Novato, Calif. – Showing the quality of the Powell Rods pro staff, Mark Crutcher, a 34-year-old pro from Lakeport, Calif won the first professional bass fishing tournament of 2008 by claiming the season opening WON Bass 2008 Northern Division Pro Am at Lake Shasta.
“I started the event throwing a swimbait, but the recent storms muddied the water at the lake, and my swimbait bite went away,” Crutcher said. “I only had 8.61 pounds after day one, and had no idea I could come from 38th-place to win, even after catching that big bag on day two.”
He said that the loss of his swimbait bite made him make an adjustment, so he turned to a ¾-ounce jig rigged on his Powell 766H flipping stick. “I needed to be able to make long casts and cover a lot of water quickly,” Crutcher said. “The 766 gave me plenty of casting distance, and enough backbone to set the hook with long line out there.”
He also said that while the flipping stick had plenty of hooksetting power, it didn’t overpower the 12-pound Seaguar Fluorocarbon line he was throwing. “I was a little concerned that the rod would be too strong for my line,” he said that wasn’t the case. “It had enough tip to cushion the blow of a big hookset.
The majority of Crutcher’s come from behind 16.10 limit was caught from 1:00 to 2:30PM on the final day of the tournament. “It was the most amazing day of fishing I’ve had on Shasta,” Crutcher said. “It was like I could anticipate when I was going to get a bite; it was a lot of fun.”
The win gave Crutcher claim to his fourth boat won in competition, and the third in the last two years. His winner’s prize of a Nitro Z7 powered by a Mercury Optimax 175 was worth $30,000.
The President of Powell Rods, Keith Bryan said that Crutcher’s win is something he is proud of. “Mark is a great fisherman and an integral part of the Powell Rods family,” Bryan said. “His accomplishments are well deserved, we are proud to be a part of his arsenal.”
“We are truly happy for and proud of the success of our pro team; and proud that Powell Rods are vital components of their success.”
Powell Rods is a 97 year-old company with its roots in fly fishing. In 2005, Powell introduced their Bass Max Series of fishing rods featuring proprietary high modulus graphite Maxumfiber blank material coupled with the world’s highest quality rod building components.
Each Powell rod is the product of many years of rod building experience and the expertise of our design team that couples engineering and angler input; the result is a rod that of exceptional quality and high performance demanded by anglers. The Powell focus is to provide products with the highest quality standards, backed with superior customer service.
To find a Powell retailer near you, please visit our website at www.powellco.com, or call us at (888) 635-9763.
Advertising