Birge Pounded A Place That Was A Lot Like Home

By John Johnson
BassFan Senior Editor

Zack Birge had already paid his initial deposits to fish the FLW Tour in 2015, but he was a bit concerned about how he was going to come up with the money for the remainder of his entry fees.

After winning the Rayovac FLW Series Championship and collecting the $50,000 top prize, those worries have been alleviated.

The 23-year-old Oklahoman, who'd never been to Alabama's Wheeler Lake before, overcame a lackluster day 1 to win the event by a 7-pound margin. He began the final day in a tie for 3rd place and proceeded to catch a 19-pound stringer that left the rest of the Top 10 far in his wake.

He finished with a 47-00 total and became one of 10 anglers from the event to earn a berth in next year's Forrest Wood Cup. Following are some of the particulars of how he topped a 140-angler field that was littered with full-time Tour pros.

Practice

Birge found the area that would be his primary locale fairly early in the 4-day practice period, but he didn't uncover its full potential until he upsized his offerings the day before the event got under way.

The place looked real similar to some stuff he fishes back home on Grand Lake. It was a 100-yard stretch of bank with a big, shallow flat that quickly dropped off into a deep creek channel. The main features were a series of log jams that provided ambush cover for bass moving up from the depths to feed.

"I went through the area in practice once and didn't do any good, but I decided to go back and throw something different," he said. "Most people were throwing small spinnerbaits or small crankbaits or were flipping, but I tied on the biggest spinnerbait I had, a double willow-leaf with No. 6 and No. 5 blades, and just slow-rolled it down those jams.

"I could see (the fish) on the graph – either on the bottom or suspended – and occasionally they'd move up to feed. The ones that were up, as soon as that spinnerbait came by, they'd eat it."

Competition

> Day 1: 5, 10-15
> Day 2: 5, 17-01
> Day 3: 5, 19-00
> Total = 15, 47-00

Nobody had an inkling that Birge would be any sort of factor in the tournament after the day-1 weigh-in had concluded and he'd scaled slightly less than 11 pounds.

"We didn't have any wind that day and it was sunny," he said. "I usually like throwing a spinnerbait when it's sunny, but there wasn't much wind and there wasn't much current and I think that hurt me."

He didn't tangle with anything that exceeded 3 pounds.

"I caught a lot of fish, but the quality didn't show up."

Day 2 was dramatically different as he boated one right away that equaled anything he'd caught the previous day, then popped a 5 1/2-pounder shortly thereafter.

"When I caught that one, I knew things were changing and I was going to be around some better fish that day. The problem was that six boats showed up and started fishing that same stretch, so I decided to leave.

"I had a backwater about a mile down the river, but the only way into it was to make a hard run over a sandbar with the motor trimmed up high. It's just a big hole with some laydowns and some rock, and in 10 minutes there I caught three that were pushing 4 pounds each. That was really a game-changer for me."

Now in serious contention and with only 9 other competitors remaining, he started chilly day 3 (air temperatures were near freezing at launch time) on the downriver side of the logjams. He didn't expect much early action under the conditions, but he put a 4-pounder in the box just 10 minutes after making his first cast.

"I fished down another 20 yards and caught a 3 1/2. I got one more keeper after that – about a 3 – and then that was it for a little while."

The FLW camera boat showed up awhile later and was present when he added a 4-pounder from the upriver side of the wood. A small keeper followed to give him a limit.

He was at the upper end again about an hour later when he and his co-angler both hooked up at the same time. Birge's fish was a 5-pounder and the back-seater's was a 2.

"Nobody was really talking much on the way back to the weigh-in so I didn't really know what anybody else had," he replied when asked what he thought his chances of winning were at that point. "With guys like Jay Yelas, Bryan Thrift and Chris Baumgardner behind you, that plays on your mind. I figured if I had 19 pounds, they might have 20 or 25.

