The 41st edition of the WON Bass U.S. Open gets under way today on Lake Mohave out of Bullhead City, Ariz. The event, which runs through Wednesday, marks the second year that the premier tournament in the West will be held on Mohave following consecutive years of low water conditions at Lake Mead.
A field of 182 pros and co-anglers will head out onto the 28,000 surface acres of Mohave in search of the kind of quality bass that will take home the 2024 Bass Cat Cougar and Mercury 250 ProXS, as well as the cash prize package the eventual champion will receive. The plans the anglers made during practice may require adjustments as the Laughlin area has seen significant swings in weather conditions.
In the pre-practice period, the air temperatures were fall-like and there was some wind. During those days, anglers reported seeing the surface temperatures on Mohave dip as much as 10 degrees. While it appears that change may have triggered some type of fall migration, those conditions will change as the mercury will reach as high as 100 degrees during the tournament and the winds will taper to a typical 10 to 15 mph. What effect that has on the fishery remains to be seen.
Last year's U.S. Open Champion and MLF Bass Pro Tour angler Josh Bertrand said that he left the areas he won on last year alone and searched new water during practice.
“Mohave is fishing differently than it did a year ago,” said Bertrand. “We fished it like a summer event in 2022, and this is more into the fall conditions this year, so it’s going to influence how we do things. I searched for new water and found some things that I’ll rely on but saved the areas I used to win last year in hopes that they’ll still be good. It’s a different year and I hope to be in position to contend again, but we’ll just have to wait and see."
Fishing his third WON Bass U.S. Open, is Roseville, Calif. pro Bryant Smith, who just completed his rookie season on the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“This is the marquee event (in the West) and after I fished it for the first time, it became an event I wanted to win,” he said. “That won’t be an easy task this week; whoever wins is going to have to do several things and make adjustments along the way between the reaction bite, finesse tactics and fishing Active Target forward-facing sonar. We’re going to have to earn it this week.”
A former U.S. Open Champion and veteran of more than half of the 40 editions is Major League Fishing co-founder Gary Klein. The California native who now makes his home in Texas said he had an urge to return to his roots.
“I entered the event because I really started getting an itch to fish out West again, and this event is one that means something to me and a lot of others,” said Klein. “I’ve been out here for a week doing a lot of looking and a little fishing and like how it’s shaping up. It’s not going to be an easy tournament to win, but I feel like I’ve found something I can build on and give it a run.
"I would really like to give myself a chance to be in the conversation on Day 3 – that would give me a shot at winning my second U.S. Open title.”
Bertrand won the 2022 WON Bass U.S. Open title with a three-day weight of 67.78 pounds, and it would be reasonable to expect similar weight ranges to be in play this year. Historical averages for winning weights in events on the lake typically exceeds 20 pounds a day, and even with a field this large, that should hold steady. Fishing pressure is likely to play a role as anglers may find themselves competing for areas as the event grinds on.
The inaugural WON Bass Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place Sunday evening. It's been established to recognize the efforts of competitors and individuals instrumental in the industry who have left indelible marks on the organization and professional bass fishing in the Western United States through WON Bass.
Individuals inducted were three-time champion Aaron Martens, two-time winners John Murray and Byron Velvick and past champions Pat Donoho and Fred Ward.
