Las Vegas, Nev. – September 16, 2014 – Roy Hawk capped off a great past month for his family on Wednesday in the desert outside of Las Vegas. After competing in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, and watching his son Sunny win the Co-Angler title there, Hawk crested the peak of a mountain of his own he has been close to reaching the summit before when he claimed victory in the 2015 WON Bass Nitro / Mercury U.S. Open.
2015 WON Bass U.S. Open Champion Roy Hawk – photo by Dan O’Sullivan
Hawk began the final day of the event less than half a pound behind the leader; however, the consistency of his weights made many believe that he held the inside track to win. Then the final day started, and Hawk went fishless until after eleven o’clock in the morning. His final day weight of 8.75 pounds brought his total winning weight to 29.40 pounds.
“I really wasn’t getting too uptight because I had a better bite in the afternoon on most of my practice days,” he said. “The only thought that kept going through my head was that I had lost one of the events in the past because I tried to force a reaction bite that wasn’t there; so, I scaled down and finesse fished until I couldn’t stand it anymore after the morning went slowly.”
That approach only presented a single keeper that his AAA partner caught at 11:15. “I tried it for a little while after that, and then went back to my primary areas, and started getting bites,” he said. “I had a double hookup on my topwater bait that gave us fish number two and three, and then managed to catch a few more on the topwater and a jig to fill out the limit a cull a couple.”
He reported heading back towards Callville Bay for weigh-in without much anticipation. “I really felt like I had left the door open once again, and really didn’t have much chance of winning,” he said. “I thought the only chance I had was if other anglers struggled too, and that happened today. I can’t believe I won the U.S. Open, I am completely blessed.”
Hawk said that he spent his whole practice period and tournament fishing the lower basin near the dam, Hemmingway Harbor and Kingman Wash. He reported fishing a team tournament a few weeks ago that showed him there was potential in the area. “I never went anywhere else to practice because I felt so good about it, and I spent my whole tournament in the lower basin in sight of the entrance to the dam.”
Hawk said three lures were responsible for his win. The primary lure, which allowed him to target fish targeting shad chasing bass that would occasionally school, was a Duo Realis Pencil topwater lure. He said he produced a few on a SPRO crankbait as well as a Yamamoto Football Jig and Double Tailed Grub Trailer.
For his victory, Hawk will earn the keys to a U.S. Open themed red white and blue 2015 Nitro Z8 bass boat and Mercury ProXS 200 outboard valued at nearly $40,000 and an additional $50,500 in cash, bringing his total winner’s purse to nearly $100,000.
Clayton Meyer, of Henderson, Nev., like most of the field struggled to produce the consistent weight he had the previous two days. However, his 7.53-pound limit on day three brought his total weight to 27.43 pounds; enough for second place for the event. “I never really felt like I had a chance to win at any point during the day because I didn’t do enough on the water today,” he said. “I can’t say that I am disappointed because I really did all I could, I just never really got the kind of bite that would have made the difference today. As it is, Roy (Hawk) won by a big margin for Lake Mead (nearly two pounds) and a $20,000 payday for second place is a pretty big deal.”
Lake Havasu, Ariz. pro Shaun Bailey caught the big bass of the tournament on the final day; a 4.56-pound largemouth he reported catching on a jig.
On the amateur side, Tyler Rempe of Sierra Vista, Ariz. was a part of the big day with his pro partner Ben Grande on day two that helped him take the lead on the AAA side. He came to the scales with 9.50 pounds today and held on to the lead he grasped on day two, winning with a total weight of 29.75 pounds. He managed to withstand the charge of Phoenix, Ariz. AAA Tim Demecs, who finished the event with 28.43 pounds
For the complete final standings of both divisions, see below.
All that remains is to award the prizes to the field. That happens at 7:00PM form the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino in Las Vegas. The entirety of the awards ceremony will be broadcast on the Costa See What’s Out There Live Show until its conclusion.