"When we got back to Wal-Mart (site of the weigh-in), Yelas came over to me and said it looked like I had it wrapped up. That was a great feeling when he said that."

Pattern Notes

> Birge threw two different spinnerbaits – a 1/2-ounce River2Sea Bling and a 3/4-ounce Santone. The smaller offering produced greater numbers of fish and the larger one enticed a few kickers.

> He could count on catching at least a couple of good fish in the early morning hours on days when a substantial amount of current was pulled.

> By day 3, he was dragging the spinnerbait as slowly as possible along, over and through the wood. "When I thought I was going slow enough, I had to slow down even more," he said. "Fishing them on a 7:1 (gear-ratio real) wasn't the best thing for that, but I had to be able to set the hook and keep them coming to keep them out of those logjams."

Winning Gear Notes

> Smaller spinnerbait gear: 7'4" medium-heavy Phenix M1 casting rod, Lew's Tournament Pro MG casting reel (7:1 ratio), 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon line, 1/2-ounce River2Sea Bling spinnerbait (chartreuse, blue and white).

> Larger spinnerbait gear: 7'7" medium-heavy Phenix Ultra MBX Classic rod, same reel and line, 3/4-ounce Santone spinnerbait (shad).

The Bottom Line

> Main factor in his success – "I was just doing something different with the bait and presentation. I think a lot of it had to do with the blade size and some little tweaks to the skirt."

> Performance edge – "I was boat No. 3 taking off on the last morning and I had an extremely tough 8-mile run. I'm a young guy and I like going fast, but I like getting there even more. I outran boat No. 1 and No. 2 in my Bass Cat Eyra and when we shut down I told my co-angler, "I know that wasn't the best boat ride, but we got here and we're dry.' I know some of those other guys weren't dry because I saw them spear a couple waves."

Final Standings

1. Zack Birge -- Blanchard, Ok -- 10-15 (5) -- 17-01 (5) -- 28-00 (10) -- 19-00 (5) -- 47-00 (15) -- $50,000

2. Chris Baumgardner -- Gastonia, NC -- 10-01 (5) -- 18-05 (5) -- 28-06 (10) -- 11-10 (4) -- 40-00 (14) -- $25,000

3. Casey Gallagher -- Pulaski, Wi -- 14-14 (5) -- 9-10 (5) -- 24-08 (10) -- 15-08 (5) -- 40-00 (15) -- $15,000

4. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 15-00 (5) -- 13-00 (5) -- 28-00 (10) -- 10-10 (5) -- 38-10 (15) -- $14,000

5. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 11-04 (5) -- 12-15 (5) -- 24-03 (10) -- 12-06 (5) -- 36-09 (15) -- $11,000

6. Richard Peek -- Centre, Al -- 12-15 (5) -- 18-05 (5) -- 31-04 (10) -- 5-03 (4) -- 36-07 (14) -- $8,000

7. George Kapiton -- Inverness, Fl -- 18-02 (5) -- 9-13 (5) -- 27-15 (10) -- 7-00 (4) -- 34-15 (14) -- $7,000

8. Chris McCall -- Brookeland, Tx -- 12-09 (5) -- 12-07 (5) -- 25-00 (10) -- 9-10 (5) -- 34-10 (15) -- $6,000

9. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 11-01 (5) -- 14-02 (5) -- 25-03 (10) -- 6-00 (2) -- 31-03 (12) -- $5,000

10. Randy Haynes -- Counce, Tn -- 17-10 (5) -- 8-02 (3) -- 25-12 (8) -- 1-03 (1) -- 26-15 (9) -- $4,500

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

11. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 14-03 (5) -- 9-08 (5) -- 23-11 (10) -- $4,000

