BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. – Pro Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs, Calif., caught a final-round total of 10 bass weighing 39 pounds, 1 ounce to win the Stren Series Western Division event present by Yamaha on the California Delta Saturday. Reese won $63,000, including a Ranger 519VX powered by a Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor, Lowrance electronics and EverStart batteries.
“I had no idea I was going to win this thing. I thought the other guys were going to whack them today,” said Reese, who finished the Western Division regular-season in first place after winning two tournaments, finishing fifth in a third and finishing 14th in another qualifier. “Fortunately, I had enough fish and it feels great.”
Reese took the lead Friday with a five-bass catch weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces after making the top-20 cut in 15th place. On Saturday, he fished a lipless crankbait and a swimbait and drop-shotted worms in 2 to 5 feet of water to add five more bass weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces to his final-round total. Unlike the three previous days of the tournament, he backed off the banks to fish for less pressured bass.
“I caught three on a trap and six on the drop-shot for about 13 pounds,” Reese said. “It was the swimbait that saved the day. I caught a 7-pound, 7-ounce fish in less than 2 feet of water.”
Rounding out the top five pros are Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, Calif. (10 bass, 37 pounds, 11 ounces, $10,000); Steve Sapp of Manteca, Calif. (10 bass, 35 pounds, 10 ounces, $8,950); Jon Strelic of Alpine, Calif. (10 bass, 35 pounds, 7 ounces, $7,950) and Charlie Almassey of Oakley, Calif. (10 bass, 32 pounds, 3 ounces, $7,450).
Roy Desmangles Jr. of Lincoln, Calif., won the Co-angler Division and earned a Ranger 519VX and $5,000 cash. Desmangles brought in a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 4 ounces.
“My knees are still shaking,” said Desmangles, who earned his first tournament win today. “Fishing isn’t something I do, it’s part of my persona, and I’m just glad that my wife and 13-month-old son are here to enjoy it with me.”
Desmangles said he started taking risks Friday and continued to do the same Saturday by going to extremes in his bait and tackle selection. Two of his bigger fish came on a Spook, which he pitched underneath boat lifts on 85-pound test braided line. The other fish either came on a drop-shot rigged on 4-pound test line or a swimbait tied to 6-pound test line.
“I call it extreme finesse fishing and extreme power fishing,” said Desmangles, who teaches career and human development at Sacramento City College. “When you use line that light you have to plan ahead. This is the Delta, and a big fish could bite at anytime. You have to have an escape route for the fish before you even make the cast.”
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Gary Haraguchi of Brentwood, Calif. (10 bass, 28 pounds, 3 ounces, $4,000); Hideki Maeda of Japan (10 bass, 27 pounds, 12 ounces, $3,480); Jack Kemper of Benicia, Calif. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 3 ounces, $2,480) and John Madden of Brentwood, Calif. (10 bass, 26 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,980).
In addition to prize money, anglers were competing for valuable points and a trip to the $1 million Stren Series Championship for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the Stren Series Championship will also earn a spot in the new $2 million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Ranger owners’ tournaments for bass fishing’s first $1 million top award.
Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero on day three and compete for 10 day-four spots. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.