Bryant Smith in Second place with 22.14 pounds after Opening Round
Laughlin, Nev. – October 14, 2024 –– For the third consecutive year, Lake Mohave serves as the playing field for the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open presented by Ranger Boats and Mercury. The 42nd holding of the premier bass fishing event in the Western United States always draws the attention of the industry. Following the official practice period, several anglers in the field expressed the thought that there could be some heavy stringers presented at the Katherine Landing scales.
Despite the fact that the conditions were pushing the century mark, which is seasonably warm for October, the field reportedly found the bass population of Lake Mohave to be in a cooperative mood. Even with light winds and slick conditions, there were several patterns that were producing at all depths across the lake.
With so many available options, that left some questions as to who would be able to capitalize and take control of the event. With the potential for a shootout, who would discover the key to unlock the lake and open what is expected to be a shootout for the champion’s prize of a 2024 ranger Z520R powered by a Mercury ProXS 250.
Day one proved to be impressive as nine bags eclipsed the 20-pound mark, but it was the defending champion, Kyle Grover and his AAA partner Martin DeHaven who topped the field with 22.15 pounds on day one. Though his limit was very impressive, he holds a scant, 1/100th of a pound lead over Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bryant Smith, who partnered with his AAA David King to weigh 22.14 pounds to finish in second place for the day. Smith’s fellow Elite Series pro Chris Zaldain and his AAA partner David Oyler stand in third place with 20.87 pounds. Another former U.S. Open Champion, Josh Bertrand and his partner Gary Wasson posted 2.71 pounds to finish fourth and pro Steven Mack and his AAA Dan Davis rounded out the top five with 20.66 pounds.
Grover was content with his day one performance but felt it would fall short of holding the lead after he weighed-in during the first flight. “I caught them well, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough today,” he said. “I ran all over the lake and tried to find one me better quality fish, but it just didn’t happen.”
The defending champion said that he had to use multiple techniques to bag his limit. “I’ve found the fish doing several different things in all depths, so I had to junk fish all day – I caught my keepers on four different baits in four different areas,” he said. “I was a little nervous about the short day today but I’m in the last flight tomorrow so I’m hoping I can capitalize on that a little bit more.”
Smith took a different approach with the slick conditions on Lake Mohave today. “I fished slow today and most of my fish came from one area,” he said. “I ran around a little bit in the afternoon but stayed in my primary area and worked things methodically. I feel pretty good about tomorrow, but we’ll just have to see how it goes.”
The top 10 standings in each division are below – to see full results go to: https://wonbassevents.com/pages/2024-us-open-pairings-and-results
Day One Pro Standings
|
|
Angler |
Hometown |
Fish |
Wght |
Pnlty |
B/B |
Day 1 |
|
|
1 |
Kyle Grover |
Rancho Santa Margarita CA |
5-5 |
22.15 |
4.99 |
22.15 |
||
|
2 |
Bryant Smith |
Roseville CA |
5-5 |
22.14 |
5.59 |
22.14 |
||
|
3 |
Chris Zaldain |
Fort Worth TX |
5-5 |
20.87 |
20.87 |
|||
|
4 |
Josh Bertrand |
San Tan Valley AZ |
5-5 |
20.71 |
20.71 |
|||
|
5 |
Steven Mack |
Queen Creek AZ |
5-5 |
20.66 |
20.66 |
|||
|
6 |
Scott Hellesen |
Paso Robles CA |
5-5 |
20.49 |
4.98 |
20.49 |
||
|
7 |
Levi Samz |
Rock Springs WY |
5-5 |
20.31 |
4.72 |
20.31 |
||
|
8 |
Luke Clausen |
Otis Orchards WA |
5-5 |
20.21 |
20.21 |
|||
|
9 |
Chris Costello |
Gilroy CA |
5-4 |
20.55 |
0.50 |
20.05 |
||
|
10 |
Kyle Gelles |
Pingree ID |
5-5 |
19.91 |
4.51 |
19.91 |
||
Day One AAA Standings
|
Place |
Angler |
Hometown |
Fish |
Wght |
Pnlty |
B/B |
Day 1 |
|
1 |
Martin DeHaven |
Fresno CA |
5-5 |
22.15 |
|
4.69 |
22.15 |
|
2 |
David King |
Compton CA |
5-5 |
22.14 |
4.76 |
22.14 |
|
|
3 |
David Oyler |
Boulder City NV |
5-5 |
20.87 |
4.75 |
20.87 |
|
|
4 |
Gary Wasson |
Visalia CA |
5-5 |
20.71 |
20.71 |
||
|
5 |
Dan Davis |
Hurrican UT |
5-5 |
20.66 |
20.66 |
||
|
6 |
Logan Maltese |
Lake Havasu City AZ |
5-5 |
20.49 |
20.49 |
||
|
7 |
Jason Randall |
Las Vegas NV |
5-5 |
20.31 |
4.34 |
20.31 |
|
|
8 |
Mike Kizis |
Belle River ON |
5-5 |
20.21 |
4.49 |
20.21 |
|
|
9 |
David Childress |
Bakersfield CA |
5-4 |
20.55 |
0.50 |
4.72 |
20.05 |
|
10 |
Ronald Cross |
Pahrump NV |
5-5 |
19.91 |
19.91 |
Daily takeoffs occur at safe light from Katherine Landing at Lake Mohave Marina in Bullhead City, Ariz. with daily weigh-ins at the U.S. Open stage located at Katherine Landing beginning at 3:00PM Pacific.
The 2024 WON Bass Western Opens Series of events consisting of five events in California, Arizona and Nevada culminates with the 2024 WON Bass U.S. Open at Lake Mohave in October 14-16, 2024. 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 – Austin Bonjour – 83.28 pounds
May 15-17, Lake Havasu – Joe Uribe Jr. – 57.31 pounds
Sept. 18-20, Lake Mead – Julius Mazy – 45.24 pounds
Oct. 14-16, U.S. Open at Lake Mohave - TBD
For complete details or to register, look to wonbassevents.com and WONews.com to hear the latest news about the 2024 season and beyond and follow along at Facebook.com/WONBassTournaments.
The 2024 WON Bass Northern California Lake Mead Open is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Bridgford Foods, Phenix Rods, Yamamoto Baits, Bill Lewis Lures, Buckeye Lures, Steel Shad, Bioenno Power, DD26 Fishing, SOG Knives, Cold Steel Knives, Gamma Line, Power Pole, Lowrance, Daiwa, AFTCO, Costa, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Anderson Toyota, A&M Graphics, Anglers Marine, PRP and Signature Gates.
Local presenting sponsors are Visit Laughlin and Katherine Landing