By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

John Fuqua’s Southern California charter boat business typically prevents him from fishing the entire Western EverStart schedule.

However, after winning the Roosevelt Lake EverStart last week, he may have to rearrange his work schedule so he can fish the final two tournaments this year as he’s put himself in contention for the division’s Angler of the Year (AOY) award.

“It’s huge,” he said of the victory. “I’ve won a boat in a team fish-off. I once won 10 tournaments in a year in a team format, but this is a level up. To win against these guys – these guys on the West Coast are the best fishermen in the country. Nothing against the guys in the South, but to compete out here, you have to beat some sticks.”

Not only did he beat some of the best in the West, he did it in the face of challenging conditions. He won despite not catching a limit on any of the 3 days of competition. The 10 fish he brought to the scales weighed 31-03, which was more than 5 pounds better than runner-up Josh Bertrand, who’ll be an Elite Series rookie this year.

The win pushed Fuqua up to 5th in points and if he’s able to win the AOY title, he’ll qualify for the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup.

Here’s how he did it.

Practice

Fuqua, who lives in Oxnard, Calif., made a scouting trip to Roosevelt in early February and spent 4 days looking around the reservoir that’s situated 100 miles east of Phoenix. It was gloomy and overcast with snow falling in the outlying regions. When he returned for the tournament, he was delighted to find the same exact weather pattern.

“The weather was definitely a mess,” he said. “I didn’t even practice much last week and when the weather pattern reappeared, I knew what the fish were going to do and I knew where the better fish were going to be. From the practice before, I knew the fish would be shallow.”

With the fish still in their winter phase, he focused on finding schools of baitfish. He settled on an area on the southern end of the lake toward the Salt River where he was able to trigger some reaction bites on crankbaits and swimbaits near rocks and isolated brush.

“What keyed me onto it was I found the bait,” he said. “I got into this area in practice with a crankbait. A couple casts in, I caught a 3 1/2-pounder and there was bait everywhere. I went back in there with a swimbait and I had a 5-pounder try to eat one of my swimbaits that was stuck in a tree. I knew there were better fish in that area.”

Competition

> Day 1: 4, 12-09
> Day 2: 3, 9-09
> Day 3: 3, 9-01
> Total = 10, 31-03

Rain fell steadily on the eve of the tournament and the overcast conditions continued through day 1 of competition, prompting Fuqua to continue seeking out fish that moved up shallow. He got six bites, boated four, including two on a jig, and wound up weighing 12-09. That put him in 4th place, nearly two pounds off the lead.

Conditions changed drastically for day 2, with clear skies and sun moving in. He sensed the fishing would be tougher as the fish migrated toward deeper water. He managed four bites all day and landed three, but they were all quality 3-pounders and his 9-09 sack pushed him to the lead entering the final day.

“Obviously, there’d been pressure on the lake for a while, but the fishing pressure and the post-front bluebird skies are what made it difficult,” he said. “The lake’s been fishing really tough for a while, but compared to what had been going on the bite was actually better than it had been the previous week.”



He went back to his key spot on day 3 and cranked rocky channels that reached 16 feet. Under bright, blue skies again, he scored three more fish for 9-01 to seal up the victory.

Pattern Notes

> Fuqua said the makeup of the area he fished was, “rock with isolated brush on it.”

“All of the bites came adjacent to creek channels or drains,” he added. “I could not get bit on a point in that area. Everything was on the side or close to a drain or a ditch.”

> Another key to his pattern was making sure his crankbait kept in contact with the bottom. “I needed to hit something with it,” he said. “I needed to keep the bait digging. Fishing the (Norman) DD-22 in a fire tiger pattern made a difference, too. I think the brightness of it helped trigger the bites.

“Typically, (the water’s) really clear, but it’s really dingy now. Visibility was probably 8 inches in the area I was fishing. Around the North end it was 2 feet. I think in the dirtier water, I could get a reaction strike out of it.”

Winning Gear Notes

> Cranking gear: 8’1” medium-heavy Dobyns casting rod, Daiwa Fuego casting reel (6.3:1 ratio), 12-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line, Norman DD22 (fire tiger).

