Bass Pro Tour angler Ish Monroe caught a 21-pound stringer on Friday to win the California Delta Western FLW Series with a 3-day total of 65-13. He finished 16 1/2 pounds ahead of runner-up Beau Joudrey and earned $23,420.
"The first day we had a slack tide in my best area, so I started on a different spot just because the tide was running," said Monroe, who earned his third career FLW victory on the venue. "There was some current there and I started punching and caught them right away. I had over 20 pounds in the first hour."
Monroe fished a Missile Baits D Bomb in the PB&J color on a 5/0 or 6/0 River2Sea Ish Monroe New Jack Flippin' hook and had two different weight sizes depending on where he was punching.
He punched with his signature series 8-foot heavy Daiwa Tatula Elite Series rod that he paired with an 8.1:1 Daiwa Tatula Elite Pitch/Flip reel spooled with 70-pound-test Daiwa Samurai braided line.
After sacking 21-04 on the first day, Monroe found himself in 3rd place, and when the second day rolled around he went right back to where he started the first day.
"Obviously, if you catch 20 pounds somewhere so fast, you’ll go back and check it out," Monroe said. "I went to that same stretch and caught one good one and a few decent ones to get me started. From there, I went to the area I wanted to fish the first day and started throwing a frog."
Monroe is known for his prowess with a frog, and he proved why again with some key fish, including a 7-pounder on the second day.
"I got to my spot and missed a giant," Monroe said. "About 30 feet further down the stretch, I caught that 7-pounder. I already had a 4- and 6-pounder boxed, and that's how I got that bag.”
His frog was yet another product that bears his name, the River2Sea Ish Monroe Phat Mat Daddy Frog in the yellow head color. He fished it on his signature series 7-foot, 4-inch heavy Daiwa Tatula Elite rod with a 7.1:1 Daiwa Tatula Elite reel spooled with 55-pound-test Daiwa Samurai braided line.
Going into the final day, Monroe had a lead of 7 pounds, but on a fishery with plenty of 10-pounders swimming around, he knew he would have to catch them again to secure the win.
"I started the day in the same general area I’d been fishing all week," said Monroe, who revealed he was in what locals refer to as the "Middle Delta" area. "I didn't fish the same exact areas, but I was close by all 3 days."
On the final day, he started fast and quickly caught a limit punching in water that was between 1 and 6 feet, the critical depth he targeted all week.
"Right off the bat, I had a limit," he said. "After that, I ran to my frog area and never got bit. I made another little move and caught one about 4 pounds punching and then caught one over 8 pounds and that did it."
Here are the final totals for the Top 10:
1. Ish Monroe: 65-13
2. Beau Joudrey: 49-06
3. Mark Lassagne: 46-14
4. Michael Caruso: 45-02
5. Bryant Smith: 44-14
6. Ken Mah: 44-07
7. Jon Strelic: 43-02
8. Logan Huntze: 42-00
9. Joe Uribe Jr.: 41-14
10. Tai Au: 39-15