12. Dan Morehead -- Paducah, Ky -- 11-02 (5) -- 12-09 (5) -- 23-11 (10) -- $4,000

13. Kerry Milner -- Bono, Ar -- 11-11 (5) -- 12-00 (5) -- 23-11 (10) -- $4,000

14. Drew Benton -- Panama City, Fl -- 13-02 (5) -- 10-06 (5) -- 23-08 (10) -- $4,000

15. Mark Tucker -- Kirkwood, Mo -- 13-15 (5) -- 9-06 (5) -- 23-05 (10) -- $4,000

16. Kent Ware -- Wadmalaw Island, SC -- 12-01 (5) -- 11-03 (5) -- 23-04 (10) -- $3,500

17. Randy Despino -- Colfax, La -- 11-06 (5) -- 11-11 (5) -- 23-01 (10) -- $3,500

18. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 10-03 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 23-00 (10) -- $3,500

19. Thomas Helton -- Charleston, Tn -- 12-09 (5) -- 10-00 (5) -- 22-09 (10) -- $3,500

20. Stephen Johnston -- Hemphill, Tx -- 12-00 (5) -- 10-09 (5) -- 22-09 (10) -- $3,500

21. Koby Kreiger -- Bokeelia, Fl -- 17-06 (5) -- 5-01 (4) -- 22-07 (9) -- $3,000

22. Dave Lefebre -- Erie, Pa -- 11-10 (5) -- 10-06 (5) -- 22-00 (10) -- $3,000

23. Roy Hawk -- Lake Havasu City, Az -- 2-08 (2) -- 19-05 (5) -- 21-13 (7) -- $3,000

24. Caleb Kuphall -- Mukwonago, Wi -- 10-02 (5) -- 11-11 (5) -- 21-13 (10) -- $3,000

25. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 8-15 (5) -- 12-13 (5) -- 21-12 (10) -- $3,000

26. Robert Case -- Point, Tx -- 13-06 (5) -- 8-05 (5) -- 21-11 (10) -- $2,500

27. Otis Darnell -- Linden, Va -- 5-05 (3) -- 16-01 (5) -- 21-06 (8) -- $2,500

28. Joe Holland -- Jefferson, Me -- 14-08 (5) -- 6-13 (5) -- 21-05 (10) -- $2,500

29. Eric Schultz -- Minnetonka, Mn -- 10-04 (5) -- 10-14 (5) -- 21-02 (10) -- $2,500

30. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 6-09 (5) -- 14-06 (5) -- 20-15 (10) -- $2,500

31. Adrian Avena -- Vineland, NJ -- 14-00 (5) -- 6-15 (3) -- 20-15 (8) -- $2,000

32. Mark Rose -- West Memphis, Ar -- 8-03 (5) -- 12-08 (5) -- 20-11 (10) -- $2,000

33. William Kemp -- Scotland Neck, NC -- 10-08 (5) -- 10-03 (5) -- 20-11 (10) -- $2,000

34. Tai Au -- Glendale, Az -- 10-05 (5) -- 10-05 (5) -- 20-10 (10) -- $2,000

35. Brett Leber -- Dixon, Ca -- 9-08 (5) -- 11-01 (5) -- 20-09 (10) -- $2,000

36. Austin Brown -- Benton, Ky -- 8-00 (5) -- 12-05 (5) -- 20-05 (10) -- $2,000

37. David Hendrick -- Cherryville, NC -- 9-01 (5) -- 11-02 (5) -- 20-03 (10) -- $2,000

38. Dennis Berhorst -- Holts Summit, Mo -- 8-06 (5) -- 11-08 (5) -- 19-14 (10) -- $2,000

39. Rich Dalbey -- Greenville, Tx -- 11-03 (5) -- 8-11 (5) -- 19-14 (10) -- $2,000

40. Shonn Goodwin -- Moore, Ok -- 8-12 (5) -- 11-02 (5) -- 19-14 (10) -- $2,000

41. Jim Tutt -- Longview, Tx -- 4-14 (4) -- 14-09 (5) -- 19-07 (9)

42. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 7-08 (4) -- 11-15 (5) -- 19-07 (9)