> He started the tournament throwing the DD22 in the slick color pattern, but lost both baits he had in that color. He also got bites on the lavender shad pattern in practice, but couldn’t get anything going on it during the tournament.

> He put the Norman cranks through such a workout that he discovered on day 2 that he was breaking the internal chambers and he thinks it hampered his production. “I was casting these things so much and hitting so much rock that I was breaking the rattle chambers inside,” he said. “I actually think I cost myself a few fish because after I’d break a chamber, I never got bit again on day 2. On day 3, I caught three fish in the morning pretty quick and I thought I’d be able to get a limit. I think I broke the chamber in the one I was using, but I didn’t realize it was broken until I got to the tanks to weigh the fish. I brought it with me and shook it and realized it was broken. Maybe I could’ve caught a limit if I didn’t bust the baits. It didn’t matter in the end, though.”

> Two of his four fish on day 1 came on a jig.

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – “Grinding and just trying to get a few bites and not putting it down and not straying from the better-bite pattern.”

> Performance edge – “That DD22. I could touch the bottom with it in 16 feet. The absolute one key thing that if I didn’t have I couldn’t have done it was that Dobyns crankbait rod. Because it’s 8 feet (long), I could fire a bait forever with it and I could get the bait down to 16 feet if I had to.”

Notable

> Fuqua owns and operates Sea Jay Charters out of Ventura County, Calif., and targets seabass and yellowtail around the Channel Islands. To learn more about his charter business, visit www.seajaysportfishing.com.

Final Standings

1. John Fuqua -- Oxnard, Ca -- 12-09 (4) -- 9-09 (3) -- 9-01 (3) -- 31-03 (10) -- $27,912

2. Josh Bertrand -- Gilbert, Az -- 12-08 (5) -- 6-13 (4) -- 6-08 (4) -- 25-13 (13) -- $10,467

3. Ri Nay -- Tucson, Az -- 7-04 (5) -- 8-07 (5) -- 8-15 (5) -- 24-10 (15) -- $6,978

4. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 11-02 (5) -- 6-03 (4) -- 7-02 (4) -- 24-07 (13) -- $6,280

5. Tai Au -- Gilbert, Az -- 8-07 (5) -- 8-00 (5) -- 6-05 (5) -- 22-12 (15) -- $5,582

6. Steve Foutch -- Apache Junction, Az -- 11-01 (5) -- 4-10 (3) -- 7-00 (5) -- 22-11 (13) -- $4,885

7. Russ Barger -- Boise, Id -- 8-06 (5) -- 7-04 (5) -- 6-06 (5) -- 22-00 (15) -- $4,187

8. Joseph Caporuscio -- Coto De Caza, Ca -- 13-03 (3) -- 2-07 (2) -- 3-06 (1) -- 19-00 (6) -- $3,489

9. Levi Armstrong -- Payson, Az -- 15-07 (5) -- 3-07 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 18-14 (6) -- $2,791

10. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 6-13 (5) -- 9-03 (5) -- 1-07 (1) -- 17-07 (11) -- $2,093

The following anglers did not make the cut and did not fish on day 3.

11. Jay Wright -- Seal Beach, Ca -- 8-15 (4) -- 6-10 (2) -- 15-09 (6) -- $1,745

12. Roy Hawk -- Salt Lake City, Ut -- 8-07 (5) -- 6-11 (5) -- 15-02 (10) -- $1,745

13. Sean Brennan -- Prescott Valley, Az -- 12-10 (4) -- 2-05 (1) -- 14-15 (5) -- $1,745

14. Mike Saso -- Elk Grove, Ca -- 4-13 (4) -- 9-12 (5) -- 14-09 (9) -- $1,745

15. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Lake Forest, Ca -- 5-12 (4) -- 8-10 (5) -- 14-06 (9) -- $1,745

