Justin Patti finished off a wire-to-wire victory at the WON Bass U.S. Open on Wednesday as he caught an 8.59-pound stringer at Nevada's Lake Mead for a three-day total of 36.30. He edged out the runner-up, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brett Hite, by a little more than half a pound.
While the first two days of the event featured bright, bluebird skies with light breezes, day 3 brought high clouds that made for darkened, calm conditions. The result was a tougher bite as the fish scattered a bit more, making it harder for the field to relocate the fish that had served them previously.
Patti has experienced the highs and lows of the U.S. Open in the past two years. He led the 2016 event on day 1, only to fall victim to the wild swings of fortune that Mead is known for. After leading both days this year, he departed his area in the upper Overton Arm feeling like he had left it on the table again, having caught a small limit. Watching Hite weigh-in a strong sack (11.66), he felt his chances slipping away again, but when his bag hit the scales at more than 8 1/2 pounds, he had enough to hold onto the win.
For his victory, Patti received the $63,000 Bass Cat Puma FTD/Mercury 250 ProXS prize package, along with $50,000 cash and other bonuses that brought his total winnings to over $120,000
“I can’t believe that I won this event,” he said. “I really thought that I had let it slip through my fingers again, but it’s really hard to describe how I’m feeling right now; it’s what I’ve wanted for a while now.”
Patti spent the bulk of his event fishing a single stretch of grass in 8 feet of water on a western bank of the upper Overton. He said that he used a couple tactics.
“I caught a few fish on a ChatterBait in the morning around the grass, and after the sun got high in the sky, I fished a Phenix jig with an Arizona Custom Lures craw as a trailer in the grass by popping it free from the edges. Most of the fish I weighed came on the jig.”
Hite fished in the back of the Overton Arm as well, but targeted the opposite shorelines. A specialist with a bladed jig, Hite used his signature Evergreen Jackhammer matched with a Yamamoto Lures Zacko trailer.
“I was fishing it through the grass and I caught all of my fish on it this week, but I lost one on Monday that would have made the difference,” Hite said. “I’ve wanted to win this tournament for many years, and while it doesn’t feel great right now, I’ve finished 3rd and 2nd the last two times I’ve fished it, so maybe next time will be the charm.”
Here are the totals for the final top 10:
1. Justin Patti: 36.30
2. Brett Hite: 35.79
3. Mike Williams: 34.07
4. Steve Tosh Jr.: 34.05
5. Nick Salvucci: 32.93
6. Kyle Grover: 31.23
7. Travis Jewell: 31.05
8. David Kemper: 30.25
9. Cody Murray 29.79
10. David Baca: 29.55
For full standings, click here.
