Final-day frenzy

Busy waters balance encouraging weather for Stren event on Lake Roosevelt

PAYSON, Ariz. – It’s addition by subtraction, with the subtraction partially offset by additional addition. That’s a formulaic way of saying that the finalists in the Stren Series Western Division event on Lake Roosevelt won’t be lonely on these Tonto Basin waters.

With the field pared down to the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers, one might think that the challenge of sharing the lake would diminish. Numerically, that premise may hold water but a local tournament, along with the National Guard College Fishing Western Regional event will increase lake traffic. Bottom line: anglers will have to pick their spots wisely and be prepared to move and adjust as needed.

The latter part of day two saw the lake starting to defrost from a cold front that arrived a day before the tournament. Today will present mostly clear, warm conditions. If the wind remains moderate, more sunlight will penetrate the water and hopefully stimulate the fish.

Payson’s hometown favorite and National Guard pro Clifford Pirch said the weather change stymied what was shaping up to be a good spawning movement on Roosevelt. Currently in fourth place with 24-5, Pirch weighed four fish on days one and two. Local knowledge will no doubt help him, but he admitted he has had no cake walk.

“Yesterday was really tough for me; I really had to hunt hard,” Pirch said. “Basically, everything I did in practice is not really happening. There was a big spawning wave that came up, but we got that cold front. Now, I’m just rummaging – just junk fishing.”

Throwing Berkley Power Worms – weightless, wacky and Texas style – has been his main approach, however, Pirch said that he may need to try something different to overcome what has been an early dry spell.

“I’ve not really gotten on a good morning bite yet, but if I can knock one out early it makes my day go a little smoother – it gets the wheels rolling,” he said. “It would be nice to find something a little earlier than noon because it gets nerve-racking when you don’t have anything in your livewell.”

Top co-angler Vu Au carries a 1-pound, 3-ounce lead into the final round, but the pro division margin is only half that. Roy Hawk of Salt Lake City, Utah posted a 28-pound, 8-ounce total for two days, but that’s only nine ounces ahead of day one leader Duane Dunstone, who starts the day with 27-15.

Hawk has been targeting a ledge system with sparse brush at the mouth of the Tonto River. Using an ounce spinnerbait that he helped design for Pepper Jigs, he’s slow rolling the bait over the edges. Hawk described the spot as a funnel that continuously gathers fish. He’s hoping that his blade tempts the right ones.

“I just love throwing a spinnerbait because it attracts bigger fish,” he said. “I hope I can go out and catch five good ones on that spinnerbait. If I do, I think I can win the tournament.

“The spot I’m fishing keeps drawing more and more fish, so hopefully it will hold up today. The weights are getting a little lighter. I dropped a pound (from my day one weight) and it took me a lot longer to catch a limit than it did the first day. But this is an area that can replenish itself, so it should give me a great opportunity to win this.”

After nailing a limit by 9 a.m., Dunstone sacrificed a lot of his day two fishing time to scout for the final round. Convinced that his main spot had plenty of fish for day three, he left the fish alone to let them settle and reduce the risk of detection. Dunstone spent the rest of his day evaluating other areas and assembling a final round game plan.

“I got all the other spots out of my head,” he said. I’m going back to my main area because I know there are big fish in there and I didn’t beat them up (on day two). I’m going to take everything I can out of that spot (today). I don’t need any more fish after this.”

Dunstone has caught all of his fish on the bait he’ll use throughout the final round – a 4-inch green pumpkin Berkley Power Hog. He’s convinced that the PowerBait smell and taste elicits more aggressive strikes from fish that don’t let go of the plastic.

At the morning launch boats went north and south. Undoubtedly, some of teams will spend a good amount of time plying the vast field of flooded timber at the lake’s upper end. Here and anywhere Roosevelt’s historically high water has overtaken the bank, flipping and jigging will prove effective. Fishing pressure will pull the bass tighter to the structure, so casting accuracy and slow, patient presentations will be the way to go.

Logistics

Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 300 North Beeline Hwy. in Payson, Ariz. beginning at 4 p.m. Weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The Lake Roosevelt Stren Series tournament is hosted by the Town of Payson. The entire field competes for the first two days of Stren Series events. The top 10 professionals and co-anglers continue competition on day three, and the winner in each division is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all three days.

Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a 198VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and equipped with a Minn Kota trolling motor and Lowrance electronics if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $7,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant in the contingency program.

Co-anglers will cast for a top award of a 177TR Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard and trailer. If the co-angler meets the Ranger Cup guidelines, they will earn an additional $5,000. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $2,500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant in the contingency program.

Saturday’s conditions

Sunrise: 5:50 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 46 degrees

Expected high temperature: 70 degrees

Water temperature: 62-64 degrees

Wind: NW at 5 mph

Humidity: 30 percent

Day’s outlook: sunny