43. Mike Brueggen -- La Crosse, Wi -- 13-07 (5) -- 5-12 (4) -- 19-03 (9)

44. Andrew Upshaw -- Tulsa, Ok -- 12-00 (5) -- 7-03 (3) -- 19-03 (8)

45. Bill Chapman -- Salt Rock, WV -- 9-02 (5) -- 10-01 (5) -- 19-03 (10)

46. Ryan Worthington -- Middleburg, Fl -- 5-09 (4) -- 13-09 (5) -- 19-02 (9)

47. William Shelton Iii -- La Crosse, Va -- 10-02 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 18-15 (10)

48. Clayton Meyer -- Henderson, Nv -- 9-04 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 18-15 (10)

49. Chris Franks -- Petaluma, Ca -- 9-03 (5) -- 9-11 (5) -- 18-14 (10)

50. Jimmy Reese -- Witter Springs, Ca -- 8-04 (5) -- 10-09 (5) -- 18-13 (10)

51. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 10-06 (5) -- 8-06 (5) -- 18-12 (10)

52. Nick Lebrun -- Shreveport, La -- 10-00 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 18-10 (10)

53. Frank Ippoliti -- Mercersburg, Pa -- 8-08 (5) -- 10-01 (5) -- 18-09 (10)

54. Chad Aaron -- Lawrenceburg, Tn -- 7-08 (4) -- 10-14 (4) -- 18-06 (8)

55. Phil Marks -- Dallas, Tx -- 7-01 (5) -- 11-03 (5) -- 18-04 (10)

56. Terry Fitzpatrick -- Waukon, Ia -- 10-02 (5) -- 8-02 (4) -- 18-04 (9)

57. Tom Redington -- Royse City, Tx -- 6-11 (5) -- 11-07 (5) -- 18-02 (10)

58. Joe Uribe Jr. -- Surprise, Az -- 10-13 (5) -- 7-01 (5) -- 17-14 (10)

59. Mark Daniels Jr -- Fairfield, Ca -- 7-12 (5) -- 10-02 (5) -- 17-14 (10)

60. Toshitada Suzuki -- Tokyo, Japan -- 8-07 (5) -- 9-07 (5) -- 17-14 (10)

61. Bryan Schmitt -- Deale, Md -- 13-00 (5) -- 4-10 (2) -- 17-10 (7)

62. Jason Milligan -- Shasta Lake, Ca -- 11-10 (4) -- 6-00 (2) -- 17-10 (6)

63. Jason Borofka -- Salinas, Ca -- 9-08 (5) -- 8-02 (5) -- 17-10 (10)

64. Doyle Isom Jr -- Bourbon, Mo -- 8-01 (5) -- 9-01 (4) -- 17-02 (9)

65. David Mansue -- Hemphill, Tx -- 9-11 (5) -- 7-04 (5) -- 16-15 (10)

66. Craig Massey -- Houston, Tx -- 9-03 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 16-14 (10)

67. Brian Fitzpatrick -- La Crosse, Wi -- 7-09 (5) -- 9-04 (5) -- 16-13 (10)

