By Dan O'Sullivan
WON Bass

It’s very rare to have a bass fishing event in the desert of Nevada and Arizona where wind is not a factor. It's even more rare for a three-day event to have a complete lack of wind. Warm, calm conditions greeted the anglers who ventured onto the waters of Lake Mohave each day for the 2022 WON BASS U.S. Open.

Calm, slick conditions on a clear-water fishery often means difficult fishing, but for the first two days, Arizona pro Josh Bertrand seemingly made it look easy with consecutive limits that eclipsed 20 pounds. With a two-day total of 43.79 pounds, he held a little more than a 4-pound lead over second-place pro Spencer Shuffield of Hot Springs, Ark., who started the final day with 39.43 pounds. Three-time U.S. Open champion Clifford Pirch, from Payson, Ariz. stood in third with 39.36 pounds.

The trio and those chasing them spent a long day on Lake Mohave, but in the end, it was Bertrand, the man who led from the opening bell who put the pieces of the puzzle together the best and walked away as the champion. Bertrand added a final-day limit of Lake Mohave smallmouth weighing 17.99 pounds to bring his three-day winning total to 61.78.

In claiming victory, Bertrand not only held the trophy, but also grabbed the keys to the Bass Cat Cougar FTD/Mercury ProXS 250 prize package worth $86,000 and the winner’s share of the purse, worth another $75,000.

Bertrand outlasted Shuffield, who posted his second consecutive limit eclipsing 20 pounds on the final day. His 20.75-pound limit brought his total to 60.18 pounds.

Bertrand, who began his fishing career guiding and competing in tournaments in Arizona, said that this title was something he had wanted for years.

“The U.S. Open has always been one of the most important and special tournaments I’ve fished in,” he said. “I’d always wanted to earn this trophy, but I didn’t know how much it meant to me until I was on the water today; it was a very stressful day and I am so happy that it turned out this way.”

The MLF Bass Pro Tour competitor, who has turned into one of the most consistent anglers in the business, said he fished deep with a dropshot rig to put his weight together.

“I fished the middle section of the lake on structure in 20 to 40 feet of water,” he said. “I would use my Garmin Livescope Plus to make sure the fish were there and cast my dropshot rig to them; they were relating heavily to schools of baitfish.”

Bertrand revealed that each of his keepers came on a Berkley Flatworm in green pumpkin with the exception of two of his final fish that bit the same worm in a black color.

“I used the Flatworm because I have so much confidence in how it appeals to smallmouth,” he said. “I threw it on my new Abu Garcia dropshot rod and reel spooled with 6-pound-test Trilene fluorocarbon, a 3/8-ounce dropshot rig with a Fusion 19 dropshot hook; that was my whole program.”

Bertrand, who won a Bassmaster Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River in New York in 2018, said that the personal importance of this win is at a premium.

“I am really fortunate to compete on a national level and to have won there,” he said. “But this win ranks at the top of my list because of what it has meant to me over my career; the U.S. Open has been the event all of us in the West want to win and I’ve dreamt of it my whole life; I’m absolutely in shock right now.”

Fishing his first U.S. Open, Shuffield found comfort in the fact that he was smallmouth fishing and put together a run at the win. “I really loved the way this lake fished, it is an amazing lake,” said Shuffield. “I used a dropshot rig and a Ned rig to catch all of my fish this week fishing in the area they call 'the Bowl.'''

Shuffield used the same Berkley Flatworm that won the event, but also used a green pumpkin Z-Man TRD to boat his fish. He threw them on a 7’4” Phenix M1rod and Daiwa Ballistic reel spooled with 15-pound Hi-Viz Yellow Yo-Zuri Super Braid and an 8-pound-test Yozuri T7 fluorocarbon leader.”

Shuffield said that he let himself listen to the dock talk that said that 18 pounds a day would win the event, and it cost him.

“I had 18 pounds early, then laid off my fish trying to conserve the areas on the first day and weighed in two under four pounds,” he said. “I tried to make up for it, but that first day really cost me. But I have to give it to Josh – he knew what he had to do and went out and did it; congratulations to him.”

Patrick Touey from Nipomo, Calif. caught 19 pounds on Day 3 and finished third with 56.75 pounds. Eighteen-year-old Zach VerBrugge brought 17.71 pounds to the scales at Katherine Landing in Bullhead City, Ariz. to move his total weight to 53.47 pounds. Rounding out the Top 5 was Chris Zaldain – the Bassmaster Elite Series pro weighed a total of 51.61 pounds for the event.