LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. – May 16, 2024 –– With conditions maintaining in the mild category on the second day of the 2024 Ranger Boats WON Bass Arizona Open presented by Mercury, it was a solid bet that there would be some fireworks. That solid bet paid off.
Turn 121 of the premier tournament anglers on a body of water like Lake Havasu, and you’re bound to see some impressive displays of angling skill. Give the cream of the crop of that field the second consecutive day of calm conditions, and the results could be scary.
When the morning of day two dawned and Phoenix, Ariz. pro Joe Uribe Jr. – a multi-time winner on Lake Havasu – saw the conditions, he knew exactly what to do. Armed with his understanding of the fishery, the conditions presented and his particular skillsets, Uribe turned loose a shallow water attack that produced 22.17 pounds that catapulted him from 21st place into the day two lead with 39.38 pounds.
That’s not to say that Uribe has the event sewn up, Kurt Dove, the veteran pro from Del Rio, Tex. posted a 20.79-pound limit on day two that moved him into the runner-up position with 39.28 pounds after being in a tie for seventh place after day one.
Keeping the two of them honest was the second-place finisher from the first day of competition, Micah Jones. Jones, from Kingman, Ariz. backed up his first round weight of 20.86 pounds with an 18.37-pund day to finish third for the day with 39.23 pounds. Todd Kline, who has also claimed victory on Havasu in the recent past, the San Vicente, Calif. pro had a second consecutive day crowding the 18-pound mark to finish fourth with 35.90 pounds. Roy Hawk, a two-time U.S. Open Champion from Lake Havasu City, Ariz. and longtime national touring pro rounded out the day in fifth place with 35.08 pounds.
Uribe said that he spent the first day trying to dial in what to do, but as the day progressed, he figured out what would produce the better quality bites. “I really had to junk fish on day one because we did have that overcast conditions, but once the sun came up, I figured out what they were doing,” he said. “I adjusted to that program around nine o’clock this morning and had a great day.”
The Bridgford Foods pro said that he went shallow and stayed there. “I have this certain mixture of ingredients that I had to find involving a certain depth range and cover that are producing the right bites,” he said. “I didn’t get a lot of bites today – probably six or seven – but when I did, they were the right ones.”
He also said things would change tomorrow, and that he would have to adjust again. “It looks like we’re going to get some wind and I’ll have to change again, but that’s what I do – always open minded,” he reported. “I will go out there and do the best I can, and if it goes well, it will work out, I’m just going to have to go fishing and let the rest fall into place.”
Dove, a veteran of the Bassmaster Elite Series, FLW Tour and MLF Big 5 Tackle Warehouse circuits said that he feels like he’ll have to have at least 18 pounds to have a shot. “It’s really anybody’s game right there,” the Megaware Keelguard pro said. "We’re all so tight in the top three that I know I have to perform.”
The Texas based pro revealed that he is using a two-pronged approach that relies on a topwater pattern, backed up by a pair of finesse techniques in “The Bowl” area of Lake Havasu. “I got more bites on the first day, but got two of the right bites today [including the 7.31-pound Big Bass of the Day on the pro side] and it really helped, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Mitch Southern from Yucaipa, Calif. took the lead in the AAA division by being a part of Dove’s 20.79-pound day with a total weight of 37.58 pounds. Second place went to David Crunden of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. with 37.37 pounds. Anthony Matthews of Parks, Ariz. placed third for the day with a total weight of 36.01 pounds while the fourth place AAA went to Wesley Nunes of Washington, Utah with 35.77 pounds and Chad Procaska of Blythe, Calif rounded out the top five with 35.35 pounds.
