Michels grabs top spot at FLW Series event on Lake Roosevelt

California pro overcomes rough weather, tough bass bite

PAYSON, Ariz. – Persevering through torrential rains, lightning storms and an extremely difficult bass bite, Jeff Michels of Lakehead, Calif., snared the lead with a 13-pound, 15-ounce catch during the opening day of FLW Series Western Division competition on Lake Roosevelt.

However, it did not come easy. Fighting through a wicked downpour, which lasted almost six hours and caused a series of dangerous mudslides throughout the area, Michels managed to overcome a weak bass bite and find success where a majority of the pro field failed.

“It was tough out there,” said Michels. “I only had about 10 bites but managed to catch four quality fish, so I’m happy. I didn’t make any mistakes today, and I fished really clean. And that helped.”

Michels said that he’s targeting bass in about 30 feet of water using a Mother’s Finest 6-inch worm on a drop-shot.

“I’m on some decent fish, and they’re fairly deep,” he said. “I have probably 10 spots and about four really good ones. There is just a ton of fish in those areas. But the key (to my success) all relates to baitfish. If you can find bait on the bottom, you can catch fish.”

Michels said that as long as the threadfin shad remain in his deep-water areas, he’s confident he can make a run at Friday’s top-five cut and fish Saturday.

“Unless the bait pulls out of those areas, I should be fine.”

Although Michels said he’s pleased to be in first place, his main concern coming into the tournament was qualifying for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. To do that, Michels must finish this tournament ranked 10th overall or higher in the year-end Western Division standings.

“I came into this tournament 10th overall in the points, and I just want to finish high enough to qualify for the Cup,” he said. “Being in the lead is a lot of pressure. I’ve led these tournaments before. So I know there is still a long way to go.”

Ehrler nets second place

National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., used a total catch of 13 pounds, 14 ounces to finish the day in second place on Lake Roosevelt.About the least surprising outcome of today’s crazy day of fishing was the fact that National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., is once again knocking at the door of another tournament title. In case you missed it, here’s a brief overview of Ehrler’s track record to date for the 2010 season: Two FLW Tour titles (Lake Ouachita and Table Rock Lake), a fifth-place overall finish in the FLW Tour AOY race, an FLW Series title on Lake Shasta, a fourth-place finish at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup and a fourth-place finish at the FLW Series event at Lake Mead. In addition, Ehrler is also currently in first place overall in the 2010 FLW Series Western Division Angler of the Year race.

With a total catch of 13 pounds, 14 ounces, Ehrler now sits a mere 1 ounce behind Michels for the top spot in the tournament. Throw in the fact that this is the first time Ehrler has ever visited Lake Roosevelt and it’s clear that the sky is the limit for the California pro.

“It was really struggling in practice but everything just went right today,” said Ehrler. “It’s one of those days that could be very hard to duplicate. I didn’t catch any big fish all week in practice and I caught two today so that helped. But I think if the weather clears up, tomorrow’s bite is going to be a lot tougher.”

Ehrler said that he used a variety of fishing styles and nearly exhausted his fishing arsenal in an effort to land his catch.

“I covered quite a bit of water. I fished slowly and I fished fast. And out of the five fish I weighed in, I probably caught them on four different baits. I basically fished all over the place today. I really mixed it up.”

Although Ehrler said that he fished anywhere from 8 to 35 feet in today’s competition, he said he’s not relying on one set pattern moving forward.

“I’m just going to go out there tomorrow and let the (weather) and the fish dictate what I do,” he said.

Barrack scores a third-place finish

On the strength of a total catch of 13 pounds, 12-ounces, veteran pro Bobby Barrack of Oakley, Calif., finished the day in third place on Lake Roosevelt.On the strength of a total catch of 13 pounds, 12-ounces, veteran western stick Bobby Barrack of Oakley, Calif., ensured that, once again, he will be one of the main contenders for a tournament title when all is said and done. However, Barrack was also quick to point out that while he fished well, his co-angler partner was one of the main reasons for today’s success.

“It was tough out there and the bite was really slow, but I couldn’t have done it without my partner, J.R. Wright,” said Barrack. “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better partner today. We communicated all day and we kept each other’s morale up and that really made a difference.”

Barrack said that he fished “mid-range” with a combination of “floating plastics” to land the majority of his catch.

“But finding baitfish was the key,” he said. “And when you get a bite here, you absolutely have to capitalize on it.”

Loughran finishes fourth

Pro Gerald Loughran of Glendale, Ariz., amassed a 13-pound, 4-ounce stringer en route to a fourth-place finish overall on Lake Roosevelt.Gerald Loughran of Glendale, Ariz., clearly used his three decades of fishing experience on Lake Roosevelt to his advantage. By the end of the day, Loughran had amassed a 13-pound, 4-ounce stringer en route to a fourth-place finish overall. And he couldn’t have been happier.

“Today was excellent. We really had a good day,” he said. “I caught my limit in an about an hour and probably had two to three (additional) limits overall. I’ve been fishing this lake for 35 years and for me, it’s like fishing in my own bathtub.”

Loughran said he fished “deep” in about 30 feet of water, targeting humps and ridges with a variety of jigs.

“Right now I have about 20 different areas,” he said. “And I’m going to be doing the exact same thing tomorrow.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top-five pros from today’s competition was Russ Barger of Boise, Idaho. Barger used a total catch of 12 pounds to claim fifth place overall heading into Thursday’s competition.

In addition, Andy Scholz and Brent Ehrler shared the day's big bass award of $1,000 after both competitors landed identical largemouth bass weighing 4 pounds, 11 ounces.

William Byrd of Moab, Utah, parlayed a total catch of 10 pounds, 6 ounces, into a first-place finish in the Co-angler Division.Byrd is the word in the Co-angler Division

William Byrd of Moab, Utah, parlayed a total catch of 10 pounds, 6 ounces, into a first-place finish in the Co-angler Division.

“It really feels good,” said Byrd. “This is only my first year fishing the FLW Series and I’ve never experience being this high in the standings before. So it’s pretty fun right now.”

Byrd said that he targeted deepwater bass holding on treetops with a nail-weighted wacky-rigged Senko.

“I caught some suspending bass on a jerkbait but most of my big fish came on the wacky-rigged worm.”

Hawkins nets second

Mike Hawkins of Logandale, Nev., used a total catch of 9 pounds, 10 ounces to grab the runner-up spot in today’s co-angler competition.Mike Hawkins of Logandale, Nev., used a total catch of 9 pounds, 10 ounces to grab the runner-up spot in today’s co-angler competition.

“We had a great day. My partner really put me on fish,” said Hawkins. “I’ve struggled this year so it was good to finally have the kind of day that I did.”

Hawkins, who caught most of his fish on a combination of jigs and finesse drop-shot rigs, said he wasn’t going to get too excited about his finish given the fact that it’s only the first day of the event.

“This tournament is three days long,” he said. “So I know that it’s important to enjoy each and every day as best you can.”

Best of the rest

Third place belonged to Billy Dehart of Burlingame, Calif., who recorded a total catch of 9 pounds, 8 ounces.

Steven Cook of Phoenix, Ariz., finished the day in fourth place with a total catch of 9 pounds, 3 ounces.

Tai Au of Phoenix, Ariz., rounded out the top-five co-angler finishers with a catch of 9 pounds.

FLW Series action continues during Thursday takeoff, scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. Pacific Time at the Cholla Recreation Site, located 5 miles northwest of Roosevelt Dam on Highway 188 in Roosevelt, Ariz.

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