Meyer mauls ‘em on Columbia River
DeHart nets co-angler lead as Wal-Mart FLW Series field has banner day on historic waterway
TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Although FLW Outdoors had never hosted a tournament in the state of Washington until this week, if FLW Series anglers have any say in the matter, it’s pretty clear the organization will be returning to the Columbia River for the foreseeable future. Yes, the fishing was that good.
When all was said and done on day one of the National Guard Western Division event, 172 out of 173 pro anglers weighed in fish, producing a staggering 136 five-fish limits in the process. The overall length of the weigh-in, which clocked in at nearly three and a half hours, also served as a testament to the overall strength and depth of the fishery. However, it wasn’t until the 344th angler had weighed in when the bass-fishing faithful finally got a glimpse of the tournament’s day-one pro leader: Clayton Meyer of San Diego.
Meyer, who produced the only 16-pound stringer of the day (16 pounds, 13 ounces to be exact), shook up the tightly packed leaderboard in the final minutes of the weigh-in, ultimately recording a 1-pound, 5-ounce lead over his nearest competitor.
“I’m happy,” said Meyer. “I came here and did what I hoped to do.”
What Meyer had hoped to do was merely finish the tournament in the top 50. Obviously, he exceeded expectations – and then some.
“I had a decent practice, but I didn’t expect to land in first place,” he said. “I was hoping I’d finish first, don’t get me wrong, but I really thought it would take 18 or 19 pounds to be leading. I haven’t fished this body of water since 2001 or 2002, so, overall, I’m pretty happy right now.”
Meyer said that he only had seven keepers all day, but at least one fish (4 pounds, 14 ounces) was good enough to capture a piece of the day’s Snickers Big Bass award, which Meyer ultimately shared with fellow competitor Jim Jeffords of Tualatin, Ore.
“I did a lot of running around today,” said Meyer. “Mostly, I was fishing pretty slowly. I had a limit at around 11 a.m., and I had my main area pretty much to myself, which was nice.”
Meyer said that he threw only plastics throughout the day, targeting ridges and outside breaks just off the shoreline to land the majority of his catch.
As for tomorrow’s game plan? Like everyone else, Meyer said it depends on the wind.
“I’m pretty much going to do the same thing, depending on the wind,” he said. “I’m going with the same game plan, but if the wind really blows hard, I’m obviously going to have to change things up. The wind could completely end this tournament for me. But if we get some medium wind, around 15 to 20 mph, that will make it better for me. So, it all depends.”
Hickey lands in second … at very last minute
Pity Jason Hickey of Weiser, Idaho. As the 343rd angler to weigh in, Hickey grabbed the overall lead at the Columbia River event with an impressive catch of 15 pounds, 8 ounces. However, just as Hickey was basking in the limelight as the clear front runner, Meyer (the very next angler and third from last to weigh in) walked to the scales and snatched the lead away.
“I’ve got good news and bad news for you,” teased FLW Outdoors tournament host Chris Jones. “The good news, Jason, is that we let you onstage first. So at least you had the lead for a little while. The bad news, Clayton Meyer is now your leader.”
While Hickey didn’t walk away with first place, he did appear to have plenty of confidence going forward.
“For once, I actually have a good pattern going,” he said.
Stutzman grabs third place
Bill Stutzman of Nampa, Idaho, used a 15-pound, 2-ounce catch to finish the day in third place overall.
“It feels pretty good,” said Stutzman. “The bite was a little slower than I expected. But I didn’t lose any fish. So, overall, it was just a good day all the way around.”
Stutzman said he targeted smallmouth bass using a combination of crankbaits, soft plastics, jigheads and drop-shots. And like most anglers, Stutzman said depth wasn’t really a factor as he landed fish anywhere from 4 to 25 feet, targeting a variety of offshore structure in the process.
Wick stays in contention
Ken Wick used a nearly flawless day of fishing on the Columbia River to net fourth place overall, landing a total five-fish catch of 15 pounds.
“It was just a fantastic day,” he said. “I fished really well and capitalized on every single bite. Before I even pulled up to the locks this morning, I already had a 3-pounder in the boat. It was just a great day.”
Wick said that he ran a full 65 miles one way in order to get to his primary fishing location.
“It’s definitely a haul,” he said. “Basically, I was just running and gunning all day. I’d pull up to a spot, make about 10 to 15 casts and then leave. The key was that you definitely had to be on some kind of grass to get those quality bites.”
Dispensiero rounds out top five
On the strength of a 14-pound, 14-ounce catch, Cory Dispensiero of Palmdale, Calif., finished the day in fifth place overall.
“I basically went out there and fished for five bites,” said Dispensiero. “I wound up burning about a half a tank of gas, so I’m definitely running around out there. But, overall, I’m stoked. You have to be happy when you’re doing this well against the caliber of competition we’re facing here.”
Dispensiero said that he used a Carolina rig and a few other baits to land his catch, targeting fish in 10 to 40 feet of water.
“And tomorrow I’m going to do the same thing,” he said. “I might fish a little more conservatively at first – try to catch a limit and get around 10 pounds in the boat. Then I’ll try to go for a 15-pound limit.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top 10 pros at the Wal-Mart FLW Series National Guard Western event on the Columbia River:
6th: Michael Bennett of Roseville, Calif., 14-6
7th: Neil Russell of Nampa, Idaho, 14-4
8th: Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, Calif., 14-0
9th: Charlie Weyer of West Hills, Calif., 13-15
10th: Jim Jeffords of Tualatin, Ore., 13-11
DeHart stays mentally tough en route to co-angler lead
Although Bill DeHart of Pleasanton, Calif., only hooked into six bites all day, they proved large enough to take the overall lead in the Co-angler Division. But DeHart will tell you, waiting around all day for six bites isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do with so much money at stake on the Columbia River.
“It turned out to be a great day,” said DeHart, who landed a total catch of 13 pounds, 2 ounces. “But I only had six fish total, and I didn’t cull my last fish until after 3 p.m. So that was kind of hard. When you have days like this, you really have to be paying attention. When you get one bite basically every one and a half hours, you can’t be sleeping or you’ll lose out. But, overall, I can’t complain.”
DeHart said that he only used one fishing rod all day and just stayed patient.
“I was working finesse baits really slowly, and that was key,” he said. “Tomorrow, I’m going to do the same thing. I’m going to fish slow and steady and keep a strong mental game going.”
DeHart said he primarily targeted bass on current breaks and rock in approximately 4 to 20 feet of water.
Stafford snares second place
Brian Stafford of Fairfield, Calif., used a 13-pound catch to finish the day in second place.
“It was a wonderful day,” said Stafford. “My pro put me on some great fish, and we had plenty of bites. I wound up missing one really big fish early in the day, or my weight would have even been better. Overall, I’m happy to be where I’m at right now.”
Rest of the best
Rounding out the top five co-anglers at the FLW Series Western event on the Columbia River:
3rd: Rodney Rinta of Chehalis, Wash., 12-2
4th: Larry Fugate of Rathdrum, Idaho, 11-10
5th: Christopher Ricci of Bend, Ore., 11-9
5th: Ronald Schneider of Sandy, Ore., 11-9
James Castillo of Grandview, Wash., took home the day’s Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division with a 4-pound, 14-ounce smallmouth. Castillo’s catch was worth $269.
FLW Series competition on the Columbia River resumes Thursday at 6:30 a.m. Pacific at Columbia Point Marina, located at 660 Columbia Point Drive in Richland, Wash.