Uribe Takes Lead and AOY at Clear Lake
Consistency pays off for Bridgford pro
Joe Uribe Jr. jumped into the lead going into the final day of the Rayovac FLW Series presented by Evinrude on Clear Lake. Uribe caught 20 pounds, 13 ounces in the second round for a total of 44 pounds, 8 ounces and is the only pro to have weighed in more than 20 pounds each day. Uribe’s day-two effort also clinched the Western Division Strike King Angler of the Year title for him.
Second-round leader Mark Crutcher could only muster 14-9 to back his near 30-pound limit caught on day one. It was still good for 44-2 and second place on a day that saw extensive turnover in the top 10.
“Today was the same thing as yesterday,” explains Uribe. “I only caught one good fish off the area I was banking on, and I only had two fish in the boat at about 12 o’clock.”
Luckily, persistence paid dividends for Uribe as he was able to find a fresh stretch of water in the afternoon that filled his limit and then some. Both days, the same bait has been key for Uribe, who is fishing shallow and relying on repeated casts to key areas for his bites.
“I’ve been pre-fishing a little every day,” says Uribe. “I tried some different things today and couldn’t make anything happen, so I’m going to just keep doing what I’ve been doing and keep bouncing around.”
“I’m going to go swing for it again. I’ve got one rod in my hand and I’m making a lot of casts. I’m a little fatigued from making so many casts, but I’m excited to get some rest tonight and get back at it again.”
Uribe’s streak of three top-10 finishes in the Western Division also secured the season-long Strike King Angler of the Year award for the Arizona pro. He couldn’t be happier to receive it.
“Its absolutely a big personal accomplishment,” states Uribe. “I worked hard for that. I’ve been runner-up and fourth in the past, so being in the top ten each time this year and winning it has been great.”
Uribe's day one pattern can be found here.
Top five patterns from day two
Top 10 pros
1. Joe Uribe Jr. – Surprise, Ariz. – 44-8 (10)
2. Mark Crutcher – Lakeport, Calif. – 44-2 (10)
3. Jody Jordan – Vacaville, Calif. – 42-4 (10)
4. Jim Hawkes – Apache Junction, Ariz. – 42-2 (10)
5. Bryant Smith – Castro Valley, Calif. – 41-15 (10)
6. Marco Valdez – Gilbert, Ariz. – 40-12 (10)
7. Jimmy Reese – Witter Springs, Calif. – 40-11 (10)
8. Carl Keller – Hidden Valley Lake, Calif. – 40-10 (10)
9. Chris Franks – Petaluma, Calif. – 40-9 (10)
10. Kerry Harris – San Jose, Calif. – 40-1 (10)
Grover still pacing the co-angler field
On the co-angler side, Rock Grover of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., maintained his lead with a 18-5 catch that boosted his total to 39 pounds, 5 ounces. Impressive as that total is, Grover might have had even more, but he broke off a fish he estimated to be near the 10-pound class after a protracted battle at mid-morning.
Grover says he’s caught his fish with either a brown and green Phenix Lure and Bait Co. football jig or a Neko-Rigged green pumpkin Zoom finesse worm.
“The key has been fishing really slow,” says Grover. “When I come to a rock with the football jig I just pause it and shake it. I’ve gotten lucky that both of my pros were fishing slow enough for my baits to work.”
Leue clinches co-angler of the year
A strong performance by Daniel Leue of Colusa, Calif., and a subpar event by defending co-angler AOY Todd Kline of San Clemente, Calif., broke the tie atop the standings and gave Leue the title of 2015 Strike King Co-angler of the Year. Leue was previously the Western Division co-angler of the year in 2012, and his return to the top could come with a win – Leue is going into the final day of competition in second place, less than 3 pounds back of Grover.
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Rick Grover – Trabuco Canyon, Calif. – 39-5 (10)
2. Daniel Leue – Colusa, Calif. – 36-11 (10)
3. Chris Rains – Soledad, Calif. – 31-7 (10)
4. Tom Nokes – Riverton Utah – 31-0 (10)
5. Gayle Janes – Bermuda Dunes, Calif. – 30-7 (10)
6. Kevin Gross – Claremont, Calif. – 28-15 (10)
7. Casey Dunn – North Highlands, Calif. – 28-8 (9)
8. Paul Buccola – Elk Grove, Calif. – 26-12 (10)
9. John Toscano – Lancaster, Calif. – 26-12 (9)
10. Glenn Wolfgang – Solvang, Calif. – 26-11 (8)