Sometimes perseverance and hard work go a long way, and that was the case for Las Vegas resident Ben Grande on day 2 of the 2015 WON Bass U.S. Open on Nevada's Lake Mead.
Grande (on the right in the accompanying photo), who weighed 8.79 pounds on day 1, caught a 12.02 stringer on Tuesday to take over the lead with 20.81.
"There were a lot of boats in the area I fished yesterday and I knew I couldn't compete staying there, so I changed areas this morning," he said. "I went to an area that I had caught a 5-pounder and a pair of heavy 3s in practice and ground it out all day. We caught our two biggest fish later in the day and that helped us cull up to our weight.
"I have a bait that I'm throwing that I'm pretty sure no one else is throwing, and the fish are responding to it," he said. "I know there are good fish in this area and I feel like I can make things happen. It's really a dream come true to be in this position. I'm hopeful things go my way tomorrow."
Roy Hawk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. moved up to 2nd with a 9.97 bag that improved his total to 20.65. Mike Caruso of Peoria, Ariz. was 3rd with 20.17.
The Top 11 anglers in the standings will all be within 2 pounds of the lead when Wednesday's final round gets under way.
Here are the critical numbers for the Top 10:
1. Ben Grande: 20.81
2. Roy Hawk: 20.65
3. Mike Caruso: 20.17
4. Clayton Meyer: 19.9
5. Wade Strelic: 19.46
6. Sean Coffey: 19.39
7. Philip Roesener: 19.34
8. Kevin Caruso: 19.09
9. Patrick Whitaker: 18.93
10. Johnny Johnson: 18.91
