Weyer keeps EverStart lead

Maeda moves up to co-angler lead

STOCKTON, Calif. – Charlie Weyer has seen the ups and downs of the California Delta – and we’re not talking only of the tides. After sacking up the heaviest bag of the FLW EverStart Series Western Division event, Weyer struggled on day two and barely held on to the top spot.

On day one, Weyer sacked up the only catch over 30 pounds and his 32-9 included a 10-10 that one the Snicker’s Big Bass award. Today, he caught a little more than half his first day’s weight, with a limit of 16-12 raising his total to 49-5. Weyer was not alone in his struggle, as overall productivity was down. By comparison, 15 pros broke the 20-pound mark on day one, but only eight did so today. Total number of fish, total weight and limit catches were also lower on day two.

Today’s sunny conditions mirrored those of day one. However, flags that barely moved at the 6:30 a.m. takeoff were whipping steadily by mid-morning – a prelude to the minor cold snap heading for the Delta. Also, a later tide cycle saw the high water lingering longer. Combined, these factors created a challenging day for those who had made their mark sight-fishing on day one.

Putting eyes on bed fish was not impossible today, but the easy pickings of day one fragmented. Many of the fish that had recently moved up to the shoreline dropped back in the changing conditions and those that remained were harder to see. Weyer said he did not have a slow day – just a less productive one.

“It was a tougher day on the size of fish, but I still caught just as many as day one,” he said. “I probably caught like 20 keepers. I had a higher tide and then the wind blew, so I couldn’t pinpoint the bed fish and then back off. I basically went to pitching a dropshot.”

Weyer fished Roboworms and an unnamed plastic on his dropshot. He also caught fish on a Texas-rigged Yamamoto Flappin Hog and a Speed Craw.

On day one, Weyer was like a kid in a candy store, as he worked an area where a huge wave of plump females had recently moved up to the shoreline. Today, many of those fish were either gone or fronting an obstinate disposition.

“I worked two fish as big as the (10-10) that I caught yesterday and there are several other big fish in that area – I just haven’t figured out how to catch them,” Weyer said. “I had one that looked like a 10- to 12-pounder sitting there on my dropshot just eyeballing it. Her eyes were as big as quarters.”

All things considered, Weyer said he was satisfied with his day two performance. “I was going for everything I could possibly go for. I didn’t lose any fish – I just didn’t catch any big ones.”

Another 20-plus moves Minderman into second

Sean Minderman, of Spokane, Wash., broke the 20-pound mark for a second day. Adding 24-8 to the 22-14 he weighed on day one gave him a total of 47-6. After weighing a 9-pound, 3-ounce bass on day one, Minderman showed off another toad today – this one going 10-15.

Minderman said that starting the day on high water was a challenge, but his productivity increased as the tide fell. “I’m sure you can find a good morning bite – some guys have. I just haven’t.”

Same as yesterday, he boated his biggest bass while sight fishing. Pitching into tule pockets with weed mats, Minderman was fishing weightless Texas-rigged Senkos in watermelon and watermelon/red and Sweet Beavers.

“I’m actually fishing the Beavers on my punching rod with a punching weight,” he said. “It keeps the bait right in there by the fish.”

Minderman said he saw most of the fish he caught today. His biggest fish bit a Beaver in the last hour of his fishing day.

Casey makes big move into third

Making the event’s most dramatic improvement, Fairfield, Calif. pro Mark Casey caught the heaviest bag of day two – a 29-6 effort that boosted his day one score of 17-12 into a 47-2 total.

Casey caught four of his weight fish on wacky-rigged 7-inch watermelon red Senkos pitched into the tules. His fifth came by punching a Sweet Beaver in magic craw swirl on a 3/0 Paycheck Baits Punch Hook, a Punch Skirt and a 2 1/2-ounce tungsten weight.

“That’s pretty much what I was doing yesterday, but I just got lucky and got the right bites,” Casey said. “I’m fishing one stretch that’s about 300 yards. I’m just going back and forth. It was a big flat and the prespawners are cycling up.

“I think one of my fish was a bed fish because I set the hook on her, she was on but she got off. I was pretty bummed out, but I left and then came back down and in the same exact spot, I stuck her and got her in the boat.”

Pirch positioned at fourth

Arizona pro Cliff Pirch gained a notch in the standings to settle into fourth place with 46-12. His day two limit weighed 20-4.

Pirch primarily blind fished dropshots with Robo Worms and when he was able to spot bed fish, he pitched Texas-rigged creature baits.

“I used the same baits today, but the wind hampered things quite a bit,” Pirch said. “When you have a calm day like yesterday, you have optimal conditions and you can really do some damage. Today, it was a struggle to find the right fish. I saw a lot of them yesterday and I marked them, but I couldn’t catch them blind fishing today.

“I was able to see a couple of them later in the day and I caught them, but the blind fishing ones just didn’t bite for me like they did yesterday.”

Tosh slips to fifth

Dropping one spot from yesterday’s fourth place, Stephen “Bub” Tosh caught a limit of 19-3 to boost his total to 46-7. Three of his fish came on his Paycheck Baits punch rigs – punch skirt, 1 1/2-ounce weight, punch hook and a Psycho Dad bait. He caught his other two keepers on a drop shot.

“I didn’t go to my primary area,” Tosh noted. “I left my best two spots alone. About 1:30, I had everything I weighed except the 5-pounder and I told my co-angler that I have to go to my good spot to catch one and make sure I make it. I ran over there, made about three pitches into this mat and I was just dead-sticking it. I dropped down and – Doonk! – I caught that 5-pounder.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 pro leaders at the EverStart Series Cal Delta event:

6th: Robert Lee, of Angels Camp, Calif., 43-13

7th: Ken Mah, of Elk Grove, Calif., 41-9

8th: Joe Uribe Jr., of Lake Forest, Calif., 40-13

9th: Michael C. Tuck, of Granite Bay, Calif., 40-7

10th: Benjamin Byrd, of Moab, Utah, 39-15

Lee earned Snickers Big Bass honors for his 11-1.

Co-angler Maeda drops and cranks for lead

After placing 11th on day one, Hideki Maeda moved up 10 spots to take over the co-angler lead on day two. Adding a limit that weighed 15-11 to his day one score of 13-9 gave him a two day total of 29-4

“I caught nine keepers today but my best five in the bag, I caught two on a crankbait and three on a dropshot,” Maeda said.

Maeda said he had a small limit by midday, but when his pro moved to a rock levee in the afternoon, he decided to throw his custom made balsa wood crankbait and culled up with better fish.

Phil Risnes, of Hartford, S.D., placed second with 28-7, while day one leader Kyle Baker, of Lancaster, Calif. slipped to third with 28-0. Greig Sniffen, of Saratoga, Calif., finished fourth at 27-5 and Mike Chen, of Stockton, Calif., was fifth at 26-2.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-10 co-angler leaders at the EverStart Series Cal Delta event:

6th: Gary Morris, Tracy, Calif., 25-12

7th: Lester Albury, of Temecula, Calif., 25-12

8th: Christopher Irigoyen, of Henderson, Nev., 25-7

9th: Steven Cook, of Phoenix, Ariz., 24-15

10th: Jared Frantzich, of Sacramento, Calif., 24-2

Morris took the Snickers Big Bass award on the co-angler side with the event’s largest fish – an 11-pound, 6-ounce lunker.

Day three of EverStart Series Western Division action on the Cal Delta continues at Saturday’s takeoff, scheduled to take place at 6:30 a.m. (Pacific) at the Weber Point Event Center, located at 221 North Center Street, Stockton, Calif.