Stren Western: Reese reaching for Western domination

2006 AOY lands 25-1, closes in on second win of the year

BETHEL ISLAND, Calif. – While nobody caught any 14-pound toads in Friday’s episode of the Stren Series Western Division show at the California Delta, another compelling storyline has developed that should keep fans and fellow anglers glued to the screen. Jimmy Reese dug into a Pro Division-leading five-bass limit weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces in the first half of the finals and is now poised to win his second tournament of the season.

Reese, a pro out of Witter Springs, Calif., has already clinched the Western Division standings title – unofficially, until the tournament is over – and has only missed a single cut all season long. Still, the cut he missed, at Lake Shasta, was on a Friday and he finished that event in a season-worst 14th place.

And, obviously, when you’re worst finish is 14th, you’re having a good year.

This season, Reese has also compiled a fifth-place finish at Lake Havasu and a win at Clear Lake. With a guaranteed top-10 showing here at the California Delta, Reese says he has already accomplished what he set out to do at the beginning of the season.

“My No. 1 goal this year was obviously the Stren Series and focusing totally towards getting Angler of the Year,” he said. “That’s where my focus was. Everything’s good at home, good at work and good everywhere else, which allows you to zero in on just the fishing and use common sense. When that happens, good things happen. I just haven’t been putting any pressure on myself.”

But Reese still has a little unfinished business left this week. A win at the Delta would give him victories in two of the last three Stren Series tournaments he’s fished, which would put him in Craig Powers territory, who won back-to-back Stren events last season. Reese’s 21 pounds, 5 ounces gives him the tournament lead heading into the final day, but not by much. In second place is the ever-dangerous Steve Sapp – whose 14-pound, 1-ounce kicker largemouth Thursday was the second-heaviest bass ever weighed in at an FLW Outdoors tournament – with a Friday weight of 21-1.

“Yeah, another win would be nice, but I forgot to tell you one thing,” Reese said. “There’s this guy named Steve Sapp sitting, like, 4 ounces behind me, and he hasn’t even gone to his good water yet.”

Nevertheless, Reese plans to do the same thing Saturday that he has most of the week, which was adjust to the conditions. He’s caught the bulk of his fish on a drop-shot with a purple Roboworm, but he also found a good reaction bite Friday.

“I picked up a Rat-L-Trap today and caught a limit, including a 4-pounder, and I haven’t used the Rat-L-Trap all week,” he said.

Some pros had trouble with the incoming tide Friday, but Reese successfully switched to the Rat-L-Trap, combating decreasing visibility conditions.

“I don’t think anything’s changed. You’ve just got to get used to the tide,” he said. “Because the tide’s coming in, you’ve just got to blind-cast. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to my main area (in Franks Tract) and maybe catch 15 to 18 pounds. Then swing for the fences after that (with a topwater).”

Sapp also heads to the surface, claims second

Good tournament anglers know not to get stuck on a single bait, even if you’ve caught a record fish on it just the day before. So it was for Sapp, whose 21-pound, 1-ounce limit today came not on the jig-and-pig combination he caught his hogs on yesterday, but on a swimbait.

“I changed patterns,” said the pro from Manteca, Calif. “I moved off them a little bit and started throwing swimbaits. The bite’s changing every day and the fish are getting finicky. I was throwing the jig, but they weren’t taking it all the way. They were short-striking it. So I decided at about 10:30 to move off and just slow-roll a swimbait.”

And contrary to rumor, Sapp said he’s saved nothing for Saturday, as far as his fish go.

“Oh, I’ve burned through them already,” he said about his stash where the record-breaker came from. “If I had more fish like that, they would have been in those bags today.”

Lowery third

Matt Lowery of El Cajon, Calif., grabbed third place for the pros with a limit weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces.

He stayed consistent with his approach, starting the day flipping and returning to Franks Tract in the afternoon and culling out his limit with a swimbait and a topwater.

“Tomorrow, if I can get the ones to bite that are looking at it, I have a good chance,” he said. “I can catch as much as 30 pounds if they bite.”

Strelic fourth

Jon Strelic of Alpine, Calif., placed fourth on the pro side with a limit weighing 19 pounds, 5 ounces.

“I’m just fishing the mainlake in the wind, doing the same thing the last three days,” he said. “I caught three on a drop-shot and two on a crankbait.”

Kerr fifth

Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, Calif., rounded out the top five pros with a limit weighing 18 pounds, 8 ounces.

“I’ve actually been scrambling around the last three days, just looking for something consistent,” he said.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 pros fishing in Saturday’s finals at the California Delta:

6th: Donald Davis of Discovery Bay, Calif., 17-15

7th: Tom Kilduff of Dewey, Ariz., 14-11

8th: Rob Riehl of Tracy, Calif., 14-2

9th: Charley Almassey of Oakley, Calif., 13-8

10th: Ken Mah of Elk Grove, Calif., 13-3

All of the top-10 finalists caught limits Friday.

Maeda leads co-anglers

While two co-anglers tied for heaviest catch, Hideki Maeda of Osaka, Japan, earned first place by virtue of a tiebreaker. Maeda caught a limit weighing 16 pounds even, which included a kicker fish in the 7- to 8-pound range.

“I’ve been fishing here over 10 years. The Delta’s my favorite lake,” he said. “I caught the big fish on a Sweet Beaver.”

Also weighing in a limit worth 16 pounds was John Madden of Brentwood, Calif. He placed second on the co-angler side.

“I caught my big one on a Senko,” he said.

Opening-round leader Roy Desmangles Jr. of Lincoln, Calif., caught five bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces and placed third.

Jack Kemper of Benicia, Calif., caught a limit weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces and qualified in fourth place for the co-anglers.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers was Edwin Shaver of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., with a limit weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

6th: Kirk Beardsley of Huntington Beach, Calif., 12-13

7th: Jim Tatum of Bishop, Calif., 12-6

8th: Gary Haraguchi of Brentwood, Calif., 12-4

9th: Marvin Dixon of Willitz, Calif., 11-4

10th: Billy Dehart of Pleasanton, Calif., 10-1

All of the top 10 co-anglers also caught limits Friday.

Final round Saturday

Day four of Western Division competition at the California Delta begins as the final-round field of 10 boats takes off from Russo’s Marina at 6 a.m. Pacific time Saturday. Friday’s weights carry over to Saturday, and each division’s winner will be determined by two-day combined weight.