The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Costa See What’s Out There Webcasts can be accessed by visiting www.wonbass.com, or directly at the event page of the 2014 The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open See What’s Out There page presented by Costa Sunglasses.
The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Live Webcast has been presented by Costa Sunglasses, the event is also brought to you by Nitro Boats, Mercury Outboards, Costa Sunglasses, Bass Pro Shops, Bridgford Foods, Daiwa, Seaguar, Plano Molding, Cousins Tackle, YoZuri, Pro Mar, Eagle Claw TroKar, Lowrance, St.Croix Rods, Okuma, Big Hammer, Storm, Top This, Phenix Rods, Livingston Lures, Global Fish Mounts, Frabill, Dude Wipes, Industrial Strength Sunscreen, MudHole, Bass Underground and A.D.D. Offroad.
2015 WON Bass U.S. Open Champion Roy Hawk – photo by Dan O’Sullivan
Las Vegas, Nev. – September 16, 2014 – Roy Hawk capped off a great past month for his family on Wednesday in the desert outside of Las Vegas. After competing in the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup, and watching his son Sunny win the Co-Angler title there, Hawk crested the peak of a mountain of his own he has been close to reaching the summit before when he claimed victory in the 2015 WON Bass Nitro / Mercury U.S. Open.
Hawk began the final day of the event less than half a pound behind the leader; however, the consistency of his weights made many believe that he held the inside track to win. Then the final day started, and Hawk went fishless until after eleven o’clock in the morning. His final day weight of 8.75 pounds brought his total winning weight to 29.40 pounds.
“I really wasn’t getting too uptight because I had a better bite in the afternoon on most of my practice days,” he said. “The only thought that kept going through my head was that I had lost one of the events in the past because I tried to force a reaction bite that wasn’t there; so, I scaled down and finesse fished until I couldn’t stand it anymore after the morning went slowly.”
That approach only presented a single keeper that his AAA partner caught at 11:15. “I tried it for a little while after that, and then went back to my primary areas, and started getting bites,” he said. “I had a double hookup on my topwater bait that gave us fish number two and three, and then managed to catch a few more on the topwater and a jig to fill out the limit a cull a couple.”
He reported heading back towards Callville Bay for weigh-in without much anticipation. “I really felt like I had left the door open once again, and really didn’t have much chance of winning,” he said. “I thought the only chance I had was if other anglers struggled too, and that happened today. I can’t believe I won the U.S. Open, I am completely blessed.”
Hawk said that he spent his whole practice period and tournament fishing the lower basin near the dam, Hemmingway Harbor and Kingman Wash. He reported fishing a team tournament a few weeks ago that showed him there was potential in the area. “I never went anywhere else to practice because I felt so good about it, and I spent my whole tournament in the lower basin in sight of the entrance to the dam.”
Hawk said three lures were responsible for his win. The primary lure, which allowed him to target fish targeting shad chasing bass that would occasionally school, was a Duo Realis Pencil topwater lure. He said he produced a few on a SPRO crankbait as well as a Yamamoto Football Jig and Double Tailed Grub Trailer.
For his victory, Hawk will earn the keys to a U.S. Open themed red white and blue 2015 Nitro Z8 bass boat and Mercury ProXS 200 outboard valued at nearly $40,000 and an additional $50,500 in cash, bringing his total winner’s purse to nearly $100,000.
Clayton Meyer, of Henderson, Nev., like most of the field struggled to produce the consistent weight he had the previous two days. However, his 7.53-pound limit on day three brought his total weight to 27.43 pounds; enough for second place for the event. “I never really felt like I had a chance to win at any point during the day because I didn’t do enough on the water today,” he said. “I can’t say that I am disappointed because I really did all I could, I just never really got the kind of bite that would have made the difference today. As it is, Roy (Hawk) won by a big margin for Lake Mead (nearly two pounds) and a $20,000 payday for second place is a pretty big deal.”
