By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
The fishing was anything but fast and furious during the Lake Havasu Western Rayovac Series last week. None of the top three finishers reported having 30-fish days, but when they did get a bite, it was more often than not a 3- or 4-pound caliber fish.
“Every fish in there is a 3-pounder or bigger,” said runner-up Josh Bertrand. “When you’d catch a 2-pounder, you were like, ‘That’s weird.’”
The quality and health of the fishery, aided by the installation of artificial fish habitat years ago, were trumpeted by many of the competitors, some of whom will be back in May when the Bassmaster Elite Series makes its first stop at Havasu.
The bass were in full-on pre-spawn mode and some competitors even noted seeing some already locked on beds.
For Bertrand and Scott Hellesen, the two closest finishers behind runaway winner Joe Uribe, Jr., it was two different strategies that led to their results.
Here’s a recap of how each of them figured out Havasu.
2nd: Josh Bertrand
> Day 1: 5, 20-04
> Day 2: 5, 15-04
> Day 3: 5, 16-13
> Total = 15, 52-05
Bertrand is an Arizona native, but being that he lives 4 1/2 hours away from Havasu hardly makes him an expert on the lake. However, having spent considerable time on the lake during practice and the tournament knowing that he’ll be back for the Elite Series event in a couple months gave him some insight into how things may play out when he returns.