16. Wayne Breazeale -- Kelseyville, Ca -- 7-11 (5) -- 6-11 (5) -- 14-06 (10) -- $1,396

17. Miles Howe -- San Clemente, Ca -- 6-14 (5) -- 7-06 (5) -- 14-04 (10) -- $1,396

18. Justin Kerr -- Simi Valley, Ca -- 7-06 (2) -- 6-12 (3) -- 14-02 (5) -- $1,396

19. Vern Ridgway -- Chandler, Az -- 9-04 (5) -- 4-12 (4) -- 14-00 (9) -- $1,396

20. Mike Reynolds -- Overgaard, Az -- 5-02 (4) -- 8-12 (5) -- 13-14 (9)

21. Joshua Rhodes -- Lakeside, Ca -- 9-07 (5) -- 4-06 (4) -- 13-13 (9)

22. Robert Neberman -- Prescott, Az -- 9-02 (5) -- 4-11 (3) -- 13-13 (8)

23. Jon Griffith -- Mesa, Az -- 4-14 (3) -- 8-13 (5) -- 13-11 (8)

24. Greg Gutierrez -- Red Bluff, Ca -- 10-13 (5) -- 2-13 (2) -- 13-10 (7)

25. Patrick Spencer -- Marana, Az -- 5-13 (4) -- 7-11 (5) -- 13-08 (9)

26. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 6-01 (2) -- 7-00 (5) -- 13-01 (7)

27. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 5-02 (2) -- 7-14 (2) -- 13-00 (4)

28. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 5-06 (4) -- 7-08 (5) -- 12-14 (9)

29. Ricky Shabazz -- Rialto, Ca -- 6-05 (5) -- 6-04 (5) -- 12-09 (10)

30. Jim Hawkes -- Apache Junction, Az -- 7-05 (5) -- 4-11 (4) -- 12-00 (9)

31. Paul Hodges Iii -- Glendale, Az -- 10-05 (5) -- 1-10 (1) -- 11-15 (6)

32. Phil Burgess -- Kerman, Ca -- 4-10 (3) -- 7-04 (5) -- 11-14 (8)

33. Aaron Britt -- Yuba City, Ca -- 4-04 (2) -- 7-09 (5) -- 11-13 (7)

34. John Murray -- Phoenix, Az -- 6-11 (2) -- 4-13 (3) -- 11-08 (5)

35. Jeff Erickson -- Phoenix, Az -- 3-11 (2) -- 7-10 (4) -- 11-05 (6)

36. Nick Welton -- Galt, Ca -- 7-07 (5) -- 3-08 (3) -- 10-15 (8)

37. Ben Foster -- Tucson, Az -- 5-08 (4) -- 5-05 (4) -- 10-13 (8)

38. Brian Ankrum -- Loveland, Co -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-12 (5) -- 10-12 (5)

39. Tommy Jonovich -- Phoenix, Az -- 4-05 (3) -- 6-07 (3) -- 10-12 (6)

40. Mike Nichelini -- Napa, Ca -- 6-00 (3) -- 4-11 (3) -- 10-11 (6)

41. Mike Brillhart -- Waddell, Az -- 6-02 (4) -- 4-07 (2) -- 10-09 (6)

42. Jason Borofka -- Salinas, Ca -- 2-01 (1) -- 8-06 (5) -- 10-07 (6)

43. Todd Herman -- Gilbert, Az -- 3-10 (2) -- 6-12 (5) -- 10-06 (7)

44. Tim Jacobs -- Gilbert, Az -- 3-12 (2) -- 6-08 (2) -- 10-04 (4)

45. Keith Tripp -- Cottonwood, Ca -- 6-14 (4) -- 3-03 (2) -- 10-01 (6)

46. David Stachowski -- Tucson, Az -- 4-01 (3) -- 5-11 (1) -- 9-12 (4)

47. Steve Molinari -- Waddell, Az -- 9-05 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 9-05 (4)

48. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 6-14 (3) -- 2-06 (1) -- 9-04 (4)