Lake Havasu, Ariz. pro Shaun Bailey caught the big bass of the tournament on the final day; a 4.56-pound largemouth he reported catching on a jig.
On the amateur side, Tyler Rempe of Sierra Vista, Ariz. was a part of the big day with his pro partner Ben Grande on day two that helped him take the lead on the AAA side. He came to the scales with 9.50 pounds today and held on to the lead he grasped on day two, winning with a total weight of 29.75 pounds. He managed to withstand the charge of Phoenix, Ariz. AAA Tim Demecs, who finished the event with 28.43 pounds
For the complete final standings of both divisions, see below.
All that remains is to award the prizes to the field. That happens at 7:00PM form the Railhead Room at Boulder Station Casino in Las Vegas. The entirety of the awards ceremony will be broadcast on the Costa See What’s Out There Live Show until its conclusion.
The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Costa See What’s Out There Webcasts can be accessed by visiting www.wonbass.com, or directly at the event page of the 2014 The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open See What’s Out There page presented by Costa Sunglasses.
The WON Bass Nitro Boats / Mercury Marine U.S. Open Live Webcast has been presented by Costa Sunglasses, the event is also brought to you by Nitro Boats, Mercury Outboards, Costa Sunglasses, Bass Pro Shops, Bridgford Foods, Daiwa, Seaguar, Plano Molding, Cousins Tackle, YoZuri, Pro Mar, Eagle Claw TroKar, Lowrance, St.Croix Rods, Okuma, Big Hammer, Storm, Top This, Phenix Rods, Livingston Lures, Global Fish Mounts, Frabill, Dude Wipes, Industrial Strength Sunscreen, MudHole, Bass Underground and A.D.D. Offroad.
Place
Name
Hometown
Raw Weight
Penalty
Big Fish
Total
1
Roy Hawk
Lake Havasu City AZ
29.4
3.16
29.4
2
Clayton Meyer
Henderson NV
27.63
0.2
27.43
3
Philip Roesener
Logandale NV
27.08
2.85
27.08
4
Tim Klinger
Boulder City NV
27.04
3.08
27.04
5
Keegan Graves
Meridian ID
27.2
0.2
2.41
27
6
Wade Strelic
El Cajon CA
27.08
0.2
26.88
7
Tom Leedom
Escondido CA
27.05
0.4
26.65
8
Marco Fenelli
San Diego CA
26.77
0.2
26.57
9
Klayton Belden
El Cajon CA
26.42
2.61
26.42
10
John Morrow
Brea CA
26.37
0.2
26.17
11
Sean Coffey
Mesa AZ
25.32
2.64
25.32
12
Matt Shura
Gilbert AZ
24.99
2.64
24.99
13
Andrew Napoleon
Mesa AZ
25.38
0.4
24.98
14
Kevin Caruso
Glendale AZ
24.63
0.2
3.39
24.43
15
Ben Grande
Las Vegas NV
24.36
3.27
24.36
16
Shane Moline
Kingman AZ
24.34
24.34
17
Jimmy Reese
Ukiah CA
24.65
0.4
24.25
18
Johnny Johnson
Lakeside AZ
24.17
3.2
24.17
19
