Lawrence Leads on Havasu
Consistency is key for the local pro (updated)
Lake Havasu took on a different complexion today, with overcast skies and more wind than what greeted anglers on day one of the Costa FLW Series Western Division opener. Undaunted by the changes, Arizona pro Marty Lawrence sacked up a limit of 19 pounds, 3 ounces and took over the lead with a two-day total of 33-6.
Lawrence’s catch was the event’s second-heaviest, behind day-one leader Roy Hawk’s 19-7. Building on yesterday’s limit of 14-3, Lawrence improved from ninth place.
Top five patterns from day two
While some struggled to adjust to the day’s different makeup, Lawrence said it didn’t bother his fish at all. Understandably slim on details, Lawrence said he’s targeting traditional prespawn staging areas and throwing reaction baits.
“What I’m fishing now, I stumbled onto Wednesday afternoon,” he says. “I took a chance on it and it’s held up so far. I was just trying different things to see what would work.
“I caught several out of one little cove and then went to another and did the same thing, so that’s what I went with.”
Points adjacent to spawning areas have been the deal for Lawrence, but the plan has required a high degree of mobility.
“You have to be in the right place at the right time,” Lawrence says. “They’ll bite early in the morning and then again in the afternoon. You have to time your spots.”
Lawrence says he fished about 10 spots today. He didn’t spend a lot of time on any of them; but he made multiple visits to each.
“You have to keep bouncing around and going back,” he says. “They’d show up and you’d catch a couple and that was it. Once the wind kicked in, that really helped me.”
Lawrence says he did all of his work in the basin, not far from Windsor Beach. He caught seven keepers out of eight bites.
“Yesterday, I lost as much weight as I weighed today,” Lawrence says. “I struggled to get my limit yesterday but I went back in the same areas today and I hooked up.
“I changed hooks and line and I slowed down a little bit. I think that was it today.”
Lawrence says that yesterday he was plagued by inferior stock hooks, which several big fish shook loose. Last night, he replaced all his trebles with Gamakatsu hooks, which did a better job of penetrating and keeping the fish buttoned up.
“I slowed down when I was bringing them in; I wasn’t horsing them and I got them in the boat today.”
Top 10 pros
1. Marty Lawrence – Mesa, Ariz. – 33-6 (10)
2. Roy Hawk – Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – 32-3 (10)
3. Jason Hickey – Weiser, Idaho – 31-13 (10)
4. Joe Uribe Jr. – Surprise, Ariz. – 29-12 (10)
5. Gary Collins – Upper Lake, Calif. – 29-4 (9)
6. Johnny Johnson – Lakeside, Ariz. – 28-12 (9)
7. Mark Williams – Blythe, Calif. – 28-9 (8)
8. Mike Nichelini – Napa, Calif. – 28-6 (8)
9. Robert Lee – Angels Camp, Calif. – 28-6 (10)
10. Justin Kerr – Simi Valley, Calif. – 28-3 (10)
Poff leads co-anglers
A change of scenery did wonders for James Poff, the co-angler from Apple Valley, Calif., who topped his division with 17-6. After placing 19th on day one with 5-6, he surged up the leaderboard with 12 pounds today.
Yesterday, Poff’s pro partner fished the Colorado River, but his day-two partner stayed in the lake. Targeting “designated spots,” was essential to his productivity.
Noting that most of the fish he caught were prespawners, Poff says he fared best when the wind was blowing.
“When the wind stopped, the bite stopped,” he says. “When that happened, I tried making changes, but it didn’t work. I needed the wind to catch fish today.”
Poff caught four fish, all in one general area with multiple targets.
“It was a couple of big bays, but we could replicate what we were doing,” he says. “It kept working, as long as the wind kept blowing.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. James Poff – Apple Valley, Calif. – 17-6 (7)
2. Scott Bern — San Rafael, Calif. — 15-8 (5)
3. Jason Cloke — Alpine, Calif. —15-0 (5)
4. Lon Armel — Scottsdale, Ariz. — 14-7 (5)
5. Dale Roesener — Las Vegas, Nev. — 14-6 (7)
6. James Tate —Calabasas, Calif. — 14-1 (4)
7. Kyle Gelles — Pingree, Idaho — 13-11 (5)
8. Brent Benish — San Diego, Calif. — 13-4 (6)
9. Mark Dietrick — San Jose, Calif. —12-9 (5)
10. Andrew Levy — Grover Beach, Calif. — 12-6 (4)