Every the threat on desert lakes, or anywhere in the West for that matter, former Bassmaster Elite Series and MLF Bass Pro Tour competitor Roy Hawk claimed victory by a pound a half margin over Ian Boehm at the WON Bass Lake Havasu Open
Hawk, a Lake Havasu City, Ariz. resident, caught a 17.76-pound bag on the final day, earning a prize package that included a Ranger boat and $14,250 cash.
Hawk said that he spent the tournament in the north end of the lake, fitting in where he could amongst the pressure.
“I know this lake really well, so I ran around looking for spots I could sit on and make a few casts before the company arrived,” he said. “I have so many different pieces of structure I can fish that I ran around and just ‘felt’ what the lake was telling me and made the right casts.”
Hawk reported using reaction baits to weigh 14 of his 15 keepers in the event.
“I caught fish on three different crankbaits and a bladed jig,” he said. “I caught one fish on an old Roboworm Zipper Worm that was a follow-up to a fish that chased my crankbait.”
Hawk used a SPRO Little John in spooky shad for his shallow crankbait, and two different mid-depth runners, an OSP Blitz crankbait in a shad color and a SPRO Fat Papa in clear chartreuse. He threw the shallow runner on a Taipan Roy Hawk Signature 746 crankbait rod with a Daiwa Tatula Elite reel spooled with 12-pound-test Daiwa Samurai Fluorocarbon line. The medium runners used the same reel and line, but he upgraded to a Taipan 806 crankbait rod.
His bladed jig was a 3/4-ounce Jackhammer in the spot remover color paired with a Yamamoto Custom Baits D Shad as the trailer. He threw this on a Taipan Roy Hawk Signature 747 heavy reaction bait rod, a Daiwa Taula reel and 18-pound-test Daiwa Samurai Fluorocarbon.
For Hawk, the win comes with memories, and at a good time.
“I won my first pro tournament right here on Lake Havasu in 2003, and it was a WON Bass event, so it feels really cool to have this kind of come full circle here,” he said. “It’s been a little bit of a rough road, and this win really comes at a good time for me and my family. It’s just a testament to how God takes care of His people. It’s also really amazing to do this in front of my family and friends and I’m humbled by the whole experience.”
Second-place finisher Boehm fished at the south end of the lake and said that he used a variety of baits to trigger his fish.
“I caught some on a Vixen and I flipped some around grass,” he said. “But I cove-hopped back from the Bill Williams area and targeted fish cages with my forward facing sonar and a Deps Sakamata Shad.”
After leading on Day 1, he knew his second-day stumble was the difference.
“I really hurt myself with 13 pounds on Day 2. Iwould love to have Day 2 back again, but I’m happy with the finish overall.”
Here are the final totals for the Top 10:
1. Roy Hawk: 54.62
2. Ian Boehm: 53.16
3. Shane Edgar: 51.55
4. Ty Manterola: 50.22
5. Brandon Kuehl: 48.81
6. Justin Kerr: 48.62
7. Jeff Rutt: 48.05
8. Todd Kline: 47.35
9. Jeff Giffen: 46.90
10. Rick Harris: 46.61
