Weyer No. 1

Charlie Weyer wins Wal-Mart FLW Series National Guard Western Division event on Columbia River, banks $100,000

TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Heading back to final weigh-in at the FLW Series event on the Columbia River, Charlie Weyer thought he’d blown it. Boasting a healthy 5-pound lead coming into Saturday’s final day of competition, Weyer struggled throughout the most crucial day of competition, only managing a five-fish limit weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces – by far the smallest stringer he’d netted all week.

However, as it turned out, it didn’t really matter. When his primary competitor, Clayton Meyer of San Diego, recorded an equally average final-day sack weighing 10 pounds, 11 ounces, Weyer wound up winning the tournament with relative ease.

“I thought I’d need at least 11 pounds today to win this,” said Weyer of his struggles. “I wound up losing five fish today, and I didn’t really lose a fish all week before this. I was thinking at the time, `What’s happening to me?’ When I pulled into the parking lot at weigh-in, I really didn’t think I had enough to win. I guess it was just meant to be.”

By the time Weyer stepped to the scales however, it was clear that the native of West Hills, Calif., only needed a 5-pound-plus sack to walk away with the title and $100,000 first-place prize money. From that point on, the final celebration was only a formality.

“I still can’t believe I won. This is just unbelievable,” said Weyer, who ultimately recorded a weight of 53 pounds, 1 ounce over the course of the four-day event. “Now I’m one of the only guys who has won a $100,000 check on both coasts. This is great.”

Weyer’s other major title came at a 2004 Bassmaster Tour event on Smith Lake in Alabama. However, it was clear that being able to fish a major tournament trail based in the Western United States was something extra special for Weyer.

“This is the most awesome circuit anywhere in the nation,” said Weyer. “How can you not fish a tournament circuit that puts $100,000 right in your own backyard?”

While Weyer ultimately won the Columbia River event going away, today was far from easy for the California native. After making a huge 50-mile run to his primary location, Weyer struggled to get the big bites he’d hoped for. Between losing fish and searching in vain for 4- and 5-pound fish, Weyer had to persevere through a pretty frustrating day.

“I caught three fish at my (primary) spot, but then it died at about 10:30 a.m.,” he said. “Then I decided to run downriver to a ditch that formed an eddy pocket. The smallmouth were blowing up on salmon there, and I was able to catch a few. I had found a couple of spots around the lock and was able to catch some fish there as well. But I really didn’t think I had enough.”

Weyer said that his key bait all week was a 5-inch green-pumpkin Zoom lizard, which he used primarily to target rock piles abutting grass patches.

Despite his struggles, it was also clear that Weyer had something none of the other competitors had – a prescient wife.

“Three and a half years ago when I won (in Alabama), my wife told me she had a dream that I was going to win that tournament,” he said. “This week, my wife called again and said that she had that same dream. I told her she was going to jinx me. But it turns out, she was right.”

Meyer holds on to second place

Like Weyer, Clayton Meyer of San Diego also had his fair share of struggles during the final day of competition. Knowing he needed to close a 5-pound gap, Meyer did his best to make one last push. But as it turned out, it just wasn’t his day.

“It was a little slow today,” said Meyer, who walked away with nearly $43,000 in winnings after netting a four-day weight of 49 pounds, 4 ounces. “It started getting windy, and the bite was just a little off.”

During the early morning hours, Meyer continually hooked into fish, but more times than not, they pulled off.

“I was using a shaky head and got some bites, but I got a lot of `short’ bites and just wasn’t able to hook them,” he said. “I then remembered seeing a bunch of crawdads in my livewell the day before, so I decided to try a jig. I caught a fish right away, and for the rest of the day, that’s all I used. I knew the whole time that all I needed was one big bite. So I ran down to a spot where my co-angler had done well to fish an irregular grass line. And I finally got the bite I needed – but the line broke.”

In the end, despite finishing second, Meyer said he had no regrets.

“The fishing was great all week,” said Meyer. “I was hoping for 16 pounds today, but it just never happened. But overall, I had an excellent tournament.”

As a result of his finish, Meyer also grabbed a nice consolation prize – the overall lead in the 2007 FLW Series Western Division Angler of the Year race with only one event remaining.

Russell grabs third place

On the strength of a 13-pound, 9-ounce sack on the final day of competition, Neil Russell of Nampa, Idaho, rocketed up the leaderboard from seventh place to third. And he couldn’t have been happier with the result – or his approach.

“At the FLW Series event at Lake Havasu, I qualified for the top-10 and wound up finishing in 10th place,” he said. “So today, I just decided to relax and enjoy this. And that wound up being key.”

Taking a Zen-like approach on the final day of competition clearly paid off, as Russell ultimately landed the largest stringer of the day – giving him third place overall and a check for $34,000.

“I was just fishing with a lot of confidence in places I was confident there were a lot of fish,” he said.

Russell, who recorded a four-day catch weighing 48 pounds, 9 ounces, said he targeted smallmouth bass with a combination of super flukes and jigs, zeroing in on rock piles in approximately 30 feet of water.

“I caught some fish shallow, but I caught my biggest fish walking a jig over rock piles with big boulders,” he said. “Thirty feet was the key depth for me all week.”

Russell said that, in the end, he couldn’t have asked for a much better outcome.

“I’m not going to leave this tournament with any `what ifs’ because I didn’t lose any fish,” he said. “This is my highest finish ever in a tournament with this level of competition. I’m just thrilled with the result – absolutely thrilled.”

Moore claims fourth place

Knowing that he had to make up a nearly 8 1/2-pound lead coming into the finals, Andre Moore of Alabaster, Ala., swung for the proverbial fences – and ultimately came up a few pounds short.

“I had a lot of catching up to do today,” said Moore, who recorded a total weight of 48 pounds, 9 ounces to earn a $25,000 check. “I had a lot of giant fish on, and I had my shot, but I didn’t get them in the boat.”

However, nobody could accuse Moore of not giving it his all in the finals.

“I decided to make a really long run because I figured I was running out of fish,” he said. ” I was hitting a lot of new spots because, on this river, you can’t just sit on one spot the whole time. I was burning a spinnerbait as fast as I could. But it was just too much ground to make up.”

Moore, to his credit, said he had no regrets.

“I love fishing here. It’s just an awesome place,” he said. “I have a lot of fond memories here. It’s been great. I had a good time.”

Hickey snags fifth place

Jason Hickey of Weiser, Idaho, said that he, too, had his chances but couldn’t capitalize on them.

“I’ve been around some real great fish all week, and I was just hoping to have those perfect bites,” he said. “And today I got them. But I just absolutely couldn’t get them in the boat. It was real frustrating and real humbling. But I guess it wasn’t my turn.”

In the end, Hickey turned in a total catch of 46 pounds, 11 ounces – good enough for a $17,000 check.

“This is my first top-10, so this is awesome,” he said. “It’s what we all dream about.”

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 pro results on the Columbia River:

6th: Michael Bennett of Roseville, Calif., 44-11 (four-day total)

7th: Ken Wick of Star, Idaho, 43-12

8th: Mitch Ratchford of Kennewick, Wash., 43-6

9th: Kelly Vineyard of Bend, Ore., 42-13

10th: Leon Knight of Tehachapi, Calif., 42-11

FLW Series Western Division competition resumes Oct. 24-27 at Clear Lake in Kelseyville, Calif.