Desmangles dominant on the delta

Big finish seals victory for co-angler champ

OAKLEY, Calif. – Three years after winning the Stren Series Western Division’s California Delta tournament, co-angler Roy Desmangles Jr. repeated the feat and paired a trophy bearing 2009 with his one inscribed with 2006.

A steady climb defined the Lincoln, Calif. competitor’s performance. He placed sixth on day one with a limit weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces. He added another limit of 14-11 on day two and rose to third place. His final round limit of 14-1 gave him a 41-10 total and a winning margin of more than 8 pounds.

One of only two co-anglers to catch a limit on day three, Desmangles pointed to versatility as the key to his success. “I took nine rods today. That’s more than I like to take, but I used every one of them.

“We fished the deep south end of the delta today. There were a lot of skiers down there and that dirtied up the water so we had to make a move. We tried different locations and just junk fished. If something looked good, we stopped and fished it. I got my biggest fish at the end of the day with 10 minutes left.”

Desmangles said most of his fish came on Bassectomy worms and crankbaits made by Extreme Lure Creations. Finding clean water was the key for Desmangles and his pro partner Tommy Cardoza (seventh place). They fared best in marinas and areas where rocks and tules filtered the water.

Sniffen stays in second

Day one leader Greig Sniffen of Saratoga, Calif. slipped to second on day two and maintained that position in the final round despite catching only one bass. He caught his day three fish, a 2-pound, 15-ounce bass, on a Senko rigged with a Jackall Flick Shake.

Sniffen weighed the heaviest limit of day one, a 21-pound, 4-ounce bag that was 4 ounces heavier than that of pro division winner Ish Monroe. On day two, he caught another limit weighing 9-11. Adding in his day three catch gave him 33-4 on the event.

Nick Drabec of Castro Valley, Calif. entered the final round atop the co-angler division, but he, too, managed only one fish and slipped to third with 31 pounds, 13 ounces.

Pat Wilson of Penngrove, Calif. finished fourth with 31-12 and Mark White of Tuscon, Ariz., was fifth with 31-9.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 co-angler leaders at the Stren Series California Delta event:

6th: DeJon Lewis of Ventura, Calif., 31-4

7th: Sean Kavanaugh of Chico, Calif., 29-11

8th: Wesley Jones of Modesto, Calif., 27-7

9th: J.R. Wright of Truckee, Calif., 26-9

10th: Bruce McCune of Anderson, Calif., 24-9