Laughlin, Nev. – When the second day of the 2022 Bass Cat / Mercury WON BASS U.S. Open presented by Laughlin Tourism Commission and Visit Laughlin began, the setting was nearly identical to the warm, slick conditions that greeted the anglers on day one.
With the temperatures and high skies mirroring day one, the same could be said for the top of the leaderboard as Arizona pro Josh Bertrand held onto his lead with another limit of smallmouth that eclipsed 20 pounds.
Pre-tournament logic said that someone would bring in a 20-pound bag, but many wondered if it would be a feat that was repeatable. Bertrand proved that it was by backing up his 23.45-pounds day one limit with 20.39 pounds to retain his lead on day two with a total of 43.79 pounds.
Bertrand, who revealed that he had been holding some areas for the final day of competition on day one, had to touch those areas today. “It was a tougher day for me today numbers wise, and I had to expand on my approach a little,” said Bertrand. “I didn’t have to lean on the areas I’d been saving, but I did have to add a couple fish later in the day to top 20 pounds.”
He added that he feels good about the final day. “It’s no secret that I’m using one of my confidence baits, and I have good areas, so I feel like I have a good chance,” he said. “If I can put my Berkley Flatworm in front a enough smallmouth, I feel like I’ll give myself a chance to close it out.”
Arkansas Major League Fishing Big 5 Pro Circuit Title Champion Spencer Shuffield from was the final angler to weigh-in, and the Arkansas pro put an exclamation point on day two. Shuffield brought a 20.73-pound limit to the scales to jump into second place with 39.43 pounds.
Shuffield, fresh off his MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit Title victory finds comfort in his settings. “I’ve always looked forward to fishing the U.S. Open, and Mohave is an amazing smallmouth fishery,” he said. “I have been expanding on my areas every day, and I feel like if I can do it again tomorrow, I’ll have a chance.”
Hot on his heels in third place is three-time WON Bass U.S. Open champion Clifford Pirch, who posted his second consecutive 19-pound limit to finish third with a total weight of 39.36 pounds heading into championship day. Patrick Touey, who started the event in second place fell to fourth place with a 17.33-pound limit to push his two-day total to 37.75 pounds, and Todd Kline caught 19.54 pounds to push his total weight to 36.31 pounds to round out the top five in the pro division.
On the AA side, day one leader Kyle Keegan added 11.48 pounds to keep the day two lead with 34.93 pounds. Jim Vretzos weighed 19.89 pounds to end the day in second place with a total weight of 31.74 pounds. Third place AAA Nick Lara added 18.98 pounds to bring his total to 31.16 pounds. Brian Tressen added 20.73 pounds to make his total 29.80 pounds to finish fourth and Gary Freeman’s 15.32 pounds on day two brought his total to 29.32 to round out the top five in the AAA division.
Complete standings can be found below.
The final day of the 2022 Bass Cat / Mercury WON BASS U.S. Open presented by Laughlin Tourism Commission and Visit Laughlin begin Wednesday, October 12, with a champion being crowned at the conclusion of the final weigh-in with awards to be held at the E Center in Laughlin, Nev. Takeoff with 189 pro and AAA anglers will commence at safe light and weigh-ins will occur in the afternoons each day. Takeoff and weigh-ins will be held at Katherine Landing at Lake Mohave Marina located at 2690 Katherine Spur, Bullhead City, AZ 86429.
Join us for an historic event and look to wonbass.com and WONews.com along with WON BASS and Western Outdoor News social media platforms for event details and updates.
The 40th Anniversary 2022 WON BASS U.S. Open is presented by the following sponsors; Bass Cat Boats, Mercury Marine, Costa, Century Marine, Power-Pole, Western Outdoor News, Next Gen Lithium, Daiwa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Frabill, Plano, Seaguar, Chevron Techron Marine, Lowrance, DD26 Fishing, Phenix Rods, Gamakatsu, Livingston Lures, Roboworm, HydroHoist, Bridgford Foods, Last Chance Performance Marine, Anglers Marine, Katherine Landing, Sure Life, LifeSource Water Systems, Huntington Beach Honda, Anderson Ford, Tuff Bunk, Laughlin Tourism Commission, Visit Laughlin and Edgewater Hotel, Casino & Resort.
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