49. Scott Davis -- Preston, Id -- 3-05 (2) -- 5-15 (5) -- 9-04 (7)

50. Steve Lindner -- Seal Beach, Ca -- 7-05 (5) -- 1-14 (1) -- 9-03 (6)

51. Victor Cunningham -- Tonto Basin, Az -- 4-01 (2) -- 4-05 (2) -- 8-06 (4)

52. James Shaw -- Coolidge, Az -- 8-01 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-01 (2)

53. Dugan Mcintosh -- Palermo, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-11 (5) -- 7-11 (5)

54. Tom Kilduff -- Prescott Valley, Az -- 1-11 (1) -- 5-14 (2) -- 7-09 (3)

55. Jeff Allen -- Flagstaff, Az -- 2-04 (1) -- 5-05 (3) -- 7-09 (4)

56. Martin Lawrence -- Mesa, Az -- 5-02 (2) -- 2-07 (1) -- 7-09 (3)

57. Jim Sandy -- Phoenix, Az -- 7-07 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 7-07 (2)

58. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 6-01 (3) -- 1-05 (1) -- 7-06 (4)

59. Vu Au -- Tucson, Az -- 4-07 (2) -- 2-15 (2) -- 7-06 (4)

60. Melvin Williams -- Chula Vista, Ca -- 1-07 (2) -- 5-12 (4) -- 7-03 (6)

61. Stephen Tosh Jr -- Turlock, Ca -- 5-00 (2) -- 2-03 (1) -- 7-03 (3)

62. Shawn Lee -- Arroyo Grande, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-14 (4) -- 6-14 (4)

63. Eric Norlin -- Corona, Ca -- 6-05 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-05 (2)

64. Kazuki Kodama -- Torrance, Ca -- 6-05 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-05 (4)

65. Jim Novotny -- Shingle Springs, Ca -- 1-14 (1) -- 4-05 (2) -- 6-03 (3)

66. Eric Lippincott -- Daniel, Wy -- 4-07 (3) -- 1-10 (1) -- 6-01 (4)

67. Marco Valdez -- Gilbert, Az -- 3-04 (2) -- 2-09 (1) -- 5-13 (3)

68. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 5-09 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-09 (2)

69. Rick Mason -- Glendale, Az -- 3-00 (2) -- 2-09 (2) -- 5-09 (4)

70. Clayton Meyer -- Henderson, Nv -- 3-05 (2) -- 2-00 (1) -- 5-05 (3)

71. Ronald Hammett -- La Mesa, Ca -- 5-04 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-04 (1)

72. Patrick Whitaker -- Gilbert, Az -- 3-04 (2) -- 1-13 (1) -- 5-01 (3)

73. Don Mcbride -- Roosevelt, Az -- 4-15 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-15 (2)

74. Richard Dobyns -- Yuba City, Ca -- 4-14 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-14 (2)

75. David Kemper -- Tempe, Az -- 3-01 (1) -- 1-07 (1) -- 4-08 (2)

76. David Valdivia -- Norwalk, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-06 (2) -- 4-06 (2)

77. Brian Carnahan -- Flagstaff, Az -- 1-03 (1) -- 3-01 (2) -- 4-04 (3)

78. Cameron Karber -- Scottsdale, Az -- 4-02 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-02 (3)

79. Andrew Napoleon -- Mesa, Az -- 2-04 (1) -- 1-10 (1) -- 3-14 (2)

80. Devin Mcdonald -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 2-03 (1) -- 1-11 (1) -- 3-14 (2)

81. Matt Shura -- Gilbert, Az -- 3-13 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-13 (3)

82. Scott Owens -- Gilbert, Az -- 1-10 (1) -- 2-01 (1) -- 3-11 (2)

83. Keith Beever -- Mission Viejo, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-10 (3) -- 3-10 (3)

84. Chester Baxter -- Glendale, Az -- 1-11 (1) -- 1-12 (1) -- 3-07 (2)

85. Steven Cook -- Phoenix, Az -- 3-04 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-04 (2)

86. Johnny Johnson -- Lakeside, Az -- 3-04 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-04 (2)

87. Ed Arledge -- San Diego, Ca -- 1-08 (1) -- 1-09 (1) -- 3-01 (2)

88. Keith Espe -- Phoenix, Az -- 2-00 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-00 (1)

89. Donald Gage -- Brent Wood, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-11 (1) -- 1-11 (1)

Oscar Delgadillo. Whittier, Ca -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Buddy Randall. Payson, Az -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Jimmy Savoini. Prescott, Az -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Trent Schureman. Mesa, Az -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)