2001 Mike Folkestad made his second appearance on stage as the U.S. Open champion. The 60-year old angler outdistanced had to sweat it out for nearly an hour as Greg Stumpf, Bob Simmons, and Bobby Sand- burg, all within striking dis- tance of the win, did not weigh in until the final flights. Folkestad won $50,000. Paul Leader of El Cajon Ford presented Mike with the keys to a new Ford F150 Supercab while Keith Tripp from Ranger Boats presented Folkestad with a new Ranger 518VX boat.
2002 The 2002 U.S. Open saw 169 pro anglers assemble for the toughest fishing in the 20-year history of the event. After three days of demanding fishing, Mike Folkestad prevailed over all other pros with a 3-day weight totaling 22.56 pounds to become he first back-to- back U.S. Open winner. His winnings for the 2002 U.S. Open totaled over $120,000 and he is still the only three-time winner.
2003 John Kerr of Ramona, Cali- fornia captured the 2003 U.S. Open crown. Kerr, a 35- year old produce manager, fished hard all three days to bring a total weight of 27.51 pounds to the scales and claim victory. Kerr edged out second-place contender Gary Dobyns by a mere 1.36 pounds. Michelle Kilburn of Mercury Marine presented John Kerr with a check for $50,000 for his first place finish. Kerr also took home a new Ranger boat and trailer along with a new Ford F150 truck for a total prize pack- age worth $115,000.
2004 Busting out of the pack early, Aaron Martens boasted a huge first day weight of 15.31 pounds with a big fish of 3.99 pounds to open the 3- day competition. Martens posted weights of 11.98 on the second day and 6.98 on the final day for a total weight of 34.27 pounds, edging out second place angler Brett Ehrler by 1.15 pounds. Martens dropshotted his way to the winner’s circle, attaining the West Coast title that had eluded the two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier for years.
2005 Aaron Martens, fresh off the B.A.S.S. tournament trail with the 2005 Angler of the Year title under his belt, returned to defend his crown against 152 of the West’s best. Two- time champ Martens fished a combination of Vixen topwater baits, spinnerbaits, and plastic worms to bring in a total of 36.40 pounds to beat out U.S. Open rookie Shaun Bailey.
Editors Note: Martens became the second three-time Open winner at the 2011 event.
2006 Low water levels and high winds during pre- fish greeted the 144 pro’s at the 2006 U.S. Open. Now in it’s 25th year, the Open proved no less of a challenge for anglers than it did way back in 1981. Sportsman’s Ware- house founder John Nielsen of Salt Lake City entered day 3 at the U.S. Open with nearly a 4- pound lead and by the end of the day had a 9.35-pound margin to take his first U.S. Open victory.
58 SILVER EAGLES _ July 2011
2007 The stumbling economy brought only 89 boats to Lake Mead and Clifford Pirch of Payson, Arizona took full advantage for his first U.S. Open cham- pionship and the biggest U.S. Open payout ever, $151,000 of cash, Ranger/Mercury and Ford F 150. Pirch had as many as 13 rods on the deck at any time and beat out Shaun Bailey.
2008 After three days of brutal desert heat, Justin Kerr of Simi Valley, managed to beat a field of 83 of the West’s top pro fishermen by bringing in a total weight of 27.31 pounds. It was so tough that only 18 pro an- glers were able to limit all three days. Kerr credited his win to a 2.25 pound fish he caught moments before the weigh-in on the final day of competition. This fish was enough to once again dis- appoint runner-up Gary Dobyns, who fell less than a half-pound short of the title.
2009 Gary Dobyns made a name for himself in West Coast bass fishing as one of the most dominant ever in Western waters, but the most prestigious title in the West eluded him – that of U.S. Open Champion. That ended in 2009 as he built a com- manding lead the first two days and did every- thing right the last day to easily beat out Clifford Pirch.
2010 Junkyard dog Clifford Pirch junk fished his way to the top of the U.S. Open and joined the elite group of two-time winners. Senti- mental favorite Rick Clunn missed out on his third victory when he could not put together a 10-pound bag the last day.