68. Chris Johnston -- Peterborough, On -- 8-06 (5) -- 8-06 (5) -- 16-12 (10)

69. Troy Garrison -- Topsham, Me -- 7-14 (5) -- 8-13 (5) -- 16-11 (10)

70. Derrick Blake -- Rockwood, Tn -- 7-09 (5) -- 9-01 (5) -- 16-10 (10)

71. Lendell Martin Jr -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 7-07 (5) -- 9-01 (5) -- 16-08 (10)

72. Chad Martin -- Nicolaus, Ca -- 9-03 (5) -- 7-04 (5) -- 16-07 (10)

73. Joe Raftery -- Las Vegas, Nv -- 10-11 (5) -- 5-10 (2) -- 16-05 (7)

74. Dale Hightower -- Mannford, Ok -- 4-10 (5) -- 11-10 (5) -- 16-04 (10)

75. David Curtis -- Trinity, Tx -- 7-01 (5) -- 9-02 (5) -- 16-03 (10)

76. Stephen Mui -- Bartlett, Il -- 12-11 (5) -- 3-06 (3) -- 16-01 (8)

77. Ryan Smith -- Galloway, NJ -- 7-05 (5) -- 8-10 (5) -- 15-15 (10)

78. Shane Long -- Willard, Mo -- 8-03 (5) -- 7-11 (4) -- 15-14 (9)

79. George Lambeth -- Thomasville, NC -- 9-15 (5) -- 5-14 (3) -- 15-13 (8)

80. Bill Tervin -- Pocola, Ok -- 7-13 (5) -- 7-11 (5) -- 15-08 (10)

81. Ken Ellis -- Bowman, SC -- 8-01 (5) -- 7-06 (5) -- 15-07 (10)

82. Randy Deaver -- Blanchard, La -- 8-06 (5) -- 6-14 (5) -- 15-04 (10)

83. Allen Duke -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 1-01 (1) -- 14-00 (5) -- 15-01 (6)

84. Jonathan Henry -- Grant, Al -- 12-09 (5) -- 2-05 (5) -- 14-14 (10)

85. Corey Harris -- Chatham, La -- 5-15 (3) -- 8-14 (4) -- 14-13 (7)

86. Clent Davis -- Montevallo, Al -- 8-02 (5) -- 6-11 (5) -- 14-13 (10)

87. Chris Novack -- Mansfield Center, Ct -- 7-04 (5) -- 7-08 (5) -- 14-12 (10)

88. Benjamin Byrd -- Moab, Ut -- 4-06 (4) -- 10-02 (5) -- 14-08 (9)

89. Vu Au -- Tucson, Az -- 6-14 (5) -- 7-10 (5) -- 14-08 (10)

90. Keith Pace -- Monticello, Ar -- 7-02 (2) -- 7-06 (5) -- 14-08 (7)

91. Patrick Spencer -- Penn Valley, Ca -- 5-06 (3) -- 8-14 (3) -- 14-04 (6)

92. Daryl Biron -- South Windsor, Ct -- 8-04 (5) -- 5-14 (5) -- 14-02 (10)

93. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 7-08 (5) -- 6-02 (2) -- 13-10 (7)