The top 10 in each division are posted below: for complete standings, visit https://wonbassevents.com/
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WON Bass Lake Havasu Open 5/15 to 5/17/2024 |
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|
Place |
Pro Day 2 |
Hometown |
Fish |
B/B |
Pnlty |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Total |
|
1 |
Joe Uribe, Jr. |
Surprise AZ |
10-10 |
5.47 |
17.21 |
22.17 |
39.38 |
|
|
2 |
Kurt Dove |
Del Rio TX |
10-10 |
7.31 |
18.49 |
20.79 |
39.28 |
|
|
3 |
Micah Jones |
Kingman AZ |
10-10 |
6.63 |
20.86 |
18.37 |
39.23 |
|
|
4 |
Todd Kline |
San Clemente CA |
10-10 |
18.38 |
17.52 |
35.90 |
||
|
5 |
Roy Hawk |
Lake Havasu City AZ |
10-10 |
4.03 |
17.39 |
17.69 |
35.08 |
|
|
6 |
Zack Hayes |
Blythe CA |
10-10 |
3.98 |
17.14 |
17.70 |
34.84 |
|
|
7 |
Shaun Bailey |
Fontana CA |
10-10 |
5.25 |
16.79 |
17.40 |
34.19 |
|
|
8 |
Chris Raza |
Orangvale CA |
10-10 |
7.68 |
18.59 |
15.58 |
34.17 |
|
|
9 |
Jeff Baird |
Washington UT |
10-10 |
5.25 |
18.41 |
15.50 |
33.91 |
|
|
10 |
Jim Moulton |
Merced CA |
10-10 |
5.61 |
15.15 |
18.65 |
33.80 |
|
|
Place |
AAA Angler Day 2 |
Hometown |
Fish |
B/B |
Pnlty |
Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Total |
|
1 |
Mitch Southern |
Yucaipa CA |
10-10 |
4.51 |
16.79 |
20.79 |
37.58 |
|
|
2 |
David Crunden |
Lake Havasu City AZ |
10-9 |
0.50 |
15.20 |
22.17 |
37.37 |
|
|
3 |
Anthony Matthews |
Parks AZ |
10-10 |
4.41 |
18.49 |
17.52 |
36.01 |
|
|
4 |
Wesley Nunley |
Washington UT |
10-10 |
4.40 |
16.73 |
19.04 |
35.77 |
|
|
5 |
Chad Prochaska |
Blythe CA |
10-10 |
17.11 |
18.24 |
35.35 |
||
|
6 |
James Fenney, III |
Vista CA |
10-10 |
6.21 |
19.94 |
15.23 |
35.17 |
|
|
7 |
Ronnie Orbaker |
Madera CA |
10-10 |
20.86 |
14.04 |
34.90 |
||
|
8 |
Mason Herrera |
Star Valley AZ |
10-10 |
17.14 |
16.85 |
33.99 |
||
|
9 |
John Harris |
San Diego CA |
10-10 |
18.59 |
15.37 |
33.96 |
||
|
10 |
Craig Klatt |
Las Vegas NV |
10-10 |
17.91 |
15.97 |
33.88 |
||
The winner of the 2024 WON Bass Lake Havasu Open earns the Ranger Boats / Mercury Motor prize boat provided by Bass Pro Shops, and the Golden Tickets to the 2025 Bassmaster BASS Nation National Championship will be awarded to the top five Pro and AAA anglers and will further develop the season long competition to see who will receive guaranteed slots into the 2025 Bassmaster Opens Elite Qualifiers.
Each of the pros and AAA anglers who finish in the top five will also earn a Golden Ticket berth into the 2025 Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Championship for a chance to qualify for the Bassmaster Classic
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events Consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada moves next to the California Open at Clear Lake April 17 to 19, 2024. The series will culminate with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October. The full schedule of the five event dates are as follows:
Jan. 31–Feb. 2, Lake Shasta - Champion Nick Wood – 47.42 pounds
April 17-19, Clear Lake – Champion Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave
For complete details to register for future events, or to find results, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/
Local presenting sponsors are Go Lake Havasu, Anderson Toyota and Riviera Marina. Daily takeoffs and weigh-ins are being conducted at Riviera Marina.
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