Todd Herman
Gilbert AZ
24.04
2.7
24.04
20
Dominic Amato
N. Las vegas NV
24.38
0.4
2.21
23.98
21
Claude Sims
Boerne TX
23.94
2.2
23.94
22
Jeff Martineau
Phoenix AZ
23.58
2.81
23.58
23
Laythe Moore
Banning CA
23.62
0.2
23.42
24
Mike Caruso
Peoria AZ
23.41
3.9
23.41
25
Ray Arbesu
Henderson NV
23.64
0.4
2.21
23.24
26
Steve Molinari
Waddell AZ
22.98
2.1
22.98
27
Matt Stefan
Junction City WI
22.95
0.2
22.75
28
Wade Headrick
Herriman UT
22.61
2.53
22.61
29
Patrick Whitaker
Gilbert AZ
22.6
2.53
22.6
30
Mike Walsh
El Cajon CA
22.75
0.2
2.24
22.55
31
James Fenney Jr
Murrieta CA
22.41
22.41
32
Scott Helleson
Whittier CA
22.34
2.83
22.34
33
McCoy Borja
Johnson City TN
22.96
0.8
22.16
34
Randy Blaukat
Joplin MO
22.21
0.2
2.84
22.01
35
Guy Savidan
NORCO CA
21.88
3.85
21.88
36
Rusty Salewske
Alpine CA
22.2
0.4
21.8
37
Jim Moynagh
Carver MN
21.9
0.2
21.7
38
Tommy Jonovich
Phoenix AZ
21.87
0.2
21.67
39
Vern Ridgway
Chandler AZ
21.61
21.61
40
Shaun Bailey
Lake Havasu City AZ
22.19
0.6
4.56
21.59
41
Kyle Grover
Trabuco Canyon CA
21.65
0.2
21.45
42
Gary Robbins
Burbank CA
21.61
0.2
2.54
21.41
43
Cristian Melton
Menifee CA
21.36
2.86
21.36
44
Chris Bozarth
Henderson NV
21.22
2.17
21.22
45
Todd Woods
San Dimas CA
21.02
21.02
46
Ed Shaver
Lake Havasu City AZ
21.33
0.4
2.55
20.93
47
David Peltier
Henderson NV
20.56
2.11
20.56
48
Noah Cook
Lancaster CA
20.5
20.5
49
Joe Uribe, Jr.
Surprise AZ
20.39
20.39
49
Ken Whalen
Lompoc CA
20.39
2.15
20.39
51
Inder Lopez
Spring Valley CA
20.63
0.4
3.15
20.23
52
Cody Murray
Nampa ID
20.15
20.15
53
Mark Walsh*
Henderson NV
19.91
2.23
19.91
53
Melvin Williams
Chula Vista CA
20.31
0.4
2.08
19.91
55
Sam Rosefsky
Morris IL
19.9
19.9
55
Chris Studinger
San Marcos CA
20.7
0.8
2.4
19.9
57
Shane Spinning
Canyon Lake CA
20.27
0.4
2.73
19.87
58
Thomas Wennerlund
Gilbert AZ
19.95
0.2
2.71
19.75
59
Randy Estrada, M.D.
Corona CA
19.73
3.82
19.73
60
Bill Brown
Grand Junction CO
19.62
0.2
19.42
61
Bobby Lanham
Cave Creek AZ
19.27
19.27
62
Rich Tauber
Camarillo CA
19.17
19.17
63
Raymond Archer
Greeley CO
19.28
0.2
2.97
19.08
64
Andy Manahl
Mesa AZ
19.32
0.4
18.92
65
Ben Byrd
Moab UT
19.29
0.4
18.89
66
Tony Lain
Menifee CA
19.47
0.6
18.87
67
Jesse Slaton
Klamath Falls OR
18.89
0.2
18.69
68
Garrett Howard
Riverside CA
18.66
3.23
18.66
69
Logan Erautt
Yucaipa CA
18.57
18.57
69
Ricky Shabazz
Rialto CA
18.97
0.4
18.57
71
Young “Bradley” Yang
Korea
18.48
18.48
72
Jiggs Benn
Myrtle Creek OR
18.38
18.38
73
Frankie Mueller
Kingman AZ
18.35
18.35
74
Neil Campbell
Fallbrook CA
18.27
18.27
74
George Kramer
Lake Elsinore CA
