Kerr maintains grip on first place

California pro grabs top spot in Pro Division for second consecutive day at FLW Series Western Division tournament on Lake Mead

LAS VEGAS – Despite another day of strong winds and fickle bites, Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, Calif., managed once again to finish the day in first place heading into Saturday’s all-important finals.

“I’ve actually had a really, really good tournament,” said Kerr, who boated a three-day total of 39 pounds, 3 ounces to take a 2-pound lead over his nearest competitor heading into the final day of competition. “So far I’ve fished perfectly. I haven’t really missed a fish all week.”

However, like everything else on Lake Mead, it wasn’t easy.

“My whole bite died today. I only had one big bite all day on my main pattern,” said Kerr. “Hopefully I’ll be able to figure something out tomorrow because a limit of 8 or 9 pounds isn’t going to do it in the finals. I might just have to go for broke tomorrow.”

Kerr said the changing water levels and continuous winds were an ever-present concern heading into the final day of competition as well.

“I really think the water levels are dropping a lot and that’s affecting the fishing,” he said. “And if the wind blows really hard tomorrow it might alter my plans as well.”

However, so far, Kerr’s plan seems to be working perfectly.

“I’ve mostly been running pockets,” said Kerr, who turned in a mixed bag of two largemouths and three smallmouths. “I’ve caught fish on a jigs, crankbaits and Kerrlicious Robo worms. But I had to pull out the drop-shot today. It’s tough out there.”

Regarding his strategy as the frontrunner heading into tomorrow’s competition, Kerr said he’s going to try and stick with his plan while monitoring weather conditions at the same time.

“I think I’m going to try and fish the same stuff in the morning for about the first three hours and then see what happens,” said Kerr. “But like I said before, on Lake Mead you never know what’s going to happen. I could catch a limit or come back with two fish. And there’s always a chance on Lake Mead for somebody else to catch 14 pounds. Hopefully, everything will work out.”

Klinger rebounds on day three

Although National Guard pro Tim Klinger of Boulder City, Nev., struggled a bit during yesterday’s competition, he rebounded when it really mattered, recording a day-three catch of 11 pounds, 9 ounces to pull into second place overall heading into the finals.

“I feel great,” said Klinger, who recorded a three-day total catch weighing 37 pounds, 3 ounces. “This is the first cut of the season for me and to have it come on my home lake in front of friends and family is super exciting. I’ve never won an FLW event on Lake Mead. I’ve had several top 10s here so to be in a position to win is definitely exciting.”

But like most anglers during today’s competition, nothing came easy.

“I went to my primary spot this morning but I couldn’t get a bite so I decided to switch areas,” said Klinger. “I ran a long way to my second area and I didn’t catch my first fish until about 10:50 a.m. But then the wind died down and I really started catching them. I probably caught 9 or 10 keepers after that.”

Klinger said that he’s using a combination of sight-fishing techniques and spinnerbaits to land the majority of his catch.

“I’m fishing really shallow,” said Klinger. “I’m basically looking for any type of cover: rock ledges, grass patches, tulles in back pockets and sandy beach spots with tumbleweeds. I’m targeting pre-, post- and spawning bass as well. Some fish are moving out but there are still a lot of fish coming up to spawn.”

Klinger said he’s in good position to make a run at the title – assuming the wind doesn’t blow too hard.

“The wind could ruin my whole deal,” said Klinger. “I really hope it stays calm tomorrow.”

Caporuscio nets top-five spot

Joseph Caporuscio of Coto de Caza, Calif., used a total three-day catch of 35 pounds, 14 ounces to land the third qualifying spot heading into the finals. However, amazingly enough, had it not been for a near disaster on the first day of competition, Caporuscio argues that he might not be fishing the finals tomorrow.

“On the first day I basically lost my main engine and had to use the trolling motor all day,” said Caporuscio, who still managed to record a respectable weight of 12 pounds despite the mishap on that first day. “And it turned out that that was a blessing in disguise. It made me fish harder and it also allowed me to save some of my better spots for later. If that hadn’t happened, I might have burned through all my fish by now.”

Caporuscio said today went much more smoothly than the first two days of competition.

“I ran around a lot today but I executed every single bite which is something I didn’t do the first two days,” he said. “I located a couple more good areas today and a couple more big fish so it turned out well. Overall it was a great day. I got 8 or 9 bites and culled about four times. But it was a lot of work. I ran all over the place. I burned two tanks of gas but it was a lot of fun.”

Caporuscio said he’s targeting bass in 1 to 10 feet of water, focusing on shady points and stick lines using a combination of drop-shots, Senkos, swimbaits and Chatterbaits.

Hickey vaults up leaderboard to secure place in finals

Heading into the third day of competition, Jason Hickey of Weiser, Idaho, was sitting in ninth place knowing that he had to make a move to grab a spot in the finals. And that’s exactly what he did. Using a total catch of 35 pounds, 12 ounces, including back-to-back 12-pound-plus stringers over the last two days, Hickey nabbed the fourth-place qualifying position heading into the finals.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I’ve kind of had a long dry spell so it feels really good to make the finals,” said Hickey. “Actually the last time I made the cut was right here in 2008.”

However, by 1 p.m. today Hickey only had three fish in the boat – a worrisome proposition for someone trying to move up the leaderboard against the caliber of anglers found in the Western Division.

“These fish gave me some extra gray hairs today. I chewed off a lot of fingernails,” he said. “So to come out with a nice limit today was great.”

Hickey, whose pattern consists of swimming a jig around shallow grass, said that qualifying for the finals is one thing, but doing well in the finals is another.

“I’m a little worried about tomorrow,” he said. “My bites are dwindling and all of my water is really vulnerable to the wind. I’m covering a lot of water but I’m only boating about one of every three bites. But if I do get a bite, it’s a quality bite. If the wind calms down, I think I should be all right. And if not, I think I have a few other options out there.”

Ehrler helps National Guard team put two in the finals

Pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., not only qualified for the fifth and last spot in tomorrow’s finals with a total catch of 35 pounds, 1 ounce, but he also ensured that the National Guard team would be very well represented as well. By joining Klinger in the finals, he guaranteed that the National Guard team would have two pros in the finals of the National Guard FLW Series Western Division event.

FLW Series action continues during Saturday’s final takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. Pacific time at Callville Bay-Forever Resorts Marina, located at the Lake Mead National Recreational Area in Las Vegas, Nev.