to win as anyone.
If the early morning bite seen by pro Jon Strelic of Alpine, Calif., Saturday is any indication, more bass have moved up to bed for the finals. Sight-fishing near Lake Havasu City, he already had two fish in his livewell by 8 a.m.
“I was in here on Wednesday,” said Strelic, who was just 3 pounds, 2 ounces behind the leader coming into the day. “I just want to see if any more largemouths have moved up.”
Chances are that all 10 boats are finding new sight-fish all over the clear, warm lake. As long as the anglers can find quiet spots away from the hordes of Saturday spring breakers at Havasu, we should see another bevy of limits. And that can only mean this one will be a photo finish.
Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1795 Kiowa Blvd. in Lake Havasu City beginning at 4 p.m. Mountain time. Friday’s weights carry over to Saturday, and each division’s winner will be determined by two-day combined weight.
The winning pro is guaranteed $8,500 cash plus an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 519 VS equipped with Garmin electronics, a Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart Batteries, based on a 150-boat field. If the winner is the original owner of a Ranger boat, he will receive a $10,000 bonus from Ranger for a top pro award worth $60,400. If he is a qualifying participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Ranger will award another $3,000 cash (or $1,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner), and Yamaha will match 50 percent of Ranger Cup winnings if the angler’s boat is powered by a Yamaha outboard. Garmin will award the winning pro $1,000 if he uses only Garmin electronics and at least one unit is a qualifying unit.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $4,500 cash based on a 150-boat field, and if he is a Ranger boat owner, Ranger will award him a new Ranger 519 VS for a total prize package worth $34,500.
Saturday’s conditions:
Sunrise: 6:40 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 71 degrees
Expected high temperature: 99 degrees
Water temperature at the ramp: 62 degrees
Wind: from the northeast at 8 mph
Maximum humidity: 14 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny