My U.S. M Open
debut
By PhilliP Dutra
Story & Photos
y debut as a competitor in the famed U.S. Open became a reality for me after a victory in this year’s 2013 WON BASS Pro/Am on the California Delta. This past March, I claimed the two-day Delta champion- ship with 54-lbs as a pro, earning a prize package that included a free entry into the world famous and most prestigious tournament on the west coast; the U.S. Open at Lake Mead. With six months to go before fishing against some of the best in the nation including Aaron Martens, Rick Clunn, Byron Velvick, and many more of the greats, I had no time to waste in preparing myself to find a winning pattern and understanding a lake I had never been to. I did not want to prepare to just have a respectable finish or to catch a limit, I wanted to prepare myself to win. There are few opportunities to fish against this caliber of fisherman, and for anyone on the west who is pursuing
Pre fishing Lake Mead
The Delta victory that earned a ticket to the U.S. Open
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