Woods Takes Over Out West
Woods moves into first with 27-11 on Clear Lake (updated)
Prior to the Costa FLW Series Western Division event on Clear Lake presented by Mercury, Todd Woods’ largest bag weighed in on Clear Lake was 23 pounds. He set a new personal best yesterday by bringing in 32 pounds, 12 ounces, which landed him in second place. The San Dimas, Calif., native followed that up with 27 pounds, 11 ounces today and overtook the lead position heading into the finale. Day-one leader Jim Moulton dropped to third.
Woods’ day started out right thanks to an act of sportsmanship from a fellow competitor.
“Vu Au let me have a fish on a bed that we both found,” says Woods, who had a later boat draw than Au. “I ran straight there. It was a 7-pounder, and I caught it on my third cast.”
Other than that bed fish, Woods is targeting prespawn bass. He’s fishing stretches of gravel banks with scattered rock piles where prespawn fish are staging.
“The shad are spawning, and the bass are feeding on them,” he explains. “When I bring in a shad-colored lured, several shad will follow it up to the boat. That’s what keyed me in on it.”
Woods is alternating between throwing a Basstrix swimbait and a Blade Runner umbrella rig. He’s making long casts parallel to the bank while working down the shoreline.
“I’m fishing whatever feels right,” Woods says. “I’m throwing the swimbait up shallower and switching to the umbrella rig in the deeper water.”
Woods’ day started with a bang, but he still called it a grind. He had a limit by 9 a.m. but only caught 10 keepers on the day, culling up every hour or so. A 3-pound cull at the end of the day proved crucial to overtake the lead.
“I had to slow down and really work areas to get bit,” he explains. “Tomorrow I think I’m going to have to cover a bit more water.”
With a 2-pound, 9-ounce lead, Woods will be first to idle out at tomorrow’s takeoff at Konocti Vista Resort Casino & Marina for the final day on Clear Lake.
Photos of Woods
Top 10 Pros
1. Todd Woods – San Dimas, Calif. – 60-7 (10)
2. Michael Caruso – Peoria, Ariz. – 57-14 (10)
3. Jim Moulton – Merced, Calif. – 55-4 (10)
4. Wade Curtiss – Meadow Vista, Calif. – 51-0 (10)
5. Garrett Dixon – Durham, Calif. – 47-12 (10)
6. Wayne Breazeale – Kelseyville, Calif. – 46-7 (10)
7. David Valdivia – Norwalk, Calif. – 43-15 (10)
8. Roy Hawk – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 43-13 (10)
9. Rusty Salewske – Apline , Calif. – 43-12 (10)
10. Hunter Schlander – Modesto, Calif. – 41-15 (10)
Farage Maintains Co-angler Lead
Day-one leader and current Western Division Co-angler of the Year frontrunner Jack Farage brought in 14 pounds today to stay on top of the leaderboard. Farage fished with Roy Jones, who spent the day fishing right next to the bank. The co-angler standout made the right adjustments and started casting out to deeper water with reaction baits. He caught 15 keepers and culled up throughout the day.
With a two-day total of 38 pounds, 1 ounce, Farage has nearly a 2-pound lead heading into the last day of competition. He is paired with pro leader Todd Woods for Saturday’s final round of competition.
“Hopefully he’s fishing my style,” Farage says. “If not, I’ll have to adapt again.”
Top 10 Co-anglers
1. Jack Farage – Discovery Bay, Calif. – 38-1 (10)
2. Stanley Beebe – San Luis Obispo, Calif. – 36-2 (10)
3. Blake Dyer – Tempe, Ariz. – 32-0 (10)
4. Justin Bolen – Paradise, Calif. – 31-8 (10)
5. Michael Tauscher – Blackfoot, Idaho – 29-12 (10)
6. Chris Rhoden – Newhall, Calif. – 28-11 (10)
7. Rachel Uribe – Long Beach, Calif. – 27-12 (10)
8. Ken Helms – Newman, Calif. – 27-11 (10)
9. Sergio Arguello – North Hollywood, Calif. – 26-9 (10)
10. Todd Kline – San Clemente, Calif. – 26-7 (10)