KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Catching a four-day weight that would have nearly top-10ed in the Pro Division, Kyle Clement of Anderson, Calif., came out with guns blazing once again at Clear Lake to dominate the Co-angler Division and win the Stren Series Western Division title with a total weight of 80 pounds, 15 ounces.
This was the second Clear Lake title for Clement, who earned $5,000 and a new Ranger boat for the effort this week. He last won here in 2005.
“I had an awesome day today,” he said. “I had a great pro (winner Jared Stone), and I caught a lot of fish, probably 30 or 40.”
Truth be told, Clement had an awesome week. He caught two limits over 20 pounds – Wednesday and Friday – and his 17-14 limit Friday was his lightest of the tournament.
Still, his near-81-pound overall effort was the third-heaviest four-day total ever posted by an FLW Outdoors co-angler, and it was just under 4 pounds less than the 10th-place weight in the Pro Division at Clear Lake.
Most importantly, it was more than 4 1/2 pounds heavier than second-place co-angler Steve Ericksen’s final weight of 76 pounds, 4 ounces.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Clement said. “I came down and put some time on the water before the tournament. I was going for the win, and I got lucky.”
Clement made his own luck this week, fishing big when many others fished small. He threw a big Osprey swimbait for most of the first three days and was versatile enough to switch over to a drop-shot on Saturday when the sight-fishing conditions demanded it.
“I had a really good pro,” he said about Stone. “If I saw a good fish on a bed, he’d stop and let me fish for it.”
Ericksen, who hails from San Jose, Calif., had the best day on the co-angler side with 21 pounds, 7 ounces. His final total of 76-4 earned him $3,836.
“I just kept a spinning rod in my hands and was finessing it with light line,” said Ericksen, who threw trick worms most of the week.
Gary Haraguchi of Brentwood, Calif., finished third for the co-anglers with a four-day total of 76 pounds, 1 ounce. He earned $3,117.
Co-angler Andy Scholz of Reno, Nev., finished fourth with a total of 74 pounds, 1 ounce. He collected $2,398.
Roy Desmangles Jr. of Lincoln, Calif., rounded out the top five co-anglers with a four-day total of 72 pounds, 2 ounces. He collected $1,919 for fifth place.
Rounding out the top 10 Co-angler Division finishers at Clear Lake:
6th: Zachary Holwerda of Cave Creek, Calif., 71-10, $1,822
7th: Tracy Phillips of Frankfort, Ky., 71-2, $1,727
8th: Taylor Parsons of Sutter Creek, Calif., 68-6, $1,631
9th: Bruce McCune of Anderson, Calif., 67-8, $1,534
10th: J.R. Wright of Truckee, Calif., 66-13, $1,439
All of the co-angler finalists caught five-bass limits.
Coming up
The next Stren Series event is a Central Division contest at Kentucky Lake near Benton, Ky., May 2-5.
The next Western Division tournament is the fourth and final event of the season. It will be held at the California Delta near Oakley, Calif., May 16-19.