Before this past weekend, had three anglers from the same state ever finished 1-2-3 in a tour-level event that was not held in that state? It might have happened way back in the day (the late 1960s or early 1970s), when most of the competitors hailed from just a few Southern states. If it did, we don't recall it, and a spokesperson in the BASS communications department said there was no way to obtain a definitive answer at this time.
Californians Ish Monroe (1st), Fred Roumbanis (2nd) and Mike Reynolds (3rd) achieved that distinction yesterday at the Amistad Bassmaster Elite Series hawgfest in Texas. It's no real mystery why they fared well – Amistad fishes a lot like two California brute pens (Clear Lake and the Delta), and all three anglers have extensive experience on those bodies.
Then again, it's not like Californians totally dominated when the Bassmaster Tour visited those places 3 years ago. None made the Top 3 at Clear Lake (Texas' Alton Jones won, followed by Arizona's Mark Kile and Washington's Luke Clausen). Skeet Reese and Monroe were 4th and 5th, respectively, to head the homestate contingent.
Californian Robert Lee won at the Delta (just a short drive from his home in Angels Camp), but Reese, who was 5th, was the only other angler in the Top 6 without a non-resident fishing license. Arkansas' Jimmy Mize was 2nd, Louisiana's Roger Boler was 3rd, Ohio's Joe Thomas was 4th and Tennessee's Jack Wade was 6th.
Are Californians just getting better? Two-tour pro Monroe leads the Elite Series points and is 3rd in the FLW Tour race through three events. His good buddy Roumbanis won an EverStart (now Stren) tournament last summer all the way out in Wisconsin.
We'll have to wait and see if they can keep it up.
