2010 U.S Open Bass Fishing Recap

Wow what an event.. Harvey Naslund and Bill Egan put on one heck of a show.. Special thanks goes out to Rich Holland for giving all the fans/followers up to date blogs and a special insight to the U.S. Open.

This was my first U.S. Open as a Professional Angler. I prefished 5 days before the tournament to really familiarize myself with the mighty Lake Mead. Not only was this a test of mental indurance but physical as well. I started training (yes training) for this event a couple months a head of time. I live in Phoenix so fishing in the hot weather comes natural for us. Hitting the gym 4 days a week was crucial for me to stay mentally and physically focused. With temperatures hitting upwards of well past 120 degrees it was just a flat out battle of wits and endurance.

Now to the fishing... After my first two days of prefish I was able to eliminate a lot of water. I started focusing on main lake and secondary points. Saddles worked great as well. You can also get a lot of information by clicking on Tami Curtis exclusive U.S. Open coverage at http://www.wonbass.com

My main baits of choice were a
1. 3/8 keitech football jig black with a homemade chigger craw trailer in purple with red fleck.
2. Homemade 6 inch senko nail rigged matching the color of the bluegill dipped tip in orange.
3. Final bait used for the open was a 6 inch MMIII and Folkestad Special Robo worm drop shot on 6lb test 3/16 once kanji weight.

I had two main goals for this open. The first one was to finish in the top 25 and the second was to get 9 lbs a day. I fell short on my second goal but managed to get a 21st place. Special shout outs go to my good friend Chris Ricci for his AAA win. You can view his blog on the event at http://www.chris-ricci.com . And to the man of the hour....Clifford Pirch for his second U.S. Open title.

If you never fished a won bass event, you won't want to miss next years 30th anniversary. Aside from the awesome door prizes, big fish money and being in Las Vegas its nothing short of spectacular. I am sure our new tournament director Bill Egan will have some special tricks up his sleeve. I had some time to chat with him at the awards ceremony and tributes dinner. He is going to really help get the Won Bass organization back on track and make next years event even better!.