18.27
2.96
18.27
76
Justin Kerr
Simi Valley CA
18.66
0.4
2.77
18.26
77
Kevin Johnson
Surprise AZ
18.44
0.2
18.24
78
Kevin Hugo
Chino CA
18.23
18.23
79
Forest Webb
Phoenix AZ
18.16
2.52
18.16
80
Jay Guterding
Redding CA
18.36
0.4
17.96
81
Chris Kinley
Lake Havasu City AZ
18.06
0.2
17.86
82
John Mackey
Boulder City NV
18.95
1.2
17.75
83
Gary Pinholster
Lake Havasu City AZ
17.64
17.64
84
Kevin Finley
Phoenix AZ
17.81
0.2
1.92
17.61
85
Keith Ferlanie
Henderson NV
17.42
3.24
17.42
86
Vu Au
Tucson AZ
17.37
17.37
87
Cory Kramer
Mesa AZ
17.22
2.78
17.22
88
Luke Clausen
Oakdale CA
17.11
2.61
17.11
89
Ron Hammett
La Mesa CA
17.05
2.69
17.05
90
Thomas Loughran
Phoenix AZ
17.03
17.03
91
Devin McDonald
Las Vegas NV
17.35
0.4
16.95
92
Tim Dotson
Litchfield Park AZ
16.84
2.22
16.84
93
Steve Lee
Burbank WA
17.21
0.4
16.81
94
Brandon Baker
Valencia CA
16.9
0.2
16.7
95
Mike Hawkins
Boulder City NV
16.52
2.87
16.52
96
Dung Van Vu
Paramount CA
16.67
0.2
16.47
97
Pete Marino
Moreno Valley CA
16.44
16.44
98
Kenneth Cates
LaQuinta CA
16.59
0.2
16.39
99
Christopher Dixon
Granada Hills CA
16.33
2.98
16.33
100
Steve Lund
Glendale AZ
16.02
0.2
15.82
101
Gabriel Jones
Henderson NV
15.68
2.68
15.68
102
Jeff Van Nimwegen
Menifee CA
15.58
15.58
103
Jeffrey Scott Allen
Flagstaff AZ
15.51
15.51
104
Craig Miller
Las Vegas NV
15.47
15.47
105
David Davis
Big Piney WY
15.39
15.39
106
Rusty Brown
Canyon Lake CA
15.35
15.35
107
Jeff Gage
Canyon Lake CA
15.31
15.31
108
Randy Austin
Cedar City UT
15.38
0.4
14.98
109
Shawn Lee
Arroyo Grande CA
15.14
0.2
1.98
14.94
110
Douglas Jones
North Las vegas NV
15.32
0.4
2.79
14.92
111
Joseph Raftery
Las Vegas NV
15.03
0.2
1.85
14.83
112
Fred Proudfoot
Kingman AZ
14.78
14.78
113
Travis Richards
Henderson NV
14.97
0.2
2.34
14.77
114
Brett Allen Leber
Dixon CA
14.69
0.2
3.06
14.49
115
Scott Davis
Preston ID
14.41
14.41
116
Paul Hodges
Glendale AZ
14.04
14.04
117
Brent McKay
Yuma AZ
14
2.6
14
118
Rafael Gonzalez
Las Vegas NV
13.98
13.98
119
Jim Jared
Dolan Springs AZ
13.83
2.11
13.83
120
Cody Spetz
Menifee CA
13.8
2.87
13.8
121
Victor Cole
Las Vegas NV
13.77
13.77
122
Steve Gibson
Las Vegas NV
14.73
1
13.73
123
Jamie Cyphers
Cedar City UT
13.62
13.62
124
Robert Ostercamp
Chandler AZ
13.95
0.4
1.96
13.55
125
Roy J. Jones
Henderson NV
13.41
2.84
13.41
126
Peter Manfrina
Lompoc CA
13.36
13.36
127
Kona Borja
Henderson NV
13.72
0.6
13.12
128
Mike Crothers
Chandler AZ
12.75
12.75
129
Mike Rennie
Pioche NV
12.5
2.89
12.5
130
Chad Randles
Elkhorn NE
12.49
12.49
131
Greg Halliman
Littlerock CA
12.47
0.2
2.53
12.27