the same dream as i am - becoming a full- time, professional bass angler - this is a must-fish tournament. right away, i began hearing about the brutality at lake Mead, nicknamed The Great equalizer. i heard stories of six to eight foot tackle prep waves, and potentially before game day on Mead three-hour runs in the wind, the brutal heat and heat stroke experienced by previous anglers. other fishermen spoke of the size of this great lake and its low fish population per square mile, the 30 foot of visibility and a potential of using as low as four-lb-test. it sounded like i would have to adopt a style of fishing completely different than that of my home water, the California delta.
pRep
My first stop was Hi’s t ackle Box for a lake Mead topographic map and general info from the amazing staff there. i called the launch ramp at lake Mead to find out the current level of the lake, and i went to work eliminating water on the map that was dry land. i began to networking - making multiple calls to experienced anglers in the industry to find out information and try to understand the lake and it’s structure. My next step was doing internet research on previous U.S. opens. i looked at winning weights and where anglers caught winning fish. i began to think about what tactics, techniques, and baits i would use. i decided that my strength on the delta, what earned my free entry into the U.S. open, would be what i would take to lake Mead - junk fishing. What i gathered from past event research was that this tournament would be primarily won on reaction baits with maybe a few slow plastic fish. So, i rigged all my rods with what i felt was right and what i thought would help me win. after months and months of research i finally arrived at lake Mead, a week before the tournament. With six to practice days sun up to sun down, i had to eliminate parts of the lake that i would just not be able to see this trip, because i did not want to spread myself too thin.
fall 2013
My plan a was to figure out the area close to the launch ramp in case of severe weather, and also to allow more fishing time in the tournament. Plan B was to make a long run to the area i chose while studying the map and U.S. open history. i wanted to make sure i saw everything that i would pre fish, so i decided to run to the furthest spots and on the way mark good-looking areas with my GPS that i would stop and fish as i worked my way back. i ended up fishing hard for 12 hours each day in the extreme heat. around 3:00 p.m. on the first practice day i caught three fish over 2-lbs, and i needed to figure out why those fish were there. i continued to look for similar areas and i experimented with different baits, trying to prepare myself for weather changes, or anything else that would change the fishing.
eVent
i found a limit that boosted me in to 8th place on day one. The next day, i finished in 23rd and ended the event in 38th overall on day three out of 142 anglers. Having blown a few great opportunities really hurt me; but, what i gained from fishing the U.S. open cannot be valued with money. i gained confidence in my abilities to fish against the highest caliber of anglers and do well. i believe i will be able to look back in years to come and be able to say the 2013 U.S. open was truly what jump started my career, even without the win or a top-10. i definitely gained what i could not have gained anywhere else or in any other tournament. i want to give thanks to all that made my first trip to the U.S. open possible and most importantly i thank God for keeping me safe and allowing me this opportunity.
Philip Dutra is sponsored by Phenix rods, Hi’s Tackle Box, T oxic Baits and Lumpy’s Diner. Dutra expressed appreciation to each of them as well as FishDelta for the local support and WON BASS for the opportunity. He can be found at www.Dutrafishing.com
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