Folkestad retains Lake Mead lead

Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda, Calif., used a two-day catch of 16 pounds to retain the overall lead in the Pro Division heading into tomorrow's semfinals. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Mike Folkestad.

March 6, 2003 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Chambers nets first place in Co-angler Division, top-20 cut announced

HENDERSON, Nev. – In the immortal words of Yankees great Yogi Berra, it was deja vu all over again. In almost an exact duplication of yesterday’s tournament action, the weather once again was beautiful, the fishing was extremely tough and Mike Folkestad of Yorba Linda, Calif., was atop the pro leaderboard for the second consecutive day. And as usual, that was just fine with him.

“It really feels good. Everything is going as planned,” said Folkestad, who turned in a two-day total of 16 pounds to retain the overall lead in the Pro Division. “I went out and fished some new water today and I managed to stay completely away from my good spots. I just hope the fish continue to bite.”

However, unlike the first day of competition, Folkestad struggled a bit on the water today.

“I did the exact same thing as yesterday. I fished my Folkestad Special Robo worm in pretty deep water,” said Folkestad, who only managed a catch of 4 pounds, 1 ounce in today’s competition. “But I’ll tell you, it was pretty tough out there. Now I know what all the guys were talking about yesterday.”

Still, Folkestad said he is confident that he can make a legitimate run at the tournament title.

“I feel good and I feel totally positive right now,” he said. “I’ve got enough fish to do well, but I just hope I can get the big bites. I’m ready to get this thing over with and see how I do.”

Folkestad believes it will take between 6 and 7 pounds to make tomorrow’s top-10 cut.

Best of the rest

Qualifying in second place, as well as making the top-20 cut for the second EverStart Western Division tournament in a row, was Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif. Ehrler recorded a two-day catch of 14 pounds, 9 ounces.

“Trust me, I don’t always fish this well,” said Ehrler.

For the second day in a row, Clint Johanson of Benton City, Wash., found himself in third place. Johanson used a two-day catch of 13 pounds, 14 ounces to qualify for the semifinals.

Keisuke Wakunaga of Castaic, Calif., won the day (Photo by Gary Mortenson)” BORDER=”1″ ALIGN=”LEFT”>Rounding out the top five pro qualifiers were: Sean Minderman (fourth) of Post Falls, Idaho, with a total catch of 13 pounds, 8 ounces; and Scott Nielsen (fifth) of Salt Lake City, Utah, with a catch of 10 pounds, 8 ounces.

Keisuke Wakunaga of Castaic, Calif., won the day’s big bass award in the Pro Division after netting a 4-pound, 1-ounce largemouth. Wakunaga, who qualified for the semifinals in eighth place, won $500 for his efforts.

Chambers leaps atop leaderboard as Arizona anglers dominate the top-five qualifying positions in the Co-angler Division

Despite fishing in only the second EverStart tournament of his life and never having fished on Lake Mead until three days ago, Ron Chambers is doing quite well for himself. Sporting his trademark yellow ruler suspenders, Chambers used a two-day catch of 10 pounds to grab the top qualifying position heading into tomorrow’s competition.

Not surprisingly, the resident of Phoenix, Ariz., was more than happy with his performance to date.

“It really is quite an honor,” he said. “This is only the third day I’ve ever been on the lake, but I really had two good (partner) draws and that has really helped. I’ve been pretty lucky so far.”

However, luck only gets you so far when the fishing is as difficult as it was during the first two days of tournament action.

“The lake is low and the fishing is tough, but it really is a nice lake,” he said.

With his top-ranked catch, Chambers also kept alive his goal of surpassing his 12th-place finish on Lake Pleasant during the first Western Division tournament of the year.

“I missed the top-10 cut by about two tenths of an ounce on Lake Pleasant,” he said. “And that was pretty frustrating. So being able to come in here and do well is a real confidence booster.”

Chambers used a drop-shot technique to fish soft plastics over the first two days of the tournament. And, if it is up to him, he said he’ll fish the same way again tomorrow.

“I’m really looking forward to the next two days,” he said. “Tomorrow we’ll see what my pro partner wants to do. But more than likely, I’m going to be doing the same thing I’ve done all week.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five qualifiers were: Jeff Dean (second) of Phoenix, Ariz., with a catch of 8 pounds; Jed Bozeman (third) of Peoria, Ariz., with a catch of 8 pounds; day-one leader Dale Merry (fourth) of Phoenix, Ariz., with a catch of 7 pounds, 11 ounces; and Rusty Rath (fifth) of Page, Ariz., with a catch of 5 pounds, 6 ounces.

Danny Phillips of Temecula, Calif., won the day’s big bass award in the Co-angler Division after registering a 2-pound, 8-ounce largemouth. Phillips, who won $200 for his fish, finished the tournament in 29th place.

Tomorrow’s takeoff is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. at Callville Bay Resort marina, located at 100 Callville Marina Road, Las Vegas, Nev.