94. Brooks Forsyth -- Hester, La -- 7-14 (5) -- 5-10 (4) -- 13-08 (9)

95. Jim Dillard -- West Monroe, La -- 7-09 (5) -- 5-15 (5) -- 13-08 (10)

96. Mike Gabel -- Woodridge, Il -- 9-00 (5) -- 4-07 (2) -- 13-07 (7)

97. David Cioppa -- Hopkinton, Ma -- 6-08 (5) -- 6-15 (5) -- 13-07 (10)

98. Mike McDonald -- Randleman, NC -- 3-04 (2) -- 9-13 (3) -- 13-01 (5)

99. Lionel Botha -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 9-09 (5) -- 3-07 (2) -- 13-00 (7)

100. Troy Anderson -- Galesville, Wi -- 8-11 (5) -- 4-03 (3) -- 12-14 (8)

101. Troy Broussard -- Beaumont, Tx -- 8-06 (5) -- 4-08 (4) -- 12-14 (9)

102. Bill Day -- Frankfort, Ky -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-13 (5) -- 12-13 (5)

103. Kevin Hugo -- Chino, Ca -- 12-07 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 12-07 (5)

104. Joseph Wood -- Westport, Ma -- 6-01 (5) -- 6-01 (5) -- 12-02 (10)

105. James Watson -- Springfield, Mo -- 6-07 (5) -- 5-06 (4) -- 11-13 (9)

106. Brian Branum -- Sam Rayburn, Tx -- 3-11 (3) -- 7-15 (5) -- 11-10 (8)

107. Wayne Christopher -- Huntsville, Al -- 3-14 (2) -- 7-10 (3) -- 11-08 (5)

108. Todd Hollowell -- Fishers, In -- 6-10 (5) -- 4-14 (4) -- 11-08 (9)

109. Tuan Nguyen -- Woodland, Ca -- 3-05 (2) -- 7-15 (4) -- 11-04 (6)

110. Wade Curtiss -- Meadow Vista, Ca -- 5-09 (5) -- 5-07 (3) -- 11-00 (8)

111. Ken Phillips -- Antioch, Ca -- 2-04 (2) -- 8-05 (5) -- 10-09 (7)

112. JT Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 6-12 (5) -- 3-11 (3) -- 10-07 (8)

113. Frank Poirier -- North Prince George, Va -- 10-06 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-06 (5)

114. Trevor Fitzgerald -- Belleview, Fl -- 0-00 (0) -- 10-04 (5) -- 10-04 (5)

115. Kyle Grover -- Trabuco Canyon, Ca -- 3-13 (3) -- 6-05 (5) -- 10-02 (8)

116. Brian Carnahan -- Flagstaff, Az -- 2-15 (1) -- 6-09 (2) -- 9-08 (3)

117. Mike Neilson -- Markham, On -- 2-04 (2) -- 7-00 (2) -- 9-04 (4)

118. Val Osinski -- Pompano Beach, Fl -- 1-02 (1) -- 8-01 (5) -- 9-03 (6)

119. Ron Nelson -- Berrien Springs, Mi -- 5-08 (4) -- 3-11 (2) -- 9-03 (6)

120. Chuck Howard -- Elloree, SC -- 3-12 (2) -- 5-03 (2) -- 8-15 (4)

121. Shayne Berlo -- Fairfax, Va -- 1-03 (1) -- 7-11 (5) -- 8-14 (6)

122. Travis Fox -- Rogers, Ar -- 8-04 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-04 (5)

123. Brett Mitchell -- Timmonsville, SC -- 8-01 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 8-01 (3)

124. Ed Arledge -- Valley Center, Ca -- 4-11 (4) -- 3-02 (2) -- 7-13 (6)

125. Stuart Arthur -- Benton, Mo -- 1-06 (1) -- 6-03 (5) -- 7-09 (6)

126. Wil Hardy -- Harlem, Ga -- 4-07 (3) -- 2-12 (2) -- 7-03 (5)

127. Barry Wilson -- Birmingham, Al -- 6-14 (5) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-14 (5)

128. Cody Kelley -- Conway, Ar -- 6-14 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 6-14 (4)

129. Jerred Jennings -- Stockton, Ca -- 4-07 (3) -- 1-10 (1) -- 6-01 (4)

130. Wade Hudgens -- Longview, Tx -- 5-03 (4) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-03 (4)

131. Christopher Brasher -- Longview, Tx -- 5-02 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 5-02 (3)

132. Steve Bushore -- Bainbridge, Ga -- 4-12 (3) -- 0-00 (0) -- 4-12 (3)

133. Michael Hall -- Annandale, Va -- 2-03 (2) -- 2-05 (2) -- 4-08 (4)

134. Brandon Stapleton -- Temperanceville, Va -- 3-10 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-10 (2)

135. Philip Crelia -- Center, Tx -- 3-05 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-05 (2)

136. Stewart Herndon -- Weston, WV -- 0-00 (0) -- 3-03 (2) -- 3-03 (2)

137. Tom Belinda -- Holidaysburg, Pa -- 2-11 (2) -- 0-00 (0) -- 2-11 (2)

138. John Fuqua -- Oxnard, Ca -- 1-05 (1) -- 0-00 (0) -- 1-05 (1)

Todd Castledine -- Nacogdoches, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)

Clark Reehm -- Huntington, Tx -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0) -- 0-00 (0)